Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-01-14
ROMANTIC VIOLET


disposition. Perhaps it was the effect
of her name. She used to feel bitterly
aggrieved with fate because her eyes
were brown instead of blue or blue
gray or blue black. But she religiOusly
! trained her brown eyes to look as melt
! ing as if they had been blue. She part
| ed her hair in the middle and let a few
curls-put up overnight-escape about
| her forehead. She was devoted to
white muslin gowns and simplicity in
| general.
| Violet was given to the keeping of
souvenirs. She had a whole scrapbook
| full of dance cards, menus, german IA
vors, pressed flowers. scraps of poems
! and the like. and-for there was me-
thodicaI streak in her nature-there were
a few words written beneath, 'Souve-
mir for the assistance of family mem
/ Dry" For instance, beneath careful
~ pressed and mounted white rose was
the inscription: June 3. 1888; high
school graduation. From bunch given
| by Will l.. NJ. Gave him one back.
| And beneath bit OF blue ribbon were
the inspiring words: Worn by me at
picnic. Sept. II, 1885. Jack has Il piece
er opened the book of souvenirs save
for the purpose of adding another TO
her collection and cataloguing it neatly.
Violet was twenty-Six and still
sweetIy sentimental person when Hor-
ace Vandcrhoff and his uncle came
within her circle of acquaintance. 1t
was rumored that Horace would inner
il his uncle's fortune eventually. He
was rather impulsive, somewhat po-
etc youth. He had written sonnets, it
was said. He looked like Goethe at
any rate and had proper scorn of con-
ventions, a fondneSs for moonlight ram
bies and a liking for the woods and sea.
And Niolets friends said, "At lastr'
with great meaning when they saw
Horace's infatuation for Violet.
He wrote her verses, all of which
were duly entered in the souvenir book,
and Violet read them with an unwont
ed little thrill in her sentimental heart
and an unusual softnesS in her brown
eyes He brought her flowers, not the
dollhouse blooms of convention, but lit
tie, shy things that grew in the woods
and that should mean to her that even
his walks were full of thought of her.
His uncle sent occasional punches of
whatever costly blossoms struck his eye
down town, and all VioletS friends
said it was pleasant of his uncle to help
HOrace's suit on, but that Horace I'M
derstood Niolet's romantic tempera-
ment better. Horace brought Violet his
favorite books to read, and sometimes
she tried to. When she didn't have
time she merely looked unutterable
nd fn mi nd
she couldn't say much about them.
She couldn't ever speak fluently OF
what affected her deeply.
1t was one day when Horace had
seen her taking her mission Sunday
school class off to look at pictures or
something of the sort that he told her
he had something 10 say to her. He
looked little white as he made the
announcement, and Violet paled little
too As usual, she was very sweet to
behold. The children had enjoyed their
day and had admired her, which gave
her deeper pleasure in herself than
usual and therefore a more enhancing
look But when she saw that look on
Horace's face a sudden and quite I'M
common feeling struck her. She said
hastily:
please don't-please don't say any
thing
Il must" answered Horace huskily.
81 cannot go on this way any longer.
When | see you. sweet and high mind |
ed and honest as the day
NO. no. You must not" protested
Violet. Pity for him and a strong. |
hitherto unfelt desire TO he sincere |
made her go on. IL am not those things. |
1 am afraid l know what you are going |
to say. Please do not. 1t is no use"
You do not know" asserted Horace, |
"and it is of use. l cannot be insincere |
with you. 1t is impos"-
Nor l with you. Do not go on. | am
not what you think. l am not simple |
and honest. l am-don't say that you |
want to marry me, for I am engaged TO
your uncle since yesterday. That's the |
sort Of woman 1 am
Horace looked at her with a curious /
light in his eyes.
I'm awfully sorry, Miss Kent" he |
said in conventional tones, ito have |
forced you into a perhaps unpremedi-
tated announcement OF your engage
ment l was going to tell you that
was reproaching myself for not having
told you befOre-that l am going To /
marry Miss Augusta de Million. | H
didn't feel quite square about it, for
you and 1 have had a slight affair OF
the heart, you know. But I'm glad you
are going to marry Uncle Max. He's a
trump if he is as poor as n church
mouse
POOR said Violet. But Horace did
not hear, for he had crossed to tha pi-
ano and was asking her to sing Robin
Adair" to him. Before he went away
he asked for a flower from her belt
with as much earnestness as if the an
nounceemnt had not been made. And
Violet gave it graciously enough. But
she made no entries in her souvenir
hook that night