Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-05-27

books in the running DroOkS, seE1on
in stones-and. by the same token
romance In finger nails.
/ The idea is not SO absurd. Stella viii
corroborate me.
Drop into Burtscher's tonsorial par
| Iors some day.
Go right through into the little room
curtained of at the rear.
Seated at a table, with bowls oil
warm water. Jars of red paste and
various delicate instruments set ou
before her. you will find Stella piacidlI
munching caramels.
AS you enter she will look you ovel
impersonally. Sigh If you are tall and
dark and saturnine or smile sadly, but
kindly, If you are-what you are: say
something original that she has heard
twenty times day for three years and
offer her your fingers to refine.
When she has massaged them for a
few minutes and you think that your
soft glances have Quickened the beat
Ing of her heart, ask her about this
romance business.
She viii gaze silently at you for a
quarter of a minute.
Then a pearly tear will hasten from
beneath a quivering eyelid. She will
swallow a sob with her caramel.
And IL you are not tall and dark and
saturnine she may tell you the story.
1t isn't much of story as stories 60
But Judge Of it for yourself:
His entrance was soundless. Stella
was not aware of him until his shadow
fell across the page Of her book. She
started nervously and looked up to find
him seated opposite. gazing at her
gravely. Her heart thumped violently
as she looked into his eyes. She
blushed. Her glance fell. She sighed.
without looking up again she began
to operate on the hand which he Of
fered for her ministration. Her fingers
trembled. Twice she almost stuck him
with the cuticle scissors.
She never could recall with what re-
mark he broke the awful silence. For
the first time in memory she was pow
erless to inject the element of loquacity
into a situation.
She knew before he spoke just what
would be the tonaI quality Of his voice:
knew it would be soft and low and
At his first word her gaze
was drawn to his. She peered into his
black eyes timidly, fearfully, en-
tranced.
Mayhap it was hours he talked, may
hap only minutes.
"In Madrid he murmured absently, |
near the Plaza de Toros. lives a soft |
eyed maiden whom you remind me of |
much"
He f1inched as the scissors point PEN |
etrated a tender spot But she was far
away from cuticle and scissors.
And once In Delhi, as the regiment
out, / saw you waving me
,oodby from the gate of the town.
From land to land he skipped. He
balanced the south pole on the tip of
lis tongue. derided the hemispheres.
visited the equator in a knot and
tipped the top Off Mont Blanc. Hei
nopped up the Pacific ocean with his
eft hand and with his right taught
to an Eskimo in Green
and.
Time and distance were exploded
nyths to him. He was a citizen Of
he universe, address anywhere.
You must know pretty nearly every
me-" Stella whispered admiringly.
He considered a moment while he
dJusted the green jade pin in his
ecktie.
Not quite" was his modest admis-
ion.
She sighed and applied the nail buff
er with feverish assiduity.
When he had gone she wept softly
nd tried to recall what he had looked
Ike. He was tall, she remembered.
nd slender and dark.
That night she cried herself to sleep
nd dreamed she was Sfadylaine. the
eroine of Loves Last Word"
He came again many times.
There were more taies-tales of hair
Using adventures in the crannies of ,
e world. The heroes of them all were ,
lends of his, nameless men men,
oned casually. though she knew. all ,
lie time that it was he who really
cured in the leading roles.
She put down his delicacy in omit S
ng names to that innate modesty 50
Characteristic of heroes. There was s
an, for instance. who twisted the tail
a blood crazed tiger in Bengal and r
anches of a tree.
His visits became more frequent. so fl
equent that his nails could not pos =
bly, have grown between times. b
He led her to talk of herself-of her
calls, inspired by the best magazine e
erature; of the loveless life of !
imp manicure lady in a deserted city e
10000 population.
BE learned. too of the $500 she had "
arded up against the traditional day
inclement weather. r,
And before he left on that occasion d
ey kissed furtively across the table. ST
ring which process he spilled a bowl
warm water into his lap 81
lie confided his name-Montford Reg
I'D McShane. She smiled happily as
blew her farewell kiss n
fonty. as she fondly thought of him.
'ited her always in the morning. II