Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-08-19
DAILY STORY
KEEPING A SECRET.
[OriginGl.1

man to do the silliest is to give a
woman, especially a girl of eighteen,
part of an item Of information and
withhold the rest. One might as well
let go seven-eighths of an eel and try
to hold the remainder by the tip of
the tail. The way of it was this:
Il was studying law at the time and
was very ambitious to become an ora
tor Complaining one day to my
friend Charlie Rathvon that | had no
place to practice elocutiOn, he sug-
gested that l go down to his fathers
seaside place and out on to the dunes,
where l could spout like a whale
to the ocean Since / was madly in
love with Charities sister Jacqueline
l accepted. | went down on Friday.
Charlie couldn't 90 till Saturday aft
ernoon.
There is nothing more ridiculous
than lovemaking, and my accusing
Miss Rathvon of being engaged was
mere balderdash. / hadn't heard any
thing of the kind. | was simply lead
ing up to telling her that | wanted
her myself The bit of dialogue be-
tween us occurred on the morning
after my arrival just as l was going
out on to the dunes to practice elocu-
ton. | proceeded on my way and,
mounting one of the big mounds of
sand, commenced my practice. | first
chose parts Of Daniel Webster's cele-
brated reply to Hayne. Standing with
my face to the ocean, I spouted GER
tain sentences. such as, Bearing no
such miserable interrOgatory as What
is all this WORTH repeating the last
five words over and over again with
different infections. Then l switched
off on to Mark Antony's Grafton over
the dead body of Caesar, using in the
same manner the words, IF any.
speak. for him have l offended"
winding up the exercise with Ham
| let's soliloquy on death. looking va
cantly out on the ocean as if | We're
| considering the propriety of drowning
| myself.
/ rested and practiced alternately for
| two hours and was closing the exercise
with the sOliloquy when, looking
down on the beach below, l saw an old
! fisherman coming toward me keep
ing his eyes fixed on me. Then sud
denly face appeared above the sage
| grass within a few yards of me. |
thought of retiring. but. turning, saw
man behind me. 1 was surrounded.
STAND quiet, my man; we amt
a-goin' to hurt yOu," said the nearest
one, and in another moment the whole
lot We're on me. Two of them took
| hold of me. one by each arm, and the
rest stood ready to tackle me in case
of need In vain l protested. They
did not notice anything l said TO them
| or reply to my questions as to what II
all meant. They took me back from
the dunes and in the direction of the
! village. Then I espicd JacQucline com
ing. I was mortified that she should
see me in such a plight, but glad to
have some one know that l was being
kidnapped The men, seeing her, turned
their steps toward her, and when we
came up to her, while l stood scarlet
and Scowlng, one of them said to her
1--WE got a lunatic, Miss Rathvon
III
standin' on dune talkin' to the ocean
If we hadn't "a been there on the nicl
O. time he'd "a walked right down ant
drownded hisself."
I "Jacduelne." l said, rosy red, Il SCI
! it all. These men have mistaken ~!
\ elocution practice for the rawlings of
lunatic Good, isn't it? Ia, ha! Yer.
J funny" l tried to laugh.
H What did the little mink do but lool
\ at me with blank stare!
I DO YOU know him." asked one o
\ the men.
XII 81 never saw him before in my life
y "That settles it, said the leader. II
X thinks he knows you. 1 wonder wha
Y asylum he escaped from. There's mar
a one around here"
You'd better take him to our house,
said Jacqueline. It'll you can find on
y about him. Likely his keeper will
here looking for him"
vi Fancy me led along for lunatiC
ri the girl 1 loved pretending not t
know me. I supposed that when W
! | reached the house she would tell theI
all about my elocution practice an
the joke would be ended. She ha
= other plans in view. 1t happened tina
none of the family was at home, S
she was free to act as she liked. Sh
~ led my keepers, who led me, to rool
W in the attic and locked me in hersel
N The men protested lest l should con
" NIT suicide by jumping from the vii
'N dow, but she said she didn't thin
W I was that kind of a bedlamite an
'i there was no such risk. Then til
W men went away. Presently l hear
N soft voice ask:
NJ "Who told you I was engaged"
XII I made no reply for time, the
NJ said CURLY:
XII 81 took so little interest in the ma
w ter that I have forgotten"
XII This was a home shot, and it toll
lNl Jacuueline unlocked the door, al
* when I opened it L saw her goir
W down the stairs with her nose in ii
Uj air.
Ml Later in the day Charlie came al