Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-09-07
DAILY STORY
A GRAND PASSION.

[OriSinaLl
We sailed from Southampton on a
beautiful afternoon, and as we steam
ed down the channel every one remain
ed on deck. l passed n lady propped
with cushions in Il steamer chair and
noticed that she was both refined and
beautiful. She was neither young nor
electromagnetic to thirty, | should
say, an age l have always considered
most attractive in women. At any
rate, women about that age are capa-
BILE of gaining the strongest influence
over men. AS passed the lady, look
ing straight at her. she glanced at me
for moment, then lowered her eyes.
In very young girl the lowering of
the eyes would have been attractive.
In the case of the lady refer to both
the lowering of the eyes and the brief
glance had their effect Not that there
was anything bold in the latter. 1t
simply bespoke the quick birth of an
| interest.
l looked that afternoon and the next
| day for some one who knew her to in
| troduce me- but 10 one approached her
with whom l was acquainted. Indeed.
no one came near her. She seemed
very much alone. However, she knew
| that | wished to make her acQuaint-
| ance. | made that evident. She was
| writing in her chair. and sheet Of let
ter paper flew away with the wind. l
| chased it to a csrncr where she could
not see me, picked it up and put it in
my pocket. Then l went back, raised
my hat deferentially and expressed my
sorrow that had not been able to re-
cover her paper. She thanked me for
my effort, but seemed distressed ut its
loss. l was obliged to assure her that
it had gone overheard before she was
satisfied. That opened the acquaint-
| ance
A man strictly honorable, even
| squeamish, in ordinary matters may
| consider all fair in love and in war
At any rate l did. l wished to gain
some clew to the lady's inner self. Sc
as soon as l was In my stateroom
read the writing on the sheet The
then suddenly said:
81 have met my fate. l know it.
feel it. Something tells me that the
rest of my life is to be given to grand
passion He Is now walking the decE
, near me, and | tremble. He is tai
and straightforward hair and eyes eX
pressive of manly strength of charac
ter, teeth white under a dark mus
tache. Oh, the
felt repaid for my dishonorable con
duct. | had done evil, but good ha(
come of it. l had discovered that
had excited a grand passion, and thi:
stimulated n grand passion in myself.
From the moment l read the word:
/ gave myself up to love. In the morn
ing we gently fenced with Cupid's ar
rows. In the afternoon we languiShed
In the evening our spirits rushed to
gether at the touching of the lips
She could not understand how sh
could have been SO suddenly affected
and wondered II after all it were not ;
dream.
Then she became indisposed and wa
{ obliged to keep her room, but only TO
5 a day. During that day I sent t
her half a dozen notes, in some o
which 1 told her that l should die l
she remained where l could not Sc
her and in one of which l spoke of tn
happy future in store for us as a wed
5 ded pair When she emerged she wa
more subdued. She was not so demon
3 strative in her expressions of love
She said that she had had trouble; tina
5 when l came to know more about her
might be affected adversely. l swor
!. lat nothing l. might hear would eve