Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-29
The Daily
Short Story
A UNIQTE PROPOSAL,
BY F. A. Mitchell.

ing south 10 avoid the cold weather
He was blase at %. She was roman
tic as every girl Of 20 should he
Indeed it is questionable If women
ever lose their romance.
'Do you see that rock out theree"
| she asked.
Yes, what of it," -
| 1T is called lovers rock. There ;s
a tradition that if a man proposes tn
| a girl out there she can't refuse him
You mean when the tide is coming
in and she is cut of from shore; she
can't swim; and the fellow won't save
her unless she will agree to marry
him."
How you talk, II isn't that at all.
| There's some spell that is thrown over
the girl which draws her to the man
Il didn't know girls were moved to
love on barren place like whales
back / thought the way to win them
was amid music and flowers"
| Eyes, but / can understand how be-
ing under spell might compel q girl
to yield on a barren rock like thai,
when moonlight, music and flowers
would fail"
| Il think would be most easily in
duced to propose to girl after a
good dinner"
Il fear that In your brain where the
bump Of romance should be there il
a fiat place"
Rather a hollow However, suppose
we go out on the lovers rock. and see
what will happen
There was no reply to this. She
sat gazing out to sea, evidently de-
spairing of being able to touch a
chord Of romance in him, or rather
Iregretting that such a chord did not
exist.
Come" he added, rising. I'm Gu
rious to know if I will be compelled
| to propose to you If we go out to-
gether to the rock
THAT isn't it at all. It isn't that
the man is impelled to propose to the
girl. It's that If he does, she Is i'm
PEELED by some strange influence to
accept him.
: well, let's try 1t anyway
> He put out his hand and helped her
/ | to rise from her seat on the sand, and
> led her to a rowboat moored to a
! floating platform leading out into the
> water She got into the boat without
saying a word and he pulled over
; hundred yards Of shallow water to the
rock. There he coiled the painter
around a stone and they went to that
side of the rock facing the ocean,
They had only to take 8 few steps.
= for the tide which was rising left un-
! covered no great space. They sat
down side by side.
|; q feel it coming" he said pres
= entity.
= whats coming"
: 1.-THE spell"
:. Nonsense
do you feel it?'
Feel what?"
"a desire to have me propose to
e you?"
o Didn't I tell you that II the man"
g Yes, yes, but is man going 10
propose TO a girl in cold blood? Is
I, there no love current between them.
+ My opinion is that If there is any
l., thing in this rock forcing the man to
y propose. the girl has as much to do
u with it as he.'
a, Not at all. The tradition is sim
l. ply
3, THAT a woman is obliged to accept
L proposal But"
7. Great heavens! There goes our
e. boat"
n, The rising tide had unioosened the
$, painter and was carrying the boat
/; away. There would be no use in try
a. ing to regain it by swimming, for it
was even now further from the rock
i than was the shore, and 1t was reced-
lie ing rapidly. Looking about them
Id they saw that the rock was nearly
D. covered with water.
B. while we have been talking he
t. said, the tide has cut US of from
lg shore"
lie "What shall we do?" cried the girl
i much frightened.
r. I'VE haven't tested the proposal
s. matter YETI"
at Don't talk nonsense. Our lives are
1t, at stake.
be ~ don't believe you have any TO-
re nance in you after all"
es Come. come: how are We to get
r ashore?"
he They were far from their hotel or
tn any house. Indeed there was no Que
i'd near to render them assistance. Be
1T sides the twilight was fading. He tool
he her hand and said:
ly Il think / am going to"
ay Heavens! Don't faint"
ry Propose"
id Are you erazy?"
as mo, am under the influence O.
h. the SPELL
rs She had by this time lost her sci
al. control, and although she could no
mt swim, marched out into the water
to hoping that she could wade ashore
al, 1t was nowhere over her head, but 81
as deep at one place as to reach be
ed shoulders. She feared to proceed.
Help" she called to him.
II love you; will you marry me-
NO.
u Taking her by the arm he assistet
her to the shore. They reached !
dripping of course. He turned 10
ward lovers rock.
"Humbug." he snarled. shaking hi
fist at it.
She turned viciousIy and started 70
the hotel. It required week FOR he
anger to cool. Then when he propose
again, she accepted him.
ABUSE @D0RA' IN BRITAIN.