Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-10-13

Tor publication. ror half the after
noon, seated on one of the campus
benches, he replied with acerbity that
too frequently merged into profanity
to all remarks addressed to him. He
became in short order an object of
derision. Groups gathered about him
and from safe distance bombarded
him with sarcasm. as small boys throw
peanuts mt a Gagged lion-to make him
roar The climax was reached when
the most irrevcrcnt of his tOrmentors
exclaimed. who is she, MattY and
all the others echoed the inquiry with
extreme relish. Then Matthew gath
cred his books and Himself together.
and took his way G'0omily TO the H.
brary TO the supplementary reading
which the professor Of English VIII
had prescribed. 1t was precisely seven
| minutes later that be opened his eyes
to their fullest capacity. drew a deep
breath and them said "Gad"'
Intuition told Matthew the story in
q word-she had kept at least one of
his flowers! Her supplementary read
ing was naturally the same as his.
She had been in the library that day
reading that book and to keep her
place had left the violet between the
leaves. The spirit >cf Matthew Bacon
scared instantaneously into the sew
enth heaven of delight. But she had
not worn the Violets as he had asked.
She had rebuked him for the imperti-
nence of his anonymous letter He
was a cad. And the spirit of Matthew
| Bacon plunged promptly into the meth
ermOst abyss Of despair.
For fifteen minutes. which seemed
/ like as many years, he sat, with his
! temples in his hands, gazing with I'M
seeing eyes at the lines before him and
/ telling himself that there was nothing
| left to make life worth the living.
Through his preoccupation he heard
the voice of one of the library pages
speaking TO a reader opposite to him
at the table.
1.-The librarian says he's sorry, miss,
| but 'Purradize Lost is out. Here's the
other book you wanted"
In lightning fash of thought Mat
thew knew what voice it was that he
would hear in reply.
| "Oh. DEAR said Natalie Ayres.
'rWeu, never mind. This will do"
| A phrase from something he had
read was pounding in Matthew's ears.
In fragments at first, finally in one
connected whole, There is a tide-in-
| in the affairs-in the affairs Of men
which-taken-taken at the flood
leads on-Ieads on-leads on TO for
tuner
Hastily he tore a leaf from his note
book and scrubbed a message which
would have been a credit to boy Of
ten:
! VIII you forgive my rudeness in send
! ing you that ananermous letter? / did II
without thinking. and I'm terribly repent
ent. But I'm really all right, indeed am.
and my mother knows yours. l was I'M
| der kind Of spell
MATTHEW BACON.
Slipping this epistle between the
leaves where lay the white violet, he
returned the book TO the loan desk
and then went back to his seat and
spent an apparent eternity upon rack
Of mental torture. At the last moment
the voice Of the t1ge, informing Miss
Ayres that she could now have 'Pur-
radise Lost" threw him into a panic.
When he looked up it was to meet
| 0Gr eyes TOT moment lueg SldEGu
at each other, Matthew turning from
pink to crimson and from crimson To
white and the girl with an enigmat-
| ical smile on her lips.
IF your mother knows mine" she
said presently. with an air of severity.
don't you think you might go TO the
trouble Of getting a proper introduc-
! tion?" Then she laughed outright.
I'm afraid your letter IS what might
be called kind of a spell.' she added.
After ali. since the course Of true
| love is destined never TO run smooth.
| il is better that the bad bumps should
come at the beginning rather than At
| the end.
| When, at the commencement Of the
! class of 1901, Miss Natalie Ayres wore
/ a superb bunch Of white violets people
/ said that she must be a particular
/ friend of the Bacons. And so by that
time she was-a very particular friend:
Feeding the Fish.
! Disguised Fisherman (emptyinE his
bait into the streaml-Hanged If I'll
wait on you any longer! Here, help
| yourselves.-Life.