Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-06-24
DAILY SHORT STORY
The Owner of the Beatrice.
IOriginal.l

In the Newport Casino two ladies.
mother and daughter, were loungfng.
making remarks about those sitting
near or passing.
''Oh. heavens, Beatrice" said the
mother, there's Walter Wells! II ne
sees US it will spoil everything. Just
think of his telling people that we came
from a Mississippi river town
The daughter bit her lip. How IN
fortunate"' she said.
And just as we have been taken up
by the BIS. Here he comes. We
mustn't see him on any account"
The mother turned her head squarely
on the man who was approaching; the
daughter, after hesitating, suddenly
became interested i'll group which
called her gaze to another part of the
room. The man walked by, his eyes
fixed on the two women. He had start
ed forward with an eXpectant look on
his face. which turned into a bitterly
disappointed. then q severe, one. In
stead of going up to them, as he had at
first plainly intended, he passed on.
"Oh, MOTHER said the girl. Il Won
der II he saw u.s.
saw us. OF course he did and knew
we didn't want to he bothered with
him. l wonder what lie is doing here.
He was as poor as Il church mouse
when we left G. ten years ago.
That night there was Il ball at BIS,
and Mrs. and Miss De Lano-it was
Delano originally, now 1t was De Lano
were there. They knew a few of
those they met there, but as they had
not yet effected an entree into the
creme de la creme of the worlds com
mercial aristOcracy scarcely any OF
those they called acquaintance PAID
any attention to them.
Mamma" said the daughter, what
can it mean? There's Walter Wells"
You don't say so. WhereT
"Over there with-why, that's the
man who was pointed out to me this
afternoon as Lord Donegan, the Irish
nobleman. who has been over here
shooting"
Half an hour later the daughter was
standing near Lord DOnegan, and, see
ing that she was u beautiful girl, he
asked to be presented to her. During
their conversation Lord DOnegnn spoke
of hunting in the west and incidentally
The lady led him to talk of his friend
without mentioning her former ac-
quaintance with him.
Il was in Colorado" he said, 'stlrt-
ing for the Yellowstone park when
met Wells. / took Il fancy to him and
succeeded in persuading him to so
with me. We were on Il stagecOach
one day when the driver was drunk.
dropped the reins, and the horses
dashed down n steep road. Wells went
out on the tongue and checked the
horses just as they We're about to
swing us around q curve and over
precipcr. 1t wouldn't have made
much difference if Donegan with bare
five thousand Il year had gone over, but
the owner of the Beatrice mine would
have been Il very different thing.
"The Beatrice?"
"YeS; named for sweetheart, /
fancy, though Wells never gave me his
confidence
as the mine valuableT
Produces Il couple of hundred thou
sand year, and Wells owned it all till
he sold it recently for $10,O00OOO, l
think"
The lady turned her head aside, and
the lord went on.
wells came back with me. and
when some of my New York friends
were good enough to ask me TO New
port l told them 1 couldn't come with
out Wells. They didn't seem to think
he'd have a pleasant visit here-New-
port is exclusive. you know-but when
| the ladies found he was a bachelor and
81, 1T,
my introduction. and he became quite
! the rage.
"Since you are so intimate with Mr.
Wells" said Miss De Lano, perhaps
you will bear a message from me TO
| him.
with pleasure"
Tell him that Miss-Miss De LanO.
| a friend OF his. is here and would be
pleased TO see him"
Lord Donegan went off to find Mr..
Wells.
81 say. old man. he said. there's
Miss De LanO here-a beauty-an old
friend of yours, who wants to meet
you"
What did you tell her about me?"
why, 1 told her all about you OF
! course"
Tell Beatrice De Lano that passed
her this evening, and so great has been
the change in me during the past ten
years that she failed to recognize me.
l have been so shocked at my altered
appearance that 1 haven't the heart to
meet her"
"Beatrice?" repeated Donegan, look
ing at his friend searchingly.
Yes. l named the mine for her. !
came east expecting to find a sweet
heart. 1 found a stone"
Lord DOnegan did not carry the mes
sage. and Miss De Lano knew that he
had no message that would be accepta-