Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-12-06

Mrs. Brent in her sharp, decisive tones.
The tall, angular girl thus admon-
ished returned to the kitchen-and then
the deluge of merriment!
Young Graham, the superintendent
of the beet sugar factory, bit his lip,
then choked over an infinitesimal scrap
of breakfast food. Professor Kinds of
the high school faculty cleared his
throat, then, with fork and knife up
raised in an attitude much decried in
! the modern books on etiquette, stared
| Iblankly after the retreating figure.
Bessie Layton, the stenographer at the
| Sampson implement offices, she of the
| fluffy pompadour and retrousse nose,
| Igiggled, then hastily swallowed a
/ spoonful OF coffee which promptly went
down her Sunday throat" and this on
Thursday morning! And simultaneous
ly gale of laughter swept around the
circle of boarders at Mrs. Brent's select
and 'homelike" establishment.
To the accompaniment Of this laugh
ter Violet passed the hot rolls from
boarder to boarder. little dreaming
that she was responsible for the unto
| ward merriment. Not that laughter
and merriment were uncommon at Mrs.
Brents. The cheerful atmosphere of
her boarding house as much as her
own good cookery kept the same circle
of guests there year after year. Only
Professor Kinds, the new principal OF
the high school, and pretty Grace Saun,
,ders We're newcomers this season. And
IlViolet-yes, Violet was the new wait
ress. Violet!
AS she thrust the delicious rolls I'M
der Fred Graham's shaking shoulders
he remembered, coughed and ex-
claimed:
i THAT was the best story you ever
told, Mrs. Brent
H. Grace Saunders shot him a grateful
liglance, but Professor Kinds looked up
blankly as If trying to remember the
story that had never been told. Then,
, Jas Violet again disappeared through
the kitchen door, he murmured:
'Most incongruous. Never saw any.
thing further removed from a shrink
ing, delicate violet in my life-sfx
feet, if she's an inch. Funny how par
ents do select such inappropriate names
I!for their children! Violet! Ought il
have called her Sunflower!
But, professor, you must bear In
mind that the name was bestowed
when the girl measured perhaps twelve
llincheS. Babies measure about Il foot
don't theyY' And young Graham gazed
liinquiringly at his fellow boarders
"Probably was one of those dainty
fragile sort of babies that shoot VI
like bean poles later on. Did that my
; self, my mother tells me-
Half an hour later Grace Saunders
5 returned to the dining room intending
!, to ask Mrs. Brent some questions re
! garding the best stores In the town
: She found Violet darling about the ia
bic clearing away crumbs, setting bach
: chairs. ETC., with worried look on he
, lface. Mrs. Brent came in from the
kitchen.
' There, Violet, don't you try t,
straighten up the whole place. You'll
Q be late to school. It's five blocks t,
the business college, you know, ant
you've got your dress to change yet"
'Oh, are you going to the business
college?' inquired Grace. The tall
slender girl stopped untying her apron
: at the cordial note in the boarder'
- voice. 81 am so glad, because 1 an
y going there too. Today is my first, anC
1t will be so nice to see a familia
!, face"
u Then as suddenly as it had awaken
Il ed the expression of delighted antici
5 patton died in Violet's face. She re
T membered. She was the waitress q
d Mrs. Brents, waitress for her boar
n and room, and Miss Grace Saunder
was the daughter of a millionair
ranch owner and cattle raiser in tn
I southern part of the state. Mrs. Bren
and the rest of the help In the kitch
t en- had said it was most remarkabl
that girl with\ such father shout
It not be studying in an eastern cOlleg
a instead of an unknown business co
IT lege in an obscure western city.
i. But Grace Saunders was not the sor
is of girl to be snubbed When schoo
X closed that afternoon Violet Andrew
If found that Grace could keep pace wit
], her and would not accept the excus
h that there was work awaiting the pu
n pill waitress In the Brent home
g Come into my room tonight and W
:. will go over those dreadful curlycue
= together" Grace urged as she turne
- =, into the front door at the Brent house
D while Violet wheeled to the walk lea6
| ing to the kitchen. Something told he
VI that shadow had come into that girl
IL life since morning, that here was
IL chance where she herself might b
u helpful, and Grace Saunders belonge
t, in the class Of girls who simply mus
n be Of cheer and service to their fe
ct low creatures.
The curlycues were not gone owe
however, for within two minutes afte
Violet had entered Miss Saunder
N room they We're talking of more pc
n sonal matters.
" Il know now why the men all laugl
n ed at the table this morning 1t wa
lie me. They laughed at the business co
20 iege too! What is wrong with me?"
1t Grace glanced M at the angular w