Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-02-19
The Argus Daily Short Story
WON THROUGH A DREAM--BY GRACE BOWEN
Copyrighted, 1905 Literary Press

In Il lonely shack on North Dakota
quarter section Edith Allen was facing
the problem that comes to all of Ewes !
daughters.
A man great in his strength and
mightier in his love had asked her sur
render-had almost demanded it when
he passionately tore aside convention
al conversation and barred his heart
and his hopes.
That she had sent him away without
an answer was not a negative reply to
his wooing. She had begged for time
to think, space in which to analyzc
the emotions surSing in her breast.
Moreover. she half thought she loved
him. and because she was Il product of
the city and had dug deep III the print
ed philosophy of life she wanted her
brain TO sit in judgment on her heart.
~ know whit. ypu would say" I'M !
periously declared Jim the lover. Il
am nearer the animal than you. When
fatigue follows n satiated joy of work
ing my recreation is rest-physical
comfort and sleep find nothing to
grip me in books written by men
| whose lives have been cramped and
| narrow, by men with water in their
veins instead of strong, red blood"
.'No. no. Jim; it is not that" inter
| rupted Edith.
''But it is. 1t is just that. You
know. l am a college man. Not from
one of your famous eastern institu-
lions. true, but ! fancy our North Da
kota brand of education will be found
the equal of its older relations of New
England. went. TO please father. He
was poor man and felt that he had
missed much because his school days
had been few. That his son need not
suffer. this handicap in life he made
many sacrifices.
| Il am grateful to him for the love
that prompted THIS self denial. and
am glad that have what learning l
brought back with me, but 1 resign ali
| interest in morbid. fieshly decadence
for Gods good out of DOORS
/ And Stuart looked at the girl before
him wonderingly, with his eyes glow
ing with love of her.
Leave me alone, Jim. No. not an
other word must think; l must
think. Good night. Jim" And she
watched him go out of the door and
across the prairie.
Years before palmist had told the
girl that her head would rule her
heart He had called attention to the
peculiar formation of the lines of her
left hand anG had pointed out the head
line that ran straight across the palm.
obscuring and dominating the lesser
line that represented the heart.
In measure she believed it. All
her life she had been intensely men
tai and had plunged far into the writ
ings Of men and women whose apos-
tolic missions are of discomfort.
When she collapsed physically under
the strain of her abors as teacher IL Il
city school the physician he'd impcra,
lively ordered her to get to the open
country If she longed to live.
Alone in the world. she could not in
dulge in idleness. and. being exilcd
from the schoolroom, she was at loss
which path to take. A friend suggest
ed that she enter homestead in the
west. and it had appealed to her.
Her savings were sufficient to pay
for necessary labor in clearing and
breaking the land until the crops were
ready for harvest and she had conf
dent assurance that her work would
some day repay her. AS an invest
ment. both financial and Physical. II
delighted her.
Stuart met her in the Office Of the
locator in the little, town which was
the railroad station nearest to her des
tination. One learns to read men and
women at first sight in the big. pulls
ing west, and no half trust is given.
She was in need of guidance. and
her new found acquaintance became
her counselor and friend. When she
lspoke of getting men to help her built