Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-09-21

| Aus anu WuOSe sweet, suOQuCd, but gra-
cious manner had charmed him more
and mere. First TO notice his marked
Preference for Helen Daunton's society
was Ellis Farrar, who noted it with
mixed emotions, with an interest of
which she felt ashamed and which she
strove to repress. For months she had
been struggling against herself, or
rather against some strange distemper
that was not herself, for the pang Of
Jealousy with which the girl had marked
her mothers dependence upon Mrs
DauEton when Ellis returned from
school had deepened and taken root
early that graduation summer. Her
Jealousy had been doubled by an event
that occurred shortly after her brothers
last parade. Mrs. Daunton had not gone
with them to the Point-Craney' was
crowded in June, and Mrs. Farrar and
Ellis would go nowhere else. For the
week they would be there the services
and administrations of companion
might, perhaps. be dispensed with. and
! Helen remained ut the home
But the evening after graduation.
when they were all seated in the parlor
OF their New York home and Will was
lounglng at the window, delighted with
the life and hustle of the city streets
and vaguely longing to get ont and air
his new "cits," yet not quite daring to
go to kitty's in them, because she de-
clared she'd never speak to him except
IN uniform, and Mrs. Farrar was lean
ing back in her easy chair, tanning her
self slowly, with her eyes and thoughts
On her boy, even though Helen Daunton
was reading aloud TO her long. inter-
esting letter, there came n shout from
Will that brought the blood to Ellis
face and drove it instantly from Helen
DauntOn's. Confronting each other rs
they sat, each saw and marked uncrr.
ingly the effect upon the other of Wills
jubilant announcement.
| Here's Jack Ormsby!"
Helen made her escape from the room
that night before he entered. had never
been in the parlor on the occasion Of his
brief visits thereafter, yet had seen him.
Ellis never forgot how the evening Of
his last cali, when his card came up to
her, she remembered that Mrs. Daunton
was searching ut that moment for a
book il the library back of the parlor
She noted that Helen did not come nj
once away, as had been her won't She
fingered few minutes over the last
touches to her toilet, for, even though
she was distrustful, jealous Of her lover.
she was woman enough to loose no chain
that bound him. Her heart was fiutter-
ing and her face was pale as she stepped
into her mothers room and stopped to
kiss her forehead, and Mrs. Farrar look
ed at her wis:fully, as though half ready
\ to plead for the honest fellow she had
grown TO trust and honor. From Mrs
Daunton Ellis had wrupg the admission
that some years ago she had met and
known MIR. Ormsby. From Jack Ormsby
she had learned that he had never
known q Mrs. Daunton in his life, and
her heart was filed with misgivings as
she went swiftly down Tie stairs, turn.
ed sharply at the bottom and in an in
slant stood at the library door.
just as she expected. there. peeping
through the heavy mcshcs Of the por-
there's. invisible to any one in the par
lor, yet able to study its occupants at
will: there, clutching the silken folds
in her beautiful white hands, with her
face pallid and quivcring with emotion.
with great tears trickling down her
checks; th.Te. deaf to her coming, stood
Helen Daunton. gazing spellbound at
the man v,ho dared to approach her
Ellis Farrar-in the guise of lover.
And JACK Ormsby had vowed that
, never until he met her had lie known
what it was to love woman, vowed
that his heart had been all her own ever
since the winter of her fathers death.
ever since the bitter day he had to break
: to her the dreadful news, and yet, here
before her eyes, was evidence that this
, woman could look upon him only in I'M
controllable emotion. What folly to talk
, to her Of never having seen Helen Daun-
ton before! And even then an idea flash
ed upon her Under some other name he
must have known her. and though he
might deny the name he could not deny
the woman. Jealous, doubly jealous,
; she sought to bring them face to face,
and, entering the library, quickly turn.
, ed on the electric light and would have
opened the pcrticrc and babe him come
to her there, but Helen Daunton turned
and fed. All Ellis could afterward ex.
tort from her was that in her unhappy
past Jacl: Ormsby had befriended her.
stood by her in the sorest need. and she
would be grateful to him to her dying
day.
,, And yet" said Ellis, ever doubtful
and suspicious, you refused to see him,
you sIirInk from him, ard Won would
not meet him." But to this there was
; 10 reply.
Thu; night was O;msby's last call be.
fore he went abroad. And BOW, with
Christmas near at hand and her jcal.
ousy ever wrestling with her better
nature, and the respect, even the regard,
she felt growing within her for this love.
" woman who was so devoted to mel
mother, Ellis Farrar knew not what e
, think or sag when she noticed the unerr.
! ing signs of Malcolm Leale's growing
love and Of the evids ut pleasure, despite
all her gentle reserve, the woman felt
/, III his society.
Even to Helen. then, the coming
Christmastide was bringing that which
women prize and welcome. Only Eli.