Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-08-22
The Daily Short Story
The Girl He Couldn't Kiss.

Mr. Bennington. He took a rocking
chair.
"You might have sat in the hammock
with me had you asked it." she said,
laughing; that is. provided you sat
on the other side and let me have the
view"
ooh. seev' he exclaimed. 'You like
the IS chair positions and expect me to
get the impressions OF the landscape
from your face"
"It isn't paint" she laughed. Its
sun. You know L burn"
Mr.. bennington, after laying his hat
and stick on the floor. took the place
| offered him. \ nOdding rose marked
several seconds before the girl exclaim-
ed: "Oh, Mr.. Bennington. 1 heard this
evening that you were going back to
town tomorrow, and you haven't taken
me to see that wonderful boiling
spring! Are you going TO break your
promise?"
"Oh, no." he replied; "only postpone
| It n year
"That won't do" she said with grav-
ity. Summer friendships are never
biennial Next year you will choose a
younger bud and 1 a younger thorn.
Old boys like young girls and young
boys prefer seasoned maidens."
THAT may be true" he admitted,
''but with you and me ii is different.
We have been so much to each other
so congenial. We have found so many
tastes and pleasures in common that L
feel confident that we could carry our
friendship through the remainder of
time"
Yes" she assented. "you think that
now, of course, but 1 am sure you
thought the same thing of some other
girl at this time last year. 1 fancy that
the seasons have much to do with our
likes"
But our candor," he continued. I'VE
have never deceived one another. 1t
would have been useless, admit, I'M
lderstanding each other as we do. But
can such perfect companionship be for
gotten? Can it ever become a neglect
ed toyT"
I'VE have been great friends" she
said frankly. land L cannot know how
much 1 shall miss you till-tomorrow."
"And doesn't it amuse you,' he said,
| ito remember what formal, ceremoni-
Gus acquaintance we have been? AL
though we have come so close in heart
and thought, we have always observed
the most rigid rules of etiquette"
"Do you think that is the case to-
night" she laughed, when sit here
in the hammock with you and no one
else about?"
II am glad you have learned to trust
me-" he murmured. you could not
pay me a higher compliment. 1 was
| thinking how strange it is that we
blindly follow the laws of custom even
though we were better able to under
stand our own motives and impulses
THAT custom is n woman's greatest
safeguard" she contested. "She can
appeal to it when her own will wav-
| ers''
Take you and me, for instance" he
argued. MANY, many times 1 have
watched your face, your eyes. 1 have
watched your lips as they curled in
scorn, pursed in surprise, or dropped in
disgust. Many, many times in thought L
have pressed my lips TO yours-have
felt your quiet breathing and languor-
Gus glances, while my pulses throbbed
like mad. But it was all in thought.
In reality have talked evenly on mas
You have been stealing" she pouted.
81 did not give you the right to kiss
me even in thought"
Il felt like n thief" he admitted. 81
wished to confess. but your look re-
strained me. L have waited my oppor-
tunity,- for / felt that in a friendship
like ours there would come a time
when the caresses permitted in thought
would clamor for other existence.
felt that the time would bring itself
about when such n realization would
be neither a surprise nor a concession
to either of us. 1 felt that 1t would
become a necessity TO ripen our conf
dence."
She was looking at the floor. A
quiet breeze rustled the oak leaves, and
the roses nodded. As she did not an
swer he put his hand over to her side
of the hammock and slowly, very slow
~. lie leaned forward till his mustache
lightly touched her cheek. She started
stood up. The notes of a coach horn,
mellow with distance, floated up TO
them.
why" she exclaimed. that is our
horni They must be coming back for
me-" Reaching up. she pulled one
of the nodding roses and, turning TO
bennington. said, "Will you take this
as a pledge to do something shall ask
youE" He arose and, leaning over,
took the hand that held the flower. .
Anything you wish, darling" he
whispered. She looked straight into
his eyes and said slowly:
when you are telling summer idyls
at the club next winter, don't forget
the girl you couldn't kiss"
An hour later in a small room at the
hotel three men were seated around a
table. On the table were three glasses.
in the glasses were three straws. The
man at Mr.. Berrington'sIright gave the
other man two fifty dollar bills. The
other man looked at Bennington and