Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-06-24

seat next back Of her who was fan
ming herself vigorously with an ap-
pearance of annoyance. Goddard won
dered If he had made a mistake. He
was not sure. This set him to think
ing. II he had kissed the wrong per-
son the kiss in the dark had been Just
as delicious as If he had kissed the
right one. Singular. wasn't It?
But Goddard was quite sure he had
kissed the girl with the kissable lips.
She sat two seats in advance Of him
and on the opposite side. In order to
make sure of going the right distance
he had put his hand on backs Of the
two seats in passing. No; he had kiss
ed the right person. but why did the
woman in the rear seat look so fius-
tered. and why was the girl in front
so undisturbed? 1t was a mystery
that he could not solve.
The conductor called pebble Beach"
and the train slowed up at the station
at which Goddard was to stop. Col
lecting his hand baggage. he arose. The
girl with the kissable lips arose too.
She left the car in advance of him and.
giving her hand baggage and checks to
u
admirer entered another. When he
was driven up to his hotel the girl was
ascending the steps
Goddard felt uneasy. A friend Of
his mothers had given him note Of
introduction to Miss Margaret Deane
who was at the hotel or expected to
be there soon after his arrival. Sup
pose the young lady he had kissed
should be this Margaret Deane? And
suppose she knew he had kissed her?
He shuddered. Unless she were a wo-
man Of rare good sense, and discretion
she could make it hot for him. Should
she tell the story 10 his friends he
might better take passage for Austria
liza or some port where he would be
lost to his former existence. When he
had fanciel that he might have kissed
the wrong woman he had been much
displeased and disappointed. Now he
hoped he had.
Going to his room, he changed his
dress for dinner. Just before going
into the dining ball he passed the girl
he had kissed. She was walking
through the hall. She did not notice
him. He was encouraged to think that
either he had kissed the other woman
or that this one did not connect him
with the person who had kissed her.
On the register he found the name
of Margaret Deane, it having been
placed there not far from his own.
After dinner he called a servant. gave
him his card with his note of intro
duction and told him TO find Miss
Deane and deliver them. The servant
returned and said Miss Deane would
meet Mr.. Goddard in the drawing
room. Goddard went there and wait
ed a few minutes. when the lady en-
tered. She was the girl with the kiss
able lips.
She advanced to meet Goddard with
out the slightest indication of ever hav-
ing seen him before. The blood sud
denly departed from his cheeks; but.
encouraged by her manner. he regain
ed confidence and was enabled to
stammer some commonplace remarks.
Then when they came to chat more
freely he observed her closely with a
view to discover whether there was
evidence of her knowing that he was
the person who had taken the liberty
the consequences OF WHICH, udu thrown
him into so great a terror. He could
not detect the slightest sign OF her
ever having seen him before or of an
tagonism or embarrassment at meeting
him. Surely he must have kissed the
wrong woman after all.
Mr.. Goddard saw more or less of
Miss Deane. His mind was on his
secret, and he could not let it alone.
He was impelled to discovec what
would have been his fate had she been
kissed by him. as he had intended.
knowing him TO be the culprit. He
made a supposititious case in which a
friend of his had done the same thing
and asked her had she been the girl
kissed what she would have done.
"a man 1 had never seen and knew
nothing about?' she asked.
Yes"
"I don't know what 1 should have
done openly; inwardly should have
despised the man who kissed me-
He shuddered.
Toward the end of his vacation Gcd-
dard recovered largely from his fright.
Every day he felt more and more sure
that he had kissed the woman who