Rock Island Argus., 1911-07-12


show me she didn't care nothin' about
me and hadn't all along. IL that
wasn't consarnedness don't know
what consarnedness is"
There wasn't anything consarned
about you. was there?" suggested.
Not a bit. l was as innocent as a
dove; got roped I'm just to be made q
guy Of was a stupid lunkhead
then. Now l know bettern to trust
one of the vipers. tell you. L know
all about 'em now; can't any on 'em
fool me-"
Didn't you fall into any other
trapsT'
Eyes. onct," he replied haltingly.
Tell me about that one"
'Tt was the same gal. Mary Owen.
She went away TO boardin' school, and
when she came back she was kind q
cityfied. But she was purity. I tell
you she was purity as new painted
mowin' machine. When she met me
she talked about when we was boy
and gal and our ishin' together, and
all that, not sayin' anything about that
sIabsided boy she was leadin' on as
she did me. She asked me to go with
/ her TO see the place where she got the
| hshhook into her finger. Like a fool.
fell into the trap again. / went with
her to the bank OF the creek. and we
ytood lookin' down on the water There
,ad been a turrable lot of rain. and
the creek was high. Mary was laugh
in and gigglin' els though she was
mighty pleased about somep'n. She
J ral rfrAF 70 ad ~ fh0
bank The current had washed It
away underneath. the piece she was
standin' on broke OF. and down she
went with a splash into the water.
-Of course I jumped in. too; got her
arm around my neck. swan with her
to a place below where the bank
sloped and put her, drippin'. on the
grass. What did she do but'just what
she'd done when she rammed the hsh-
| hook into her hand so she could make
me cut IT out. She pertended to faint"
What did you do?"
! "Oh, made a fool of myself just as
done before. l kissed her.
He looked very much. ashamed at
having been obliged to confess that
this imp OF darkness had entrapped
( him a second time.
What happened then?" l asked
What happened then? why, l talk
! ed no end of soft stut to her. and she
shed some crockodile tears and all that,
/ and when we parted we was engaged
/ to be married. But when / got home
and got to thinkm' how many times
I'd been fooled and / was gittiu' deeper
and deeper into the pit she was diggin'
I 80 list and
| Then | went to see her again and told
her that what I'd been Jalkin' to her
was all rot.
"She 5ist looked at me kind a Gurus
for awhile. aud theu she up and con
| fessad she'd been foolin' me all along"
The farmer paused, evidently having
finished his story. thu conclusion Of
which he seemed to consider bore him
out in all his assumptions as to the
wickedness Of Mary Owen.
How long ago did this last parting
take placer l asked.
"Oh. that was only three months
ago"
Mary hasn't married" said. land,
what's more, she won't marry unless
she marries you. Please excuse me for
telling you the truth; but. though I've
seen many big fools. never before
saw so big a one as you"
why, stranger what do you mean?"
Il mean that from the first the girl
fancied you. and since you wouldn't
show any interest in her she practiced
a feminine plan to make you do so.
Then you dropped her, expecting her
to show how she took the slight as
you thought she should show 1t. She
wouldn't have been a real girl If she
had Since then she has been giving
you chances to stop making a fool Of
yourself. which you have been too stu
pid to take advantage Of. It's quite
possible that you've made such blum
der of the whole thing that you'll never
be able to straighten it out with her.
You have probably committed the un
pardonable''-
BY this time he was looking at me
wildly out Of his eyes. his color all
gone from his face. apparently con-
science stricken at what he had done.
AT the mention Of the objectionable
sin he collapsed.
go right or and humble yourself
before her for the Jackanapes you are
anu, tSh " Ouc, Suc VIII you
do you really mean itr"
Eyes, ! do"
He left me alone in the house and
went aVay to learn bis fate. / went
to bed and to sleep. At midnight he
woke me up with a whoop and shout
ed into my ear:
Its all right I've fixed it mp with
her. We're goin' to be married right
off"
"PIl give you a tin coIander for a
wedding present" ! replied. That's
more than you deserve"
l made a visit TO the couple after
they were married. l never saw such
a subssrvient husband IN all my life
Not that his wife dominated him, at
least not Intentionally. His action dur
ing his long courtship seemed to have
taken away all his self confidence and
left him like a child. He never re-
covered 1t. remaining always a self