Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-24

The road wound sinuously between
tall hedges of blackberry and cat brier.
woodbine draped the young iocusts
along the fence. and In places the wild
grape vines had flung tendrils across
the intervening space until they formed
q green arbor overhead. The sand
yielded easily TO the tread. and on Ell
Their side OF the road there was hard
beaten footpath. 1t was road for
slow moving country wagons or for pc
destrians and had never known the ar
rogance of a motorcar.
Rose Lewis fingered under the grape
vines where the sun filtered through
/ and cast pickering shadows on her
white hat and gown. Beneath the
! hats brim her face looked forth "a
/ sweet as her namesakeS, the wild roses
4 of the hedge Under her arm was
/ roll Of music. for she had been giving
a piano lesson to the smallest Jones
/ girl, and the hour had been one of such
/ excruciatiag discords that Rose had
sought the lane road. hoping that the
/ song of a thrush might obliterate the
inharmonious sounds that still rang In
( her head.
The thrush was singing on tall
wind bent chestnut tree. and as he
swayed to and fro. thrilled with the
ecstasy of his own song. Rose paused
| TO watch him. When he had ceased
and had winged his way to the woods
beyond the girl still stood there en-
chanted by the bird notes from bough
and thicket until from the highway
that ran through the valley below
there came the melody of horn. Rose
had heard 1t once before. Late at night
1t had sounded directly under her win
dow, and she had seen the fash OF
passing lights and the crunch of auto
mobile tires in the road as the machine
whiZzed past. and the sound had left
its impression upon her.
Now she started again as it echoed
through the valley, coming nearer.
nearer. She knew that If she hurried
to the end of the lane road she would
see it pass, but she didn't want to see
it. Rose Lewis was a dreamer of
dreams, and she preferred to delude
herself with the fairy tales of her
childhood. Now she laughed as she
told herself that it was the magic horn
of the fairy prince who was coming to
rescue her from q thicket of danger
Gus thorns. She certainly would not
go to the end of the road and see her
dream shattered by a mud splashed
xr,ffh cd
gled forms.
The highway crossed the winding
lane just below the tree where the
thrush had sung. The horn sounded
again, coming nearer. its musical
chord trembling on the summer air.
Then with a cracking rush something
big and black invaded the winding
road Rose had barely time to fee
into the thorny thicket when there
was n loud explosion, and the big ma
chine came to a standstill in front of
her. making her a prisoner among the
thorns.
From the red leather cushioned seat
a solitary man sat and stared at her
from behind big goggles until the truth
of the situation burst upon him. Then
he flung aside cap and goggles. tore
off his linen buster and stepped down
into the narrow path. His handsome
face was wrinkled with concern as he
addressed her.
I'm afraid | nearly ran you down,
he said courteOusly. "lf you will al
low me to assist you out of this mess
of thorns-there. my knife will make
, 1t easier-why. your sleeve is torn, and
I'm afraid theN thorns have wounded
you"
Rose was too startled by the sud
, dennoss of the accident to make a re
ply.
At last he cut an opening in the
thicket and gently extricated her from
the cruel briers that snatched her skrt
and pressed against her rounded arms
Here and there on her sleeve was q
red stain of blood.
Il hope you will let me administer
some remedies. | have little case IL
my pocket with everything to allaN
pain. and-there. if you will roll ~
your sleeve a little-now. that ough
, to give you some relief Brlers ar,
nasty things" AS he talked he wa,
. dabbing at the wounds with bits of alb
sorbent cotton dipped in some entisep
tic fluid produced from the medicine
case; then he applied an ointment anC
q deftly wound strip of gauze dowr
the arm to the slender wrist Whcr
: he had finished he looked regretfully
I at his completed work. very much u.
r If he wished he could do 1t all ovei
again.
THANK yon so much" said Ross
shyly. 1T could have waited until
a reached home. One Is often scratched
by thorns in the country
t ''But drove you into the thicket. and
? | am responsible for your INJURIES" ht
: protested. with winning smile. as ht
mapped the little case together and
returned it to his pocket. I'm afraid
I frightened yon too"
? II was frightened for the moment
You see. one does not expect motor
cars in the lane road"
4 II should say notr' he CALCULATED. al
II suddenly aware of his predicament
ITS all the fault OF my map It wal
odd nd 4 :.