Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-20

he argued, conscious OF right. Of =,
| periority. defers to a woman. She -
| ceives his Difference and appree,.+.z
it as homage But let him beg -
giveness for wrong he has done -.
and he viii only add to her contem.t
for him.
This reasoning decided him TO stand
on his dignity. He would await so,,o
word from Marcia if it killed him !,
certainly wore on him dreadfuUy ".
had been used to calling on her -
least once or twice during each month
| They seldom met except when be can.
ed upon her, for she seldom came IA
the city, and when she did there was
very slight probability Of their pass.
ing each other. However, a coupIa Of
months after Ned had written his pro-
posal they did meet in q crowded
street. Marcia passed him with con.
strained bow.
One day Ned's father fell and VIZ,
picked up unconscious. He ner,,
spoke again and died within two davs
Ned now became the head Of Ferguson
& Co. and began his administration Of
its affairs by making a thorough I'm.
vestigatiOn as to its finances. One rea-
son for his Oyerhauling its accounts
was that he had noticed shortly before
his fathers death that he had appear.
ed worried, and it was suspected that
the cause had brought on the stroke
that had resulted in his death. What
was Edward Ferguson's surprise TO
find that his father had been engaged
in speculat tons that had caused an
enormous gap in the firms finances.
Had he lived he would have been
obliged TO face a failur within a very
short time.
There was nothing to do but for Ned
to wind up the affairs of the concern.
Fortunately he was not a member Of
the firm and was not loaded with its
debts. But now, instead of thirstins
for the power that wealth gives, bis
only ambition was to pay the debts
left by his father.
While Ned was awakening from 4
dream of wealth, Marcia Fosdick was
awakening from a dream of poverty
Her father had at last struck n scheme
that paid him very largely. He had
invented an attachment for an auto
mobile which sooner or later all such
machines must have. He was selling
the right to use it to all manufacture
ers, and his royalties were already
considerable.
Ned Ferguson saw in the newspapers
an account of the invention and the
change it made in Marcia's affairs
When he had written that condescend.
ing letter he was rich and she was
poor. Now the conditions were revers-
ed. He had lost his fortune and the
girl he loved. He did not expect a
continuance of the favors he had re-
ceived from any of the wealthy girls
he might have married. They We're
quite sympathetic, but none of them
gave him any further encourag ement
One morning Marcia Fosdick receiv-
ed a letter postmarked San Francisco
Withdrawing it from the envelope, she
found two letters. One was from
lady whom she had met several times
socially, who said: 1.-THE inclosed has
been going the rounds of this state for
a long while and has finally come IN
der my notice 1 think it must be in
tended for you. At any rate. l send it
to you"
The moment Marcia saw the address
on the Enclosure, covered with stamped
finger pointers. TRY this and 'try
that place." she recognized Ned Fer
guson's handwriting.
Ferguson came home one evening
with n heavy heart. He had placed
the affairs of Ferguson & Co. in liqui-
datiOn and had offered the family home
for sale. He found a letter in the hall
awaiting him and, taking it up. saw
at once that it was from Marcia. he
opened it and read it:
Your lovely letter was only received this
morning after having Travelled all over the
state of California. I regret that II On
not come to me in time to show you how
deeply / have felt for you from the mo-
ment 1 heard OF your afliction and mis-
fortune l give you all the consolation
can-ny own unworthy self
Ferguson stood dazed. In an instant
the fabric he had built up about his
relations with Marcia Fosdick had col
lapsed. He had nothing to fear from
her on account of his condescension In
Offering TO marry her. But the fact
that he had so considered it came
down upon him with sledgehammer
1utCe SIISuluT II - ludNr " H44S -
had then considered her poverty bar.
rier between them. he now considered
her atiluence in the same light
However, Marcia FoSdick had no de-
sire for anything more than the com'
fort and comparative independents
that wealth can give. She loved Ned
Ferguson with her whole heart. ana
she would accept no withdrawal of bis
proposal.
Ferguson often thinks of the day inst
he wrote his proposal and was CORE
spending with parties IN California ;"
the same time. He bleSseS the fac tna.
the two fell together and an interVs'
elapsed between the writing OF the no'e
and its reply. What occurred during
that interval doubtless gave him IN
instead of a refusal