Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-06-16


a thing?"
"Stern necessity" she explain =.
You see, Rod, 7 had to leave the
Moretons in Paris and make the rest
of the trip alone. | had "a hours in
London before the steamer train left,
but 1T appears that staterooms must
he taken up at least two days before
the boat sails. The rule only holds
good in September and October, when
all of the people who have been
crowding the eastbound boats since
May want to go homo at the same
time.
My stateroom had been sold the
moment the time limit expired, and
the best they could promise me was
That in my turn l could have some one
else's forfeited stateroom. That would
be about November. they thought
Cheerful thought" commented
Rodney. why didn't you ask for
second cabin?"
Il did, but the second cabin was
first cabin in the rush, and all that
was left was the steerage. l took
four tickets, and that gave me a
room all to myself. 1t was not half
as bad as l expected it would be. and
it really was jolly lark to come home
that way"
Nothing like making the best of
things" suggested Rodney dryly. q
supposed that you had spent, all your
money and were coming home that
way because it was the best you &C I'D
afford"
The room cost me as much as a
first-class passage" she reminded. Il
tipped the steward and he added to
my menu from the first cabin table
The surgeon and the chief steward
! were lovely, and made things Just IS
nice as they could for me-. This morn
| ing the surgeon saw the health officer
and arranged to get me off with the
| first cabin passengers, but | knew
that you would be waiting for me
here, and so l came along with the
rest
I'm glad you did," declared Rod
| ney, but it seems an awful price to
| pay for homecoming.
1T wasn't declared Phyllis.
"You see, Tom Waring was in Lon
| don. He wanted me to come over on
! his yacht, and when | declined with
| thanks he settled down to make life
a burden to me-"
! Il suppose that he proposed every
week, as usual said Rodney, with q
| laugh. He was not in the least jeal-
Gus of his unsuccessful rival, whose
courtship had become joke.
1T was worse than that" assented
Phyllis. "He proposed every day and
when he learned that | was coming
home and l would not tell him the
name of the steamer he was furious.
l wasn't going to let hiE.. snow that
was coming Storage and let him
triumph like that
ATriumph?" echoed Rodney ques-
tioningly.
"You see," she explained, when
he invited me to come ON his yacht he
told me that it would be impossible
to make up a party and that to avoid
talk il would be best to marry him be-
fore | started. He kept telling me
how badly dad lc oked and everything
he could think of to make me anxious
to get back. He didn't realize that
preferred seven days in the steerage
to lifetime as his wife"
HE ought to be thrashed,'
growled Rodney.
HE doesn't know any better" ex-
cused Phyllis. Hes like all newly
rich, he thinks he can buy anything
with his money if he only offers il at
the right time"
Il wonder what he would say if he
found out" suggested Rodney with a
laugh. II bet he'd be furious"
| Hes isn't going to know" as.
! serted Phyllis. You are the only one
i who knows-I had to have someone
to be on hand in case of need" -
And / won't tell promised Rod
1 ney, but don't you think, .Phyl. that
i itswould be better to make it a famil,
sesret?''
.Tell dad?" cried Phyllis in dis
1 may, after all the pains l have beer
to to keep it secret"
81 didn't mean that family" ex.
planned Rodney. Il meant our family
not yours"
/ You're as bad as Tom Waring,
scolded Phyllis.
"But you don't prefer the steerage
to me, do you. Phyl." he asked coax
ingly.
1 For answer her hand stole into tht
bronzed one that lay on the rail be
side hers.
81 like you better than the steer
age," she confe.--d, "and-I lovet
those seven days in the steerage. Rod
so you see
II see." assented Rodney happily.