Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-04-04
DAILY STORY.
A BREACH OF CONFIDENCE.
IOriginal.l

|
give her the name of Mephistophelia
instead of Jaqueline 1 can't imagine.
They certainly would have done so
| had they known how she was to turn
ont AS it is. nobody ever calls her
anything but Jack, and in speaking of
| her to those who have never seen or
known her one necessarily conveys
the idea that she is u boy-not only
| boy, but q boy of the worst kind.
| The way she has treated me and
| her sister certainly deserves a hundred
| lashes, and would like to be the fell
| low to lay them on. l have always
| been taught to consider one who would
betray confidence as worse than
| thief. Jack betrayed our confidence
| in the most unblushing manner. 1t all
happened only yesterday, and perhaps
I'm not in condition to look upon her
act with charity. / hope I'll never
come into Il frame of mind to excuse
her abominable treachery
1t was this way: Mr.. Merryman
wanted his daughter-his eldest daugh-
ter. Harrict-to marry some big gun.
He had no objection to me other than
that l was neither president member
! of the cabinet nor one of the justices
of the United States supreme court.
Harriet had tried to get his consent ia
marry me, but he always put her off
| 10y saying. What do YOU want to mar
ry man for who couldn't even set
small rivulet afire, let alone Il river?'
Then Harriet would expatiate on my
good sense, good heart and a gooG
many other things that big guns don't
| generally possess, especially the good
heart, for they are usually diabolically
selfish. But her father only laughed
at her.
How we ever came to take Jack into
our confidence when we came to an
agreement TO clope l don't know. Har-
riet thought she couldn't make her
preparations without Jacks knowing
of them. but | rather put it down to
the fact that she must tell some one.
At any rate, she told her Jack clap
ped her hands. and her eyes gllStened
with glee. An elopement! How TO-
mantle! Just too lovely for anything.
Shed help us all she could. and. as for
keeping the secret. it would be buried
away down in her guileless heart
We didn't need anything especially
elabOrate-no rope ladder, fast team,
and all that. We concluded just to
| ri II, Il
thirty miles to where d former family
dominic, Mr.. Strickland, lived and get
him to marry us. We would go in the
morning, take the afternoon train back
and be forgiven in time for dinner. Of
course l engaged the parson for Il
: specified day and hour. Jack was in
tensely interested in it all and made us
give her every detail. promising to pre-
pare her parents, Mr.. and Mrs. Merry
man. for what was to come. so that it
) wouldn't be so much of Il shock.
Harriet met me in the open square
near the station. She was trembling
all over. but l reassured her. To avoid
!, observation we went to where the fore
most car would stand on the track
when the train came in. We got away
on time and had the satisfaction to be
in n car that was nearly empty. The
/ train stopped at the next station on
the road a mile beyond. There the
door opened, and l heard familiar
girls voice say: "Come in here.
! There's lots of room in this car"
l turned with a rubadub heart to see
whom do you suppose? Jack beckon-
ing to her father and mother. who
) were mounting to the car platform.
l There they all three hustled into the
8 car we were in. Jack exclaiming:
Goodness gracious, if there isn't
l Hat, And. declare. Ben too! Where
In the world are you two going?
The establishment of the father and
? mother was very much overdone II
5 didn't deceive either of us. / glanced
at Jack and avoided meeting the eyes
of the parents. Mr.. Merryman seemed
! overjoyed that our parties should have
met on what he called an improvised
excursion. He asked me where we
\ were going. and it was no use to lie
for my ticket would give me away. Sc
., 1 told him. and he was delighted that
y we were all going to the same place.
OF the two halves of the party one
: was jubilant, the other mad and NOR
4 tilted. We were obliged to spend al
X hour and 4 half in this way before
t reaching our destination. There we al
e got out, and Jack proposed a stroll
p She walked with her father. while
D her mother walked with lis. The little
I villain led the way to the parsonage
, stopped before the door and proposed
Z. call on the parson. Without waiting
;. for consent, she rang the bell. and WI
all went in. The parson was expecting
u.s. but since had told him we would
be alone he was trifie surprised.
"This would be a good time for 20,
and Hat to get spliced," said Jack t.
me.
II The dominic got his book and waited
for us to take position. What coul,
we do? / didn't know what Mr.. Mer