Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-07-26
DAILY STORY
AN ADVENTURE OF LOVERS.
IOriginal.l

partnership Would rlpen into love. IN
deed it had ripened into love, though
none but the young couple knew it.
One thing they were forbidden and
that on the ground that Charlotte was
but Il schoolgirl Asa wished TO take
her TO places of amusement. That
| which was unattainable openly was
| undertaken by stealth One evening
they stole away and visited a theater
| together When the play was over and
| they had started home 1t suddenly be-
gan TO rain. Charlotte was frightened.
| and Asa was, to say the least. worried.
BY the story they had cOncocted they
were supposed TO pass the evening near
CharlotteS house under cover. If she
went home drenched the story must
come out Something must be done to
prevent Il wetting.
Standing before house was Il car
riage. the driver apparently asleep on
the box No street lamp was near, and
the location was quite in the dark. Asa
put his fingers to his lips and, leaving
Charlotte. tiptoed to it. cautiously open
ed the door and beckoned to her. she
came. got into the carriage. and Asa
hind him. They We're beyond the reach
of Il drop of rain.
The situation to the children-they
We're little more-was delightful. First,
they were plucking forbidden fruit in
being there at all; second, they We're
saving themselves from discovery by
occupying a carriage in which they had
no right. The rain battered merrily
but no more merrily than they chuc-
Killed.. But suddenly their satisfaction
was changed to fright. The front door
of the house before which the team
stood opened. 4 man came out and,
after hasty glance up and down the
street, came toward them. The win
dow of the coach was down. and he
threw in bundle, which fell in Char
lotte's lap. The man whispered some
thing to the driver and away went
horses. carriage. driver and children.
Their conSterna ton was great. They
did not dare call to the driver to stop,
and they Were in an agony as to where
he would take them. The consequence
was that they did what they had never
done befOre-claSped each other tight
ly and waited as if they expected to be
driven over a precipice. They were
taken they knew not whither%for half
an hour: then the carriage stopped. 1t
had hardly done so before 4 man, who
must have been waiting for it, opened
the door Charlotte gave Il bit of a
shrek. The man, who had extended
his hand apparently to grasp some
thing, suddenly withdrew it with an
exclamation and took to his heels. The
driver jumped from the box and fol-
lowed him at full speed.
Asa got out through the open door.
followed by Charlotte. and they were
about to hurry away whep bit of Curl
osity supposed to pertain especially TO
the softer sex stopped them.
Il wonder what's in the bundle"
said Charlotte.
Never mind"
ut may be something nice. Are you
going TO leave it?"
'Yes-no.'' He darted back, seized it
and the two walked rapidly away
Asa soon recognized the street they
were on and knew that they We're not
far from Charlotte's home. The time
which, if 1t accorded with their story,
they We're to have been at home was
passed, and they We're ut loss what
to DO. After discussion they decided
that Charlotte should go into the house
openly and make full confession. Her
parents were waiting in much trepida-
ton and before she went TO bed she |
had made her confession. was forgiven, |
and, leaving the bundle with her father, |
went up to her room 10 sleep as tram
gully as if nothing had happened
RUt the next TnnrninU |
Charlotte ventured TO ask timidly:
Papa, what was in the bundle?"
Paper, my dear; nothing but pa
per-" And, taking his morning paper.
he left the table.
After the episode Asa and Charlotte |
were left to follow their own sweet |
wills. No opposition was made to their |
going where they liked together, and. |
this spoiled the fun, they had |
had one experience together which |
formed a strong bond of union. Be
sides, there was a mystery connected
with it, for Asa told his sweetheart |
that the morning after it occurred her
father had come to his fathers house.
y third gentleman was called by tele-
phone, and the three held a long CON
sultation. They had called Asa in and
asked If he could identify the two per
sons connected with the mystery,
which, of course. he could not though
he gave locations accurately.
Asa and Charlottes love grew stron-
ger as they grew older. Asa went into
business, and when he got $50 a week
salary he marched up to Mr.. Grape
and asked for his daughter.
ASA" said the old gentleman, Stlo
you remember your carriage drive sew
eral years ago? Well, on tl-at drive
you captured $4,000 that had been
stolen from bank. The parcel thrown
into the carriage contained the money. J,
Charlotte gave it to ne, and I took It
TO your father with the story. The pres
ident of the bank gave us the reward
offered for the return of the money,
and the location YOU gave led tn the |