Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-03-10

CRORIDg AID
ID I S c o II ID S
B[LLY,S LETTERS

ought 10 be trail of tear stains fol-
low each Lire Of the letter that 7 an
writing 10 you because .EvaIyn has
+ notified ne that her parents have de.
eided that we must abandon the idea
of marriage until such time as I an
able TO give their daughter eoualIx
as good a home as she has now: that ]
must come TO the scratch and show
mat she viii be safe in my hands. ]
don mean that they are afraid / am
going to hurI her off the bridge some
dark night, or anything like that, bur
they want to be assured that she won't
nave 10 De running to father for pin
money and that I win be heeled well
i enough to meet my bills when thew
are due SO my wife will not have to
+ lock herself in every morning after I
] so 10 my work and be afraid to an
sWer the doorbeII because she might
/ look into the face Of a collector for
! whom she has nothing to satisfy the
long over due bill that he shoves in
front OF her.
was crushed when EvaIyu broke
I the news TO me and for minute [
didn't know whether to allow NV an
CRY passions to get the better Of me
ana throw her down completely aud
tell her TO notify her parents that I
was not to be Inundated by any such
insults or whether TO remain calm and
let matters take their natural course
] finally decided upon the latter plan.
EFatyu Wept q little and I Joined her
She said she just knew she never could
love any other man. / wished her the
same. It's pretty tough when you get
10 know glrI SO well that she slips
her money and the front door KEY in
your pocket when you are out some
where together. showing that she
trusts you better than she does her
self, to have q couple Of mercenary old
folks open the refrigerator exhaust
upon you, knowing full we'll that they
are not only injuTing two honest hearts
but are also putting such a nick in the
pride Of the party Of the first part that
ae might grow so discouraged that he
would lose interest ia the girl of his
choice and ges SO careless that he
might be tempted by others Of the sex,
resulting in the seuttiug of another
snip headed for the matrimonial sea.
But Evalyn assured me that her faith
or ana mother thought as much of me
as they ever had. only they believed
it to be for the best interest Of both
Of us that We be i'm no hurry Rome
was not built in q day. Evalyn said
NO says I. il wasn't. but 1t was put
On the blink in Q couple of nights
She explained that it was her father
idea that we ought 10 be together more
than we have been and do our own
planning. He had noticed that just as
soon as I assumed that we were en-
gagged for keeps that I began to slump
in my work at the home plate He
didn't take this go indicate that the ar /
DOR OF my affection was cooling. but
it showed that ] took it for granted .
that I had everybody else shut out and .
that I could come and 90 as pleased. .
He wanted US TO associate more and
TO get @ program of home planning
under way. We should make some sort /
Of beginning, he didn't care what fl
amounted TO- but he did desire TO see
as get started. For instance / could
spend my evenings in his workshop
in the basement making chairs or 9th
2r little things that would be useful
when we set up housekeeping. I said
that would be perfectly lovely of me
II / could do such work, but # her
father knew what q foOZIe / was as
mechanic he would call policeman if
be saw me on the way to his workshop.
the first and last time I attempted
20 make myself useful ia that kind of
work / spent two weeks I'm making
typewriter desk When I had finished
had ruined seven dollars worth of
perfectly good oak. duIled two saws.
ractured three finger nails broke
leIghbor's hammer, tore an irrepar-
-bIe hole in the trousers belonging
% $40 suit and then didn't have any
typewriter desk But I could learn.
lFalyD SAID. Yes. ] could. said T. but
Who was going 70 pay the expenses of
ny education She knew father would
'e delighted TO have me spend the
F7nlngs with him in his workshop.
aid 1 would be happy to pass the
lme with father but ] didn't believe
would be SAFE for me TO take chances
silu only him and me present. and a
With no one to stay his hand the first C
ime he started after me with q ham q
1er Or some other blunt instrument {
1ta which he could still my tongue
brewer by one tap on the noggin when {
g discovered the mess ! was making
L my initial task. j pleaded with Eva
yn that she seek to dissuade her n
3ther from teaching me the CARPENTRY e
usIness and for her to tell him that I q
assessed no such bent I asked her fl
tell him that il was healthier for a
he TO be in the open as uucH as pos i
bic after working hours as the bust "
ess al which I earned my pay kept p
he indoors through the day. would +,
refer TO attend TO a garden In fact O
had had considerable experience in n
ardeninE. That struck happy re- a
1onsa from Evalyn for she recalled 4f
lat her father had talked about his G,
arden for the summer at dinner she IS
.ght before He had fEured that he N
3uld cut the cost OF living for his Al
mily considerably by increasing the
re Of his garden. Ia previous years
had only a small plot under cuIti- +r
ltion. but as he had plenty more n
'ound that he could use he was go
g 20 dig 1t up and plant the whole =
'ace in the yard not taken ND bv re-
e house with stuff to eat W
ANA father, she knew, would not be n
ne pc, 70 90 all the work himself 1t B
Jut1 De NICE she said, If / would W
Aile around 10 the evenings and help Sc