Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-08

I'll go with you. Dicky," offered cir
GUAR little Willie Walters. with an
echo Of Dicky's smoker
IF you do he'll bark at you" hotly
retorted Molly, knowing Wee Willie's
cautious propensities.
The rest of the boys were for keep
ing up the good work, but Sledge cut
short the incipient hysteria by picking
up Bob by the neck, returning to the
door and booming into the night the
silent, potent syllable:
"Mike,w
A squatty man. who looked SO much
like Bob, even to a patched eye, that
they could have been taken for twins.
emerged from the darkness, Rugged
Bob to his bosom like brother and
hurried away.
Fern and Molly looked at each other
with dismay. II this was the start of
the evening what else might they ex-
pect.
why didn't Mike take them both
away" whispered Fern. You poor
girlw
I'm not" denied Molly fercely. 1T
said this morning that I'd like to see
Bob, and, of course, Mr.. Sledge brought
him. The only trouble is hes so
quick"
Hes instantaneous" corrected Fern.
You have to admire it." laughed
Molly. well. the only thing I can do
is to be as game as he is" And upon
Sledge's return from some careful d.
rections to an unseen companion of
Mikes she introduced him to her
friends with all the sprightliness of
which she was capable.
In that process she firmly intended
to make him the center of things and
to see that he had a good time. He
relieved her of that tremendous bur.
den, however, for after moving through
the introductions with cordial ease
which not only delighted but surprised
her, until she was reminded that he
had been introduced to more notables
than she would probably evel see. he
quietly disappeared into Marley's den
and smoked fat cigars in calm COM
| fort. with stein Of cool beer at his ell
bow, leaving the young people to enjoy
their hilarity without the damper Of
his presence.
! Molly, mindful Of her duties as host
ess, dropped in occasionally to see that
/ ln ha
found him in exactly the same position,
as placidly contented as he could pos
sibly have been in the little back room
Of the Occident saloon. On one of her
visits, after answering in the affirma-
tive her inquiry if he was all right, he
rose from his comfortable nest in the
big leather chair,
II suppose we eat" he guessed.
II think you'd call it bluff" she
laughingly returned.
~ get you," he replied. "Mostly dec
ora+ions. Souvenirs?"
| THE usual"
Hand 'em these" and he thrust into
her hands two bundles Of small envel
opes, red ones and white ones.
She looked at them blankly mo-
ment.
"I-get you," she smiled, flushing
slightly as she wondered whether her
adoption of his phrase was fattery or
ridicule. Red ones, in honor Of the
roses, are for girls, and the white ones
for the boys. What are they?"
Jaw, nothing much" he diffidently
replied as he resumed his seat "Sea-
son tickets for grand opera week in
the red ones and for the Athletic club
fights In the white ones. Admit two.
Is it all right?'
as it all right? It's glorious" she
assured him, with shining eyes.
Delighted with this unmatchable nov
city, Molly was herself placing the
red and white envelopes at the coycrs
in the dining room when Bert Glider
found her there and closed the door
after himself.
molly, you're carrying this Sledge
joke too farr' he holly charged.
who elected you? she quietly
wanted to know and laid white en-
velope at his place with extreme care,
angling the corner of it just so.
Both Of us, hope" he stated, dis
playing a warning signal by pulling at
the top Of. his collar to give his throat
more room. Molly And he advanc-
ed toward her.
The symptoms were unmistakable.
Molly, having rounded the end Of the
table, slipped out through the pantry
door and handed her remaining en-
velopes to the intellectual looking but
Ter.
place these on the table just as
have done. Alternate red and white
ones" she kindly directed, and the
next time Bert saw her she was the
live center Of the laughing taffy pull
ing. She had preferred to escape
rather than to treat this matter either
seriously or fippantly when she was
annoyed with him.
At 11:3O Mr.. Marley, with the worry
of eight absent mothers on his own
shoulders, was fretting over some in
vention to send them home when the
earth split open in the wide stretch OF
vacant land across the street and
elected into the sky. with loud, I'M
earthly noise, a tremendous assortment
of fiery meteors, mostly red. Roman
candles in reckless punches shot up
from behind every bush. skyrockets
dragged their spiraling tails through
all the available circumambience, while
fancy bombs carried their aerial float