Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-12-19

THERE Is THE GIRL TOLD YOU ABOUT"
boats reached Newfoundland, but the
one in which the lady and her little
daughter were placed was never heard
from.
Fifteen years after the sinking of
the ocean steamer Marcia Slade, a
young girl who spoke the English Ian
guage with a British intonation, was
strolling through the Uffizi gallery in
Florence. passing idly from picture t.
picture, and finally stopped before one
of st. John. While she was gazing
at It young man joined her, and the
two began to comment upon the beauty
of the painting.
81 have seen it before" said the girl,
knitting her brows as If to recall some
thing forgotten.
"Have you ever been in Florence be-
fore?' asked the young man.
"Never."
"Then you have never seen the pic
| ture till now"
"Why so?"
Because in New York, my home,
lives a gentleman who boasts that he
possesses the only copy Of this picture
| that was ever made"
Nevertheless l have seen it. have
been familiar with it.'
"As an engravingY
'No; as painting"
Impossible"
Nothing more was said about the
matter at the time The two saunter-
ed on together. finally sitting on a
bench to rest.
81 am leaving Florence tomorrow"
said the young man. land before go
will make one more appeal TO you.
Did You not acknowledge that you
are not Indifferent to me / would not
urge you. But this reason that your
people being British and especially an
tagonistic to Americans is not sutfi-
cient to keep us apart. However,
think you have told me that the SHADES
are no blood relations of yours"
-'They are not. | am an adopted
daughter, but / owe them more than
/ would owe them were they my OWL
parents. who are their children's nat
ural protectors. Perhaps If Mr.. Sladt
were my father and he opposed my
marriage with you on what l con
sidered insufficient grounds / would
marry you without his consent. Nei
Their Mr. nor Mrs. Slade assumes to con
troll me in this matter. but owe then
so much that l will not fly in the face
Of their antipathies."
and Won still refuseY'
$50 far as ! see my way at present
I do"
Winfield. the suitor, sadly bade tn
young lady adieu. Her steadfastnes
IN refusing to do aught to give discom
fort to her benefactors only mad
him the more DESTROYS of possessing
her.
The next morning he left Florenc
intending not to return, at least 81
long as Marcia Slade was there. TO
he had little hope that she would Sc
her duty in any other light than sh
had expressed it to him. He went t
Nice, where he moped for a mont
J vainly endeavoring to keep his resolu
ton to think no more of her, at tn
4
and yielded TO a temptation to regal
her and make one more effort to vii
her.
The day before his intended start b
3 met on the quay an American gentle
man of his acquaintance-the sam
who claimed to own the only copy o
the st john in the Ufiizi gallery i
Florence.
MIR. Gregory" said Winfield. "ar
you sure that you own the only cop
of the st John hanging in your draw
), ing room In New York;
l. II certainly owned the only copy ii
:, within few years / may not nov
D. Why do you ask:'
IT Winfield told him of Miss SHADES in
Z, pressions concerning the picture.
d That's curious" remarked GreSorI
v Where do you go from here:"
ITO Florence"