Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-04-04
DAILY SHORT STORY
WHAT CAME OF THROWING RICE
tOriginal.1

! a boyish looking fellow and Girlisf
| looking maiden sat in the same sea-
| waving adieus to a party of young
1 people outside. AS the train started
| Il shower of rice came in at the open
window, and shouts of merriment
| mingled with adieus, died away in the
| distance. The young man looked
| sheepfsh: the girl blushed crimson.
The train was an express, which was
| not scheduled to stop for two hours
and that q hundred miles from the
starting point; consequently the con
| ductor did not hurry TO take up the
tickets. The young couple said little
TO each other, and what was said came
mostly from the young man, who was
trying to pacify the girl about the rice
throwing Nothing more noticeable
than this occurred till the young man
was heard to exclaiIn:
'By jimmy
He was plunging his hands into his
pockets, one after another, and when
he got through them all began over
again.
Whatever in the world is it," said
the girl.
"PocketbOok gone. with all the mon
ey and the tickets"
The voices in this part of the young
couples dialogue were not suppressed;
indeed they could be heard by the
whole car.
Il believe it was Bill SlOcum did it,
said the swain. He was monkeying
around me in the depot. He must
have done it for joke"
HIN! Joke! He did it for spite.
He was jealous
Jealous of whom?'
The girl made no reply to this. In
deed, the passengers sitting near need
ed no reply to judge of the situation.
The couple began to talk over their
loss in lower tones, and the more they
talked the less they liked it. To be
left on train speeding far away with
out a cent to pay their fares was a
very uninviting condition. The young
man looked rueful, and the girl began
to cry. Presently the door of the car
opened and the conductor entered and
began to take up tickets. AS he ap-
preached the young couple the young
man went through his pockets again,
though this time he was doing 1t to
give the conductor some Fremont
ton of what was to come. The girl
sobbed aloud. When the official stood
in front of the couple and reached out
for the tickets the young man told him
his story and begged him to pass them
through, but the heartlesS conductor
said that they must get off at the first
stop and went on punching tickets.
All this was too much for a benevO-
lent looking gentleman sitting near,
who arose, took his hat in his hand
and walked through the car taking up
a collection. All the world loves a
lover, and bride and bridegroom
placed in such u situation just starting
on their wedding trip appealed to the
SympathieS of every, one in the car.
When the benevolent gentleman had
visited all he went to the girl and
poured a lot Of bills and coin into her
lap. Size looked up at their benefactOr
with happy smile that should have
repaid him amply for what he had
done. But he wanted something more.
"A kiss from the bride, please"
The girl cOlored up to the roots of
her hair. and the benevolent gentleman
bent and, taking her pretty young face
in his two hands, raised it and i'm
printed kiss, whereupon there was
a spontaneous burst of laughter, accom-
panied by a clapping of hands, from the
other donors.
Any bride and groom under such
circumstances would be embarrassed,
and the passengers did not think hard
OF this youthful couple that they did
not respond to the friendly spirit by
which they had been relieved from an
imp easant position. Their fare was
paid, and there could be no reason for
further worry, and yet there seemed
something unsettled. The youth was
whispering to the girl. apparently en-
deavoring TO obtain her consent to
something he had proposed. Several
hours passed. during which the train
kept up its monOtonous clatter. and the
young couple seemed still uneasy At
last the girl was observed to put her
hand into that of the young man and
say something softly. In few min
ates he arose and. going To the gen
tlemau collector. said something to
him which seemed 10 surprise him
greatly.
You don't mean IT! Why didn't you
say 500"
The young man said something more;
the gentleman rose and asked:
is there a clergyman present?''
There was no response.
This young gentleman and lady are
very conscientious. They have accept
ed help under the assumption that they
are bride and groom. They are not
married"
There was n moments silence, and
then some one shouted:
Then they'd better be right off,
That's the point. The lady has con-
scented TO what she never dreamed Of
when she entered the cara wedding"
One of the passengers went from car
TO car for 4 clergyman and at last
found one and brought him TO the scene
If the comedy.
II the whole train could not get in
one car TO witness the wedding all
the bride. and another
collection was insisted ON fo euahIa