Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-01-23
The Argus Daily Short Story
Wedding Presently Martha McCulIoch Williams.
Copyrighted. 1908, by Associated Literary

Il won't. say it! mean it. l
won't. Net nov, never. nor the next
day! So there Adcla cried, her fin
gers tight in her ears and stamping
her foot hard.
That's a pity! Such a PITY" Billy
Bruce r2urnurcd. with his most engag-
ing smile. "A pity you say it. l mean.
because l know and YOU know per
fectly that you Will"
who's going TO make me, or what?
Certainly not you. not the little old
scrap Of fortune" Adela retorted.
sticking out her chin. Billy laughed
softly, hardly mere than a chucllle.
True. we don't amount to much. the
fortune and l." he said. "Still. there's
rather mere to US than you can get
any other way"
''Oh. you think so. Your modesty
won't kill you, not for long time
yet" Adela broke in. with a wicked
toss of the head. Billy made her his
best bow, saying half plaintiveiy:
You didn't notice l held up my fin
gers for quotation marks. l was quot
ing-froIn Rob Torrens. Ee talked you
over down ut the hotel"
Il don't believe it! How dared you
let him? What did he say?" Adela
shot ut him, Il round red spot blazing
in either cheek.
He didn't say much-after I got to
him. Benny briggs was with him.
They We're going on at great rate I'M
til came. No; he spoke no harm Of
| anybody. Indeed. he was more sensi-
BILE than one might reasonably expect"
Billy continued.
"Unless you tell me I shall go
straight and ask him-ask him if he
said anything at all about me-" Adela
cried, her lip curling family. Billy
stood thought straighter. You can't
do that. He's leaving on the evening
| train. It's due, just about" he said.
Il don't think you can mean to imply
| that I'm lying. l wouldn't do that if 1t
would make you love me. Torrens said
| this, as nearly as l can recall his
| words: 1t is a good thing the little
Ware girl has her future all settled for
| her. She's pretty enough, madcap
| enough, to make history, lots of it, if
she had a free rein. And really Billy
Bruce, plus $4,000, ought to console
her fairly for losing me-"
"You-what did you say?" Adela de-
manded, sparks at the bottom of her
eyes. Billy's mouth was set into a
| grimmish smile 1T didn't seem to
me time for talking he said. Il
said nothing, but Mr.. Torrens got off
the piaZza-and thought he was going
to get off the earth about two seconds
later, while l explained to the rest
that felt myself insulted by the color
Of his politics.
I 'Is that why he's going awayT' AIDE
Ia asked in a faint, small voice. Billy
nodded. 81 reckon so,' he said. 'May'
be he'll write and give you another
reason. think he had engaged to call
on you tonight
/ Adela put both her hands over heI
face and for a minute cried stormily
Billy watched her with something big
and hard In his throat. Suddenly she
flung down her hands and faced him
teary and woebegone. She was badly
spoiled, impatient withal and selfish
| with the selfishness of eighteen.
| by all the rules of the game
ought to give In to you at once" she
said, swapping out the words. ''But
won't do 1t. Go away! 1 hate you
almost as much as / hate that" stop
] ping and choking. 81 don't want It
see you-ever again-not unless my