Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-11-21
enough. It amounts to nearly hun
dred gallons apiece"


cided that a hundred gallons of drink
ing water would last me the rest OF
my life.
Mrs. Green. LuciIe's mother, was pa
tiently cheerful and drank three glasses
of water like sponge. ! didn't care
much for mine. had previously had no
idea that water was so fiat and taste
less. It Is also an extraordinarily elus-
i've and clammy thing to put into an
empty stomach which lis eagerly ex-
pecting bacon and eggs, mullins and
coffee.
II feel better already" Lucille said
gayly as we left the table my mind
il clear-T have wasted none of my
vital energy In merely digesting food"
knew that she was quoting Upton
s. Clair, whom | was beginning to re-
gard with disfavor. to say the least
but [ RETAINED from voicing my opin-
ion OF man who win help women to
get even more fool ideas than they can
think up by themselves.
I took a cigar from my pocket, cut
the tip of carefully With q silver cut
ter Lucille had given me the previous
Christmas and was about to tight 1t
when she stopped me.
mo, no. no; you mustn't, Did for
get to tell you that while We are fast
ing we have to give up all stimulants
and narcotics. such as alcohol ana to-
| bacco2n
"What-cut out smoking for weekT
Certainly" she replied firmly. I'm
the first place, If you don't you viii be
deathly fl; in the second place. the
whole object Of the fast is to rid the
body of all toxic poisons, such as nico-
tine, alcohol and so forth. BY the, time
4 you have done without tobacco for a
week I should not be surprised il you
never smoked again"
Nor me either" l reflected gloomly
out loud ZIP be dead"
"Of course IL you don't care to make
the experiment" Lucille said icily, "I'll
put of the fasting for another week
until Frank Bopp ia here I'm sure he
will be willing to try IL"
This was waving s red flag st me.
Frank Bopp was my rival. After her
reference to him would have gone
without breathing for a week If she
had suggested it. Bopp is thin, con-
versational insect who can perch on
the arm of a girls chair and ehirp by
the hour Sometimes I regret that for
architectural and educational reasons
l can't do that, and then / remember
what other men would think of me Il
I could. and I am solaced. / refrain
from saying what ] think of the name
"Bopp"
Thus through my love and jealousy
was led into deeper water or. shall
say, more water because somebody
handed me a glass Of the STUFF every
few minutes. / drank it in the vain
, hope that could drown the innei
man. who seemed to be yelling fo
help all the time and kicking me jus
below the belt buckle when he didn'
get il.
That morning we went for q walk.
Walking is the best exercise in tn
, world, Lucille stated. 1T is exceuen
, for reducing surplus flesh around tn
J abdominal region
E Invariably she had a little singer 70
me concealed in Reay remark she nigh
! make. l have since learned that thi
/ is 2 sign that woman takes a proprie
, tary interest in a man.
= Before we went she fed TootIes, he
= Dong haired pup. Tootles is one of thos
= dogs so constructed by nature thu
( when you want TO look them in the fac
: you don't know where to look. | ofte
wonder if Tootles herself isn't in dout
, as TO which end to wag.
. isn't Tootles going to fast. too2'
= protested. Cant she stand It as we
. as I canT'
q Possibly she could do it," Lucil
= said as she gave her a dog biscui
I but she hasn't intelligence enough I
Z understand why she should go withoU
food"
; Tim not far above Tootles In INTEL
a gence, them" remarked, but under m
n breath this time, SO she could not hea
: After watching Tootles eat we weI
= walking. Whenever l go walking j
:. the city I hire taxicab. II I want I
= see nature in all her grandeur do / {
tsampirg through the woods? / 4
not. buy a seat at q moving pictuI
show where they are running a ives
ern outlaw film. Mature for nicke
is my motto Fatigue is eliminate
l. and the sum total Of knowledge is a
Il vanced several thousand feet.
After we had covered several mile
+ as it seemed TO me, ] suggested thi
u we had better not go much fartht
II away from home.
10 why not?' Lucille cueried.
II 1--WE might not get back in time Z
Sc lunch"
81 brought our lunch" she said al
IL produced flask OF water.
D. groaned. I had nearly forgott
" that there was TO be no lunch. i
TO curious how much you depend on mea
er to break up the day. All the morni
II long you keep thinking, II must $
lg SO much done before lunch" and til
in the afternoon you spur yourself
II. to an extra effort with the thong
re- of better dinner than usual when V
he get through. Take these meal lar
b. marks out Of your day and what
n left? Nothing but a dreary. dead lie,
1g desert of time. day whose limits see
a inferminabie.
Ill How many days is it until we e
D again." / asked hopelessly.