Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-07-25
t h e u a ilv
Short Story
M0NKEYING WITH i SIGNAL. CoDf
BY Donald Chamberlln.

around cI8bs and drawing rooms Ia
owned a splendid yacht, the Theta
] big enough to sail anywhere In anv
waters. and in this yacht he made his
+ home. He contributed quite apm-
/ Der Of inventions to assist ecientfsts
/ In making deep sea soundings and in-
+ Vestigating ocean currents and al thu
/ time referred to in this story was en-
/ deavoring 10 simplify sea aianals
! AberCrOmbie sailed TO the Phf1fn-
/ pines among other places. where he
+ was welcomed by the United states
officials, especially the officers Of the
army Among the families of the Off
GERS he met Miss Leila TurnIee ina
daughter of Colonel Turnlee com.
mander of the -Jh infantry. Nfiss
Turnlee understood his devices read
/ lily.
Now, the way AbercrombIe knew
that Miss TuTuIee understood bis CON
trivances was because she always said
Yes" and Indeed and How clever
/ exactly at the right time. and when he
asked, 'Dou YOU follow me- she al
WAYS replied, Perfectly"
Mrs, Turnlee was much pleased thai
her daughter had q mind capable af
/ receiving the explanations os Aber-
Cr0mbie's Inventions bv Abercr0mHte
himself-uot that she cared anything
for the inventions, but she hoped her
daughters vigOr of intellect would
lead AbercrOmbie 10 become inter-
ested and possibly that a fine catch
would fall 10 the family The COED
/ lady had dragged half q dozen chill
dreu over many territories I8 the
western portion OF America during
her younger DAYS and had known
F-.H Co.
to be Immediately ordered TO some
other station or turned out by rank
ing officer AbercTombie's yacht was
preferable to an adobe hut OF Ioa
apartment even when fixed iii other
words, Mrs Turnlee desired that her
daughter should marry elsewhere than
in the army
At dinner one evening ut Colonel
TuFnIees quarters Abercrombie was
explaining 70 the family his new svs-
tenn of sea signals Colonel Turnlee.
who was West Pointer and should
have understood anything in the sig
nal line, knew bat little Of what his
guest said Mrs Turnlee understood
never a word Miss Leila did not need
to ask a single question. u all seemed
to 20 straight 70 her brain and find
Judgment there.
Upon my world" exclaimed Aber-
cr0mbie "How did you good people
come to have a daughter WHO UNDER
stands these things so welI2'
leila has always attended the best
schools. said the fond mother point
eddy Besides. she has scientific
tastes"
Il have never met" Abercrombis
declared enthusiastically, "0ne who
has taken in everything I have said 50
readily"
she inherited it from her grand
father Admiral Turn1ee." the mother
pursued, "He wrote a book on coral
reefs and another on volcanic f0rma-
tions. Children always take from their
grandparents rather than their own
fathers"
Colonel Turnlee who was cracking
nuts, did not notice his wife's asper-
sions on his own generation.
do yCu think, Miss Turnlee, said
Abercrombie, that if I were 70 san4
You a message by my code from nay
yacht out in the bay you would under
stand it2
T think I would" replied tho SRI
demurely-' that is, if It we're not TOO
long
VERY well Look out for one to-
morrow afternoon"
How shall I reply2 have 40 sig
mails"
You can write or. better. tels-
graph"
Miss Leila made ne reply TO this.
Possibly she was timid al being put 70
the test, fearing that she might FAIL
don't know how she felt about &c.
only throw this out as suggestion.
Her mother had confidence that she
would understand the signal perfectly
and furnish AbeTcrOmbie with fresh
evidence Of the brilGancy of Der intel
lect The colonel went on cracking
and munching nuts, but said nothing
When the dinner broke up ne had 70
go over re- see the commanding gen
eral, and Mrs TurnIee received a visit
from the majors wife. This left A1er-
cr0mbie and Miss Leila alone together
for the rest of the evening Aber-
cr0mbie in order to give her a better
chance to pass the test 90 come of
next day. coached her q biz. asking her
q few leading questions concerning
II. lie discovered that she did not
know as much about the code as he
had thought she did He left Bef
doubling that she would be able 70
telegraph aim q correct answer to bis
message.
The next day at 8 there were egt
dences on the Theta of a desire %
communicate with some one ADef-
CrOmbie himself was hauling up little
flags and running them down again.
His message was. "Xou are q very
bright girl" When the signaling was
over Abercrombfe waited for her tele-
gram It did not come. bur later
Colonel Turnlee's orderly brought
note. It read.
Your dattering offer Of your heart
and hand comes so unexpectedly thar
1 should have time But my own
heart says now and always Yes
Abercrombie read the missive with
a stare. lie married Miss Turnlee.
but even his wife would never tel
him whether she had understood his
message or not
Whether or not it was this expert
ence that caused the change. certain i
Is that Abercrombte lost all interest 10
signaling and studied It no more.