Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-06-09
The Argus Daily Short Story
Widow Plimptons Answer-By Clarissa Macke.
Copyrighted 1903 by Associated Literary

| daintily shook the broken leaves and
slipped four wreaths over her arm and
descended the steps"
I'm going up to the graveyard now.
Gilbert. Will you go with me?" she
asked gently.
Il can't" he said almost roughly
you're not treating me fairly, Anna.
If l were dead up there I'm the grave
yard you'd come and put flowers on
my mound, but just because I'm alive
You grudge me one bit of happiness.
You have never given me an answer to
| that question | asked you"
Anna Plimpton bit her red lip refiec-
| lively. IF you will go home and think
the matter over quietly perhaps you
may discover why your question may
not have been answered.
| She went out of the gate and disap-
| peared up the white path that led to
the cemetery on the hill.
Gilbert stared after her with fasci.
mated eyes until she disappeared
among the clustering cedars; then he
took her advice and went home.
All that day he wrestled with the
| problem. What reason could there be
for Annals Withholding that long de-
layed and coveted "Yes?" Was he not
industrious. of good habits. possessed
| of comfortable means and not i'll look
! ing? And there wasn't another living
man whom Anna had favored with her
| smiles, and yet
"By thunderr' he exclaimed at last.
at must be because I'm so all fired
mean spirited as to be jealous of a
dead man. She's seen it right along
and despised me for it,
He sat there an hour and thought
deeply. At last he went into the house
and opened TIE door of the sitting
| coom
In the square bow window luXuI lat
ing in the waning sunlight were Aunt
Heppy's Gala lilies. Twelve stately
plants they We're, and each one bore
two snowy blossoms, twenty-four in
ALL Aunt Heppy had nursed them ten
DERBY all winter, and now-they were
rewarding her care.
Deliberately he drew out his knife
|
he turned away with his arms full of
the long stemmed beauties the door
opened and Aunt Heppy's Mortified
eyes fastened upon him.
colbert Baker, are you craZy?" she
, shrieked.
81 guess l am" said Gilbert dryly as
he reached into his pocket and drew
| g. G,-o I1I1a vo% <<
have these, Aunt Heppy. You take
this money-the sewing society's seer
the lilies anyway-you won't mis-:
'em."
, lie was gone. and Aunt Heppy sanl
into chair and looked dazedly from
: the five dollar bill over to the denudet
! plants in the window.
"For the lands sake! The boy
t crazyw she calculated at last, tuckin:
/ the money away in her pocket.
\ Just rs the red sun dipped behint
0 the high cemetery hill Gilbert Bake
: toiled YEARLY up the white path. II
e his arms he held rude wooden cross
to which he had clumsily tied the call
Il lilies. Some of the snowy bloom wa
: married by his awkward fingers, bu
S his patient labor had not been in vair
It for at little distance the white eros
:, shone lovely symbol.
i The cemetery was deserted. Owe
in the Plimpton plot he saw glimps
IS Of purple flowers and slowly made hi
t way into the space inclosed in hedG
q of arbor vitae.
lot
Annals offerings-wreaths Of daisis
e.. and box, syringa and ivy. purple lille
e ard evergreen. A little flag was stuc
q in an iron standard at the head of IL
70 young soldiers grave.
Gilbert solemply laid his cross on t.
u other emblems. 81 made cross b