Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-03-27
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.
(COntinued).

Z
From dim youth there have
always, been pasted upon his mental
walls the well-known and unJustly
| popular notices that are supposed
to, but seldom do, make for health,
wealth and prosperity. BE good
and you'll be happy" Early to bed
and early to rise" and the rest Oh
| it; "a penny saved is a penny
| earned" (Yes, it ISL Take care
! of the pennies and dollars will take
care of themselves, which should
| read, Take care of the pennies and
somebody1l take the dollars away
I from YOU" and "A bird in the hand
| is worth two in the bush, not Tor
getting "A fool and his money are
soon parted
These then have been his sign
posts in theroad of life. NO won
der his existence has been darkly
virtuous. From his morning egg
to his nightly apple all has been as
ordered as a timetable.
But deep in the innermost re-
cesses of his secret soul, as in the
secret souls of all the darl1ly virtu-
Gus, there have lain through all his
years a sedate desire to cut loose
and raise cain. 1t is so in all who
tread the straight and narrow path.
1t is often but the merest whisper
of q. wish, quickly stilled in mighty
repression by the nobler voices
that surround It, Yet is it there.
1t is the darkly yirtuous that,
flushing with a pleasant shame.
think what wild dogs they'd be if
they ever did decide TO take their
hobbies off and hop right out into
the open. Gentle spinsterS with
spectacles think of things that
could never be sent through the
mails Sunday school superin-
tendents with whiskers are serene
ly confident that if they should ever
boil over they'd have the Broadway
spendthrifts looking like novitiates
in convent; and that when it
comes to showing themselves a
high old time they'd have old man
Bacchus thinking he was a teeto-
taller. and all the little Bacchantes
running for cover. So in their Sc
cret souls. Blessed 1t is that it
usually stays there.
So with the darkly virtuous
Smith. He is the exception that
ID owes the rule. For he has boiled
over. And he intends not only to
make up for lost time, but to show
en-, few wrinkles that aren't in
the book.
OF a limited observation, he has
gaTnered the fact that the begin
gings of all successful dissipation
lie in the flowing bowl Every pic
ture of a good time that he has ever
seen has had bottles in it. Start
ing with It's always fair weather
when good fellows and beer get to-
gether" Though as to the clemency
of the next morning is maintained
judicious silence). down TO the
champagne advertisements where
the men all wear dress suits and the
ladies vice versa, pleasure has al
WAYS seemed to lie in being pleas
antly picked.
Thus having reasoned himself
safely to start, he descends to the
sidewalk, seats himself at a table
and summons a waiter.
Passes a senorita, black of eye,
white of teeth. red of lip, She
smiles at him. This is on Thursday
Late Saturday afternoon he thinks
that if he had winked at her ii
would have been mighty cute
trick.
Now there is at his side waiter,
vinaigrette.
He says bring me something to
drink
The waiter asks him a question.
He saws oh ANYTHING
The waiter goes: returns with
bottle and a glass; sets il down,
and departs.
Smith pours himself out glass
full He raises it to his lips. II
smells awful,