Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-12-10
THE ARGUS. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 10, 1908.

He bent and looked at the hand ~
ing within his own-the little hand
with its fresh. fragrant palm upturned
and the white fingers relaxed, dropping
inward above it-at the delicate blush
vein In the smooth wrist
Then he released the hand untouch-
ed by hfs lips, and she withdrew it
and closed the door, and he heard her
laugh softly and lean against 1t, whis-
pering:
''Now that 1 am safely locked in 1
merely wish to say that in the old days
lady's hand was sometimes kissed.
oh, but you are too late, my poor
friend! / can't come out, and
wouldn't if I could-not after what
dared to say to you"
And, too low for him to hear even
the faintest breathing whisper of her
voice: Good night. love you with all
my heart. with all my heart, in my
own fashion"
he had been asleep an hour. perhaps
more, when something awakened him
| and he found himself sitting bolt up
| right in bed, dawn already whitening
| his windows.
| Somebody was knocking He swung
out of bed, stepped into his bath slip
| pers and, passing swiftly to the door,
| opened it. Gerald stood there, fully
| dressed.
Pm going to town on the early
train.' began the boy. 81 thought I'd
tell you
The dawn was no paler than the
boys face, no more desolate. Trouble
was his, the same old trouble that has
logged the trail of folly since time be-
gan. and Selwyn knew it and waited.
| At last the boy broke out: This is
| cowardly trick, this sinking in to you
with all my troubles after what you've
uone for me, after the rotten way I've
treated you. Philip, / can't tell you; l
simply cannot. It's SO contemplate.
and you warned me, and 1 owe you al
ready so much.' -.
You owe me little money" observ-
ed Selwyn, with careless smile, land
you've a lifetime to pay it in. What is
the trouble now? Do you need more?
haven't an awful lot, old fellow. worse
luck, but what 1 have is at your call,
as you know perfectly well. Is that all
that is worrying you?"
mo, not all. I-Neergard has lent me
money-done things-placed me under
obligations. liked him, you know.
trusted him. People he desired to know
| I made him known to. He was "a
trifle peremptory at times, as though
my obligations to him left me no choice
but to take him to such people as he
desired to meet. We've had trouble
recently"
"What sort?"
Personal. 1 felt-began to feel-the
X pressure ON me. There was at mo
ments something almost of menace il
his requests and suggestions, an impor
tunity l did not exactly understand
, And then he said something to me-"
"Go on. WhatT'
"He'd been limiting at it before, ant
even when l found him jolliest ant
/ most amusing and companionable
never thought of him as "a socia
: possibility mean among those VIII,
|
9 "Yes, my boy, l see. Go on. WheI
uId ne ask to be presented to your sis
| ter?"
! "Wwho told you that?" asked tn
boy, with an angry flush.
You did-alnost. You were goini
to anyway. So that was 1t, was it
p That was when you realized a few
things-understood one or two things
: was it not? And how did you reply
Arrogantly, suppose"
"Yes"
>. "With-a-some little show OLA
. contempt?'
"Yes, l suppose So"
Exactly. And Neergard was pu
. out slightly"
"Yes," said the boy, losing some O
his color. IA moment afterward
;, was sorry l had spoken so plainly
but I need not have been. He wa
very ugly about it."
Threats of calling loans?" aske
!, Selwyn, smiling.
"Hints; not exactly threats. I wa
in bad way too" The boy vince
and swallowed hard; then, with sue
4 | ucl Willie ueSptIdtlou StdIlpeu Ou III
drawn face, he added: "Oh, Philip, it
: it Is disgraceful enough, but how am
:, going to tell you the rest? How ca
= speak of this matter to your
"What matter?"
"A-about-about Mrs. Ruthven."
:, "What matterP repeated Selwyr
His voice rang little, but the colo
had fed from his face.
"She was-Jack Ruthven charged he
> with-and me-charged me with
"You.
u "Yes"
e "Well, It was lie, wasn't it," Sc
wyn's ashy lips scarcely moved. but b
eyes were narrowing to glimmer. g
% was lie, wasn't it?'' he repeated.
Eyes, lie. I'd say it, anyway, yu
- understand, but it really was a lie."
- Selwyn quietly leaned back in b
:, chair. A little color returned to b
cheeks.
"All right, old fellow"-his vol,
!, scarcely ouivered-"all right Go on