Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-09-26
The Daily Story
eAM1Ns RoMANcE-BY ELIZABETH WEED.
Copyrighted -sIs by Associatel Literary Bureau

she has said. size felt n Semiconscfous-
ness, but rather as a dream than 3
reality. Some one was moving about
her. opening blinds, arranging things
in the room, rubbing furniture with Il
cloth. This person. though indistinct.
seemed TO be n woman, a maid, though
Alice then did not know this meaning
of the word. Then for a time all was
silent.
The awakening came by degrees
Alice remembers trying TO throw OF
sleep, realizing that she must get up
and he at her post selling papers. FL
nally she opened her eyes and was
surprised to find herself, instead Of in
the little wooden box she called her
room, in a large. well furnished cham
Der. She could not grasp the situation
or, rather, the connection between it
and the past. Her first idea-that nat
pral to a child-was that a fairy had
taken her out of her bed and carried
her TO another. perhaps in a palace.
What confused her most was faint
memory of having been in that same
chamber before. She attempted 20 SIT
she desisted But she managed to turn
on her side and looked straight into
a mirror in the door of a wardrobe.
What did it mean? That reflection
was not her own 1t was the re1ec-
ton of a young woman. She glanced
at her body as it appeared under the
hedclothes and saw that 1t was not
the body of n child. II extended from
the headhoard nearly TO the footboard.
Turning again TO the image in the mir
ror. she looked ut the features She
opened and shut her eyes. moved her
lips. to determine if it were her own
reflection. 1t certainly was the re-
Fiction of the person lying on the bed.
but that person could not possibly be
herself. the child Alice. She was be-
coming frightened at these incongrui-
ties when the door opened and a
maid stepped into the room. She look
cd at Alice with surprise depicted on
every feature. Alice looked at her as
one bewidered The maid turned and
ran out out of the room.
She was gone only a few moments
when she returned with a woman who
looked for all the world like Mrs. Muir
ply, though Mrs. Murphy's hair was
brown and this woman's was n grizzly
gray Nevertheless she ran to the bed
ard folded Alice in her arms. But,
seeing the bewildered expression on
the girls face, she said quickly:
Don't excite yourself. There's been
a great change, but it's all well. You
have made us all happy by awaken
! ing"
Have I been long asleep? What
does it all mean? Who am I? I'm not
! little girl any more"
The woman soothed her and little by
| little gave her enough of the story to
| make her aware of the fact that long
before she had been knocked down by
! n wagon in the street and had remain
ed unconscious for number of years.
But what means this other changer"
| asked Alice Where am |? This
7 room seems familiar to me. How did
l come here?"
Tim will tell you about that. You
must remember that Tim Is not now
| little boy any more than you are lit
tie girl. He has grown to be fine
young man. But no more at present.
The doctor told us recently that you
were showing signs of awakening and
said that if you did awake you must
be handled very carefully
Where is TIM"
He has been sent for and will be
here directly"
Does he still sell papers?"
! A smile came and went quickly over
the womans features as she replied:
"Oh. no. Tim hasn't sold papers for
long time He owns a newspaper him
self Few men of his age have ever
| succeeded as he has succeeded. But
| yoI must hear that from him"
There was tap Mt the door. and it
was pushed open. and man who look
ed to he nearly thirty, though he was
hut twenty-five, entered the room
with an expression Of intense happi-
ness on his face. which, when he saw
the sleeper awakened broke into
joyful smile.
Alice he exclaimed.
She lay looking at him in wonder for
awhile, then asked:
Can you be Tim?"
az am Tim"
Then tell me-" she, added presently,
chow ! came here"
ut is a long story, and l have been
warned to condense II. You remember
the money we had saved before you
were injuredT"
ut was S3T.4o"
ut is row as many thousands. But
] must he brief. / went to the asylum
you left to come with me and learned
there all about you, including your for
mer home. | resolved to buy 1t for
you and succeeded in doing so only a
few months ago. You are in the home
where you We're born and lived till
misfortune overlook your family. The
second happiest day in my life was
when ! received the deed for 1t made
out in your name. The happiest day
is this at seeing you awakened"
She found strength to put out her
hand, and as Tim grasped it he kneS
| the love that had hepn growing yy-ith