The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-05-20
The Daily Short Story

for the intrusion of the log wherein
he had his home, but Rex did not
yelp at him. He was so glad to see
Dorothy in his masters arms-to
know they were both happy. He
could tell when things were all
right.
He also thought If Dorothy
should keep her arms about his
master, he would not again go
away. Nobody knew what a dog
suffered when his master was gone
a year. He pushed his nose into
what was left in his masters lap
and pounded the ground gently with
his tail. A hand from each of the
sweethearts met behind his head.
And three were not a crowd.
Dorothy was very silent about
her daily work. Her mother watch
ed her with anxious heart. She re-
membered the time when she and
Pa picked blueberries together in
gill dipper-he in knee overalls-
she in long sleeved tire"-both
with bare feet. Sometimes the
grown folks broke the bushes, and
she and the miniature Pa played
house and she was to make pies,
BURBERRY biscuit, and cake, and a
BURBERRY dumping.
She thought of winter, when he
pulled her from the end of a long
sapling, over the glazing ice, teach
ing her to skate. How frightened
she was Of falling and how it pleas
ed him to tease her.
A few years later came the husk-
ing bee, when she found the red
ear, and they dared the bashful IS
year-old boy to kiss her. Then tho
shy counting, broken by the hor-
rible verdict of Grandfather Down.
ing, forbidding the marriage.
Pa was too slow and stupid to
amount to anything. Lazy" grand
father said. How, after two years
of misery, they accidentally met in
another town and returned man and
wife. And now Pa had $4,000 in
the bank.
She sighed and studied Dorothy.
But Dorothy did not sigh. If
wretched she kept up a brave
'front.'" and her mother made no
comment. When Dorothy asked
her to go blueberrying with her
one morning ma was surprised.
I'VE don't need any more blue
berries. Dorothy" she insisted. But
Dorothy, with an inscrutable smile,
got the pals and .coa1ed her moth
er to go.
Mrs. Meredith resisted Dorothys
appeals to enter the swamp, bat
finally yielded when she perceived
there was reason for the request.
When they came to the log they
found it occupied by three people,
Jim, his brother and a stranger.
Jim rose and at once introduced a
man.
MRS. Meredith. this is my friend,
the Rev. Henry Flanders. Dorothy
has consented to marry me with
out her fathers permission. As
he set an example for US she does
not think he can have much of a
case against US. But she wished
very much to have her mother pres
ent at her wedding. l promisee
you solemnly, Mrs. Meredith, to try
to do all a man can to make your
daughter happy and comfortable.
II am surely in a position to do the
I latter.
"Old Rex brought US together
down here. We found our happiness
on this old log, and. as a clergy
man was stopping at my home, we
thought it a nice place to be mar
ried. without any fuss or bother"
| Mrs. Meredith was too confound-
ed to speak. and no one else ven
tured to make remarks SO the min
lister proceeded with the marriage
service. The crows and the souir-
rel kept still! until the knot wa.
= ded. being timid at the sight Of {