Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-07-08
DAILY STORY
THE HEART ON THE SLEEVE.
[Original.1


rest, but l met rather an adventure-a
very important adventure to me.
While walking on the beach | met two
ladies, evidently mother and daughter.
gave me a passing glance L noticed
strange antagonism ON her young face.
/ noted on her sleeve just above the
cuff a little gold heart studded with
rubieS
The next morning we got north
easter, and the bulletin said Danger
GUS" ! sauntered down to the beach.
But few We're in the water, though |
noticed one person far out among the
rollers and was not long i'll determin-
ing that it was woman. l had scarce
ly made the discovery when faint
cry. Help" came in above the wind.
The bathing master ran to the water.
| threw off my coat and shoes, crying
to him, go back and get your boat"
Then l plunged in and after Il struggle
reached woman who was being
whirled away by sea pouSSe or whirl-
pool l caught her and kept her up till
the bathing master reached us in L
boat. without which she could not
have been saved. When pulling her
into the boat, | first noticed that she
was the girl l had met on the beach.
and there on the sleeve of her bathing
dress was the red heart.
| soon learned that her name was
Christobel Keith. | learned great
many other things about her, but one
thing | did not learu-her reason for
wearing the little red heart. The quo
tation. Il will wear my heart upon
my sleeve for DAVIS to peck at" was
familiar to me, but whether it had any
thing to do with the trinkct In question
| did not know and was not SO pre-
snmptuouS as to ask. Miss Keith as
soon as she had recovered sent for
me and thanked me for saving her
life. but she seemed to speak the
words under some cOnstraint of the
nature of which l was ignorant Her
mother, Oh the contrary, plainly felt
every word with which she expressed
her gratitude. She was Il lovely old
lady. and it was plain that her daugh-
ter was ali the world to her. We soon
found that we had visited the same
countries and had mutual friends. In
short, l became intimate with them.
Christobel Keith learned that she
had been SO called from the poem of
that name, and she partOok of its
weirdness-seemed rather to regret
that | had saved her life and was
never in my company without that
constraint she had evinced while
thanking me for doing so. Her moth
err, on the contrary, was friendliness
itself, and was not long in detecting
that she was giving me every oppor-
tunity with her daughter Nor was l
backward in availing myself of it.
While ChristObel Keith attracted me by
her personality. the mystery surround
ing her drew me with all the force of
the sea pouSse from which had saved
her. For awhile she seemed not TO
have made up her mind just how to
treat me. whether to encourage or hold
me off; then suddenly she seemed to
warm to me with her whole soul. This,
in turn. was followed by icy GOODNESS
BY this time had got my bearings
| and surroundings and laid my course
was an old hand at the game the
| lady seemed disposed to play and went
| into the contest with all the GOODNESS
| of one who had been often under fire
| Fortunately party of my friends
came down for few weeks. and FOL
| them I deserted the girl who Wore
| her heart upon her sleeve. An Ole
| fame of mine was among the number
and devoted myself to her. But new
| err for a moment were my thoughts
| diverted from Cbristobel Keith.
| At first this change was parrled b!
| Miss Keith when we met with thai
look of defiance with which she haC
| first greeted me. Then it was a trou
| bled look, and, lastly, one day when
| passed her / noticed that the red hear
was missing Then l learned thai
| mother and daughter had left the sea
shore. A note was left for me, ad
| dressed in the mothers handwriting
| On opening It I was thunderstruck a
| finding within a bit of tissue paper, The
| heart. Mrs. Keith bid me Il friendly
| goodby and added, Il leave you, with
out my daughters knowledge, The
trinkct she has been accustomed t.
| wear. Keep it as a token of our graf
itude."
Suddenly the meaning of the gift be
| came plain to me. l had stanci
friend in the mother. who had informed
me, by the token, that her daughter
heart was mine. The rest of the mys
terry was as much n mystery as ever
Nevertheless my surrender was no
less complete than that of my love-
enemy.
The same evening I astonished III.
friends by disappearing from the sea
shore 1 went to the city and the mex
afternoon sent in my card to tn
Keiths. Christobel came down to NEE
me, and as she advanced, biting her Iii
to retain her composure, 1 threw opel
my coat and showed her jeweled hear
pinned against mine of flesh and blood
She started. / boldly threw my arm
about her. and she did not resist.
The mystery of the little red hear
| Ia ~ 10;