Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-07-27
TOLD ABOUT TOWN.


A Young Females Swindling Opera
tions-The BARRIERS Mist&ke.
Strangers remaining in the waiting
room Of city depot pending con.
nections by which to reach their re-
epective destinations contributed
financial assistance to an apparently
distressed yet bold-faced-litt!e
creature who approached them with
pitiful tale Of hardship such as
would move the sympathies of the
average human for a considerable
length Of time recently, until the
ticket agent became acquainted with
the swindliDg stories related by the
girl. Her operations were then or.
dered to cease. less she would be
treated to a police court rehearsal.
The girl, while of a diminutive ma.
ture-a material essential in her
Observation-Disclosures has but few
summers to pass through until she
will have attained her majority.
She resides in the upper end Of the
city, and it is not of necessity that
she follows the life of a beggar for
sustenance. On the street She is
neat appearing; entering the depot
her countenance Immediately told of
sorrow and distress. Her makeup
was shabby for want of addi-
tional replenishment. Approaching
a stranger-fcr she was always care
full that it was no one else-with
tears ready to flow, she would unfold
her tale Of woe. ORe of her peas
was in this strain:
please give me a penny-or more
if You can spare it. No; 1 have no
h5me. My father is in a hospital.
mother is dead, and l am trying to
get enough money to get to my aunt
She lives in New York Tor somewhere
else. just as she happened to like).
And then l am so hungry. too"
She had stories of q different ma
ture. and the sincerity with which
she related them succeeded almost
every time in touching not only the
heart but the purse of the traveller.
The money would be squandcred for
fruit, candy and the like.
One night she told her troubles to
the wrong person, for it ended her
begging in that place anyway. He
was travelling man, and undoubt-
eddy suspicious of her story. cross
questioned the girl until she became
saucy. The agent overheard the
proceedings, and gave the two
fronted female to understand what
was what. She has not put in an
appearance since.
Watched His Movements,
The BARRIERS wife took occasion to
keep tab on his maneuvers Sunday
evening, when he departed. from the
household domain with an air that
seemed to create the impression in
her opinion that he might forget his
connubial responsibilities and fall
into the companionship of the fell
lows and go on carouse. He was
stationed in the doorway OF a store,
putting a cigar and making jolly
with younger acquaintances. A
white form lodged behind
door on the opposite side of
the street. The spinach-remover be-
came suspicious. He cast his search
lights in that direction and observed
attentively. At frequent intervals a
head would bob around the corner of
the door. Probably some fair damsel
was having little Irritation with
him, he pondered. But nay. He was
confident that it was his better half
shadowing him. 10 remove any
doubt he concluded to saunter down
one side of the thoroughfare and up
the other and investigate.
Nearing the darkened doorway the
suspense was anything but pleasant
If it was wiley her suspicious of his
flirting inclinations would be well
founded; if some one else-well that
would be different. With his ewes
and shivering like south
erner in Iceland, he peered into the
doorway from the center of the walk
only to receive a pleasant salutation
from, his wife! She took him by the
inside wing and started homeward-I
proud Of her Hackshaw proclivities
and little better posted concerning
hubby's weakness. But he-thcre
was no use in showing any evidence
OF displeasure-the best way out of it
was to take the medicine and saw
wood.