Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-22
1 think I could do that

SCiA
"Oh. well. you know. The kind of
thing that used to be In the front Of
the first readers when you and ! were
babies at school. You sit down and
shut your teeth and say. 'I-am-in-it.
he-is-in-it.' or something like that"
mo, dear. It's assertions that you
mean. You build them into your char
acter by saying them over that way"
Laura" in a tragic tone, you're al
most as bad as she is. 1 don't want to
build things into my character. You
talk as If it was a summer cottage.
Oh, dear me. / haven't shred of char
acter left since Myra disgraced me as
she did. She got 10 talking about
things that weren't quite nice. 1t seem
ed to me, for a mixed audience. and
was in agony because i had Lily por-
toned off with the professor there In
the back room.
81 could see the other men trying not
to laugh. and felt so apologetic-so
abject! If 1 could have crawled out
under the seats. busting those mems
boots as l went. | should have been
glad. Then came the diagrams.
large pink thing meant your natural
affections. Laura. do you love people
in that shade of pink? Because. IL you
do, pray never love me any.
"a blue wedge was for your-for
your-inteIlectual capacity. I think. ]
hadn't any by the time that came
Some green streaks. she told us, stood
for patience. but mine was at an end.
1 pulled the back of her frock and
whispered TO her. Where is your pa
per on colonial Virginia families"
Laura. that aggravatlng creature look
ed across her shoulder at me as serene
Iy as she will look at her son-in-law
when she runs right over him, and she
said, loud enough for everybody to
hear: oh. this is a much more i'm
portant matter. my dear. This con-
Germs the source and origin of man
and his cosmic destiny Laura. what
is cosmic destiny? Do you suppose
you and ! each have one?"
Her hostess got breath finally from
the smothered laughter that had greet
ed tie diagrams. Never mind your
cosmic destiny. honey" she counseled.
Tell me what the professor and Lily
did"
WIS III dSOuy lOA h0Oh@ Va
Myra's remarks we're very plain and
hardly the things for young girls to
hear. let alone girls accompanied By
gentlemen. But there! l might have
spared myself worry. IL seems l am
only plain fool"
"Oh, no." demonstrated her friend
slyly. Nobody would ever say that
Of you"
I'D rather be a plain fool than
pretty one" retorted the other. And
that's what Myra Morton and her Ike
call me. | kuowi 1t seems that Myra
is a brilliant woman and that l had
only made trouble and retarded things,
instead OF helping"
How was that:'
''Oh. the professor is deeply interest
ed in the particular ism that Myra is
exploiting just now. ] suppose be loves
Lily in that shade of pink and does his
thinking in blue wedges and has
streaks OF green patience. Anyhow, he
said that Myra's diagrams were very
Illuminating He was up in the crowd
congratuIating her on that disgraceful
performance. l saw that both he and
Lily looked nightly pleased about
something. and after the thing was
over he told me confidentially-I have
been encouraging his confidential talks.
you know. during the past year-that
the hearing of that paper had removed
the last shadow of a barrier between
himself and Myra's daughter"
Barrier"
"Oh. yes; l have been trying to teD
him about Myra and prepare him for
what he might expect. and 1 suppose
my opinion of her crankism and Pro
lessor Henry's don't precisely agree"
They wouldn't naturally" slipped
from Laura's lips. and then was re-
GREETED.
Don't you tell me that mean well"'
turning sharply. I'll bear anything
but that. TO doubt it's what the pro-
fessor and Lily and Myra Reed Morton
are saying Of me this minute. They
are sitting and holding their breaths
and thinking about something else and
saying that am n well meaning crea-
ture who lacks sense"
"Well." commented her friend crisp
Iy, ''if they can do all that at one time
believe I'll investigate the system
myself"