Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-08-05
The Argus Daily Short Story
Her Smiley Edward G. Bingham.
Copyrighted. 1910. by Associated Latsra ~ Presa

II she proposed 10 settle or stand suit.
She smiled and SAID that she hadn't
made up her mind. ! proposed that
she have an interview with my client
She smiled again and replied. Not at
present" When she left me not one
step had been taken toward compro-
missing the case or lighting it. l lad
gained no evidence from her as to how
far the matter had gone between her
and my client. whether he had good
or a poor case. whether she would set
tie or fight. whether she really cared
anything for him or not. Indeed. was
no better informed than l had been
before she came into the Office.
Nevertheless one thing had learn
ed 1t was this. Mrs. Alvord was a
witch. l was bachelor and had new
er been in the slightest degree affected
by any woman. Yet here within half
an hour a woman had infatuated me.
When she had left me with such a
smile as she might have given me had
1 been her attorney instead of Jor
bert's, and the door closing shut her
from my view. ii seemed as If / had
taken hashiSh or some other drug 10
set my brain waltZing through para
disc. spent the afternoon attempting
to Ok my mind on my routine work.
but despite all | could do l was still
talking with the young widow about a
suit I was TO bring against her for
breach of promise. which seemed to me
ridiculous.
wv e.
see me three times. Her object. so she
said. was to find way out OF the mat
ter. 1t occurred 10 NE that she was
more likely 10 find her way into an.
other matter of the same kind. with
me for accuser. The second week she
did nor need 70 come To- nv office, for
! found myself constantly going to neI
home. We were still engaged upon
the question of ayoiding-at least |
thought we were-a trial of the case,
but gor no nearer solution. Then all
of sudden the lady returned to the
city, leaving matters just where they
had stood from the trst.
put into operation the legal ma
chinery preliminary 10 a trial. l am
bound to admit that Jorbert had q
good case. There was very little evi.
dence In writing. but what there was
would count for a good deal. For my
part, having made the acquaintance
of the widow, did not attach any
serious meaning to what she had writ
ten. but the cold pen and ink words
apparently meant quite enough to jus
tify a finding for the plaintiff. / laid
out my plan Of attack. got my written
evidence all where could lay my
hands on II and put all the papers IN
the safe pending the trial. But ! did
not put the widow in the safe That
is, ] put her there, but she would not
stay there. She was constantly look.
ing at me from anywhere. nowhere,
with those eyes OF hers and that i'm.
perturbable smile. as much as 10 say;
Dear me! What funny affair this
isP'
When the case came up for trial
made the discovery that a young law
yer just admitted to the bar. one OF
the men whose hearts she had
wrecked, was to conduct her case.
also learned that the defendant had
been in town a fortnight, and. although
she had not been to see me, she had
made the acquaintance of the Judge
before whom the case would be tried
/ knew then that had nothing to hope
for In the way OF rulings from that
Judge. considered it fortunate thai
the jury would not be impaneled unti
the beginning of the trial or she
would doubtless hold every one OF
them by the heartstrings. AS they
were being selected and she was asked