Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-03-28
The Daily
Short Story
NELLIE'S ORDEAL.
BY George Elmer Cobb

eminent shall be strictly obseyvss IN 7
II shall be only TOO glad 10 ne.
tlce all self-denial required h.
clared Nellie. 1'
Further than that" resuu.5
Miss Tabitha Todd, I'VE must sca.
omize for investment in Tsbsr..
bonds and war stamps. You nm,
devote all your time to extra stusv
so you can surely pass examinafIo,
for a school teacher next term ~
must save on lights and fuel ~
can go to bed earlier. We mus,
do without company"
"Oh, Auntie," demonstrated Mel.
lie, almost piteously.
Yes, indeed" insisted Miss Tods
Better spend your time In knittlsy
for our heroes in camp, than euts,.
tanning young men who have m
serious intentions. You under.
stand me, Nellie?"
Only too well, Nellie thought n,
the pleasant evenings spent with
coterie Of her young girl friends
and young men, too, and one in psr.
ticular, Marvin Booth, who lived d
miles away.
Miss Todd announced her new
formula publicly. she had beenNn
a mother to Nellie, and the late,
did not rebel at the severe restrlc.
tions which led 10 lonely, tiresoms
evenings. When Wednesday cana
Miss Todd went TO the door as thars
came a ring. She had sent Nellie
upstairs. She alone faced the shy
faced, but ardent Marvin Booth.
MY niece is assisting me In some
necessary knitting" she announced,
land you must excuse her" and The
young man walked away with de.
jected look upon his face, and Mel
lie, watching his departure, cried as
if her dear little heart would break.
Nimrod, the faithful canine pro-
tector of the family, came in for his
share in the food conservation pro
gram. Every meatless day Min,
rod was given bread scraps, cold
porridge and milk. He looked
puzzled at the absence Of his &C.
customed bone. The second meat
less day he seemed TO do some
thinking. Nellie, gloomy and dis
pirited as she was, had to laugh
outright as she saw him save one
bone, carry it 10 a snug fence cor
ner and proceed TO. bury It, pro-
viding a reserve for the next meat
less day.
Nellie was made still more de-
jected as she learned that Marvin,
who had enlisted, was to go to bis
cantonment in two weeks. She
hoped he would write or make
special visit to the town, but he
did not. Marvin had not forgotten
her, however. The prim, merciless
ways of Miss Todd had been exag-
gerated to him and he imagined
that Nellie was like some luckless
being imprisoned by a heartless
ogre.
I've got to see her or get some
word to her or from her" vocifer-
ated this ardent young man. Then
he wrote a brief, but glowing let
ter TO Nellie. He dared not mail
it, for Miss Todd might intercept
it. One dark night Marvin skulked
into the yard of the Todd home
He got directly opposite a win
dow of the sleeping room Nellie
occupied. It was open, but me
folded letter he held in his hand
was too light to carry that dis
lance. Cropping about for some
thing to attach it to, he supposed
he found a piece Of wood. II was
really a bone that Miss Todd had
thrown out for the dog that after
noon. Slipping an elastic band
about tfe letter and the weight
Marvin flung it through the open
window upstairs.
Miss Todd, shortly atterWara
coming upstairs TO close the WIN
dow against draughts and me
night dew, guided only by the lamp
rays from the corridor, struck me
object with her foot, secured It and
threw it outside.
Some rubbish those needless
boys next door have thrown in'
she scolded. "They broke a WIN
dow in the hen house YESTERDAY
and I shall really have TO COM,
plain of them If they do not memo
their ways"
Nellie had occasion to pass ng
fence corner where Nimrod had Al,
cache the next day. The ANNA
was burying a bone, and as Nelile
noted this she observed the paper
surrounding It.
What is this. Nimrod, she chsl-
lenged. and took up the object sle
turned white and then red as sas
that the pages unioi1 ,,l
comprised q letter from Marvin il s
told her OF his love he pleaded WIZ
her to see him at least once NOR
before he went away. He toia Ae'
how precious would be the know
ledge. when on the battle rom
that he had left "A girl behind nll
who was TO become his wife Wass
victory had come and war u.s.
ceased. Nellie went straight in'0
the house. So.
"Aunty." she said, here Is lei,
ter / have received. II IS IT,
Marvin. He loves me and ] i0''
him. Shall I answer i'll? -.
Miss Todd perused the mlsss ~,
Her face began 10 soften y.
thought of the only love she ~,
had. whom her coQuetry had g..
away. never TO return, leaving ~
regret. instead OF a golden soI4V ~,
He. too, had been soldier IL w
Spanish American war.
She turned her face away lO'
was stained with tears. q.
Tell him to come, Nellie |
said simply.
famed in her cheeks. Slenae' p"
gers laced and interlaced. -. sse
"But IL can't take thar
protested. .-,ssd