Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-09-29
DAILY SHORT. STORY
A FAIR EXCHANGE.

nOrgfnail

simple q matter to him that he couldn't
understand why all students couldn't
do the same. What Mr.. Parks coveted
was success in. athletics and he espe-
ciaIly desired to be prominent as a
boating man. e;had not the physique
to gain him an entrance into the uni
versity crew. but felt it possible for
him to sandwich as an unprofessional
oarsman.
Parks spent hAS vacation before en-
tering upon his Sc Nor year at Lake VI.
and sent his OWN boat. a needle shaped
AFFAIR with wides outrigyers on either
side. up by rail AT the hotel where
he stopped were va coslple of college
girls one Of whom had no end of con-
iitions consequent tupon her last eXami-
nations To make mp and should have
been studying ratlsr' than Summering
The other, Josephine Banning. was
rich. and IL made little difference prac-
tically whethert she got a diploma or
not. but Aida Lane WAS poor and
doomed to the drbigery OF a school
room and her degIse was OF the great
est Importance tOther. Since the need
full is seldom bestowed in the right
place, Miss Banning was good
scholar. while Hiss Lane dragged
along at the foot OF her class. How
ever. the latter was pretty and there
was hope for lBer in another direction.
Parks met the two girls and devoted
himself to- Miss Banning. This again
was all. wrong. for Miss Banning
didn't need a husband tand Miss Lane
needed one very much.
One morning Parks was pulling
leiSurely on the surnh bosom of the
lake in his skeleton boat, when. hear
ing the sounds of oarssahead. he turned
and saw Aida Lane. in II light lap
streak she had hired ut the landing
Not aversa To company. Parks gave a
few strokes with his long sweeps with
view to taking position beside her
then turned his head to speak. To
his surprise, her boat was not on his
quarter, but about as far ahead as
he had first seen IL. He gave dozen
more strokes, and turned again TO look
He had not gained half a length. Then
he began to exert himself, but when
Wilbur Parks eXerted himself he was
sure to do poorly. He put his oars in
too deep and took them out with
jerk. Miss Lane stopped rowing and
let him come alongside.
You don't feather right" she said
Parks, red as a lobster, looked at her
with an expression denoting that he
did not care TO be taught rowing by O
girl.
Your strokes are too fast for such
long sweeps" she went on. You're
giving as many 10 the minute as l with
| these paddles"
Parks didn't deign TO reply.
"Oh." said the girl, pulling on, Il beg
your pardon. i didn't intend"-
Either she didn't finish the sentence
or Parks didn't hear the end. At any
rate. though he worked hard. she
| pulled from him as a duck would
swim from a chicken, the "clunk" of
her oars growing fainter in the dis
| lance.
The young mans emotions were like
! the rumbling of volcanic forces. What
| were all the scholarly prizes he had
taken against this ignominious defeat
| by a girl: Had she beaten him intel
| lectually he would not have much
| minded IL, but for a man to be worsted
in the matter of n mans natural en-
| dowment- strength-by q girl. whose
| principal weapon should be weakness.
was humiliating indeed. He hated
Miss Lane. and when a man begins 10
| take enough interest in a woman to
hate her he is in dangerous condi-
ton. He knew he had been rude to
her and should have apolOgiZed. He
| compromised when they met in the
evening by thanking her in a formal
way for his lessons in rowing.
The matter might have stood at rest
Iere had not a sudden shower come up
| when the guests We're having a lawn
party at some distance from the hotel.
Parks was walking briskly for cover
when Miss Lane ran by him. lnstinc
| lively he began to race her but when
| he reached the piazza she was sitting
| in hammock tanning herself.
After this there was more bad blood
between Mr.. Parks and Miss Lane, and
| they barely spoke to each other.
One morning Miss Lane went TO the
| landing for a row. There was not
boat to be had. and she was about to
retrace her steps when, looking out on
! the lake. she was Just In time TO see
collision between a punt aud Wilbur
Parks shell. Both oarsmen We're spill
ed in the water, the punter swimming
for shore, Parks clinging to one OF the
| boats.
Had the girl let him alone he would
| have been picked up presently and no
damage done, but she saw her advan-
| tage and grasped ii. Taking off only
her shoes, she plunged In and swan
| for him. Parks saw her coming and
preferring death to being saved by her.
left his boat and tried to swim for the
landing. When they met he was ex-
hausted- The girl managed to get his
arm over her shoulder and around her
neck and carried him to shore.
After that Parks suddenly discov-
cred that his hatred for his preserver
was OF a very peculiar kind. Indeed.