Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-04-23

May. Doggett. inheriting the same vital
beauty of soft roundness. red lips and
sensuous black eyes. had grown up in
Nineveh. defiant. under the shadow of
her mothers shame.
Tom strickland stared at the girl.
plainly surprised. Why. Lottie- May"
he exclaimed; Il won't let you think
such 4 thing, I only hurried to say
'Howdy' TO Miss Mary because she had
Just got here. Anyway"-and here he
smiled teasingly-''I could see with one
eve that STAN Tucker was Just wild
TO have a talk with YOU
Lottie-May's eyes flashed. STAN
Tucker-shucks." she cried scornfully.
Il wouldn't wipe my feet on him. Tom.
when you're around. and you know it
But 1 can tell you one thing here
a note of proud vanity sounded in her
voice--ryin' hard as he is TO git Miss
Mary Todhunter TO marry him. just
like you are, STAN Tucker loves me
more in one minute than he will love
her in his whole lifetime
"Lotte- May" calculated Tom angri-
ly, you mustn't talk like that! You
ought TO be ashamed You've got no
right to couple Miss Mary Todhunter's
name
mo. no. that's itr' interrupted the
girl hotly. Il mustn't mention Mary
Todhunter's name in the same breath
with mine. 1t amt right. you think.
Well. I willard I hate her, l hate
her.
~ didn't mean that Lottie- May" pro-
tested Tom. you know didn't mean
that
But the girl was gone. Hagar-Hke,
she moved with a sort of outcast pride
her pretty head held high, her eyes
flashing. In moment she had disap-
peared in the crowd.
Tom" said Colonel Tedhunter. ad-
vancing, you'd better be hurrytn' to
where Mrs. Todhunter is and make
your peace for stealth Mary away.
/ You're in hot water. young man.
| Tom Strickland flushed consciously.
Colonel, reckon you heard what Lot
tieMay Doggett was saying to meT
az couldn't very well help it. Tom"
well. sir, you mustn't draw any
wrong conclusions from what she said,
! Colonel Todhunter Lottie Mays
1 good girl, so far as know, and I've al
ways felt sorry for her. But she's been
| brought up under cloud. and it's made
her sorter reckless and full of the
devil. / don't believe she cares how
! black she paints herself. and l think
too much of her to take her at her
werd about knowing that STAN Tucker
loves her and makes love to her WITH
out thinking of marrying her. That's
! Just her wild talk, sir"
"She's certainly grown up to be a
mighty pretty girl. Tom" said Colonel
Todhunter. And now that you've
preached the subject and I've heard
what 1 have, will you let me give you
a word of ad7ice?'
Certainly, colonel" replied Tom.
well, Tom, speakin' plainly, it's this.
You better fight mighty shy of Lottie-
May hereafter, sub. l don't mean any
thing against the girl. But she thinks
lot of you. and she don't mind lettin'
! you know it. and that makes a mighty
dangerous situation"
Then, seeing that the young man was
! i'll at ease and maybe inwardly resent
full, Colonel Todhunter left him, to his
! obvious relief
But the colonel himself shook his
head doubtfully. There amt no big
/ ger fool on earth, sUh." he communed
with himself, than Il healthy young
chap in his twenties, with a head fuller
of women than squash is of seeds
and just about as soft as that there
squash, too, sub. / don't like 10 think
I of Tom Strickland. with Mary on one
side of him. and MIN lOvin' the very
ground she walks on. and Lottie-May
/ Doggett on the other side Of him and
her loyin' him the way she does love
him"
Even as he thus unused an approach
ing figure brought a humorous grin to
Colonel Todhunter's lips. 1t was the
martial figure of Captain Sim Birdsong
of the Nineveh light infantry. but
without the aggressive support of his
rcGimentals and with detection in ev-
cry line Sims face was the tragic
mask itself
Great name above. cap'n"' vocifer-
ated the colonel. mock apprehension in
his tone. what in thunderation is the
matter, sub? YOu look like you'd lost
your last friend on EARTH
"CoIone, Todhunter.' said Sim sol