Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-30

remarked Bixby to himself. when she
is few years older"
After the greetings Bixby told her
that if they were to walk together they
must know each others names. He
said he was Mr.. Bixby, and she said
her name was Alice. He asked her
"Alice WHAT" and she said Alice Mid
dIeton.
"'Weu. Alice he said. what do you
study at schooI:"
"What do l study? Why, 1 study
oh, don't let's talk about school work!
Let's talk about the hills and the val
Ieys and the trees. It must be very
beautiful here IN summer. I can pic
ture it as it viii be in April, when the
leaves are budding and on the forest
trees is that delicate pale shade OF
green that we see only about ten days
in the whole year. And 1 can fancy
the melOdlous piping Of some bird
away up in the highest branches as If
it came down from heaven. DO you
remember how beautifully Coleridge
describes the sounds in his Ancient
Mariner|
Around. around few each sweet sound,
Then darted to the sun.
Slowly the sounds came back again,
Now mixed, now one by one.
sometimes. a-dropping from the sky,
7 heard the skylark sing.
Sometimes all little birds that are
How they seem to fill the sea and air
With their sweet jarSoning!
And now twas like all instruments,
Now like a lonely flute.
And now II is an angels song
That makes the heavens be mute"
Good gracious" exclaimed Bixby,
where did you learn that?"
where did learn itT' she hesitat-
ed. then added, "Why in our English
literature course, to be sure"
you have a high poetic sense"
you mean a musical sense"
She began TO initiate a bird with
voice that astonished BiXby, and when
au echo came back from neighboring
hill It seemed 10 him that she had
really been answered by nightingale.
Bixby stopped stock still with look
Of establishment on his face. The girl
burst into a laugh.
There were neither miles nor hours
in that walk-at least not for Bixby.
He had been bored by women-highly
educated women, too-and here was
girl scarcely in her teens whose gift Of
appreciation enabled her to keep hold
ing up before him pictures. giving
each the peculiar coloring Of her own
individual vision. Finally they came
to the farmhouse.
"WiI you walk with me tomorrow
asked BiEby.
I'm sorry can't; I go away in the
morning
What"
Rixby spoke the word as il some
one had told him that he would be
shot at daylight.
GIVE me your full name and ad-
dress in the city" she added; there's
something 1 wish to send you"
"When?"
After your return"
Bixby gave her his card with his
address on it, and she ran into the
house.
The next morning the weather
changed for Bixby. The country seem
Gfl utllillt iflldiJAt- ne SADbh II IN ANC
days longer. then went back to town.
4 few days after his return he re-
cefved tickets to an opera. There was
no reason that he knew for any one
to send him complimentary tickets,
and he supposed these had been sent
through mistake He concluded to use
one of them.
What was mis- establishment to see in
1.-THE prima donna the "little girl Alice.
though this was not her stage name.
She looked about twenty-five years
old. She saw BXby. gave him
smile and sent him an invitation TO
visit her between the acts. When he
saw her she explained that she had
been resting away from everybody
preparatory to a long engagement. 1t
was not her fault that he had taken
her for a schoolgirl. She wore her
dresses short for convenience in tramp
ing and had permitted him to remain
in error.
BiXhy has given UP business and is
following an opera troupe. 1t is need
less to say that little Alice is the at
traction for him. Although it is not
vet year since he first met her i'm the
country, it seems to him that she has
grown to be ten years older than she
was then. She tells him she's not
year older and, considering the age he
then took her to I've, must grow for
four or five years before she will be
manageable. RE says he will follow
her # necessary till she reaches her
second childhood.