Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-10
vou'll see him In a few days"

but I couldn't wait Now, won't Won
tell me all about him-not ANYTHING
about his looks and his health. but lii.
tie unimportant things that will mean
something? You see, I'm his mother
and his sister and his sweetheart"
/ O'Neil die as he was directed and
before long found himself reciting the
details of that trying trip up the Salm-
on river. He told her how be had
sent the young engineer out to run the
preliminary survey for the new rail-
road and added: He is in a fair way
to realize his ambition of having you
with him all the time. I'm sure that
will please you"
And it is my ambition to make
enough money to have him with me-"
she announced. With an air Of some
importance she continued: "I'll tell you
a secret I'm writing for the maya
zines-stories"' She sat back await
ing his enthusiasm. When she saw
that it was not forthcoming she ex.
claimed My, how you do rave over
the idea"
II congratulate you, Of course, but
Now, don't tell me that you tried it
once OF course you did. I know it's
harmless disease, like the measles,
and that every body has it when they're
young Above all, don't volunteer the
information that your own life is full
of romance and would make a spIen-
did novel. They all say that"
Murray O'Neil felt the glow Of per.
sonal interest that results from the dis
covery in another Of congenial sense
Of humor.
he said. Dan told me you had in
vested your fortune and were on Easy
street"
That was poetic license. I fiction
lied slightly in my report to him be-
cause knew he was doing so WELL"
Then your investment didn't turn
out fortunately"
Miss Appleton hesitated. you seem
! to be a kindly, trusting person. I'm
, tempted to destroy your faith in hui
man nature"
please don't"
| Yes, l shall. My experience may
help you to avoid the pitfalls of high
finance. Well, then, 1t was very sad
. little fortune. to begin with, like boy
a in grammar school-just big enough to
be of no assistance. But even a boys
+ size fortune looked big to me. l want
e ed to invest it in something sure-no
national bank stock subject to the dan
y ger of an absconding cashier, mind you
p no government bonds with the POSSIBLE
i ity of war to depreciate them, but
e something stable and agricultural. with
: the inexhaustible resources of nature
back of it. This isn't my own Ian
e guage. l cribbed it from the apple
| man
Apple man.
Yes. He had brown eyes and a
silky mustache and big irrigation pla1
q over east of the mountains. You gave
5 him your money and he gave you a
l. perfectly good receipt. Then he plant
n ed little apple trees. He nursed them
tenderly for FIVE years. after which he
turned them over to you with his bless
i ing and you lived happily for evermore.
At least that was the idea. You could
y not fail to grow rich, for the water al
ways dubbed through his little ditch.
and it never froze nor rained to spoil
things. | used to love apples. And
u then there was my name, which seem
> ed a good omen. But lately I've con-
sidered changing Appleton to Berry
or Plummer' or some other kind of
fruit
II infer that the scheme failed.
O'Neils eyes were half closed with
amusement
Yes. 1t was a good scheme. too, ex-
- cept for the fact that the irrigation
: ditch ran uphill and that there wasn't
any water where it started from and
that apples never had been made to
= grow in that locality because of some
thing in the soil and that brown eyed
Bettys title to the land wouldn't hold
. water any more than the ditch. Other
wise I'm sure he'd have made a sue
W NcSS dLu "a udNc spent
years in a rocking chair under the fall
ing apple blossoms, eating pippins and
Jonathans and Northern Spies. I CAM
bear to touch them now. Life at my
boarding house Is one long battle
against apple pies, apple buildings, ap
pie tapioca. Ugh! l hate the very
word"
Il can understand your aversion,
laughed O'Neil. 81 wonder If you
would let me order dinner for both Of
US, provided I taboo fruit. Perhap:
I'll think Of something more to tell yor
about Dan. I'm sure he wouldn't OBJ
jet
ooh, my card Is all the chaperon
need! 1t takes me everywhere ant
renders me superior to the smaller con
ventionalides." She handed him one
and he read, Eliza v. Appleton-Th'
Review"
May ask what the W stands fort
He held up the card between his thumb
and finger.
Miss Appleton blushed for all tn
world like a bow, then answered stiff1y