Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-19
CHAPTER X.
The Clam Hunter,

stepped 10 LDe door or her room, |
which stood open She was ly-
ing on her bed. dressed, with
her head on her arm, sleeping the dead
sleep Of utter exhaustion. She seemed |
very small and childish, and her fin.
gers curIaJ ad0rably, Ike a baby's. I
didn't have the heart to waken her. so /
uptoed OUT The news would be !
iust as welcome when she wakened |
Of her own accord, and sleep would do |
Der much good.
When I came downstairs l saw Bopp |
90 through the yard, looking under |
every bugh and into every gully. |
went out 10 tell him that Mrs. Green
was located
He stopped when he saw me.
81 see Clair has cut you out with
your actress friend" be said. 81 saw
them arm iu arm on the beach a min
ute ago There's no use talking, Mon
Is, you can't seem 10 hold a girls at
iention long enough 10 slip a ring on
her Why don't you try advertising In
one OF those matrimonial papersf"
lmado no answer, but turned around
abruptly and went back to the house.
was angry enough myself to let him
hunt until the crack of doom before I
would tell him that Mrs, Green was
found
When 7 entered the house the tele-
phone was ringing again. took or
the receiver
"HeIlol7 I said.
Hello" said Il masculine voice. 81
am newspaper man, representing the
Hsniman syndicate. understand that
you had an earthquake over there
this morning and that Mrs. Green, the
wife OF the president Of the First Ma
tona bank, made her escape IN an
ueropione dressed in u spnngled red
ball gown. want TO know II I
have these facts absolutely correct be-
fore IT,
! carefully lowered the receiver un-
I'll st hung suspended from the wires
and tiptoed away from the telephone,
letting him talk to the empty air
The story was out.
When J went out, after leaving the
reporter holding the wire. so to speak.
] took Tootles for a walk, and then
turned my attention to the undevelop-
ed food supply which had discovered
earlier when walking with Vida.
There were hundreds Of fresh water
clans on the beach, and it was posi-
be 10 dig them in the cove when the
water was not particularly rough. /
spent the afternoon wading, compen-
ated for the cold discomfort OF the
performance by the thought that By
providing food / would win back a
large share Of the favor / had lost
with Lucille. Not that she would ad.
init that she needed food Not she.
Vida and Upton S. Clair strolled by
while / was waling. 1t seemed to ms
that she was making rapid progress to-
ward winning her bet
Are you still looking for Mrs
GreeuT Clair called out as fshed
under water curiously.
mo" l replied shortly, II am teach
ing a pet fish to swim"
"lou look as though you were tax
ing one Of those barefoot cures"
81 didn't know you could cure bare
feet supplied vida. by the way
Mr. BIaiuey, does your ring come Of
eaNlyT
1T would from your hand. DO yor
wish 10 wear itT'
"Oh. no, not yet-not until | am en-
titled TO, You can begin 20 work I
OF though"
did any one call me up on the tele
phoneT asked Mr., Clair.
ayes. I said
"Why didn't YOU call mel" be do
man1ed GROSSLY. II haven't been ia
away
The self assurance OF this man en-
ragged me. Here he was, an unlimited
guest complaining that he was 10
PACED as he would nave peen In a no
Tel. ] wondered where be got his idea!
OF the social relations of modern PEG
pie Who could have spoiled him so
Sometimes the ndulation of womel
VIII put an ego on the bias that way
uat Clair was professed woman
mater I only hope that some day h
viii write @ play which 1t will be N.
pleasure to review.
l explained In words Of one syllable
mat ! had not called him because
did not know where he was. had
sore throat, was under physicians or
GERS not TO call any one, my mothel
mad trained me not to yell at stran
sers, aud, besides, never did an,
sailing except on Thursdays.
Vida pointed her finger at me TO
shame, the way children do, and Ley
MN away before could think OF any
thing more
Ned says" she smiled at me a
mey went on up the beach, that heav
20 Is a place where there are no dra
matte critics"
You tell him for me-" retorted
ulat he knows more about heave
now Than he ever win from actual e1
penenee-unless,r | added, ''the girl h
~ engaged to actually marries him.
she waved Der thanks and trotte
vi at the fat magazine mans sid
ies' | said fat There was somethin
aooat him that was annoyihgly ia
a possibly his intellect, In figure he wa
q 10 more fat than l am, but som