Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-05-06

not?" she said, turning so quickly to-
ward him that he started guiltily. II
didn't mean to lecture you-really
didn't And now must say goodby."
''You-must-say- goodbyT He re-
peated the words duly.
why, yes. / have decided to go to
town tonight. 1 shall ask you to let
Timmins drive me to the station this
i suppose"
"But I can't let you go away in this
fashion. / don't want you to go at
all. There's no need for it."
you said that before. We've set
tied all that, you know"
1--WE hadn't settled 1t, though" ca
gerly protested the Cherub. ''You said
you wouldn't think OF staying after
went back because there wouldn't be
any host And then / said I'd stay.
Well, meant it,. You can wait
day or two until we make some ar
rangement. You haven't any particu-
lar place to go to, have your
There are lots of hotels in New
York" suggested the countess.
"Hotelsl Do you suppose we're go
ing to let you run OF to New York
alone?"
'we?"
Eyes: your father and I. we have
had little talk about you"
.'You and my fatherv'
Eyes"
"Why, you-you surprise me, Mr..
Devine. had no idea that my father
ever consulted you
The Cherub smiled complacently.
''He has, though. You're thinking OF
what he said last night when we came
back from the village. But he didn't
know how things stood then. We had
an understanding this morning, and
we agreed that we would try to make
you see how foolish it was to run
away. Hasn't he said anything about
it,?
Nothing that has influenced my
plans"
But you can see how / feel about
It, can't you?" Mr.. Devine flushed at
his unfortunate wording of this ap-
peal. What he was trying to do most
was to conceal his real feelings. But
he plunged boldly ahead with his ara
gument. That's why 1 am going to
stay here until you have promised to
be reasonable was his closing dec
laration
'Indeedp' A man with such deep
of womankind as the Cher
ub thought he possessed would have
detected a note of challenge in her
tone. Mr.. Devine, however. thought
that he was managing the affair very
cleverly, when she continued, 81 sup
pose 1 may have time to think it over,
If am to reconsider"
''Of course, all the time you want"
he assented readily.
The countess looked up quickly and |
replied:
This is Monday. isn't it? Well, by |
night I shall probably be |
able to tell you exactly what 1 mean |
to do-that is, providing I am still |
here"
But you can wait two days, can't |
you?"
Yes; I can if you can"
Then the Cherub understood She .
meant to take him at his word and |
hold him to 1t. Although he thought i
Of many things which might happen /
to T.. q. and n. If for two whole days
his watchful eyes should be taken |
from II. he dld not n1nch.
I'm game he said
The changing of big gong announces
the daily openings of the New York
Stock Exchange. During five years
there had never been a morning when /
Cherub Devine was not to be found
within earshot of that gong when It
rang in Wall streets brief but tumultu-
Ous day. He was to be found waiting
with calm confidence whatever crisis.
big or little, might arise, and generally
there was something of the sort.
Yet here he was at opening hour on
this post-koliday Tuesday morning only
conscious that he was miles
away from it all. II he remembered
It was only the troublesome thought of
a moment What did he care If
thousand gongs were ringing to open
4 thousand stock exchanges? They
might stay open forever or close for
good and all; he was helping the
Countess Vecchi toss bits of sweet
crackers 10 a pair of white swans.
Perhaps it was the clear, crisp Sep
Lember afr, perhaps it was something
else, which caused the Cherub to feel
within him a new glow and thrill of
mere exiatence He himself did not
entirely understand the origin of this
feeling, but he had no inclination to
analyze it. He was glad he was there.
he was glad that the count
ess was there too. Beyond that moth
ng was to be desired.
Thus it happened that the advent of
/ red headed boy on a bicycle seemed
almost an impertinence. The boy Drop
B fS