The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-05-02
APRIL WEATHER.
By Gail F. Whitehouse.
Copyright, 1921, by Wheeler Syn

tCOpvrlgnt, 1871, Dy Wneelef oyn-
dictate, Inc.)
April was abroad in Parkville. In
the little square in front of the Elk
building there stirred breeze, elu-
sive, gay, carefree as harum-scar-
UNI April herself; little patches of
very green grass had appeared mir
aculously since the night before: a
very fat robin strutted about cir
Gle of wide blown tulips and an
nounced in a thrilled twitter that
"he would a wooing 60; up and
down the walks marvellous hats
(yes, there were ladies beneath
them Haunted their projections to
the world at large; and beneath the
hats there were dresses. pink ones,
blush, grayish, lavenderish ones,
ruffly ones. prim ones, flirty ones
and II don't care as long as I'm in
style" ones; and slippers. Is it
necessary for me to explain that
there were slippers? Big ones. lit
tie ones and very Frenchy heeled
ones?
And on the row of benches on
either side of the walk a portion
of the male population of Parkviile,
with a smattering OF nursemaids
and round-eyed children, relaxed
and with puzzled but approving
eyes, wondered at the latest New
York styles. And everyone felt
young, and happy and
slightly romantic. Oh, April is gid
dy sort Of person!
Yet in spite of all this loneliness
and fashionableness, and 80 per cent
happiness which pervaded Park
vile, on the fourth floor of the Elk
building, in one of the front offices
a stoutish gentleman sat sulkily at
his desk, and chewed stoutish CT
gar, and was quite unhappy.
Now, the stoutish gentleman
wanted to swear. If anyone had
asked him just why he wanted to
swear, the answer would have been
neither logical nor satisfying
but it certainly would have afford
ed the stoutish gentleman an oppor-
tunity to discharge a long and care
fully acquired list Of cuss words
There being. however, no obliging
questioner, he conterted himself
with adding to his list three new
and exceedingly forceful adjectives
these he repeated three consecutive
times. Then he felt better.
OF course his collar still cut his
neck, he still remembered that the
barber had discovered a bald spot
on the topmost part Of his head. and
that he had an appointment with the
dentist for the following Tuesday
most of all, he remembered the hun
dred dollar check with which he
had parted that morning at the urg.
ent and rather militant demand o,
his wife-but still, he felt better
Sufficiently better to lumber to his
feet and cross to the window. HI
looked down at the little square
and In spite Of the fact that he had
slight cold in his head and wal
liable to get pneumonia or some.
thing. he quite recklessly showed VI
the window as far as 1t would 20
He shifted cautiously at the atmo.
sphere of-the square; then hi
shifted again. The air seemed t.
vibrate with spring; q mixture o,
marbles. odes to the spring-ani
romance. The next time the stout
ish gentleman breathed he dit
not sniff: he gulped the whole o.
the April day In at one breath, ant
grabbing up his hat rushed to tn.
elevator and rang tho bell five time.
with unnecessary enthusiasm. L
was several minutes before thu leis
urely operator came TO his assis
tance.
MY. goodness" grinned tina
young person az he opened tn,
door. Il reckon You got 1t, too. It'i
a mighty god thing for this bel
that April comes Jest once a year.
In Just one minute the stoutisl
GENTLEMAN had crossed The sired