Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-11-22
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE KID.
~NO~~~-
[Original.l

button
There was something in the sweet
smile that the girl gave him TO make
me feel as if / would like to punch his
head. Still. was very fond of him.
though he was very "kiddish" himself.
"who IS she:'' 1 asked.
"Grace Lincoln
Eleven years passed. Dick Norval
had spent the greater part of the pc
Rod out of my life. then came back in
to II again. He was dining with me
one evening. and / asked him why he
had not married. We were over our
coffee and cigars at the time. Dick
blew n smoke ring and looked through
IL in n melancholy way into vacancy.
Had disappointment: i asked.
"Tell me about it,
II don't mind.'' he said and gave me
the story.
"a good many years ago. before l
left this region. used TO know Il very
young girl OF the name of Grace Lin
coln.''
/ had not thought OF 1.-The Kid for
years. but remembered her and prick
ed up my ears.
when first knew her / was twenty
ard she was scarcely fifteen and alto
gether too young for me. She went
away to- school and to college and when
she came back was twenty-thr while
/ was twcnty-ciGht. There was q lot
OF difference in her, though not Il great
deal I'm me. In one respect l remained
q girl from twenty 10 twenty-five about
the right age for me. i was thrown q
great deal with Grace Lincoln, and we
became fast friends. Her father had
grown very rich, and she could have
shone in society. but she preferred to
devote herself to an object. She IN
dertook the dispensation of the amount
her father set aside each year for char
ity. and. since she investigated every
case thoroughly, the work took all her
time. Society tried hard to get hold of
her. but she said she had no time to
give to it. she was very intellectual
girl, and / was never better entertained
than when in her company.
LAS years went on l grew more and
more DESTROYS OF home life and COM
preside over my household. be my life
companion and all that l was not long
in coming TO the conclusion that the
only woman l wanted was Grace Lin
soin. If / couldn't get her, home life
could not be for me. The more my
ton the more attractive il became to
me. / suppose | had loved the girl
for some time without knowing 1t.
Had any mau stepped in between her
and me l should have known it at
once. But something else than man
had come to keep us apart.
After beating about for time with
out getting any encouragement 1 final
ly determined to tell her what 1 had
Oh my mind anyway. She listened TO
what l had to say without appearing
to be in the least moved Icy it, then
told me that she had determined to
devote her life TO the work in which
she was engaged. l replied that she
must have given her heart 10 some
one she had lost, whereupon she ad
United that she had and would Tell rue
about it,
When / was between fourteen and
fifteen she said, i met a young man
of twenty who captivated my unso-
phisticated little heart completely. l
one night ut church he saw
Inc home. and ! was the most delighted |
girl in the world. / ran in to my !
mother and exclaimed that / had had |
"a grownup young man to see me home. |
But the grownup young man evil
IDENTIFY was oblivioSs TO having caught |
me. At any rate. he didn't want me. |
i was not much Of a conquest for him. |
for / was but little more than a child. !
He never paid me any attention, and /
when 1 was thrown with him, though |
/ exerted myself TO entertain him. he |
always seemed bored. / went away to /
school treasuring his image in my /
heart. but by the time had been grad
uated from college il had largely pass
ed away from me. II he had recipro-
Gated doubtless i should now be a l
wife and mother, taking care of my l
own children instead of those who need |
me In much larger numbers As il is, II
am in love with my work and shall |
never marry
And who 1 asked, SIS this stupid |
ass, this natural born fool, this drib-
bling idiot, who permitted your heart /
when young and tender to slip through
his unappreciative fingers
she looked up with a smile and re-
piled:
You
1T was some moments before 1 could i
that she really referred 10
me. but when / did / wanted IN hire
a strong man with cudGel TO belabor
me for an hour every day that / might
have some satisfaction upon the per-
son who had SO blunderingly lost NE
the woman i wanted"
He blew another smoke ring. sighed,