Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-03-01
The Argus Daily Story
Mrs. Hughes OPPORTUNITY Edna Rathbone
Copyrighted 1911 Associated Literary

Key into the lock of the front door. to
find it would not work. He turned
the knob and was surprised that the
door had not been locked. Thinking
of the scolding he would give the serv-
ants in the morning for their careless
ness, he hung up his coat and hat and
went upstairs to his room, as he sup
posed. but really to the adventure
that has been described. On beating a
retreat he ran out The front door into
the arms OF policeman. An ex-
PLANTATION followed that was not ac-
copied Mr.. Hooking was run in and
told his story to the sergeant. The
sergeant had no authority to release
his own bail bond.
The next time Mrs. Hughes met Mr..
Hooking on the street she gave him
the dead cut This threw the gentle
man, to speak in sailors lingo. ION his
beam ends" His heart sank into his
boots. Mrs. Hughes cut plainly in
dictated that she had been in the room
he had entered, had seen him and con-
sidered that he was no better than
common thief. Whether or no he was
in love with her, his being thus sud
denly treated by her with disddin
filed him with horror Why had he
not the morning after his unfortunate
| mistake gone to her, confessed that
he had made it and offered his apollo
/ gies? He had thought of doing so; but,
hoping that his identity had not been
known to her, he had refrained, Now
| he saw his error, but too late.
! 1t required some time for Mr.. Hook
ing to recover his equaninity, but when
he did and considered what course to
pursue from that point he saw plainly
that to demean himself still further
would make matters worse. The only
| hope for him-a ghost of a hope-was
to make bluff. To do this he must
have an opportunity, and an opporr
tunity might not arise. And yet pos
sibly he might make an opportunity.
After a good many discussions with
himself on the matter he saw that the
widow had the whiphand of him be-
yond recovery.
So he continued to go IN and out OF
his house, never looking up at the win
dows, as he had formerly been accus-
toned to do, but the widow often from
a retired spot where she could not be
seen looked out through the windows
when he came home and from his ex-
preston endeavored to ascertain his
mental condition so far as that condi-
ton pertained to her. While the advan-
tage of her position was evident, she
had no assurance that Mr.. Hooking S
debasement would work him into that
feverish condition she considered love
to be.
The second time Mrs. Hughes met
Mr. Hooking was face to face at a So
cial function. He was talking to a
lady beside him, but on seeing Mrs.
Hughes he gave evidence of panic.
The widow saw his companion look up
at him as If to learn what was the mat
ter with him. Though this did not
prove that he was suffering from any
! thing except unmerciful treatment
while occupying an unfortunate posi-
ton, the woman who was trying TO
crush him was convinced that he was
in torture.
Another month went by, and when
she examined his face as he passed on
the sidewalk, which she did with a
lorgnette, she saw unmistakable signs
: of a breakdown. She debated whether
TO give him encouragement to APP
proach her or wait till he was ready to
surrender She chose the latter course.
, Mr.. Hooking kept going from bad to
worse till spring returned, and one
, evening when he came home the spider
that was watching the fly was sitting
by a window opening from the floor in
her drawing room. As he assembled the
1 steps he paused. then stepped on to the
balcony and entered the window.
81 have considered you both unjust
and ungenerous," he said, Gin showing
!. your disdain for what you must have
{ known was mistake. Were you to
me what all other women are I would
l be too proud to beg you to descend
D from that position. But you are not
: what other women are to me. Your
good opinion is necessary to my very
e life. Remove the cloud that rests be-
= tween us or / shall go mad"
i He spoke with bowed head. When
he looked up at her, not knowing
/ whether he would see contempt or tri-
: umph, or both, and saw there neither,
but an expression Of exquisite happi-
] ness, he fancied that he had been trans
$ lated to paradise.
Mr. and Mrs. Hooking have been
L married some time and live very hap
: PLY together except when the matter
of the episode which brought them to-
gether is preached. Perhaps 1t is that
D Mrs Hooking has never explained her
: purpose in virtually accusing him of
breaking into her house at midnight;
J. perhaps 1t is on account of an over
sensitiveness on the part OF the hGs-
band Certain it is that the matter Is
never mentioned that Mr.. Hooking
doesn't lose his temper. Then Mrs.
Hooking. instead of telling him that
she seized an opportunity TO land him.
throws her arms about his neck and
l. admits that # was very stupid of her
not to have seen from the first that he
had simply blundered into the wrong
house