Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-08-25
DAILY STORY
WHAT WAS HER MOTIVE?
lOriginal.l

which l wish some one would explain.
When Lincoln Page, without cent
in the world, engaged himself to Lou
Strong, in the same impecunious condi-
ton. l gave him n piece of my mind
on the folly of such a proceeding.
you wouldn't talk that way if you
were in love-" he said.
"I am in love-" replied, with girl
as poor as Lou. If L married her
would expect TO support her. and not
being able to do so have sense enough
TO keep my secret from her, sitting 1t
in my own BOSOM"
Lincoln said nothing further at the
time, but in n few days returned with
the unspeakable gall to ask me TO loan
him money to buy an cement ring.
l looked at him with as much aston
ishment as if he had asked me for my
head, but the real surprising feature
in the matter IS that half an hour later
l should have gone to Il box on my
bureau where L had $50, saved money,
opened the box and turned the con-
tents over to the lover. Why L dld
this is a psychological problem that
consider inSoluble.
Lincoln insisted that l should go 10
the jewelers. with him, where we Sc
lected small solitaire, and since Lin
coin wished TO keep the, matter Sc
Cret for awhile the ringtw ordered
in my name, and after aitiaw i'll the
setting had been repaired: was to be
sent to me- l told Lincoln.that 1 had
no objection to the transaction unless
it got out that / was spending money
for jewelry. OF course, l did not eX-
poet him to tell his fiancee that'he was
giving her an engagement ring on Dor
rowed money, but L cautioned"him all
the same.
Forty-eight hours after the purchase
of the ring met Observation-Disclosures
the girl | loved, on the street and re-
ceived a dead cut. I was too much as
toniShed to ut once determine what
should do in the matter, but after
walking half q block turned and hur-
ried back to overtake her and ask for
an explanation. Unfortunately she had
meanwhile been joined by Il friend,
and since 1 did not care to discuss her
treatment of me III the presence of a
third party l desIsted.
ran the gamut of human masculine
feeling. L first determined that, con-
sidering my inability to marry. 1t would
be best not TO seek to heal the breach.
Beginning by h;Erping on this bass note,
l gradually ran up to the highest one
attainable-a fear that if II could not
dissolve the estrangementtI should go
mad.
thnt- fxT-earN ~ four n III
come TO no decision In the first place. l
did not dare go TO see the girl who con-
sidered me beneath her notice, fearing
that Il further expression Of heT scorn
would crush me In the second place
1 knew that 1 hadn't strength to con-
ceal the fact that l loved her; indeed
so l had suddenly discovered-that
loved her to the point of insanity.
Another twenty-four hours and l
passed into collapse. L was ready to
cry for mercy for any offense l had
committed or had not committed, to
crawl on my knees, to grovel in the
dust, if l could only be- restored. To
what-the status before the cut?
didn't know; 1 didn't care. L only
knew that this horrible something
which stood between us must vanish
or 1 would lose my mind At 4 O'Clock
in the afternoon L came dnto this lam
entable condition. and the interval
from to 8. the earliest hour proper for
a call, seemed to me a; succession of
days. not hours.
At Il quarter before s Ilrang the bell
at Miss Woodworth's. could hear it
ring. and it sounded loud fas a fire bell.
When the maid opened the door /
chung to Il rail for SUPPORT. 1 could
only articulate, Miss Woodwork 2"
The maid nodded affirmatively, and l
entered. In few minutes Miss Wood
worth came down, received me coolly,
asked me to be seated and was about
to make remark about the weather
when my long pent suspense burst
forth, and in an agonized rone l. asked
how l had offended her.
You have not offended me; you
have sighted me. Considering the
friendly relations existing between lus,
l considered that an announcement of
your engagement shouldi come to me
from you instead of being repeated to
me as common gossip by a girl for
whom 1 have no fancy"
Il engaged
You must certainly be engaged
since you have purchased a wedding
ring"
"a wedding ringy'
1 repeated the words mechanically
while 1 was getting it through my
stupid noddle that some one had con-
sidered the ring I had purchased for
Lincoln Page as token of my engage
ment and published the fact to the
world.
Well, Miss Woodwork by cutting
me for such a cause had shown plainly
that she regarded me as her especial
property, and 1 had learned that if she
were not my especial property my life
would be a wreck. The consequence
was that in exactly three minutes after