Rock Island Argus., 1901-12-18
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
A Boys Vow.

MI WlnSrOVe, you haven't aSke(
about Claire. Don't you ever speak Oi
herr
"Never; on my honor"
"Ohr
MY dear Mrs. Kingston, this is
scarcely reasonable. or course 1 had
great deal of-respect for your daugh-
ter. and so on. but she threw me over
for that other fellow. and L went to
the Cape. 1 tried not only to forget my
trouble, but to forget her as well. That
was the only thing to do. Wasn't it?"
Did you succeed?"
No answer.
Have you quite forgotten. Mr.. Win
grover
"Well-of course-that is-yesr'
Then why have you come to see
me?"
Surely we are old friends. Remem-
ber how kind you were to me when i
was a student at Heidelberg. Your
house was i home TO me at a time
when I most needed good influences,
and when she Joined you and began
to love her l don't know whether you
saw how things were going. but you
were so kind and helpful that my time
there was the best and happiest L have
ever known. And then. when it all
turned out wrong and everything seem
ed going round, your gentle sympathy
steadied me. and l got through some
how"
~ was so sorry for you, poor boy"
'You have always been good to me.
and, though goodness knows I'm moth
ing to boast of. il it hadn't been for
you l dou't know where l should have
landed. a fellow doesn't forget these
things. Mrs. Kingston, though at the
time he may not qnite understand
them"
by the way, Mr.. Wingroye. do you
still care for Claire?"
Mrs. Kingston. what n question"
"Do you?"
"Really-but. hang it all-you must
not ask me that 1t isn't right-in-
deed it isn't"
Don't you know? Didn't they ever
tell you? She's a widow, Mr.. Win
grove"
'Claire a widow But how? When?"
'He died more than a year ago; in
fiuenZa-quite unexpected. 1t was so
sad!"
And have been away all this time
without knowing n word about il!
Heavensi / don't care who hears it
now. l may speak. l love her just rs
much as ever, and. by love, she must
marry me! Claire free
Hush. Mr.. Wingrove. / am very
sorry 1 spoke about it. but l thought
I hOped-yOu had really forgotten her
Oh, why did you come back just ut
this moment? Claire is not free"
"I-don't-understan
'She is going TO marry John Mears-
dale. He was one OF your rivals, you
will remember. and. though 1 don't
think she ever liked him in the way
she did you. he pleaded so hard and
was so devoted that at last she took
him. You know what an extraordinary
fascination she has over men. Ever
since l can remember, even when she
was the merest schoolgirl, they have
come round her and liked to look NJ
her and hear her talk. There is some
thing magnetic about her, 1 suppose.
but where she gets it from
"Who knows better than how hope
lesSly irresistible she is? But never
mind that now. What l want to know
Is why didn't you or somebody let me
know what had happened and give me
another chance. 1 know she liked me
better than Mearsdale. She often told
me so. After all that there was be-
tween us, was it fair or kind to leave
me sticking out there while he had ev.
erything his own way here"
"But. my dear boy, how could we
write to you after that VOW you took?"
"Vow, In heavens name, what
Tow?'
Can you have forgotten"
"Opens an escritoire and produces n
II you are true, no love more true
Than mine shall be bestowed on you;
But il you're false. then go your way
And trouble not goodby TO say,
For this vow, by all most dear
will not give you one poor tear, e
One moments thought, one slight regret,
But hasten to unlearn-iOrget-
Mrs. Kingston. you don't mean to
ay that that absurd jingle prevented |
'ou from writing to me?"
You signed it, Mr.. Wingrove."
"Signed IL! I've signed n thousand |
1iotic things that ought never TO be
made binding on me. Why, was
bout nineteen when i wrote it-a |
mere irresponsible boy. Look at IL.
vretched stuff. such as all boys write
Fhen they're in love for the first time,
which ought to be swept together and
urned by the common hangman. She
ant have believed it."
"She did, though. and so did L You
7ere always so earnest in what you
aid and did. / remember her telling
ne after you had given it her that she
elt quite certain that If, after all. she
Id not marry you. you would never
ONE near her or think kindly of her
gain"
'Oh. but women are impossible