Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-05-22
The Daily Story
BY Donald Chamberlin.
heVeidtiou--oy DoAniu Sh"hIDSAAH
Copyrighted 1914. by Associated Literary Bureau.

boys may have girl chums as well Al
! boy chums When we arrived at al
! age at which the sexes mate there was
no change between Agnes and m'
from friendship to love.
This state of affairs continued be
tween US until / became smitten with
Lillian Gray, and the first person-ths
only person. in fact-to whom / con
| fided the matter was Agnes.
When I told her OF it I noticed q
slight contraction Of the muscles of the
face.
You don't approveT said.
'T neither approve nor disapprove,'
she replied.
"well?"
"a choice made by one in love Is a
love choice, not the result Of judgment
You have, 1 dare say, chosen through
love, and even If ! knew Lillian Gray
well enough to make a judgment choice
for you it would avail nothing. for you
would not think Of abiding by it. In
deed, I would not expect you to abide
by it."
Nevertheless perceive that you are
not especially pleased with the girl who
has charmed me-"
Nor displeased with her. You have
not asked me to pick out a wife for
you"
'Tf had you would not have picked
out Lillian"
There is nothing to her discredit in
that Suppose should fall in love with
a man, then ask you to pick out hus-
band for me. Do you suppose you
hnI
NO, 1 wouldn't" snapped.
I could not define even now exactly
what it was in her question that caused
me irritation. supposed at the time
was miffed because Agnes did not show
any enthusiasm over my sweetheart.
My words ended the discussion, and we
proceeded to other subjects.
The Withholding Of Agnes approval
or disapproval, for that matter
caused me to defer a proposal Of mar
riage for some time to the girl who had
enthralled me. I did not relish marry
ing any girl over whom my chum was
not enthusiastic. Indeed, 1 would have
liked Agnes to love her as well as I.
In a subsequent conversation with Ag-
mes ON the subject after I had become
engaged to Lillian told her this, and
her reply was that there was no more
reason why she should love any part1c-
ular girl because 1 loved her than that
1 should love any particular man be-
cause she loved him.
That's all bosh," exclaimed. MEN
don't love men,"
This was the second time that was
irritated at a remark Of Agnes con-
corning my affair, and a second time it
ended discussion of the subject.
Another matter troubled me. I was
not approved by Lillian's parents. But
there was an especial reason for this.
They wished their daughter to marry
q wealthy man. I was doing pretty
well and had some prospects, but that
did not satisfy Mr.. and Mrs. Gray.
Their aim for Lillian was an establish
ment. She had an excellent position in
society, which they desired her to keep
up after marriage, and they were well
aware that this would require for
tune Independent Of anything they
could give her.
1 did not blame Lillian for being dis
tressed at their opposition. A very
strong love for me on her part was re-
quired to induce her to give up a life
toned, in opposition to her parents
wishes. saw plainly that struggle
was going on within her, and after de-
liberation l offered to release her. She
declined to be released I told her that
If she felt reluctance to leave the gay
world she would serve her own inter
ests as well as mine by accepting a re-
lease, for no couple could be happy to-
gether when one was pining for the |
She replied that she |
could not and would not give me up.
But the matter dragged. Her par |
ents would not give their consent to |
,ur marriage, and since Lillian did not |
ike to marry me without 1t there |
seemed to be no prospect of any out
come. At last told her that she must |
10 one thing or the other, either marry
ne or break with me. and after much
in which I detected as
much unwillingness to give up the
fashionable world as to act contrary
70 the wishes of her parents, she de-
,ided to marry me. But she stipulat-
ID that our wedding must be without
he knowledge of her parents We
would go to clergyman. be married;
he would return to her home, confess
what she had done and secure forgive
less, after which we would live to-
,ether as man and wife.
l did not like this plan at all. I
Urged Lillian to do nothing secretly.
She replied that she knew her parents
better than l and could better judge
What course was best to pursue with
hem. / told her that anything elan
lestine was foreign to my nature and
rankly confessed that I would prefer
o give her up than act underhandedly.
he burst into tears. Every one knows
What woman's tears will do with a
nan. Smiles will draw him to the
-dge of a moral precipice; tears will T
rag him over.
One afternoon I called with my car /:
n Lillian, ostensibly Co take her for |
rive, really to go with her to a clergy |