Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-02-13
The Argus Daily Story
A Practical Jockey Arthur D. Purdy.
Copyrighted 1913. by Associated Literary Bureau

VI COuulluS ule. but my mOrJnCauOu
and anger were gradually getting the
better Of me. and, though l concealed
it, was vowing vengeance on her. 1t
occurred to me that no girl would thus
demean a man she felt any love for
and that she had taken this means Of
showing her contempt for me.
BY the time l had finished this first
dance l was ready to leave the room,
take OF my bird costume and go away
in anger. l think should have done
SO had not Dan Wilson. an intimate
man friend OF mine. told me that but
one course remained to me-to carry
out the joke as though l enjoyed II.
To give way to anger would only make
the matter worse. l saw the sense OF
this advice and resolved to act upon II.
Having taken this resolution, l did
the best l could TO play my part, and
1t might have been after all quite a
successful plot on the part OF Sue and
her abettors had not her recklessness
spoiled 1t all. l gradually recovered
my eQuanimity so far as to dissemble
with her and conceal the bitterness I
felt against her for leading me into
such a trap. Possibly this encouraged
her to go further. Having borrowed
a match from the box of one OF the
men, she lighted the tissue paper on
the tip end of my tail.
Very young persons are not overbur-
dened with common sense, and as the
little fame quickly spread 1t greatly
amused the company. Feeling q
warmth, turned my head and, see
ing the flame. my body. in an effort to
put out the fire. giving a swish that
famed it into confiagration.
The laughter Of the lockers on sud
denly gave way to anxiety, and sew
eral men rushed to my assistance.
But by this time the flames had ac-
quired considerable Roadway, and the
task was a difficult one. My tail
feathers were all afiame and those on
my back were being ignited. thrill
of horror passed over those standing
about me. The women, in their fimsy
costumes, drew back, while the men
pushed forward toward me. One, who
was dressed as an Indian, took blan-
ket from his shoulders and wrapped 1t
about me, while the others kept pluck
ing the burning tail feathers. This
saved me from death, but not from
burning. Ny back and my legs were
seriously scorched. l was led out Of
the hail. and l remember seeing
among the throng OF horror stricken
faces that of Sue Gwinne, the very
picture of remorse and despair.
The incident finished the ball before
/ haU1n I of
ward that a few persons remained
and attempted to carry on the dances.
| but the fact that was known to have
been badly burned took the spirit out
of the affair, and before midnight all
was dark which should have been a
brilliantly Illuminated scene of gayety.
! 1t was month before l left my
room. l confess l acted very badly to-
ward the perpetrators OF what though
! intended for an innocent joke, very
! nearly became frightful tragedy. Sue
sent me word OF her distress and beg
! ged that she might be permitted to
do something for me. But, believing
that her action toward me had been In
tended to be contemptuous, l did not
find it In my heart to forgive her. l
showed my spleen by making no reply
to her massage. She sent others to
intercede for her, but l was ndamant
! 1t was not the burns that restrained my
forgiveness, but the fact that my love
so / considered-had been spurned.
Finally my chum Dan Wilson, whose
opinions had great weight with me,
told me, that while Sues act was to be
considered as foolish and reprehensi-
bic In the extreme, the whole affair
had been conceived in a spirit of mis-
chief. and had no bearing whatever
on her feelings toward me, unless It
might be construed to indicate that
she was favorably inclined toward me.
He represented that the poor girl was
suffering intensely in consequence Of
her act and my treatment of her was
little short of cruel.
So wrote Sue that had come to
the conclusion she had meant neither
harm nor disrespect in providing me
with bird of paradise suit and firing
the tail feathers. and begged that she
would not distress herself further
about it, especially since my wounds
were nearly healed.
This brought her to see me. Kneel-
ing beside me, she took my hand and
wet 1t with her tears. / withdrew my
hand for the purpose Of lifting her
face and made bold to kiss away her
tears.
ANY contemplate cause II good
enough TO bring about an understand
ing between lovers, and the ignition OF
the tail feathers Of my bird OF paradise
suit caused fire of another kind to burst
into fame in two hearts, mine and
Sues. For once, and for once only,
had the advantage Of her. But even
this occasion was short lived. We have
been married but FIVE years and al
ready she has contrived 10 throw upon
me the blame OF that affair. She says
that had | not been such an uppish
sort of fellow there would have been
no inducement for a girl to take the
uppishness out OF me-"
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