Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-01-16

to be kinder careful how you throw
$50 pounds around"
Mercy cried Miss Matte, pan in
hand. do you weigh as much as
| that, Will?'
Il do" returned Red, with much sat
| isfaction. "And there isn't over two
pounds of it fat at that"
| What great man you have grown
up to be, WIFI
| Red took in deep draft of tobacco
and sent the vapor clear across the
little room.
| ION the hay scales, yes" he answer
ed. with sort of joking earnestness,
''but otherwise don't know"
| The return to the old home had
touched the big man deeply, and as he
leaned back in his chair there was
shade of melancholy. on his face that
became it well.
Miss Matte took in the mass of him
stretched out at his ease, his legs
| crossed, and the patrician cut of his
face, to which the upturned mustache
gave cavalier touch. They were good
had not declined in the only two ex-
tant
Hes my own cousin" she whisper
ed to herself in the safety of the
kitchen. And such n splendid looking
man. She felt pride of possession
she had never known before. Nobody
in Fairfield or vicinity had such
cousin as that. And Miss Matte went
on joyfully fulfilling an inherited in
stinct to minister to the wants OF
some man. She said to herself there
was some satisfaction in cooking for
somebody else. But alack- a-day, Miss
Mattie's ideas of the wants of some
body else had suffered a Fairfield
change. Nothing was done on a large
scale in Fairfield. But she sat the lit
tile cakeS-lucky that she had made
them yesterday-and the fried mush
and the small pitcher of milk and the
cold ham and the cold biscuit on the
table with pride in the appearance
of the feast .
'Supper's ready, WILL" she said.
Red responded instanter. He took q
look at the board and understood. He
ate the little cakes and biscuit and
said they We're the burned best he
ever tasted. He also took some pot
cheese under misrepresentation, swal-
lowed it and said to himself that he
had been through worse things than
that. Then. when his appetite had
just begun to develop, the inroads on
the provisions warned him that it was
time to stop. Meanwhile they had
ranged the fields of old times at ran.
: dom, and as Red took in Miss Matte
pink with excitement and sparkling as
to eyes, he thought, BLAST the supper
It's square meal just to look at her
If she amt pretty good people, l miss
my guess"
1t was merry meal He had sucf
a way of telling things! Miss Matte
hadn't laughed so much for years, ani
she felt that there was no one tina
she had known so long and so we'll a.
Cousin VIII. There was only one jar
ring note-Red spoke of the vigorou:
celebration that had been followed by
the finding of gold. 1t was certainly
well told, but Miss Matte asked il
soft horror when he had finished
You didn't get-intoxicated-W
Did r. said he, lost in memory ant
not noticing the tone. well, pu
my hand down the throat of tina
mans town and turned her inside out
1t was like as if Christmas and Fourtl
Of July had happened on the SAM
day"
"Oh, WILL" cried Miss Matte, '
can't think of you like that-rolling il
the gutter!" Her voice shook an,
broke off. Her knowledge of the eff
feet of stimuants was limited to Fair
fields one drunkard-old Tommy Nc
Kee, a disreputabe old Irishman-bu
drunkenness was the worst vice in he
| | world.
| Rolling in the gutterv cried Red II
| establishment. why, girl, what 70
! would 1 roll in the gutter? What's til
fun in that? Jimmy Christmas.
wanted to walk on the telegraph wires
There wasn't anything in that tow
IN high enough for me. What put gut
ters into your head?"
- II supposed people did that whe
=, they were-like that"
,, Il wouldn't waste my money o
IL whisky IL that's all the inspiration
- got out of it," replied Red.
p well, of course don't know abou
at those things. but l wish you'd promis
- me one thing"
TO "Donev' cried Red. What is it,"
70 II wish you'd promise me not
as touch whisky again"
n "Phew! That's a pre- sty big order.
IN He stopped and thought a minute. 81
of you'll make that never touch 1t whe
n. it amt needed leaving when it
IT needed to what's my idea Of the squar
of thing on promise, I'll so you, Matti
III There's my hand"
oil "Oh, l shouldn't have said anythin
h. at all, Will. have no right, but
o. seemed such pity such splendi
mani mean-I think You nustn
in promise me anything, WILL" stamme
ed Miss Matte, shocked at her ow
" daring. ,".-
be "Herep' he cried, "I'm no little kit
ut When 1 promise I mean it! AS fo