Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-12-03
DAILY. STOR Y.
MY COUSIN SUSIE.

4 ueep Oue!
"Yes. I have only two days in
| which to prepare for examinations.
Without putting in all my time I'm
sure to be conditioned on two subjects
| at least. And now comes letter from
my mother to tell me that my cousin
Susie, her only sisters daughter, is
| coming to town especially to see Inc.
She has promised her mother and
my mother that she will not go home
without having seen me. She comes on
Friday, supposing I'll be free till Mon
day, whereas these cursed exams re-
quire every moment
us your cousin pretty?'
How do 1 know? l have never seen
her. She was born and brought up in
California But what has that to do
with it?''
IF she is pretty and attractive.
might help you out"
ut isn't that she is to be entertained
She must be entertained by me-
VERY we'll. If you haven't seen her
1 suppose she hasn't seen you. l will
be you"
Ned Colt and / discussed the matter
pro and con and at last, both being
young and foolish, decided that !
should meet his cousin at the station
take her to the theater and the next
day conduct her through the college
grounds and buildings. / went TO the
station to meet her-Neds mother had
said she would wear our college colors
in Northumberland l found the love
lest, daintiest, prettiest bit of fem
mime humanity 1 had ever seen. 1t
was late in the afternoon when she
arrived, so | drove her TO the house of
a friend with whom she was to stay.
After dinner l called for her and took
her to the theater
Now, l would rather guard foot
ball goal against eleven stalwart men
than again guard the secret that l was
not her cousin Ned She attacked me
in front and on both TANKS.
Il have always fancied you were
dark compleXioned,' she said, like
your father. and 1 find you light.
Cousin Molly (Ned's sister told me
that you were of a retiring disposition
and dreaded strangers. L feared you
might make some excuse for not meet
ing me. / find you very easy TO get
acquainted with" Then she began to
talk about her relatives in California.
of whose existence l was supposed to
be cognizant, but whom I had never
seen. / Numbered and stumbled, rush
ed madly-to speak figuratively-to the
right. then frantically to the left, and
1 had no sooner smoothed over one bit
of ignorance than l fell into another.
g n fr.io daIihnrat nIr RI
me she could not have done better.
However, l got through without any
positive evidence that l was playing q
part. When / parted with her I knew
enough of her family to send my love.
mentioning them all by name, and just
before the train started | felt embold
ened to attempt a cousinly kiss, but
she drew back with a decided refusal.
For the next week the person of
Susie Leigh kept between me and my
books. If in hours of idleness Idanced
or skated / was oblivious to the person
/ danced or skated with and called
them all Susie. Then came letter to
Ned from his cousin, which he turned
over to me. She showed far more af
lection in her letter than she had
shown me In person. 1 replied to the
letter warmly and received q warmer
reply. After considerable correspond
ence l wrote offering my heart and
hand. Her answer was that on no &C
count would she marry cousin.
Here was a complication that had
not been foreseen. If 1 confessed that
I had played upon her credulity she
would refuse me. and If remained her
cousin / knew ~ the tone of her let
ter that 1 could not persuade her. Be
sides, 1 couldn't possibly marry her
without the whole affair coming out.
Meanwhile she had written Ned's
mother that he had been more than
kind to her during her visit and she
hoped he could come out to San Fran
cisco rs soon as he had been graduated
and make his cousin n visit.
Being In for it, concluded to accept
the invitation. No sooner had / passed
my final exams than / sped across the
continent. / found my cousin" Susie
very different person since had
proposed to her. She showed none of
that ease she had shown In my COM
pany during our first meeting. though
since my proposal this was TO be ex-
pecteu Hdue up ius HllLu ~ CoIIeSS
at once, but before doing so stated n |
similar case of which 1 pretended to |
have heard. Susie declared that the |
man who had played such part could |
not possibly be possessed of gentle |
manly instincts.
This threw me on my beam ends. |
For several days 1 went about with |
her, feeling and looking as If I had |
and finally told her that / |
would return to the east. 1 had no |
sooner made this announcement than !
her manner changed perceptibly. Dur |
ing the evening before my intended de- |
parture she gave me every encourage |
ment. The clock struck 1 in the |
before summoned courage to |
tell her the story that proved me to be |
without gentlemanly Instincts.
TIT