Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-12-24

severe. He began mature life rs a fiatboat
captain, and finished his training as sheriff of
an Indiana county. A born ruler, at 80 years
| OF age he knew absolutely nothing of any
methods save stern command and force ready
for instant application To this he added
habit of perpetual fsult finding.
He had been going over the hoary harangue,
with which some old people have insulted
young ones since the days of Homer, about
the good boys and the industrious young men
Of his early life and the degenerate sons Of
these days, when Alberts satirical humor
| rose.
"You're mighty little account now, i" said
the father. ''What'll you be at my ageln
II suppose" said Albert, unconsciously
initiating his fathers sheer, I'm do like other
old men-sit and tell lies about the big things
| did when was a boy.n
1t was one OF those insults which some men
consider ''the first blow, ~ and the second fell
promptly. Raising his broad, right hand,
and foaming with rage, the father brought it
down fiat across the sons mouth. The blood
few from Albert's nose as he staggered back
He rallied, gazed an instant on the father,
then turned away with clinched teeth and
set purpose.
He sought his conhdant, Sam McCorkle
the drunken shoemaker's boy near by, who
was Of the same age rs Albert, but knew
hity times as inucn OF the tricks ana devices
u the oPpresSeu' AT ~ years sam was an
expert IN eVaSiVe tricks' at 10 Ne was SIMPLY
aProdigy.
ihese TWO mao met ana conferred oiten-
tue sad, cyhical skePtic, "hose iatner was
among Ine "eH-oo-uo FARMERS Oh the couinu-
nifty, and the finished trickster, whose father
was tue ouvcas', tney oiuen ihu out wonder
tui pians Oh me Ia instant regions put soon
iair young race rose before ALBERT Merrltts
yves ana ne eoulu not make up ms nllnd 70
Jew wears before his schoolmate. But now
| Albert WINS resolved II Helen thouqbt Of
| him as often as he did of her. she wouid wait
for him to return, and IL she were worth the
winning she would respect him more for
leaving the discomforts of his present life
Thus he reasoned
Late that night two lads with small bum
dies might have been seen. but took care not
to be. ON the river road. and IL was soon
known to all the community that they had
left the place.
OF farewells the bows had said none
Alhart had ind...d written = hrisf meta 20
his mother in which no rcd h,ddar h,,,. =
good-bv full Of clumsilv xorded Tenderness
and another 10 Helen, which he had formally
begun Miss Helen Blake and In which he
had as formally expressed the hone that.
though absent perhaps for Years. he would
not be forgotten. These epistlss no took with
him in his flight. and n dav or two latar on
trusted them 10 Sam McC,orkls 20 nost but
that individual fearful that the routa ~ de-
parture would be p1,assed hv, the y,oStmart
calmly DESTROYED them oIthau-h ~. scla,,,,'
lv declared ~ AlI,er, ,hat he bad aa,,os;,aa
than IL, the ,.,s,0, 80 ,.,,,,siI,.oIlf -
tvo - ,yar,, ,,,,;, .,,, -, - tn IN,
,.o.,d - - 49, s"' "" iio"' 'ne oiu
That e., -. :. .,. isui'
~ - a. -. sss'' LOT ,ne ngnt
- -. :. n'''ui a. 'uHe ne Shopiu' "hlie
- % - pi.ue VI anger remains teil any
oue ~ siS soiro" "ouiu De contrary TO all
, Meoi'.s precedents IN such cases William
S Ile,'t was as NOT 'he man TO violate prece-
uents OF discipline. lie held himself stifiiy,