Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-01

L
loaged for some SIce away from the
city where l could so after business
hours to pass the night and return in
the morning. On Saturdays we closed
at noon. which gave me forty-tive hours
or therea bout before ! would have TO
get back TO business. After consulting
with friends | chose Alton. . seacoaSt
town, where there were a few summer
cottages belonging to city people some
hotels and boarding houses / engag-
ed a room on the top story Of a hotel
where from my window / could look
out upon the ocean.
1t was certainly delicious. having
left the city on a hot afternoon. to en-
ter my room. see far and near the
great stretch OF undulatinC water and
smell the odor of the sea. The first
thing l did was TO put on my bathing
suit. go down TO the water aud take
plunge.
went to Alton on the LIST OF July
when there were few persons there.
but by the middle OF the month the
place was we'll filed with strangers.
among whom young girls and young
men not yet engaged in their life pur
suits predominated. / presume there
we're at least fifty maidens OF mar
.iageable age, some of them comedy.
( some intellectual and some both come
/ " and intellectual The bathing hour
! followed the tide, and some days | got
! away from the city sufficiently early
/ to battle with the crowd. These days
were delightful, especially as jumped.
as it were, from the hot cobb eStones
Of the city into the cool waves Of the
sea.
One evening about the 1st OF August
when the season was well on. reach
ing my hotel after my ride from the
city. the clerk handed me several let
tiers. which took up to my room with
out inspecting. for | was in a hurry for
my bath. On my return from the
beach while smoking a cigarette in
my bath robe before the window took
up my mail. One envelope was adj
dressed to me in a feminine hand that
| did not recognize. Tearing it open,
l uncovered a bit of cardboard, on
which was pinned a lock of hair.
1t required some time for me 10 get
at the probable bottom of this mlSsive,
but at last | fathomed it in this wise.
Some girl had seen me and. having
been attracted by my appearance had
discovered my name and my hotel and
had sent me this lock of her hair Just
q Loo u
be guessed. Possibly she didn't know
herself.
fancied the girl was most ike
ly staying in Alton. 1t was proba
bic that | had no acquaintance witt
her II l had her act would show 8
lack of maidenly mOdesty. for by plac
ing the lock sent me beside her hai
could easily discover her identity
Nevertheless there was a posSlbilit!
of my tracking her by Inns lock. su
was a blond. but the shade was nc
uncommon There might be doze
girls at the place whose hair it woul
match reasonably well.
) knowing that l would be observe
by one and possibly number OF girl
| determined not to betray my int
est in the matter by a critical examine
e ton of the hair of different young Ii
D dies SO when / appeared with tn
throng on the beach or in the watt
or on the board walk, though | keI
my eyes open. did not let II appea
that / was looking for the lady VIII
had sent me the lock.
have always been one of those &c
t lows who make acquaintances slow
and have never reIished pushing IN
self forward One day one of Il
young mon staying at my hotel a
preached me, opened converse ton ar
in due time asked me If | would n,
like to know some of the young ladie
| gladly asSeuted. and the next dG
on the beach he introduced me to
girl who made me feel IT home in b.
company at once This to a retirir
man is great deal. | regretted tn
, she could not be the one who had SCI
me the lock. for her hair was a beau
ful shade OF red
Miss Hc:,ecca Yardley-that was b
nqme-was an expert swimmer, al
= we used to battle together conStaI
~ raft was anchored out in de
= water. to which we would go for di
ing purposes. Often she would d
:, card the skirt, which ! have alwa
" considered not only useless to WON
swimmers, but q drawback. Her +
ure w9s perfect, and in this skirtle
!. costume she was u model for a statI
while in the sunlight her nair took
a deep shade OF gold. My amphibio
companionship with her rendered I
- stay at Alton very different fro
what IL had been before | met her.
| noticed that, although the you
man who had introduced me to
- had asked me II / would like to knC
- some Of the girls. he did not furtf
- pursue his introductiOns. Whett
this was because he saw that {
peared quite content with her
20 Quaintance or for some other reas
- / don't know soon became 81
GENTLY Intimate with Miss Yardley
confde 10 her under her promise
i, secrecy that had received an anoi
or nous lock Of hair. wherenpon she 81
that we men did not know the Oh
her Of girls who would lay traps
,u Us and il behooved TX to be on {
-, vuard | asked her II she thonf
=. soue yoUu- vuu-4H was DESTROYS 81
nj Of rroyIaiug herself with husba