Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-19

banks through which 1t had flowed ne
/ fore. Patty knew that her own love
| was at the moment nothing more than
the note OF child's penny flute and
I that Waitstill was perhaps vibrating
secretly with Il deeper, richer music
than could ever come to her. Still.
music OF some sort she meant to feel
"Even IL they make me decide one way
or another before L AN ready" she
said 10 herself. III never say YES till
l m more In love than / am nOw!'
There were other reasons why she
did not want to ask Wnitstilis advice.
Not only did she shrink from the low
ing scrutiny of her sisters ewes and
the gentle probing of her questions.
which would fix her own motives on
pin point and hold them up unbecom-
ingiy to the light. but she had fool
ish. generous loyalty that urged her to
keep Waitstill quite aloof from her
own little private perplexities.
"She will only worry herself sick. ~
thought Patty. She won't let me mar
~ without asking fathers permission.
and shed think she ought not TO aid
me in deceiving him, and the tempest
would be twice as dreadful if it fell
upon us both. Now, if anything hap
pens. l can tell father that l did it all
myself and that WaitStin knew moth
ing about it whatever. Then--oh, joy
if father is too terrible l shall be a
married woman and can always say:
L will not permit such crueltyi Wait
still is dependent upon you no longer;
she shall come at once to my husband
and met"
This latter phrase almost intoxicated
Patty so that there were moments
when she could have run up to MILL
ken's mills and purchased herself 4
husband at any cost, had her slender
savings permitted the best in the mar
ker, and the more impersonal the hus-
band the more 3elighteGly Patty rolled
the phrase under her tongue.
II can never be published in
church. she thought, land perhaps no.
body will ever e enough about me
10 brave fathers displeasure and in
sist on running away with me. j do
wish somebody would care 'frightfuly'
about me enough for that, enough to
help me make up my mind, so that 1
could just drive up to fathers store
some day and say. Good afternoon,
father. l knew you'd never let me
marry there was always a dash
here in Patty's imaginary discourses,
n dash that could be filed in with any
Christian name according to her mood
Of the moment" so 1 just married
him anyway and you needn't be angry
with my sister. for she knew nothing
about it. My husband and are sorry
il you are displeased, but there's no
help for it, and my husbands home |
Will always be open TO Waitstill what
ever happens
Patty, with all her latent love of |
fnery and ease. did not weigh the |
worldly circumstances of the two men, |
though the reflection that she would |
have more amusement with Mark than |
with Philip may have crossed her ]
mind. She trusted Philip and respect |
ID his steady going, serious view of |
ife. =. pleased her vanity, too, to feel |
low her nonsense and fun lightened |
lis temperamental gravity, playing in
md out and over it like Il butterfly in
smoke bush. She would he safe
With Philip always, but safety had no
special charm for one of her age, who
ior knowledge of the world, moreover,
lis careless. buOyant manner of carry
ng himself, his gay, bOyish audacity,
II had n very distinct charm for her
nd yet
But there would be no ''and yet Il
title later. Patty's heart would blaze
quickly enough when sufficient heat
vas applied to it and Mark was fall
ne more and more deeply in love
very day. As Patty vacillated his
urpose strengthened, tine more she
weighed the more he ceased to weigh
he difficulties of the situation, the
lore she unfolded herself to him the
lore he loved and the more he re-
ected her. She began by deiighting
is senses. she ended by winning all h
hat there was in him and creating
the qualities he lacked,
fter the manner of true women even
hen thev are yerv Young and foolish.