Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-01-15
The Argus Daily Short Story
John Winslows Surrender-By Helolse Brayton
Copyrighted 10, Associated Press.

back to the Office.
Did papa tell you he'd got the con-
| tract?"
"Oh. no; he doesn't tell me things.
I'm only his employee. But I'm very
ceeded. I've done a lot Of figuring for
him on that contract"
Are you an engineer?"
Eyes. / was graduated last year in
the scientific school. Your father ap-
piled for one of our class, and / was
assigned to him."
The young man looked happy. and
/ the girl looked happy and tried to
think of some more pleasant things
that her father had said about him
Though he declined to be seated. he
asked her If she would not play Just
one piece on her harp, and she did or,
rather. she sang Annie Laurie" ac-
companying herself on her instrument.
Any one who has heard that song ac-
companied by a harp knows of the
depth of feeling there is in it. From
that moment to Ned Kennedy annie
Laurie" was none other than Elsie
Winslow.
When the engineer got back to the
Office he discovered that he had been
with the young lady an hour. thinking
he had been with her ten minutes. and
his chief was impatiently awaiting
him. Mr. Winslow asked him where
he had been so long, and he replied
that he had carried the note himself
since none of the boys was at hand.
Then he threw out a danger signal in
a blush. but his employer failed to IN
derstand ii.
Three months was the time specified
for the beginning Of the contract work
During this period Winslow & Co.
spent a fortune in materials and other
preparation. While this was going on
Ned Kennedy and Elsie Winslow were
making all sorts of excuses to meet.
and within six weeks a mutual con-
fession had been made and the lovers
were in terror lest Eisie's father should
discover the extent TO which matters
had gone. for Elsie knew that she
would not be permitted TO marry any
one. especially a poor young engineer
earning 500 week
Such cases always run the same
course. The lovers think they are en-
during no end Of eXcruciating torture
but they are not. When love fortunes
end proSaic marriage begins. and as
husband and wife the couple take in
finite pleasure in reading of other cou-
pies love tortures. The denouement
came in time. Ned Kennedy sent a
note to his ladyIove, not knowing that
her father was at home. Mr.. Winslow
received it and took 1t to his daughter.
This time the danger signal was I'm
terpreted. Then Elsie threw herself
into her fathers arms and confessed
all
No one likes to be deceived The fn-
Their should have realized that stolen
fruit is the sweetest and had compass
sion. Instead he blamed his employee |
for what he termed dishonorable con /
duct and blamed his daughter for keep /
ing from him such an important mat /
ter She tried to excuse hefself on |
the ground that she was afraid to tell. |
She really thought this was true. It |
was not. She did not tell of her love |
because she took pleasure In It, in |
dulged clandestinely.
Mr.. Winslow was so irritated with |
Kennedy that he paid him his salary |
and discharged him. He supposed his
action to be based on the young man
winning his daughters love without |
permission. He forgot that he had
won the girls mother in the same
way. The true reason was that he
was irritated because he had been
ignorant of what was going
on.
The day when a commencement Oh
the contract must be made drew near
One morning Mr.. Winslow while per
fecting his plans to make sure of the
smallest details had all his formula
spread out before him on a table. The
weather was cold and blustery. and a
fire of logs blazed on a hearth near
which he had drawn his table for
Opening the door to leave
the room for a moment. he met a
brisk current of air. When he return
ed his papers had disappeared from
the table Terrified. he looked about
for them on the floor Then in the
fireplace he noticed several bits of half