Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-08-02
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DAILY SHORT STORY
ALAN CON riga.


.Ori-iA"ll
Mrs. EC~r.er. wii,N, with large
fortune 1T her disposal. no children TO
occupy her. several estates in which
| TO entertain. sill found something
wanting in life She had not married
for love. Int for money, and NJ TWEEN
ty-eight found herself in possession OF
the money without a husband.
The keynote to her present unsatis-
| fed condition WAS that she had at
eighteen fallen in love and that love
had never been completely stamped
out. At the finishing school she had
attended was drawing master. Il
young Englishman twelve years her
senior, about whom there was Il sub
tie charm. which. like the gift of
story teller or songster, is indcscrib-
able. Alan COnyngham was Il favorite
with all the pupils, and several of the
girls besides Florence Huntington were
in love with him, but Florence alone
received a return. He WAS an honor
able fellow and gave her no evidence
of his love till the day after she had
finished, then he called on her and con-
feSSed it.
said. You will live here, and you and
cannot live i'll the same place.
Brought up as you have been l could
not ask YOU. could not permit You to
join your fortunes with mine. the son
of one of those younger sons in
British family who have no share in
the family estate
That was the last Florence Hunting
ton saw of Alan Couyngham for ten
years. then when they met it seemed
to her that he must have had hard
struggle with poverty. and poverty had
been the winner. She had taken
fancy to go 10 Washington one win
ter and be present at the opening OF
a session of congress. She had been
there but a few days when she re-
ceived card. Allan COnyngham.' 1t
seemed to her that Intervening years
could only have widcnCd the gap in
| their different conditions. She had be
come accustomed To wealth, while it
| was probable that he was still at the
foot of the ladder. She debated wheth-
| er it would not be better to send him
kind word Indicating that they
should not meet again, but there was
a certain uncomfortable desire in her
heart that she could not keep down.
She answered the card in person.
There stood Alan Conyngham. Il man
of forty, the few gray hairs that had
come to him not appearing in his Eng
lish faXcn hair and beard. Tie change
ten years will put on Il man was the
only change III him. except his clothes,
which were shabby
FLORENCE" he said, Il ask your par
| don for this intrusion again into your
life Not for one moment during the
past ten years have | ceased TO think
of you-to love you. I read an ac-
| count of the wealthy match You made
and learned of the death of your hus-
band. DO not think that l am come to
ask you TO share the brilliant place you
occupy with poverty. No man with
true pride could do so. l came to see
you and for the comfort of hearing you
say, 4 have never completely awakened
from the dream of ten years ago
Seeing him. listening to those few
words. was enough to break down
Florence Terriers resolution.
Nor ever will awake from it," she
said.
Conyngham started.
Now that have heard what L came
TO hear" he said, there is no excuse
for my staying"
She begged him not to leave her. She
had enough for both. They might snap
their fingers at the world.
NO." he said. You must marry
within your station. No true man can
accept the wealth you would bring him
except lie bring you an equivalent
AS he spoke he left the room and the
house.
Mrs. Terrier was surprised the next
day to receive an invitation to dinner
from the mother of the British minis
ter Who had been instrumental in Sc
curing it she did not know. Indeed,
so many We're ready to favor her that
she did not take pains TO discover.
dinner at the British minister's was
not to be declined and she accepted.
She was received IN the drawing
room by a high bred old English lady
who. after welcoming and chatting
with her a few minutes, left the room.