Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-11-19
Besides, he said that he wished he
had been in the game"
"What" exclaimed Alike.


had been in the game"
"What!' exclaimed Alike.
"He's first rate fellow" insisted
Gerald, reddening, land it was very
! nice of you to let me bring him over
today. And he knows everybody down.
town too. He comes from a very old
Dutch family, but he had to work pref
| ty hard and do without college. I'd
| like it awfully If you'd let me-if you
| wouldn't mind being civil to him once
| or twice. you know. I'm going to pro-
pose him for the Stuyvesant and the
| Proscenium. Why not?"
81 see. And now you propose to
bring him to my house?'
"If you'll let me. l asked Jack. and
| he seemed to think it might be all
right If you cared to ask him to
play"
| II won'tw cried Alike. revolted. 81
will not turn my drawing rooms into
a clearing house for every money
laden social derelict in town. I've had
enough of that. I've endured the ac-
cumulated wreckage too long-weird
treasure craft full of steel and oil and
coal and wheat and heaven knows
what! l won't do it, Gerald. I'm
sick of 1t all-sick, sick"'
The sudden, flushed outburst stun
ned the boy. Bewildered, he stared
round eyed at the excited young ma
iron. who was growing more incensed
and more careless of what she ex-
posed every second.
l hl M
hell of my own house"' she repeated.
dark eyes very bright and cheeks
afire 81 will not continue to stand
sponsor for lot of queer people SIM
ply because they don't care what they
lose in Mrs. Ruthven's house! You
babble to me of limits, Gerald. This
is the limit! Do you or does anybody
else suppose that I don't know Whist
Is being said about us-that play is
too high in our house, that we are
easy in our choice of intimates as
long as they can stand the pace? Do
you think l was educated for this
for the wife of a chevalier of indus
try?'
MINIS Ruthven!" he Sasped. But
she was absolutely reckless now. and
beneath 1t all perhaps lay a certainty
Of the boys honor. She knew he was
to be trusted-was the safest recepta-
Gle for wrath so long repressed. She
let prudence go with q parting and
vindictive slap and opened her heart
to the astounded boy. The tempest
lasted few seconds Then she ended
as abruptly as she began.
To him she had always been what a
pretty young matron usually is to a
well bred but harebrained youth just
untethered Their acquaintance had
been for him combination of charm
ing experiences diluted with gratitude
for her interest and a harmless soup
con of sentimentality. In her partic
ular case however. there was little
something more-a hint of the for
bidden-a troubled enjoyment, becaus
he knew, of course that Mrs. Ruthvel
was on no footing at all with tn,
Gerards.
Dear Mrs. Ruthven." he blurte,
out with clumsy sympathy, ''yo,
mustn't think such things, b-becaus
they're all rot. you see, and if any fel
low ever said those things to ME l.,
jolly SOON
do you mean to say you've neve
heard us criticisedY'
I-well-everybody is-criticised. o
course
but not as we are. Do you read tn
papers? Well, then. do you under
stand how a woman must feel to hav,
her husband continually made the but
of foolish, absurd, untrue stories, n
though he were performing poodle
lin sick of that, too, for anothe
thing. Week after week. month b,
month, unpleasant things have been &C
cumulating. and they're getting to-
heavy, Gerald. too crushing for ~,
shoulders. Men call me restless. VIVA
wonder! Women link my name witt
any man who is kind to me. Is Their
no excuse then for what they call m,
restlessncss? What woman would no
be restless whose private affairs ar
the gossip of everybody? Was 1t no
enough that endured terrific publicit,
when-when trouble overlook me tw,
: years ago? / suppose I'm fool to tall
like this. but girl must do it SOM
time or burst. And to whom am l t,
go? There was only one person. an,
can't talk to-that one. He-that per
son-knows too much about me any
way, which is not good for woman
Gerald; not good for a good woman
mean a pretty good woman, the kin,
peoples sisters can still talk to, yo,
l. know"
II want you to believe me you
friend" said Gerald in the low, reso
lutte voice of unintentioncl melodrama
"Why. thank you. Are you so sur
u you want that. Gerald?'
Eyes, as long as live" he declared
generous emotion In the ascendant
S pretty woman upset him very easil.
e even under normal circumstances. Blu
d beauty in distress knocked him fiat. a
u it does every wholesome boy who
O worth his salt.
g And he said SO in his own naive fash
S ion, and the more eloquent he grew tn
d more excited he grew and the deepe