Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-01-25
Red Saunders
" HENRY WALLACE PHILLIPS
COPYRIGHT. lsua MCCLURE d

and not let him In on the ground floor,
so he can crawl out through the coal
hole, as is sometimes done. Now, ev-
time, for don't like to talk this yappi
any more than you like to hear it.
Kola geus! By-byr'
1t was very successful picnic
They spent the afternoon in wander
ing around in the usual picnic fashion,
developing appetites, until it occurred
to Red to liven the performance by
showing them the art of roping as
practiced upon an old COW found in
the woods. AS spectacle it was q
failure. The combined efforts of all
the hooting small boys could not make
that COW run. She even stretched her
neck toward Red. as though saying:
Hurry up with your foolishness.
have a cud to chew and can't stand
by and threw the moose over her head
as an exhibition of how the thing was
done rather than how 1t ought to be
done Nevertheless picnic parties are
not hypercritical in the matter Of
amusement, and the feat received
three encOreS. The last time he missed
his cast through overcontidence where
at the old COW tossed her head and tail
In the air and tore off ut an elephan-
tine gallop, with a bawl that sounded
to Red nightly like derision.
burned if she amt laughing at me-
he cried But as Il matter of fact II
was hornet and its unmistakable
sting that injected this activity into
her system.
1t was all very pleasant to Miss Mat
tie, as ones first picnic in many years
should be. She enjoyed the crisp green
sod. the great trees standing around
parklike, with the sunlight falling be
tween their shade like brilliant tat
tiers of cloth of gold. while from the
near distance came the tiny shouting
of cool waters. They had camp fire
at night making the moonlight still
more mysterious and remote by con-
trast. The quartet OF strings played
for the ears of those who cared tC
listen and for the legs of those who
chose to take chances on tripping theiI
light fantastic toes over tree roots in
the grass.
Red loved music. and he loved the
night. The poetic side of his memo
ries of watching the Dipper swing
around Poluris while he sung the cows
to sleep came back to him. In his
mind he saw the vast prairie roll on tC
; infinity. saw the mountains stand out
world Of white peaks, rising from 6
sea of darkness. Again he heard the
! plaintive shrilling of an Indian whistle
! or the song of the lad down creek
made tuneful by the charm of dis
| lance.
Having good time, Mattie?" he
| asked, with smile.
1.-THE best ever had, WILL she an
swered, smiling back unsteadily
| Poor lady. The size of an occasion Is
! so many standards, whether the stand
ard be inches or feet or miles. Mis-
| Mattie's events had been measured II
! hundredths of an inch, and it took
! good many of them to cover so smsl
an action as a successful picnic on
l III Hight. IttI Eyes were III
mid; her mouth smiled and dropped a
the corners alternately. Red felt he
happiness with a keen sympathy, and
as he looked at her, suddenly sh
changed in his eyes. Just what tn
difference was he could not have TOLD
nor whether it was in her or in him
) A sudden access of feeling, undefir
able, unplaceable, but strong, pos
sessed him. There is critical ten
perature in the life of a man, whe
, no. amount of pressure can ever max
. the more expansive emotions assum
the calmer form of friendship Their
. was something In Miss Mattie's ey
, which had warmed Red to that d.
. gree, but he didn't know it. He onl
knew that he wanted to sit rather VI
. necessarily close beside her, and tha
he would be sorry when it came tim
, to go home. And he was very silent
, During the drive back to the hous
he spoke in monosyllables; he wei
straight to the barn with Lettis afte
, ward. and made no attempt to TAX
the usual frank and hearty good nigt
! kiss.
You're as Glum as an oysterr' sal
l Lettis, when they reached their qua
e tiers. whats the matter, old manT'
e Il don't know, Let; feel kind {
n quiet, somehow"
e Sick? Or something go wrongY
e 'No; nothing Of the kind. It's ju,
e sort of an attack of stiffness, but
/ feel durn good"
Lettls laughed. eff 1t wasn't 70
e Red, I'd say you were in love-" |
i said.
q 1t was well the barn was dark, or
s would have seen change wonderf
: to behold come over the ex-puncher
face. 'The lad has hit It," he sa
TO himself in establishment; aloud |
T grunted 'hunh'' scornfully. ar
: aroused himself for an unnecessaI
e joke or two.
Miss Matte had noticed the "atta,
l. of stiffness" and Immediately tried
n fasten the blame upon herself. VIII
s had she done? She couldn't recs
y anything. She remembered she b;