Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-02-03
8he Hrgus Daily Short Story
1.-THE Return. BY Martha Cobb Sanford
copyrighted, 1908, NJ NJ Cunningham

Life seemed to hold little of romance
for Ruth Jeffrey as, with long drawn
sigh, she closed her desk at the end OF
the day. What was there in it, after
all? she asked Ierself. She looked
ahead and imagiiSI one day following
another in UNMARRIED m0notony. She
fancied she could see her hair turning
gray and the color fading from her
cheeks, though for that it must have
taken a very big stretch of the fmagi
nation indeed.
And what return was life making
her for all the effort that she was put
ting into it? \ negative reciprocatiou
at best. She was not compelled tC
marry. She had proved herself capable
of independence. 1t was five gears
since she had entered upon her bust
ness career. Her vim and Optimisi,
had made for a success even beyond
her most sanguine anticipations.
Only a month ago she had accepted
at practically her own terms a position
that hundreds of wcmen might wei
envy her and probably did. Surely il
was an unreasonable time for her tC
feel blue and discouraged. There must
be some definite cause for her unrest
Ruth set herself the task of discover
ing il.
Finally, with a somewhat shame
faced yet wistful little smile, she was
forced to admit that the disturbing
IN hn-
thoughts about the moment that SHE
had stood by her Office window tina
morning and from the height of man,
stories watched Il young man clad il
a fur lined overCoat step out of his re
splendent motor car and enter tn,
building.
Who the man was did not matter
nor that he was wealthy. 1t was tn
woman in the car who stirred ole
warnings in Ruth's heart. She haC
with her for comfort and inspiration
through the day the memory of
mans farewell kiss.
This pretty and refreshing bit o
sentiment in the midst of a hustlini
workaday world Ruth had witnesses
nearly every morning. to be sure. sine
she had been in her new position. Blu
never before had it plunged her int
such an implacable mood of discomfort
well" she commented to herself Il
she pinned on her little tailor mad
hat. with gesture of wholesome dc
termination. this will never do ut al
It's my own fault. | refused him, an
that's all there is about it. At the tim
matrimony seemed such an obviOu!
commonplace transaction in cOmpar
son with the alurement of indepent
| ence-and now, well, it's no use thinl
ing about it. l may bump into re
nance any day" \
The wind on the night. in questio
was blowing a hurricane. When Rut
| tried to open the outside door of til
building. she found the resistance to
much for her strength and was oblige
| to fall back a moment.
AS she made a second attempt til
door yielded with Il suddenness< tn;
| almost upset her equilibrium. 81
| heard some one Immediately benin
| her say. ALLOW me-" and was awal
of Il masculine coat sleeve. fur line,
holding back the door for her to pass
Ruth thanked the auxiliary arm m
chanically, half conscious of a tinge {
resentment in her gratitude that 81
should be in any way beholden to Il
man upon whom that woman. who
she envied also depended. But Il
next moment, with characteristic in
| pulsiveness, Ruth found herself cha
ing derby hat down the sidewal
Just as she was about to rescue
from an imminent mud puddle at Il
corner something struck her a fearf
blow. and she lost consciousness.
In the days of delirium that followt
Ruth sometimes imagined that heaN
door was swinging back upon her; TIL
a man stood by and would..uot reset