Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-03-28
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE HUMANITY OF IT.


| found in young lovers II may be as
/ sumed that half the people who are
| grown are married. OF these nine
| tenths know what it is to support O
/ family on little or nothing or 10 bt
/ tied to one who is VIGOROUSLY un
| worthy. Nevertheless a considerable
! proportion OF the other half go right
/ on making the same blunders.
Frank Rfvard chose sheep raising for
I his vocation, and his father established
and stocked for him 4 ranch In Mon
| tana. one would suppose that Franb
under the circumstances would take
pride and pleasure in attending strictly
to his ranch and his fiocks and let other
things alone. But there was great
deal Of time that hung heavy on his
hands, and we all know that Satan
finds work for idle hands TO do. An
old Mexican named NuneZ FustadO
lived near, who supported very large
| family partly by cultiyating a small
vegetable garden and partly by keep
ing a tavern. The oldest daughter,
Blanca, possessed certain elements OF
Spanish beauty. Rivard first saw her
six months after he had parted with
Julia Woodbury., young lady of his
own station, and TO whom he would
have made proposal of marriage just
before his departure had he not lacked
opportunity.
The Spanish black eyes of Blanca,
the red tint set In an olive cheek, not
withstanding that her hair was frowzy
and her apparel dirty, were very beau
tiful TO Rivard-much more so. he
thought, than the girl he had left be-
hind him. But only one who has seen
no women for six months can realize
how beautiful they are. Frank met
Blanca and made love TO her, of course.
That he should not do SO was not to
be expected under the circumstances.
Few people commit great blunder all
at once; there are usually successive
steps. one morning after having been
with Blanca the night before in moon-
light he woke up conscious that he was
betrOthed. He was horritied at first
and kept away from the girl for two
days, at the end of which time they
were sitting again in the moonlight
wrapped in each others arms and both
perfectly happy. From that time for
ward the lover considered the Mexican
girl necessary to his happiness.
Rivard was not the only fool OF the
two. The girl had everything her own
way in a matrimonial point of view.
She would probably not be very happy
under such an unequal marriage but
this she did not realize. 1t was plain
TO her that she would get the best of
the bargain. Nevertheless she threw
L
cred pretty in that region and could
have all the attention she desired. y
cowboy came along and made love to
her in such desperate fashion that she
rather enjoyed 1t. Instead Of telling
him that she was engaged she tempo
rized with him until he came to consid-
err that she belonged TO him. Then
when the damage was done she was
afraid to tell him that she was engdg
ed to Frank Rivard for fear the cow
boy would kill him, 50 she dismissed
him without any good and sufficient
reason.
The affair ended as such affairs occa-
sionally do-in II tragedy. The cowboy
sought her out so often and so fierceIy
that she began to fear Riv1rd would
puncher told her that II she didn't
marry him he would kill her. She look
ed in his eye and saw that he meant
what he said and tried to escape. She
was too late. 4 pistol ball solved the
problem for her, and another prevented
trouble between her slayer and Rivard.
The cowboy sent 1t into his own foolish
brain.
When the catastrophe was broken TO
Rivard he was craZed. He spent a
week trying to get over his loss, then
decided TO try change Of scene5 Lsav-
ing his hocks in the care of Others. he
went home. The gradual approach TO
civilization interested him and crowd
ed out his sorrow. There is nothing
better to alleviate grief than travel
By the time he reached home he had
so far recovered that he began to real
ize the inequality of his intended union
At any rate, he would say nothing
about il.
The first woman Rivard met after his
return was Julia Woodbury.. He was
sitting on the piazza in the spring sun
shine when she called to
see his sister Mary. When she came
up the steps and saw him her face
broke into a smile Of pleasure. Some
how a contrast between her ladylike
and the slOuchy Blanca
came up before his eyes and he could
not get rid OF it though the contrast
annoyed him. The image of Blanca did
finally die away. leaving a real image
Of Miss Woodbury. which was very
pleasant TO look upon.
\ week later a telegram came for
Frank Rivard stating that his presence
was needed on the ranch at once. He
had seen n great deal in n short time
OF Miss Woodbury.. and by mutual con-
sent Of all parties they were left alone
together on the evening before his in
tended departure. 1t was moonlight,
but Frank forgot that such was the
case on the night he proposed 10
Blanca. At any rate. he proposed to
Julia and was accepted.
The next morning another telegram
h.