Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-09-30
The Argus Daily Story
Rebeccas Weaving-By Clarissa Mackie.

suffering heart with detailed account
OF how the defuuct Jonah had in his
youth wooed her. His doglike Devotion.
his obstinate refusal to take no for
an answer. had been village jest.
These facts were Weapons in Rebeccas
HANDS. With them she might avenge
herself upon this woman who had de-
prived her of the man she loved and
destroyed her happiness through some
long cherished jealousy.
Ida Benjamin was waiting for Re
becca's answer. hoping it would be
denial that she might carry forth to
confound her fellow busybodies. with
whom she waged alternate war and
peace and in whose midst regulations
were won and lost in an hour.
All at once Rebecca seemed to see
down into Ida Benjamin's sordid little
soul, and a revulsion of feeling swept
over her. A strange light came into
her eyes as she looked at the woman
standing there so curiously subdued
and expectant. suffering fortunes or
jealousy, and she was filed with pity.
Then 1t was that Rebecca Oswald
spoke to her enemy and told her first
lie. Jonah came to see me q few
times, Ida, but 1 guess he got tired OF
me. l want you to bear in mind he
never asked me to marry him" Re
becca was quite pale when she con-
cluded
The other woman sighed relievedly.
Her head went up with her accustomed
insolence. Il never believed word of
it, Rebecca. knew Sarah Quigly was
lying. | suppose you're willing to re-
peat that before herr"
Il think l have said enough" re-
piled Rebecca YEARLY. The sunshine
had faded from the pond, and the
shadows seemed reelected in her face.
III have to be going now" Mrs.
Benjamin stood in the doorway looking
down at the weaver, curious hesi-
fancy in her harsh voice and a strange
expression mingled with the triumph
In her hard eyes. 1t was almost as II
she felt sorry for Rebecca Oswald.
When Rebecca was alone she stared
through the lattice OF hollyhocks with
a strange sense of desolation. 1t had
been a hard day. The pressure OF hui
initiation had been strong upon her.
and she had suffered. All at once she
| beat her fists upon the window sill
! with little fury of despair. ut isn't
| fair and just" she sobbed. After
awhile she arose and closed the win
| dow. Touching the loom with one
slender hand, she looked down at the
maze of purple warp burring before
her eyes.
II suppose peoples lives are like rag
carpetf- some's plain, some's striped
and others are just hit or miss with
lots of bright colors. Mines been in
stripes. with lots of gray and black in
between for trouble. l guess 1t has
stopped now just as I was beginning
beautiful stripe. thinking all the rest
of the carpet was going to be that rosy
color. But I've got to keep on weav-
ing. It'll be drab colored for awhile
until l get some sense into me-" She
dashed away the tears and straight
ened proudly. I've got to weave those
mats for Ida Benjamin. I've got to
make them so as to pay me back for
telling that lie
The door few open with startling
suddenness. and Myron White stood
there, handsome. black eyed and with
black brows meeting in a heavy frown.
His attitude was one of mingled shame
and defiance.
"Rebecca, Maria was down to the
store. and she told me that Ida Benja-
min had brought mats for you to make.
Where are they-here" At Rebecca's
nod of assent Myron bent down and
swept Mrs. Benjs min's bags Of rag
balls into his arms and deposited them
in a wheelbarrow he had left outside
the door. Then he came back and
faced Rebecca in the gathering gloom
OF the weaving shed.
I'm a doggoned fool" he said bitter
ly. I've gone and cut myself of from
the only woman | ever wanted to mar
~ just because-oh, I've got to tell 1t
SOS to do right by you. Rebecca. You
know | was getting up courage to ask
you to marry me when Ida Benjamin
got after me. l don't know what she
meant by 1t. but she said Edna was
dying for love of me. Well. what
could | do? When Maria told me you
was going to weave mats for us | Just
made up my mind I'd be a man. so I've
1 Deen anu tOiu HItle EOua all ABOUT II
that II you won't have me | don't care
whether anybody else does OF not. And
she was just as glad as was-sald she
was planning to elOpe with Lance Way
land anyway. and she said she hated
me and my old rag mats. can't trust
myself to talk to Ida Benjamin. but
I'm going to take her rags back |
won't have you making mats for her
hope you'll forgive me for all the
trouble. / guess you never want 10 see
me again" He turned and walked dis
piritedly toward the door. II don't
suppose / deserve you should forgive
me-" he added
Rebecca's eyes were heavy with IN
shed tears. She who had patiently
taken up the weaving OF her drab fu-
ture suddenly found her welt was rose
and gold. All at once her restored
happiness found utterance Ia broken
words:
'Myron. I shall never-forgiye yoa-
II you 90 away now"
!