Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-08-26
ROCK ISLANDERS ON
THE PACIFIC COAST
FIND A QUIET CITY

Argus This is the quietest pIaca I
Know People go to bed early and get
up late They must for they don't ST.
on TIE poTches. They have few lights
IN their houses and in our moonlight
stIolls we rarely meet anyone. I
naHe scea but enc policeman during
our SIX weeks stay and he was far
down on the beach as II, like our
selves he were out for the beauty OF
the night. There Is 4 Commute street
car service which stops at -.
one or the librarians told me when
she hrst came out here from New
1oIk she could not sleep for the quiet.
only the song of the mockingbird and
the distant growing OF rooste-s broke
the stiffness.
In the east" she said. I'VE look
upon the boosters as the heralis OF
the dawn but here they crow all
night"
At first we thought VIC heard manv
uiueEent birds, but soon discovered
mat the songs were mostly borrowed
by that arrant plagiarist, the mock
ingbird. The librarian is authority
for the following story:
writer and his mother came here
some time ago and took rooms The
son was often up and out early using
his typewriter. One day the neighbor
said to the mother. Your son was M
earlier than usual today we heard his
typewriter going" In surprise the
mother replied, My son has been out
- town for several days" The mock
ingbiId had borrowed" the click Of
his machine!
Last night We had new experience.
We were awakened by a gentle rap
ping on our door and the words. Get
up and dress, there is a fire in the
neighborhood." The dressing was
hasty and there were no finishing
touches, but even the fires are quiet
here. This one was across the street
from US. On one side of the street
were few automobiles that had Slip
ped up noiselessly, as silently with
drew a little later. On the other
side standing in the shadow vet family
outlined by the moonlight was a long.
low fire truck. There was only the
smell of burning wood and the crash
OF glass as the windows were broken
in to tell the tale of the fire
tailor had forgotten to discon-
meet his electric iron, but the night
Waterman was in time to save much
loss
Many of the houses here are simply
boarded up with a shingIe, finish on
the outside which taken in connection
with the dry climate and the winds
make insurance high.
As / write, sitting on the beach
am watching the Wilson phalarope. q
little beach bird that goes wading out
after a receding wave, darting his lOng
slender bill down into the sand after
food. then comes swiftly running back
as if in fear of being Overtaken by
an incoming wave. Bird students
IA ], F-~
ing. apparently for the pure sport of
the thing.
This bird is interesting from a so
cialogical standpoint 1t is the fe-
male bird that does the wooing, re-
curing her mate to build the nest.
brood the eggs and rear the young
the last no very arduOus task, how
ever, for the little phalaropes run
about when only 10 hours old and are
wading out after the waves and pick
ing up their own living the second
day.
California, you remember. has equal
suffrage.
We saw tramp" japanese steam
er Tuesday, its long, low, black hull
rising gloomily from the sparkling
sailors deserted, swan to shore and
lost" themselves, after which the boat
anchored several miles out
Yesterday we took dinner with Rev.
W. p. Graves on San Diego, who was
pastor of Rock Islands First Meth
odist church over so years ago. In No
vember Mr. Graves will be 81 years
old, but in appearance and bright in
terest in things past and present he
might well be called 90 years younger.
He remembered and asked after
many many people of Rock Island
whose earthly habitatiOn has long
been in the silent city of the dead
He has a pretty bungalow home on
Mission Hills with a short Cross-lOts
walk to the Methodist church which
he and his daughter regularly attend.
His little garden showed painstaking
care which it is his delight 10 give
himself
Surely this is climate which
softens the asperities of old Cge.
MRS. L. G. DAUGHERTY.