Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-03-17

| Portable scale, anu RaI1cs pidceu II SUI
J ficient share at my disposal for the
J nonce. Moreover, i for one was only
/ too glad to seek fresh fields AMI pas
4, lures new, phrase which determined
! to interpret literally in my choice Of
! fresh surroundings. l was tired of our
! submerged life in the poky little fiat,
| especially now that we had money
enough for better things. j myself had
| of late had dark dealings with the re-
| ceivers, with the result that poor Lord
| Ernest Belvilles successes were now
indeed ours. Subsequent complications
| had been the more CALLING on that ac-
count, while the wanton way in which
| they had been created was the most IT.
ritating reflection of all. But II had
brought its own punishment upon Raf-
| fies, and / fancied the lesson would
prove salutary when we again settled
| down.
IF ever we do. Bunny said lie as
took his hand and told him how l was
| already looking forward to the time.
| But of course we WILL" cried. con-
cealing the resentment at leaving him
which his tone and his appearance re-
newed in my breast.
|
lily. I'm in somebody's clutches, and
/ I've got TO get out of them first
"I'n sit tight until you do"
well" lie said, ''if you don't see me
in ten days you never will"
"Only ten daysT' l echoed. "Tbats
nothing at ALL"
"a lot may happen in ten days." re-
piled Rafiies in the same depressing
tone. so very depressing In him. and
l with that he held out his hand second
| time and dropped mine suddenly after
as sudden pressure for farewell
1 left the fat in considerable dejec-
| ton after all, unable to decide whether
Raff1es was really i'll or only worried,
as knew him to be. And at the foot
| of the stairs the author of my dis
missal. that COMPOUNDED Theobald, flung
open his door and waylaid me.
I "Are you going?" he demanded.
The traps in my hands proclaimed
that was, but dropped them at his
feet to have il out with him then and
there.
Yes" / answered fercely, thanks
to you.'
"Well, my good fellow" he said his
full blooded face tightening and soften
| ing at the same time, as though load
were off his mind, tits no pleasure TO
me TO deprive any man of his billet.
| but you never were a nurse, and you
know that as well as do"
/ began to wonder what he meant
and how much he did know, and my
speculations kept me silent. But
| come in here n moment" he continued,
| just as / decided that he knew moth
| ing at all. And leading me into his
minute consulting room, DR. Theobald
solemnly presented me with sover-
| eign by way of compensation, which
pocketed as solemnly and with as much
| gratitude as if 1 had not fifty OF them
| distributed over my person as il was.
| The good fellow had quite forgotten
my social status, about which lie HIM
self had been so particular at our earli-
est interview. but he had never accus-
toned himself to treat me as gentle
man, and do not suppose he had been
| improving his memory by the tall
| tumbler which / saw him poke behind
photograph frame as we entered.
There's one thing i should like to
, know before / co." said i, turning sud-
| denly on the doctors mat, land that is
! whether Mr. Maturin Is really i'll or
| not.'
/ meant. of course, at the present
moment, but DIR. Theobald braced him
self like q recruit at the drill sergeant's
voice.
"Of course he is he snapped-'so
i'll as TO need nurse who can nurse,
by way of n change"
With that his door shut I'm my face.
and l had TO go my way, in the dark
as to whether he had mistaken my
meaning and was telling me a lie or
not.
But for my misgivings upon this
point might have extracted some very
genuine enjoyment out Of the next few
days. i had decent clothes to my back.
with money, as 1 say, in most Of the
pockets and more freedom 10 spend IL
than was possible in the constant So
ciety of a man whose personal liberty
depended on a universal supposition
that he was dead. Raffies was as bold
as ever, and 1 was fond of him, but
whereas he would run any risk in
professional exploit there were many
innocent recreations still open TO me
which would have been sheer madness
in him. He could not even watch
lIOuu thc CiAltbha nj
Lords cricket ground where the gentle
men were every year i'm worse way
without him. He never Travelled by
rail, and dining out was risk only TO
be run with some Interior object i'm
yiew-in fact, much as ii had changed.
Raffies could no longer show his face
with perfect impunity In any quarter
or at any hour. Moreover, after the
lesson he had now learned, i foresaw
increased caution on his part in this re-
spect, but / myself was under no such
perpetual disadvantage, and, while
what was good enough for Rafiies was
quite good enough for me, so long as
we were together, / saw no harm I'm
profiting by the present opportunity OF
doing myself we'll"
Such were my reflections on the way