Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-09-19
IOriginal.J


nothing. One evening when the twi-
| light was long she was walking in Il
lane where she met young farmer
He was splendid specimen of man
hood, and as Birdie was dainty speci
men of wOmanhOod the two naturally
| looked at each other. The next evening
at exactly the same hour the girl
walked in the lane again. SO did he.
She looked very hard at him and after
passing him turned. He turned too.
rs it yOu," she said, ''or am l
mistaken"
II think we have met before" he
replied.
What are you doing here?"
81 thought would try farming"
How did you leave them all at
home?"
They're all very we'll"
I'm staying with my aunt. Do you
know her?'
No; don't"
Sorry You might come to see me if
you knew her, but since you DON'T
She paused.
Possibly we may meet hereabout
sometimes. go after the stock at sun
back about this time"
Good evening. Glad to have met
you again
Hope 1t will not be for once only"
That was the beginning of it. Birdie
talked a great deal about people she
knew, and the farmer listened to her
references. making only general COM
ments upon them. He never addressed
her by name, always getting round do
ing sO-but he might have forgotten
her name. There was an appearance
OF honesty about him. deference-nOt
uncouth either-a vein of uncultivate0
intellectual yigor, that pleased hex
On the whole, her exile was not SO I'M
bearable as she had expected. Some
times she fancicd he knew more than
she had supposed farmers usually
knew, but Birdie did not always tell
all she knew, and TO blame him for
concealment would he like the pot
calling tho kettle black.
Affairs between the sexes usually
commence by both keeping on their
own side OF the line. Perhaps the man
would have kept on his side indefinite
ly had Birdie kept on hers. She soon
by look now and Thea, after that, u
half finished sentence from which she
retired in confusion and TASTY by an
open charge of Indifference on the part
Of the man. The farmer always adroit-
Iy turned these thrusts, keeping on in
the even tenor of his way. This was
something Birdie had. never encounter
ed before. She poured u shower Of
Cupid's arrows from her culver only
to see them glance aside or fall harm
less from her would be victim. July
passed into August and August into
September. How they contrived, or,
rather, how Birdie contrived, their fire.
quent meetings without suspicion she
was at loss to know. Only few
times was she discovered converSing
with the farmer, but in her case farm
ers were supposed to be out Of the
question.
At last the days grew so much
shorter that one evening when Birdie
was starting for her evening walk her
aunt stopped her and forbade her go
ing, on the ground that it was already |
quite dark Birdie did not dare excite |
suspicion by defying the order. She |
went off into a corner of the porch |
and sat down Then and there came q |
revelation She was suffering under a |
great disappointment. Could il be |
that she vino had played with the |
hearts of many men of the world could |
have "drifted on the rocks" in the |
case OF n countGyman? She went to |
bed early, but not to sleep. For the |
first time in her life she knew how
It felt to be on the losing side in a
love affair.
The next morning the farmer was
passing q shaded nook near the road.
He turned aside, expecting TO see
feminine figure push away the droop-
Ing branches and greet him with a face
that laughed. He was disappointed.
But tied to a bush near by he found
d note:
Forgive me for feigning that had met
you before. never saw you until met
youS here. Ny object was to pass the
time. In a few days I go home. You
have rendered my stay happy. Without
you it would have been very dull.
When Birdie went to the trysting
place again she found the following
On a. bit of paper:
Goodby. You are forgiven. Forgive me
For the same offense. My betrothed re-
turns tomorrow.
Poor Birdie writes" said her
mother, that her punishment is great
er than she can bear Poor child! 1t
must have been very lonely for her."
q ~. n FISK RPADv