Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-03-15
DAILY STORY
THE FOG GUIDE.
fOriginal.]

AouSC " wlilS al lilC VI oiS W
England's great political leaders, l
went to London and took apartments
where l would be nearest the reference
libraries should need to consult. One
day while l was on the street the city
was suddenly enveloped in a fog. 1t
was so dense that l could not see my
hand held eighteen inches from my
face I could hear the shouts of the
drivers in the street, who at once be-
gan to creep along and even at this
pace came into frequent collision. 1
heard footballs about me. and now and
again some one, doubtless more used
to fogs and not to be stopped by them,
brushed against me. Suddenly / felt
light touch on the arm, and hand
slid down it and grasped mine.
"Show you the way, sir?'
1 caught at the offer eagerly, for
there was confidence in the mans tone
"Get me out of this I said, land
will pay you we'll" Then l gave him
my street and number.
He moved off at a pace that astonish-
ed me- How he dared proceed at what
on a clear day l would have considered
an ordinary gait could not imagine.
Now and again above the confusion of
noises I heard a tapping as of some
one hitting the pavement with stick.
Strange to say. we jostled no one. and
I'm 7 could fool
guide pull or push me to one side or
the other in order to avoid collision.
Are you stranger in London, sir?'
he asked.
"Yes, an American"
IAN American? Then I am conduct
| ing a fellow countryman?"
Indeed. How came you to be a fog
| conductor in LOnd0n"'
Il came here to find better literary
| field than ours in America"
And got stranded?
yes"
Il am literary man myself and am
| here now doing literary work. but !
have an order"
You're fortunate. had no orders.
had some success at first, but my
wife sickened and died. and my daugh-
ter became Il confirmed invalid. This
reduced me to working on potboilers.
and at last
Even they would not boil the pot?"
They did till my daughter failed me
| as an amanuenSiS'-
At this moment, whether the mans
mind was taken from his present work
by his misfortunes or through careless
ness. we were nearly knocked down by
some one proceeding more rapidly than
was safe. After this we ceased our
conversation. AS to our location. had
no knowledge of it whatever. but my
guide told me he knew exactly where
we We're. In about an hour from our
starting he led me up to Il door, which
he opened, and we stood in the hall of
a tenement house.
This is not my lodging house" !
said sharply, fearful that had been
tricked
Forgive me-" said the man, who
could now see was intellectual looking
but very shabby; Il live here. 1 have
brought you to my home to show you
what can happen to an American whC
trusts himself on the literary sea OF
London He opened a door and toob
me into a room, or. rather, two rooms
communicating. In one of them on 6
couch lay a girl with the fiaring eyes
and hectic cheek of q consumptive
Il would offer you some refresh
ments," said the man. but there is no
a crust of bread here. We have nei
Their fuel nor lights, and my poo
daughter, far from having the delica
cies she needs, has not even ordinary
food"
l am taking no credit to myself il
saying that l relieved their distress.
would be fiinty heart that could re
fuse fellow countryman in q strang
land. While l was listening to a NOR
detailed story of their lives ray o
sunlight came streaming in at the win
dow, and. taking a memorandum o
their location, | left them
One day the father appeared at m
apartments to tell me that his daugl
ter had but short time to live and dc
sired to thank me in person for wha
l had done for them. promised to b
there the same afternoon l expecte
a melancholy scene and preferred t
get through my days work before er
tering upon what would interfere wit
that condition Of mind necessary t
mental effort.
During the afternoon l went to thei
rooms. They were alone together tn
father being the sole minister to hi
daughters comfort. The remains c
some delicacies had sent few day
before were on table. The invali
was resting in a steamer chair and
approached her with a sad heart
/ can never forget the look of graf
tude that accompanied the girls word
Only an exile who had been succore
by one from her native land could 'lay
felt as she felt. When I took my d.
parture l asked her father, who spoh
only by a pressure of the hand. to |,
me know more of his daughters col