Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-05-02
DAILY STORY
WHAT A DRESS WAS
RESPONSIBLE FOR.
IOriginal.l

est, then in skin covered dwelling
and now in splendid residences. The
man was in the conventional black,
the woman in a dream of costume
that had just been turned out at the
hands of an artist.
Your answer is fnal?" asked the
man almost with moan.
Yes"
But you have admitted that you
could be very happy with me-
The happier l could be the more
miserable l would be-
What do you meanT'
In poverty l would suffer in seeing
you suffer"
But you might wait for something
better than poverty. AT the gold fields
| shall
a bird in the hand is worth two in
the BUSH"
'Well?" anXiously.
within a few days l shall be en-
gagged TO a man whose fortune is not
in the bowels of the EARTH
1t was with sickening sensation
dbOuI tue htbll tudI Hc went away
from the place where he had been told
that all ne cared to strive for was de
MED him. He turned and looked back
at the lights. and the music came to
him in mockery. Should he go to the
river and end it all or carry out his in
tentiOn To go to the gold fields? The
former course was but a momentary
weakness: the latter would take him
far away from the girl who was about
to pass to another.
A man with few streakS Of gray in
his hair and beard entered ballroom.
At the farther end n woman stood with
her back to him. The moment his eye
lighted on her costume he started. Eff
teen years before the girl who had
worn that dress or its counterpart had
refused him and told him that she was
about to marry a man whose fortune
was a real tangible thing. not dream
of the future. The figure was the
same. and the hair. like hers, was jet
black. He advanced. and when still
Mt q distance she turned. She was like
his lost love. too much like her for the
interval of years that had passed since
he had seen her. He had expected to
see her look older. But it was she.
OF that he was quite sure.
She walked past him on the arm of
an attendant but gave no heed TO the
newcomer who was so much interested
in her He was not surprised that she
did not recognize him. If she had not
changed he had. He had been buried
in wilderness and had done nothing
but dig in the earth.
That" be said to a friend. pointing
at the same time to the girl lis or was
Miss HOwes?"
"'YeS. Miss Howes."
"PleaSc present me to her without
speaking my name plainly, so that she
will not hear it,
The introduction was made and
Donald King" so distorted as to sound
like another name.
"Are you resident of the city,"
asked the girl by way of introducing
| conversation.
Il was at one time. I have been
| away n long time
Il thought you must be stranger
since l don't remember ever to have
seen you before
You have known me WE'LL
~" She looked at him searChingly.
Il must admit that you have passed out
of my memory"
That's natural. It's years since we
parted l might not have recognized
you had it not been for something to
guide me-"
And that is?'
| The orchestra gave the call for a
dance. y man came hurrying up to
Miss Howes and led her away.
| Donald King laid his plans to make
more than casual acquaintance of his
former love and kept his identity 50
well concealed that he did not reveal
| himself He was careful to chat with
her only on subjects entirely discon-
nected with their past affair and learn
ed little more about her life since then
than she knew about his. He wished
to know why she had not married, as
she had intended. but feared to reveal
himself by asking. He made rather
quick love, but the lady seemed in
clined to listen.
Finally he revealed himself in this
wise
when 1 went away you said that
you considered a bird in the hand
worth two in the bush. Why did you
not take the bird IN the hand?"
You speak in riddles
"You are the woman loved and the
only woman l shall ever love. 1 might
not have recognized you on my return
had it not been that you wore the same
dress as the night before my depar
ture, when you told me there was nc
hope for me on account of my poverty
But on my return l recognized you
and you excited in me the same
Are you bereft of your senses. OIL
have you mistaken me for some ono