Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-02-19
The Daily
Short Story
TRUE AND FALSE.
BY Jessie Ethel Sherwin

Drake Beaton was a coward ana !.
sneak, but he tried hard to conc..,
these facts. When the call for tror..
came he resigned his position ~
quietly stole away from the to-s
where his name was on the draft Ia
There's no way OF ever gettinr -.
empted II they ever get me-" mussa
this interesting young man. Cliyedsn
pretty village, attracted him. Hs,s
there came to this man OF little mir.
ciple and no true sense Of honn, .
magnetic influence he could not =
sist. He met Aileen Burley and loved
her, as far as a man Of his sel6sh
nature could.
There was collateral element th..
attracted him. Aileen was an heirsss
There was likewise depressing eli.
cumstance-she was a patriot. con.
slant and enthusiastic. She was n.
head of every woman's national now.
ment locally. When Beaton created !
favorable impression through his In.
erality in subscribing for everythin,
that came along, and learned thai
Aileen was free to WOO, he detsrmines
to win her.
Not that Aileen was entirely maIde.
fancy free. Until a month preyious
the young lady had cherished =
friendship for young man named
Walter Matteson. Village gossips pre.
dicted an engagement. Then all Of a
sudden Matteson disappeared. For a
week Aileen was sad and gloomy.
shadow was on her fair face, but she
resumed her old cheerfulness and ar
dor in Red Cross work. To Editha
Morris, particular friend. she ,made
the statement:
"Mr. Matteson and l did not axree
on some vital patriotic points"
Sinuous of method, specious Of IA.
ture, Beaton set himself about the
task of winning Aileen. There ar.
rived the moment when he declared
his love. Clearly, fearlessly. frankly
Aileen intimated that a former pro.
pOsal had come from a man who had
forfeited all her esteem by refusing
to volunteer, accepting instead high-
salaried position in a great munition
plant.
Il will enlist tomorrow" eagerly de.
clared Beaton. Il would die in a
thousand battles for you"
Aileen was impressed with the ar.
dor Of this seeming patriot Of pa.
triots. Tacitly she accepted his ad.
dresses. Why not? There was q
lonely feeling at heart, she would win
new soldier for Uncle Sam.
Beaton really enlisted and made
great capital Of it. His hope was to
induce Aileen to marry him before he
! went away. Circumstances disturbed
his clever schemes. He was sent to
training camp. Its rigors repealed
him. He was affrighted at stories Of
the risk and suffering awaiting him
abroad. He feigned sickness, obtained
two-weeks' furlough, went to dis
tant city where he had a close friend,
a dissolute young doctor, and between
them they put up scheme in accord
ance with the plots of Beaton.
Aileen was shocked week later to
learn that Beaton had died while on q
furlough. The government simply
filed away the certificate Of death. In
secret Aileen mourned, not SO much
for a man she had not really loved.
as for the shadows Of disappointment
and unhappiness that seemed to pur-
sue her. One evening she was walk
ing about the garden when two men
leaped from a bushy covert, a mufder
was thrown over her head and min
ute later she was in an automobile
dashing away at high speed.
Her captors did not act at all rough
ly, but one of them warned her not to
attempt any cutlery. They drove down
an obscure country road, stopped at 3
lonely house and Aileen was ushered
into a lighted room. A door opened
and man entered the room. Aileen
tottered and paled from the shock o.
recognition.
"You-Drake Beaton!" she gasped.
The dead alive! Oh! what does tins
mean?"
The man advanced with an eager,
pleading face. In an impassioned ad-
dress he confessed how his fove for
her had overcome every other copsid-
Grafton.
"All for you!" he declared ardently.
"Oh, Aileen! do you understand that
| cannot live without you? l ask you
to give up home, friends, to 60 with
me to some distant place where We
will be all in all together"
You dare to say this to me-" cried
Afleen, with flashing eyes. You.
traitor to your country! Oh, you are.
indeed, unmasked!"
You shall go By force. then
Kissed Beaten. Just then the sounds
OF violent scuffle in the outer room
echoed through the house. Three men
rushed into sight and one of them was
Walter Matteson. His companion
seized Beaton.
"How-how came you here? she
faltered.
Il can tell you now what l was
bound by an oath not to impart here
tofore," explained Matteson. Il have
been secretly employed by the govern
ment, and was sent to the munitions
plant to watch out for spies among rs
employees of many nationalities o.
cause understand the languages they
spoke. More recently | have been IS
ststing the secret service man wno
were after this fellow. Beatn. ~
interest in you led me here Just ID
time. Next month 60 to France IN
military capacity"
How have wronged you!" sobose
Aileen. Can you ever forgive me.
There is no need" he said tender
ly. Il know only the old true love