Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-08-17

When it became an established fact
that Daniel Forbes would never go
wooing on his own account, his mother
undertook to manage the delicate af-
fair for him. She selected Lucy VIII
son, Il capable girl.
'Now, you go over there tonight"
she directed her son. "Lucy'S willing,
and the Old folk have given their con-
sent, so there's nothing to be afraid
of. Lucy'S SO lively ana runs on so
guess you won't have to do much talk.
ing"
Although David turned pale under
his tan. he prepared 10 obey. He drove
past the Wilson farmhouse twice, but
on approaching the third time. just as
| he was about to enter recklessly, he
/ saw Lucy on the porch, and, turning
his horse about. he fed.
Thus abruptly ended David's first adj
| vance toward matrimony. Indignant,
Lucy quickly accepted another swain,
and David settled down TO what
seemed hopeless bachelorhood
| One morning III midsummer when
1
| Mrs. Forbes asked David to take q
half day from the farm work ana go
] to the mountain for blueherries. David
agreed and started off with 4 basket
on either arm. Many berry pickers
We're at work on the lower slopes and
near the path. but David. who had suf-
fered often from their rough wit, went
farther on. circling around to the
wilder. sleeper side Of the mountain.
He found place yet unvisited and
settled to picking where the bushes
We're loaded with fruit But even il
this lonely place he was disturbed by
some one approaching through the
brush.
| He caught Il glimpse of . woman's
gown and started to retreat noiseless
". Then he noticed that it was :
pink gown and paused. The farmers
daughters and the VILLAGE girls did moi
Wear thin pink dresses when they
went berrying on the mountain side.
| David had observed more than hi
friends gave him credit for. SO b,
waited Il moment to see who this cir
was. Quite unexpectedly she stepped
into full view. scarcely five yards fror,
him There was no retreating then
David bent over the bushes indus
triously.
The fair stranger Gn the one brie
glance David found that she was boil
fair and Il strangerl was picking too
She had half filled Il fanciful little bas
ket David wondered why she wa.
alone so far from the frequenteC
paths.
The girl examined the big, handSOm
farmer through downcast lashes, an.
. she was at once interested.
"Why doesn't he speak," she thought
"The others all do. l wonder who Ii
is. l haven't seen him anywhere
I'm lust stay until he does say some
thing" she reflected as she watches
him.
| David was chained to the spot. HI
, difiidencSurged him to fee. but some
, thing stronger held him almost With
arms length Of the girl. In his wild
est daring. however. he never though
, Iof doing more than glance in her d
Erection. Nothing less than a miracl
would have made him change his a
Ititude.
Fate. which one time in thousan
is unexpectedly kind. interposed wit
something very like Il miracle. Thei
was a Earring and a rending of til
learth. followed by muffled roar I'll
, ground yawned in an awful gulf /;
their feet.
Man and maid, clutching wildly :
leach other. slid down, down. blinde
and choked by the flying dus
Through it all David had kept his ar
about the girl. whom he had seize
), when the nature of the. calamity ha
= burst upon him.
His first thought when the upro;
ceased was that he still held her. T
moved cautiously to assure himse
that he was yet in the body and tn,
opened his eyes and found that lie w
= rot buried. as he had expected to |
AT distance above his head he 81
the branches of a tree barring the bl
of the sky. Then he looked at t
lovely stranger lying in his arms. II
eyes opened, fixed on his in terror.
To David's own everlasting surpri
he found himself stroking her h.