Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-06-11
DAILY STORY
EASY MATRiMONY.

rage" said the cynic. Its all bosh!
There is no common sense i'll it except
for marriage OF convenience. If you
want to get married go to the country
in summer and become frivolous. The
| lower you let yourself down into frivol-
ity the more chance of your mating.
Take my friend Paul Robbins, for
, instance. Paul was worked out one
spring and on the LIST OF July he took
off his brown linen coat the sleeves of
which he had used for a penwiper,
hung it up in the closet and took the
evening train for the Seashore. If
ever a man left care behind Robbins
did. 1t seemed 10 him that he would
explode with delight. Though he ar
rived at his destination at IL o'clock
on Il dark night, he couldn't wait till
morning for bath. When he had
bathed he sat up with the girls on the
piazza till the last one went in ut 2
a. m Then he smoked with the boys
till 8.
Robbins POUNDS all kinds of boating
and bathing and plenty of jolly boys
and girls TO enjoy them with. He
joined a special party full Of odd
Nick not one Of whom had n serious
thought in his or her'head. There We're
six fellows, six girls and six f1irtations.
Nobody considered the flirtationS seri-
Gus: they were just for two weeks-the
simplest kind. Robbins and Il seventh
girl arrived the same day, both joining
the party,of frivolers.
well said Paul. Il suppose I'll
have TO catch on to the Spicer girl.
She's the only, one not spoken for
81 suppose said Miss Spicer. that
since YOU girls have mOnopolized all
the best men 1 shall have to submit to
the attentions of this Paul Robbins
And so they went at it like children
let out of school starting a new game.
The more reckless they were the more
fun they could have Miss Spicer had
no conscience in the matter-not only
because she knew it was understood to
he pure and simple fight with padded
gloves. but because she was a born
fiirt anyway. But there has been many
Il fight begun with pacific intentions at
the end of which the gloves have been
torn off and the affair finished with a
flow OF claret 1t wastnot long before
each decided to pink the other. Miss
Spicer. who had had such desire from
the start was first to take or pretend
to take a serious view of what was
going on. She affected moods. At
times Sue would; he overgay and at
times apparently plunged in deep dis
tress. When her cavalier would ask
what was the matter she would look ut
him reproachfully and say nothing.
AT last Miss Spicer determined to
call forth some evidence of an interest
on the part of Mr.. Robbins. Walking
with him on the beach in the hot sun
one day she suddenly staggered, then
collapsed She played 1t well enough,
but Robbins onlyl laughed at her.
You're cruel and unsympathetic.'
she exclaimed, the real blood mounting
to her cheeks. and, leaving him. she
marched straight to the hotel, not TO
appear again till evening.
Robbins determined to go Miss Spi
Ger 'One better in the game of hearts,
paying her off for her attempt in her
own coin. He thought of Il number OF
schemes but none of them suited him
till he struck one which for its I'M
blushing cruelty beat all the rest. He
should have been horsewhipped for
even thinking of it. But they say 'alls |
fair in love andiwar.'
up the beach short distance was |
an inlet where there was good still |
water bathing. Robbins, who was at |
home in all waters, persuaded Miss |
Spicer to let him teach her how TO |
swim. He inveigled her to the inlet |
and after giving her a lesson in shall |
low water started himself, for bit of |
rot IL |
denly he gave a yen and went down.
Fifteen minutes later he was fished |
out by boy in boat with a boat
hook from the bottom and rowed |
ashore. With one eye half open, he |
saw Miss Spicer faint dead away. |
This time it was sure enough faint, |
and Robbins knew that it was. Be
fore the boat touched the shore he gave
a lively spring (for drowned NAM.
ran TO her, bent over her. took her in
his arms. acting all the while as if he
thought he had killed her. Then she
opened her eyes, and the game was up |
with both of 'em. She was in a heaven
of delight to see him safe. and he was
relieved to discover that she had re-
gained consciousness.
''Well. Paul gave the boy quarter
for saving his life and walked to the |
hotel hand and hand with Miss Spicer. /
both evidently careless as to who saw
the spooning. For the rest of the time
they remained at the seashore nobody Il
could go into a dark corner in the no
tel or a concealed spot on the dunes
without stumbling on them. In a twin.
king sparring had been changed into
maudlin love.
Robbins when he left home had no
more idea of returning engaged than
of returning n multimillionair but he y
was, all the same. and two other cou-
pies of the party went home in the
same lamentable condition.
How did he manage to lie on the
bottom Of the inlet so long? Oh. that
was easy enough. He went to the VII
lage and bought rubber quarter