Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-11-23
DAILY SHORT STORY
SYMPATHY VERSUS TALENT.
IOriginal.l

marked personal manly beauty. Per-
haps he would have been unconscious
of 1t had not the girls of his acquaint-
ance constantly reminded him of it.
Arvine instead of being flattered was
Disguised. Beauty i'll his eyes was of
little value. What he priced especially
was talent. He was not inclined to
marry, fearing that his wife would
have been won by his good looks,
whereas he wished TO be loved for his
brain and ability.
Arvine lived in bachelor quarters
looking into a court. One morning on
the opposite side of the court he saw
a young girl sitting at a window.
There was a tinge of melancholy about
her face that at once won the young
mans sympathy. He watched her for
long while-indeed, till she went away
from the window-and after that
thought about her for the rest of the
day. When he went to bed her face
was before him, and when he awoke
he wondered if she would be ut the
window during the day.
That afternoon the girl appeared, this
time standing with her face TO the
window. but apparently oblivious 10
what was to be seen without. He ex
pected when she looked toward him
that she would give him the admirinS
glance he was accustomed to receive
from women, but no change in her eX-
preston was apparent, and soon after
she turned away from the window.
Here was girl who from all APP
pearances was obivious TO his good
looks. Arvine was impelled TO try to
win her by his talents. He wrote her
q manly note stating how he had seen
her and asking her consent TO a CORE
spondence to be followed by call. He
sent the missive by the janitor, who
saw that it was delivered. Arvine
waited with a fiuttering heart for a
reply.
In time he received a note signed
sylvia Beers" Miss Beers did not
commit herself, but she did not forbid
him TO write again, which he took for
an assent to his proposition. One
thing he noticed-she made no refer
ence TO her impressions ON seeing him,
and the omission pleased him very
much. If she had seen him, which,
after all. was not likely, since he had
been in shadow ut the time. she had
not been influenced by his beauty. III
she had not seen him he hoped to win
her before his good looks could come
into play.
Arvine wrote excellent verses. His
illusions were approved by critics and
accepted by the high grade periodicals.
Some OF his letters TO Sylvia Beers
were written in verse. When he wish
ed TO make love 10 her he did II in
verse not lackadaisical. but impressive
and extremely delicate in touch. Miss
Beers wrote that there was something
hanging over her, the nature of which
she did not explain, an ordeal that was
to be endured in the near future.
Meanwhile the man who was putting
all his feeling into his verse and was I'M
willing that his personnel should inter
fere with its sole effect upon Miss
Beers kept away from his window.
Then one day she wrote that the time
for her ordeal had arrived and she was
going away for time. but that his
letters would he forwarded to her.
Arvine was greatly touched at her mis-
fortune. He was too delicate To ask
its nature. but he wrote her one very
brief note. in which he conveyed gen
uine sympathy. 1t was followed, how
ever. by an effusion in verse which he
called Bearing the Cross" ana another |
called a Rift In the Clouds
Miss Beers was away from home six |
weeks. at the end OF which time she |
wrote that she would return in a few |
days She appointed a certain hour of 4
n certain day for him 10 be at his win \
dow. She did not say whether she had /
seen him there or not. and he wrote 1
her point blank question asking her I
II she had She evaded his question by
saying that she had an explanation 10
make and would make il at his first
call. Aryine made up his mind that
she had seen him. but that his good
looks had made no impression upon
her. One more letter he resolved to
XKite LefoIe AerEeiuEn. and IL that be