Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-02

her. Besides, you know that she h,s an
income of her own sufficient to keep
the wolf from the door"
You haven't anything, and by the
terms of my fathers will 1 am unable
to provide for you"
You are only too good to wish to do
so. l am sure you would make some
provision for me If you could. But /
know that is impossible"
l was so weak that even this bit of
conversation was too much for me. l
closed my eyes, and when l opened
them Ethel was bending over me, fear
and agony depicted in every feature Of
her face. But l was too i'll to be more
than momentarily impressed with her
anxiety on my account. l lost power to
move or articulate. But l could see
and hear as distinctly as ever.
Ethel ran out Of the room and re-
turned with everybody in the house
Some one said, He is dead" Another
said, Get the doctor, quick!'
1t was some tiase before the doctor
reached my bedside. When he did lie
put his hand ON my heart and kept it
there a long while. Back of him were
the members of the household and
Mildred, who had been summoned.
She and Ethel stood near each other,
and 1 noticed the contrast in the ex-
pressions on their faces. Ethefs de-
noted intense grief, Mildred's some
thing more like awe.
"Is he dead?" asked my housekeeper
of the doctor.
No reply was given to the question.
The doctor continued to peer at me and
kept his hand on my heart. Presently
he gave up looking for signs of life
and, turning away, said regretfully:
Yes; he has gone"
l had my eyes on the two girls be-
fore me and was watching to see how
they took the announcement. A look
of infinite pain, longing, despair, came
| over Ethers features. Mildred burst
into tears. And yet it struck me that
| they came from strained nerves. the
| presence of death, solemn moment.
She turned away with the others and
left the room. Ethel was the last to
| pass out, and just before doing so she
| turned and looked at me. l shall never
| forget that look.
/ lay in the same condition for some
| time. Preparations were making for
the funeral. A man came in and stood
| looking at me curiOusly. l was filed
with dread. for l knew what he was
there for. He went away. and later
the doctor came in with the house
| 10 or 70
| awhile, then took my wrist in his
hand, then put his hand on my heart
| After that he asked the housekeeper
to bring hand mirror and. holding 1t
under my nostriIs for awhile. examined
1t carefully.
Suspend everything for awhile" he
said to the housekeeper. ut is possible
that there is faint life fIuttering
within him. But say nothing about
this Just now. / don't wish to excite
any false hopes. especially In his be-
trothed"
You're right. doctor-she's wrapped
up in him. It's sad blow to her II
he could only have been spared to en-
Joy this Christmas with her"
They went out OF the room. and
was left alone for some time. Then
an old friend of my mothers and a
lady l had long known came In to
have look at me. Both stood silently
beside me for a few minutes, then
went to another part Of the room, and
/ overheard this bit of conversation:
This is very hard on poor Mildred,
isn't it!''
We'll, yes; suppose it is
why. don't you think it is a great
blow to herr
She won't be rich. as she would
have been had he lived to marry her
But you know Mildred's inclinationi
have always been for Malcolm Fair
child"
Il didn't know that"
! They were engaged when he Cook