Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-15
The Daily
Short Story
THE BLUE DRESS.
BY Mildred White.

floor The elevator boy grlnned
into the girls glowing face.
Gee! You look happy" he said.
Il am happy" Mary tod him as
she smiled.
Out on the busy street crowded
with it's home-going throng, Mary
looked up to where early stars
shone above the tallest skvscraper.
Gwen a moon" she reioiced. as
if everything was not perfectly
perfect, without a moon"
She could hardly wait as she
climbed the stair OF the boarding
house, to fit the key in The lock OF
her small room door, to gloat
again over her new treasure. The
treasure was lying spread out upon
her bed, as she had left it in the
morning
Mary bent over the gown touch
ing it with caressing fingers, its
coming had seemed to be the eli
max to her happiness. And 50
long had sadness been little
Mary's portion! All things beau
ful-like this glorious fur-trimmed
frock-l1ad vanished at the time 8 f
her fathers death; when Devil
plan, Mary had gone forth to the
strange city, to earn her livelihood.
From the black dress, to the for
bidding boarding house. through
the Indifferent city crowd. became
a dull and accepted routine. Then
all at once hope called to Mary
again, and smiled, and beckoned.
Hope, in the form of a letter ad-
dressed in an almost boyish
scraWl.
Dear Mary" said the letter.
NO doubt you have forgotten me
among your city friends, but l
shall never forget you. Ida War
rem came back to Lynden yester-
day, and said that she had seen
you in an Office building where
you were working. And I thought
now, that I might presume to call
upon you; (Mary smiled at the
prim word if agreeable to yoJ,
when l come to the city. That will
be next Thursday; may l take you
to the theatre in the eveping?"
The lonely girl had sent a
prompt reply:
She would be glad to 90 to the
theatre with her old friend"
After her letter was dispatched
Mary sat staring across the city
roofs. Lawrence Barr had been
her girlish ideal of all that a man
should be, but Larry had never un-
derstood. To him in MS simple
cottage home, Mary, in her fathers
great house, was a creature to be
admired and approached with diff
n NIrhn l1n
parent greatness of her future had
crumbIed, did Larry dare to seek
out the one woman he deired to
make his wife.
Then, as though tickle fortune
in her sudden changing wished t.
leave nothing lacking, came on the
morning of Larry's expected visi,
the box from cousin Lucia. This
cousin of Mary's had been please
to send to her occasionally, Ger
tain discarded articles OF her own
apparel. These garments Mary
was usually obliged to -ast aside
as hopeless. But today's box bore
"a love of dress" as Mary men
tally called it, and blue, Of a color
to match Mary's blue-bell eyes.
Marys heart quickened as she
glanced wistfully at her compan
ion during the performance at the
theatre. If he could only know;
how good it was to see some one
from home again,-how very, very
good it was. to see-him.
But apparently did not know, |
or if he id, he seemed disinter-
ested in the knowledge.
"Good-by," he said briefly at the !
boarding house door, good night |
Mary and -good-by."
Through rush of disappointed |
tears, Mary in her little room
sought out the fastenings of the
beautiful blue gown. An envelope
upon the dresser drew her atten-
ton. 1t was a telegram.
Hastily she tore it open. "Tha |
wrong gown was forwarded to you |
from the cleaners, where | let !
two to be renovated" Mary read. |
please return blue fur trimmed |
dress to Lucia
Little Mary Smith laughed SHAH
lily as she brushed aside her tears. |
"Everything-goes back" she |
confusedly.
The boarding house maid tapped !.
Il
the door. Mary recognized Larrv's
familiar scrawl. !
Dearest" she read again. IT
cant go away without saving vha. !
l came to say, even though il il
OF no use. l have always loved |
you, Mary, and hoped that now
perhaps, 1t might not seem such
an undesirable change, from you-
present mode of life to my simpIe
home. Maybe it was the costly
gown you wore tonight which dis
couraged me; l realize that it's a
Tar cry from that sort of dress to
Lynden; and Mary. my heart is TO:
your happiness more than for its
own-so I'm leaving On the III
o'clock tomorrow morning"
Breathlessly Mary reached for
pen and paper, her answer must
go to him tonight by special deliy-
cry. Smiling, she folded cousin
Lucia's telegram into her letter.
Dear Larry" Mary wrote az
am glad that you do not have to BE-
returned like my mistaken blue
dress. I love you Larry. Above
all things I'd love to live as your
wife, in the little house at Lyn-
1en."