The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-03-31
CALL0USED HANDS.
By Miss Dorothy Piper,
Copyright, 1922, by Wheeler Syn
dictate Incl

| Copyright, 1922, by Wheeler Syn
dictate, Incl
The dainty and well-manicure ed
fingers of Hilda Blair moved deftly
among the tea things as she poured
and served the steaming beverage
to her young guests.
We'll, if | ever marry" she de-
clared, handing a cup of tea to the
girl on her right, II am going to
marry a mana real live man,
with muscles and, yes, with cal
loused hands. No shimmying fox
trotters or society pirates for mel
This remark caused a great deal
of comment and amaZement among
the girls whom Hilda was enter
tanning in her luxurious apartment
at the Misses Gregory's fashionable
boarding school. That Hilda Blair,
whose father controlled millions,
and whose mother held the most
enviable position in exalted society,
should even think of callouse1
hands, was bad enough, but when
it came to marrying them-Why,
| that was preposterousi
Then several years flew by, and
Hilda, like all other girls in her
set" graduated from the finish
ing school, where she had learned
thoroughly how to powder her nose
in a genteel manner, the art of
flirting without making oneself
common" and how to juggle a tea
cup in an .over-crowded reception
room without spilling the con-
tents.
Next followed her debut dance,
and after that she took her place
among the eligibles in the marriage
market. And the suitors came in
dozens, Hilda was beautiful girl,
and Papa Blair's money was not to
to Hilda-she would have chosen
any of them and, with a sigh OF
relief, exclaimed: We'll, that's
that" But Mamma Blair was the
musical director, ringmaster and
advance man of the Blair outfit, so
she said. wait awhile, daughter,
until something really worth while
comes along"
Mr.. Really Worth While made his
appearance in the form of a count
from Cordova, or some such coun-
try The count was long on names,
but short on looks and shorter on
funds. But the match was consid-
cred an ideal one; approved by d
title-mad mother, patronizing fol-
lowers, and a father whose objec-
lions would have amounted to little
if submitted. So the courtship be-
gan in earnest. The couple golfed
in the morning, motored in the aft
ernoon, and jazzed almost every
evening. Hilda sported a solitaire
as big as dime, and everything
was going wonderfully well. Then
the inevitable happened.
For some time past as they mot
ored, Hilda had been comparing the
chauffeur's broad, athletic shout
ders with the stopped, narrow ones
of her affianced husband Also,
she found something irresistible
about the way her chauffeur's hair
waved about his temples. Mr..
Count of Cordova's head resembled
new, shiny billiard ball. Then
the chauffeur had eyes that were
bright with happiness and health
and the love of living, while the
eyes of the count were red, dissi-
pated looking and thoroughly re-
pulsiye.
One afternoon. shortly after Hilda
had discovered the physical attrac-
tons OF the man at the wheel, they
were driving in the country. The
count had just finished relating ons'
of his everlasting accounts of
when l was A lad in Cordova." 1t
was then that Fate took a hand
that caused an up-to-now perfectly