Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-09-23

/ Jack Herkimer was a very pleasant
fellow. He was popular with both men
and women. FIaxen haired, blue eyed,
a boyish face on a massive figure, good
natured, careless OF everything except
the feelings of others, he drew about
him so many friends that he found 1T
difficult to avoid distressing them from
an inability to accept and return all
the favors they lavished upon him.
One day Jack was sitting in a street
car when young lady got in. She
sat for few moments oblivious to the
fact that persons are not expected to
ride in street cars for nothing, then
made a dive for her portmanteau, sup
posed to be contained in the bag she
carried. There was a succession Of
dives, each more spasmodic than the
last; then she arose and started to
leave the car without stopping it.
Jack fnterposed. Pardon me-" he
said, placing himself in front OF her.
lifting his hat and smiling benignly;
"if you are without change for your
fare 1 will pay it for you. There il
no need to get off"
He held in his hand a quantity of
large change and picked out n nickel
from among the coins. The young
lady, apparently treasured. refrafned
from her attempt to commit suicide for
the want of cents and sat down.
But she was still too hustered to thank
Jack for the loan The conductor re-
ceived the fare, passed on, and the
young lady sat trying to regain her
equanimity. Presently thought struck
her all of a sudden. 1t was that 1t
behooved her to make some arrange
ment for the payment of the debt.
She was young woman and had not
the experience adequate to the occa-
sion.
How am I toto get it back to
your she asked Jack.
There's no need to get it back to
me at ALL" he replied, with that win
ming smile of his. But If you insist
upon doing So He hesitated. He
would have liked to add, "I1l call for
1t If you'll give me your address, but
it occurred to him that If the young
lady did not consider this taking an
doubtless members of her family who
would, so he finished the sentence by
giving his own address, at the same
time begging her not to take the trou-
BILE to return so small an amount.
By this time the girl had so far re-
covered her composure as to say.
THANK you very much" She would
have liked to return Jacks smile, for
it was catching, but she was only six
teen years old and had been brought |
up to give no encourag cement to a |
stranger.
Jack, who was feasting his eyes on |
her beauty, passed far beyond the |
point where he had intended to leave /
the car. When the girl arose to alight
she was apparently in doubt whether
or not it would be proper for her to
nod an adieu to the handsome young |
fellow who had befriended her. She ,
decided in the negative, and Jack, who
was about to go out before her in or
der to hand her off the step, sat still. |
The episode was ended, but left very
pleasant sensation in the young mans |
breast
That night when Jack went to sleep |
he was paying the girls fare again and |
again and assuring her that a nickel |
was of no consequence and she must /
not think of returning it to him.
The next day Jack received an en- |
velope addressed in a mans hand
writing containing a bit of paper and |
postage stamps to the amount of 5
cents. On the paper within in the
No fhea
word Thanks" Evidently the girls
father or brother had taken the matter
1ff her hands. Jack felt sorry. He
had hoped to receive from the young
ady something that would have given
hin the semblance of an excuse to
axe another step toward an acquaint-
lnce. This return of his loan by one
,ther than the creditor herself ended
he matter. And in week Jack. who
lad bouquets of smiles thrown st him
rom pretty girls, forgot all about it
One day a little box, addressed in a
eminine hand, came for Mr.. Herkimer
" post. Jack was the recipient of
% many favors from young ladies that
lie naturally supposed 1t to be from
ONE girl with whom he was spoons"
10 Qlu uOC TtCOSHlZc the utuuWTlllnS, |
nut quite often his fayorers who wish
d to conceal their identity had adj
ressed him through an amanuensis,
nd he thought nothing of it. Opening
he box. he found nesting in cotton a
carfpin set with a single pearl.
Jack ran over all the girls to whom
e had recently made love-that is, all
e could remember-with a view to
citing a clew as to the sender He
ormed an opinion that she was one OF
hree, but he could not tell which one. !
lie would await developments, being i
7ell aware that no woman was likely ]
, so favor him without in due time
citing credit for her gift. Whenever
e met suspect he would put out feel :
rs with a view TO testing her as to
neither she had sent the scarfpin. But
eek after week passed and there was
!