Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-03-24

tbdt Is t:1Sy passed Gown tne lower CeCk
aft. They mentioned at the time that this
process had a rarely outstanding iniiu-
snce. Prevented the boys from being up
pish. Showed 'en what the white man
could 90 when he spread himself, taught
'em humility, in fact say, there's a
pull toward this bottom pocket. People
have been sitting on the table"
''Mr. Cambel, Mr.. Cambel, you are
making very serious accusation against
one of my ships companies.
Accusation? l: Never a bit Of it. The
fellows only acted according to their
lights. That's the only way sailormen
know OF getting krooboys to work, and it
was case of getting them to work or hev
ing the natural sack from you. And SO as
they didn't know another method they
fell back on knuckie duster and monkey
wrench. I'll play you so up"
Mr.. Shelf put up large white hand.
mo, no, don't play billiards myself. So
many young men have been ruined by the
pursuit that l refrain from it by way of
setting any example. But my friends
who visit here are not so scrupulous, and
have the table for them"
Beautiful said Cambel He might
have been referring to his own billiard
shot or to Mr.. Shelf's improving sent;
ment.
you see, Mr. Cambel, from my posi-
ton, so many people look up to me that
it is nothing short Of my bounden duty to
deprive myself of certain things and be, SO
far as possible, humble model for them
to form themselves by. Long before a
constituency sent ne to parliament de-
voted my best energies to outstanding
the lower classes, and hope not without
success. If appreciation is any criterion,
may say that l was elected president of
no less than y Improvement societies. 1t
took me much time and thought to attend
to them. Yet l wish could have given
more
THAT pocket does pull. There's a regu-
lar tram line toward it. HIM! Mighty
good work of yours But doesn't it sour
on you sometimese Don't you want n day
OF occasionally? \ run down to Monte
Carlo. for instance?''
Monte Carlo! You horrify me, Mr..
Cambel. You are my guest, and cannot
speak strongly, but this is very poor jest
OF yours
We'll, perhaps you know best about
that place. Monte Carlo is risky at the
best of time for some folks, because you re
/ bound TO facet crowds Of people you know,
and If they aren' on the razzle dazzle too,
and pinned to diplomatic silence through
their own iniquities some of them are apt
TO split when they get home again. But
l don't know why you should be Mortified,
seeing that we are entire Guatrc yeuX here
and not en- one of your pious example
platforms. You know, you've been in a
far hotter shop than Monte Carlo Watch
me pocket that red. All, rouge perd-Bar-
celona to wit. If you remember, You were
staying at the Quatro Nacioncs, and at
nights you used to cross the Rhambla,
and"-
My God, how did you know all this?''
do you remember Directing to take a
sheaf Of obviously spurious notes, and
! there was q row, and somebody whipped
out knife, and somebody else 1oored the
knifeman with q chair?'
"Yes-no.'
after which you very scnsibly boltcd.
Well, senior, had only just that moment
come in, but saw you were fellow is
lander, and that's why handled the
chair. You don't remember me, and
didn't know your name, but recognized
you the moment your wife introduced US
Eere, because l never forget a face"
You're mistaken. I never was in such
place in my life, sir. Think of the po-
sition occupy. Why, the things absurd +"
Now, my good sir, don't play Peter
here. I'm not going to give you away. No
fear. Why should 1? 1t would probably
ruin you, and / should stand self convict
ed of having been in the lowest and most
desperate gambling hell in Europe with
out being made n sixpence richer by the
transaction. Only you didn't know me,
and you thought didn't know you, and
fancied it would be handler if we were
open about one anothcr's little ways at
once before we went on any further Who
knows bat what we might stand in at
some profitable business together? Oh, see
that! Bad luke and an eight shot,
Mr.. Theodore Shelf stood before the fire
place and drew handkerchief across his
forehead with trembling fingers
What business did you refer to?'' he
asked at length.
Mono whatever. I'm not a business
man. make discoveries and don't know
how to use them. You're a business man
ana may be able to see where the money
profit comes in. If you can, why, then
we'll share the plumber. If you can't.
were neither OF US worse off than before "
But this is vague. What sort of dis
coveries? Have you found q mine.''
No, Sir, in the present instance chan
nell
"A channel? don't take you
uSSP leaulOG up TO q
coast and in beyond it, where everybody
else supposes there is nothing but shallow
water. The government charts put down
the place as partly unsurveyed, but all i'm
possible for navigation. The upgrowth of
coral. they say. is turning part of the sea
into dry land In a large measure this is
true, but at one point. which l have dis
covered. river comes down from the in
terror. and the scoEr of this river has cut
deep narrow channel out through the
reefs to the deep sea water beyond"
In confidence, could you tell me where
this place is?''
In confidence, I'll tell you it is on the
west coast Of Florida-on the Mexican
gulf coast. The interior of southern Flor
ida is called the Everglades It's partly
lake, partly swamp, built up of many
groves, saw grass, cypress trees and water,
tenanted by snakes, alligators wild beasts
and few Seminole Indians Only one ex-
petition of whites has been across tor
rather only one expedition known to his
tory. But I've been there, right into the
heart of the EvergIades-in fact, I've Just
come from there, and Melted 81 900 OFT
Of the trip
How" asked Shelf.
Never mind exactly how. That's cart-