The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-10-08
The Daily Short Story

Of a dainty ear, from which was
suspended a priceless ornament in
/ jade an extremely Iadylike but chic
| looking chapeau. But they could
! see these triEialities only in pass
ing. for after the first glimpse their
gaze was held by satiny cheek.
! adorable chin. cherry lips, piQuant
nose, long. dark Iashes that curled
upward enchantingly.
"Oh, boy, she's a pippint" ex-
claimed the impressionable Phil.
but in a discreet whisper. i say,
there's your story, Beautiful, Gull
/ tured girl. forced by family into
marriage with newly rich but 9TH
! erwise impossible man, twice her
age, Hourly contact with unrefin-
/ ed nature sickening her soul, Be
| ing exhibited to coarse friends as
an expensive object of art. Obliged
| to entertain cheap. boisterous peo-
| pie! Forced to endure loathsome
! caresses and insufferabIe familiar
| ity of her owner! (Note how pos
| sessively he regards her from time
to timeD Her soul sickening with
| the horror OF it all,
Another man. if you will, Real
| love for purity's sake if it suits
| you better At least rebellion
! which brings forth the mans bru-
| tally tObserve the thick bull
neck. cruel jaw Then. either spir-
it broken and resignation TO a life
! Of ugliness, slowing pining away
from spiritual and mental starva-
! ton, or an upTising-cTeature at
! bay, you know; and all that sorter
| rot-courageously efecttng a re-
lease from bondage!
'Or if you don't want that old
! line Of stuff-beautifuI daughter,
! reared among the highest cultured
IN the land, at a fashionable finish
| ing school, say; then forced to
home life with uncouth, coarse,
! crude father, who believes that his
millions more than justify his man
ners-or lack of them! Daily hu-
mutations! Private indelicacies
Public demonstrations, Friends Wis
IDLY amused. patronizing or dis
oalniul! All attempts to humanize
the brute, civilize the savage. I'M
availingi How's that, Al? There
are a hundred and one WAYS il
might end. Say, look at him now
Beauty and the Beast. Innocence
refinement, culture, sensitive
ness"
Phil Was interrupted by a voice
In front. She had not spoken be-
lore, but now that the sudden
iurching OF the bus had threatened
to roll her burly companion into
the aisle and he had moved close
10 her side to prevent such an in
dignity, she offered vocal obiertio1,
and in no uncertain terms.
Hey, shove over there RulI,
What dyer think am, anyway"
/ ask your pardon, na'am "a.
turned the big man quite poiitaly
That curve nearly sent me off tbe
seat. Twan't built for folks nv
size, anyway. Well, I'll sit across
the aisle there-rsckon you're SAT-
enough. Not apt to jump off tn
top of this bus, eh?' laughing
Huh! Better tie US together with
them bracelets, hadn't yer? I,T
some little escaper. yer knowtn "
iii tell the world you areu Ru,
il guess you're caught this tima
I'll take chance. anyhow" And
he moved across to the seat tha,
had just been vacated.
Al chuckled necessarily. Phil 90,
in flushed silence. When he couIG
stand it no longer he burst ont
Don't care. Al. the ideas werf
there, just the same. Fiction's ic,
tior. isn't it?-not fact always. I'm,
I'll make this very fact fiction. sef
Z I don't. I'll make a story out Of
1t just as it is"
And he did. This was it.