Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-29
CHAPTER VI.


~ UPPER was over and the work
done at last. The dishes wash
- u ed. the beans put in soak. the
hens shut up for the night. the
milk strained and carried down cellar.
Patty went up to her little room with
the one window and the slanting walls,
and Waitstill followed and said good
night Her father put out the lights.
locked the doors and came up the
creaking stairs. There was never any
talk between the sisters before going
to bed. save on nights when their IA
Their was late at the store, usually on
Saturdays only, for the good takers OF
the village. as we'll as the gossips and
loafers, preferred any other place to
swap stories than the bleak atmos-
phere provided by old Foxy at his
place of business.
Patty could think in the dark. Her
healthy young body lying not uncom-
fortably on the bed of corn husks,
and the patchwork comforter drawn
up under her chin, she could think.
but for the first time she could not
tell her thoughts to waitstill. She had
q secret. IA dazzling secret, just like
girls who were several years older.
Her afternoons experience doomed as
large in her innocent mind as If 1t
had been an elopement.
Il hope I'm not engaged to be mar
ried to him, even If he did The
sentence was too tremendous to be
finished even in thought II don't
think / can be. Men must surely say
something and not take it for granted
you are in love with them and want to
marry them. 1t is what they say when
they ask that I should like. much bet
ter than being married. when I'm only
just past seventeen. / wish Mark was
a little different / don't like his care
less ways. He admires me, Il can tell
that by the way he looks, but he adj
mires himself JUST as much and ex
poets me - do the same. Still. sup
pGje none of them are perfect. and
girls have to forgive lots of little
things when they are engaged. Mother
must have forgiven a good many
things when she took father. Any
way. Mark is going away for month
on business. so I shan't have to make
up my mind just YETI Here sleep de
seconded upon the slightly puzzled. but
on the whole delightfully."- complacent
little creature, bringing her most al
Turing and untrustworthy dreams.
The dear Innocent had indeed nc
need of haste. Young Mr.. Marquis de
Lafayette WiIson-Mark for short-was
not in the least gay deceiver or ruth
less breaker of hearts. and so far as
known no scalps OF village beauties
We're hung to his belt. He was like
BILE. light weight young chap. as indo-
lent and pleasure loving as the strict
customs of the community would per-
nit. and kiss in his mind. most GER
tainly never would lead to the altar.
else he had already been many times
a bridegroom. Miss Patience Bakers
maiden meditations and uncertainties
and perplexities, therefore. were decid-
eddy premature. She WIS a natural
born, unconsciously artistic, highly ex-
pert and finished coquette. She was
all this at seventeen, and Mark at
twenty-four was by no means a match
for her in this field of effort yet. But
sometimes in getting her victim into
the net the coquette loses her balance
and falls in herself There wasn't a
bit OF harm in Marquis de Lafayette.
but he was extremely agile in keeping
out of nets.
Waitstill was restless. too. that night,
although she could not have told the
reason. She opened her window at the
back of the house and leaned out. The
evening was mild, with a soft wind
blowing. She could hear the full brook
dashing through the edge of the wood
lot and even the "kerchug' of ar occa-
sional bullfrog. There We're great misty
stars in the sky, but no moon.
There was no light in Aunt Abby
Coles kitchen. but a faint glimmer
shone through the windows Of Uncle
Bart's joiner's shop, showing that the
old man was either having an hour of