Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-11-24

Soon there was a quick step and
laughing Hello, Uncle Law" as Ger
trude came forward with a greeting
! that for its simplicity and hearttnesS
and but for the ripened flower of wo-
manhood before him might have car
ried him back a half dozen years.
| Lawrence Greer was not one easily
| to be carried off his feet, but he was
! TOO evidently in the air this time even
| to disguise the fact cleverly.
| But 1 say, Gertrude, how on earth
| did il all happen?" looking her over
/ from head to foot.
:'Years, Uncle Law. just years and
the getting into touch with new kinds
of life. You said il would be just as
I've found It and also that l would
some day forget my Uncle Law and
that he told me so. But, you see, I
haven't forgotten either" And she
smiled as frankly as in the days when
ne told her, sitting on his knee, of the
world that she would go into. through
the gateways of school and experience
and of the society, whose doors had
not then opened to her.
That she hadn't forgotten him and
those talks to the child Gertrude gave
Lawrence thrill Of real pleasure.
That afternoon and evening was
rare day in Lawrence's experience Of
life. The storm ragged furiously, and
Lawrence, relieved of duty, gave him
self UP to the spell Of a renewal of ac-
ouaintance that had all the novelty.
piquancy and delight OF a rare and
agreeable discovery.
What astonished Lawrence most
were the frequently recurring and fat
teringly delightful evidences that
wherever she had been and however
occupied during these Intervening
years Gertrude had kept close tab on
his own career and, furthermore, had
found a certain inspiration therein. To
be sure, that career had not been hid
den under bushel, for he was already
sufficiently in public life to make him
a marked man among influential men.
Gertrude's discriminating illusions
to his work as commissioner, delegate
or president of the board, to his work
In correcting civic evils and in his
other public activities betokened a pc
culiarly personal interest such as Law
renee had not before met and such as
he least expected in any woman. His
own mother and sisters had shown no
such intelligent interest in his work,
and even his brother, he was willing to
wager. knew far less of his career
than did this mere girl whom but yes
terday, as 1t were, he had amused as a
child, but child that he loved.
Was 1t possible that in shaping the
ideals Of life for child he had unwit-
tingly offered himself as an ideal to
the heart of that child? If so would
she find him worthy or not now that
the years had proved him? Was her
admiration only admiration? II more
than that might it not yet be that
some one else already forestalled him
in her affections? How was he to
know?
It was near the close of the second
day and drifting winds had made nee
essary a still further delay in breaking
out the roads that opportunity offered
itself to Lawrence to gain some light
on the ever more tantalizing question
of possible rivals in Gertrude's affec-
tions. As for himself, Lawrence felt
that his entire world was already re-
volving around this one young woman.
Gertrude was showing him some pho
tographs accumulated during the years
Of her girlhood.
''But where is his picture?' asked