Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-04
The Daily
Short Story
AN INTRODUCTION TO A LOVE
STORY.
BY Pauline d. Edwards.

went to the closet on the third noof.
took out his winter overcoat, made I
grimace at the odor Of moth balls. car
ried the coat downstairs, put it On.
and through force Of habit thrust hin
hands into the side pockets. His right
hand encountered something which
he took out and found to DO Z smal1
package.
Jack did not remember having left
anything in the pocket when he put
away his overcOat In the spring, ana
unrolled the package with consider
able surprise and curiosity. It con.
sisted Of little boz which contained
q, solitaire diamond ring and q photo
graph Of one Of the prettiest girls be
had ever seen. On the photograph was
written: kiss me, Jack. Your low
| ing Dorothy" .
"You bet" said Jack, II ! had yoe
here I would kiss you not only once.
but hundred times"
From the picture he turned to the
coat. The cloth was Of the same pat
tern as the one he had worn the win
ter before, but bore the name Of 4
tailor Jack did not know. He at once
concluded that he had changed coats
with someone.
All that day while at business Jack
was making figures, but while doine
so he was dreaming. Evidently he had
stumbled on a romance. The photo
graph undoubtedly belonged to some
other Jack; the ring denoted an en-
gagement between this man and Dor
othy. How came they In the overcast
which must have belonged to the other
Jack? Then hope entered Jack
Hornby's mind that the engagement
was broken and the ring had been re-
turned. But how about the photo
graph? Probably the other Jack had
intended to return it, and broke down
at parting with it.
If the lover, or whoever he was, had
been named Tom or Dick, Hornby
would not have been so moved by the
invitation to take a kiss. As It was.
he was caught. kiss me, Jack"
would not be banished. Jack looked at
the picture dozen times q day. and
every time his eyes dropped from the
girl to the words written below.
| Jack bethought himself how he
could return the ring. Honesty may
have prompted him to do this, but
honesty was mere bagatelle COM
pared with his desire to find the girl,
and when once found he would need
no urging to accept the osculatory in
trrsf Ia - -
his find, but this plan, II successful.
would produce another Jack, and
Hbrnby had no desire to find him.
/ A few evenings after the find Jack
went to his room and noticed in his
waste paper basket the wrapper which
had inclosed the articles. He took It
up and held it, to the light. He dis
covered faint pencil mark: 343 Wal
nut street. The paper had doubtless
been torn into two or more pieces and
there had been name above the ad-
dress, the name being on another
piece of paper.
! Jacks heart beat high. The address
I was either that of the man OF the girl.
Without waiting to eat his dinner.
which was ready for him. Jack went
to No. 343 Walnut street, rang the
bell, and told the maid that he was
looking for Mr.. Trotter. Did he live
there? No. Who did live Eere.. Mira
Thurston. Jack apologized and de-
parted.
But he had won. In a living room.
doing some fancy work, sat Dorothy.
4 The next day Jack sent the ring to
Miss Dorothy Thurston with note
stating how it had come into his pos
session. He gave his address and
signed his name A letter Of thanks
came and the young lady asked il the
finder would accept a reward. Jack
replied that the only reward he would
accept was a photograph that was In
the same parcel as the ring. "But." he
added, "if the photograph belongs to
anyone else than the original l will
return it to the owner on being given
his address,"
An answer to this came stating that
the photograph did belong to sonle-
one else. Jack was invited to call on
the writer for an explanation.
!. He lost no time In calling. The
young lady received him with the re-
serve due a stranger and said to him:
'Since l am under an obligation to
you for returning the ring. which !
have sent to its owner, think l az
least owe you statement as to the
words written on it." She called Jack
dear, come here.
: A boy about years old came into
the room. He went to the young lady
who said: kiss me. Jack" The kiss
: made Horribly envious. The girl con-
| inued, speaking to Horribly.
Il don't think you will care to have
, me enter into details how the photo
, graph and the ring came into the same
package. since this would involve mat
tiers in which you have no concern.
will only say that the photograph was
taken surreptiously by the owner OF
the ring. Now that j have removed
any reason for you to consider me
: The young lady was stalled for any
, expression and gave UP trying to find
one, continuing: Il cant see why yeu
should consider this photograph IN
, the light Of reward for returning .
valuable ring. but if
Jack interrupted her. MY name is
: Jack"
The girls eyes dropped to the hoor,
The story. instead of ending. begins
: here, and would make book.