Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-07-09

carter Get into glad rag ana DON'T |
keep me waiting"
Tom gasped.
"Oh. be a sport. Moll, and don't take |
water. You said you would wake up |
this town. and now do it. 1t seems
twenty instead OF six years since ! |
had my arms around you to music. |
and I'm not going to wait any longer. |
Everybody is there and they can't all
dance with Miss Chester"
That settled it. / couldn't let Wis
iting girl be danced to death. or course
/ had planned to make a dignifed de-
but under my own roof. backed up by
the presence of ancestral and marital
rosewood. silver and mahogany. as a
widow should. but duty called me TO
deweed myself amid the informality
Of an impromptu dance at the little
town hotel. And in the fifteen min
utes Tom gave me deweeded TO some
purpose and Powered out to still more.
l never do anything by halves.
In that-that-trouSseau old Rene
had made me there was one, what she
called simple" lingerie frock. And it
looked Just as simple as the check 1t
called for, one and two ciphers back
Of II. 1t was of linen as sheer as a
cobweb. real lace and tiny, delicious
fncruStadons of embroidery. 1t fitted
IN lines that melted into curves. had
enticements in the shape Of long sash
and dangerous breast knot of SHIN
merry blue. the color Of my eyes, and
looked newborn in it.
I'm glad that poor Mr.. Carter was
so stern with me about rats and things
in my hair. now that they are out of
style. for I've got lots OF my own left
in consequence Of not wearing other
peoples. II clings and coils TO my
head just any old way that looks as II
had spent an hour on it. That made
me able 10 be ready TO go down TO Tom
in only ten minutes over the time he
/ gave me.
| stopped on next to the bottom step
in the wide old hall and called Tom
( TO turn out the light for me, as Judy
( had gone.
| have turned out that light lots of
times. but felt il best TO let Tom see
! me in full light when we We're alone
It is well | did. At first ii stunned
! him. and it is a compliment 10 any
woman to stun Tom Pollard. But Tom
/ doesn't stay stunned long. and | only
succeeded in suppTesSinS him after he
1 had landed two kisses on my shoulder
/ one on my hair and one on the back OF
my neck.
| Molly" he said. standing of and
! looking NJ me with shining eyes. you
are one lovely dream. YOnr shoulders
are flushed velvet. yOur checks are
/ peaches under cream. your eyes are
blue ahsinth and yOur mouth a red
/ devil Come on before ! get drunk
looking at you" didn't know wheth-
cr liked that or not and turned down
the light quickly myself and went to
the gate hurriedly.
Everybody In town was up TO the
hotel and everybody was nice 10 me.
girls and all. There is bunch of
lovely pOsy girls in this town and they
We're all in full flower. Most of the
men were college boys home for vaCa-
ton. and while they are few years
younger than |. | have been friends
with them for always and they know
how | dance. | didn't even get near
enough to the wall TO know it was
there, though | was conscious of Aunt
Bette and Mrs. johnson sitting on It
at one end of the room. and every time
/ | passed them fiirted with them until
won n smile from them both. | wish
! could be sure of hearing Mrs John
son tell Aunt Adeline all about it.
And it was we'll did come to save
Ruth Chester from a dancing death.
for she is as light as a feather and
sails on the air like thistedown. | felt
sorry for Tom. for when be danced with
ME he could see her. and when he dane
ed with her pouted at him. even over
Judge Wade's arm. verify believe it
was from being really ratified that he
asked little Pet BufOrd 10 dance with
him-by mistake as it were. After
that If Pet breathed a single strain OF
music out of his arms | didn't see it.
| knew that gone expression on his
face and it made me feel so lonesome
that ! was more gracious to the judge
than was exactly safe. He dances just
as maguifCently as be exists in life,
and il is a kind of ceremonial to do ii
with him. The boys all wore white
fannels and most Of the men. but the
Judge was as formally dressed as he
would have been in midwinter. and
wondered If Alfred could be half as
distinguished TO look at. | suppose ms
eyes must have been telling on me
about how grand | thought he was
looking because newell. I was rather
relieved when one of the boys took me
out Of his arms for good, long, swing
ing twostep.
And how | did enjoy it all. every
single minute Of 1t. NV heart beat
time 10 the music as If 1t would nevel
tire of doing SO Miss Chester and
exchanged little laughs and scraps o.
conversation in between times. and
fell deeper and deeper in love witt
Der. Every pound have melted anC
} frozen and starved of me has brough
me nearer to her and I Just cam
think about how | am going to bur
her In a few days now. nut tn,
thought from me and so let mvsel
swing out into thoughtlessness will
one or the boys. And after that
, really didn't know with whom I We,
= aancing. | began TO get so intoxicated