Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-02-11
DAILY. STORY.
WHAT A BIT OF cooUETRY COST
tOriginal.l

tracey ASnlev, young HOrlHeIHei+
spent a winter in New Orleans, where
he met and wooed Rosalind st. Leger,
n resident of that old southern city.
Miss st. Leger was belle and had no
end of suitors, among them Julius
Warfield, born and bred in Louisiana
and heir to large sugar plantation.
Ashley was an ardent wooer, while the
sOutherner appeared to be rather in
different.
Mardi Gras was coming on and with
it preparations for unusual festivities.
Ashley. whose engagements at home re
quired him to leave New Orleans with
the advent of Lent. begged hard of the
lady to give him an affirmative answer
to n proposition of marriage he had
made her. but she would not.
Meanwhile the Mardi Gras opened.
On the last evening of the festivities
Ashley put on domino and mingled
with the maSqueraderS. Among the
throng he noticed feminine figure in
green domino on the arm Of Il man
dressed in red one. In the former
was something familiar to the young
northerner. AS he passed them the
woman firted her handkerchief at him.
He followed the couple and at last
made up his mind that she was Miss
st. Leger. Then he purchased Il bou
quet from street vender and. ap-
preaching her. offered it. She accepted
it and slipped her hand within his arm.
Her attendant fell back. Convinced Of
her identity. Ashley took fancy to
press his suit without revealing the
fact that she was known to him.
But supposing," she said in n voice
thinly disguised. that | am not of
your class
THAT cannot be-" he said. "One to
in disguise"
Il may be homely."
That | will risk
You haven't seen my face"
II have seen your figure. l have
| heard your voice. Neither could be
long to any but beautiful girl. But
| We're your face pockmarked. We're your
eyes green. your nose beet, still would
| love you
She was silent He felt her hand
| tremble on his arm.
"Oh. to have lover like that" she
responded presently-''tO be loved for
oneself by one who loves so well that
| lack of beauty, a blemish, has no
weight to turn his love-
You will fiud me such. You are
| beautiful. | know it. But supposing
some accident. some illness. should
convert that beauty into ugliness, still
would love YOU"
| IF you only would
Il know | would
! But suppose you should find my
face, which you insist on believing
! beautiful. to be hideous.'
Il would love YOU
They had passed beyond the crowd
! of merrymakers. The torches fiickered
| in the distance. Shouts of laughter.
! the footing of horns. the tread of feet,
! came confusedly. Ashley unclasped
! the hand from his arm and pressed it,
Tell me. sweetheart he said. lis it
yes?"
You do not know what YOU are do
/ ing"
81 know this-that love vou"
"Wban vou 500 nv foca Won will
sn,1rn mo,
Never"
| "Evan if vou ShouId u.isb 70 l,oon
yOur word 7 wouId NOT hermit vou to
make the sacrifice hero once loved
n beautifuI woman Sha refused him
SmaIlpox DESTROYED her beoutv Thav
met again. and she accented him. He
married her. They lived a wretched
Hfe.'
1T would not be SO with me"
81 UouId not trust vou."
81 beg of you. do not hold me off
longer am becoming beside myself.
Send me away from you, and will
bury my grief under the bosom of the
| Mississippi
You don't mean it,"
Il do"
you will surely die if I deny you?''
Il will"