Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-10-13
that's none of my business. Go on.

Aaron
| Aaron went on. He had it that Ce-
| sar was poor and out of job and dis
| couraged when he happened TO find a
| diamond ring In mudhole. He could
| have got an advance of $50 on it at a
| pawnbroker's, but he actually went
hungry fur three days while huntin up
| the loser. Struck by such q display of
| unselfish honesty. the owner presented
| him with ST5, took him under his wing
| and in time made him king"
That's another tally fur the affirma-
| tive" said the deacon. land 1 guess
I'll give Aaron the same number Of
p'ints as the rest Alvin Bidwell, Of
| the negatives, is hitchin around in an
| anxious way, and Wen hear what he's
| got to say in favor of dishonesty
"Fouer me back TO the days of Julius
Cesar" began Alvin in his ramblin
| voice, but thar was yells and whoops
and protests from Ebenezer, Jonas and
Aaron.
Its Gurus coincidence, I'll admit"
said the deacon when he could be
heard. but l don't see how we kin
| help but foller Alvin back II he insists
| upon it. Everybody must have a fair
show. Alvin, hadn't You as lief be fol-
Tered back to the garden of Eden or
Dan'l in the lions denT
Alvin stuck fur Julius Cesar and
went ahead. He found Julius poor and
discouraged and Twin on turnips, and
he related how the young man sat
down and thought it all over and then
decided to steal Il hog He stole one,
sold him for So, doubled his money on
boss race and finally made a place
and name for himself. Had he con-
tlnued to be honest he would have
starved to death and been buried at the
expense of the town. His dishonesty
enabled him to become king and to do
good to millions.
The TALES are even so fur" said the
deacon as Alvin sat down, land Wen
now hear from Philetus Johnson on the
affirmative side"
''Follet me back to the days of julius
Cesar" began Philetus as he rose up,
and then thar was a row. 1t was n
full ten minits before order was re-
stored, and durin that time most ev-
erybody got his head punched at least
once and his coat torn up the back.
BY and by Deacon Spooner said:
Its Il shame and a disgrace to the
town of Jericho to carry on in this
way. 1 notice that Lish Billings. who
don't Ebelong on either side, has Jest
come in. Lish. do you want to say
anything"
Not very much" replied Lish as he
looked around. I'D simply like to ask
if anybody here has lost this half dol
lar"
He held up the coin in his fingers
There was Al men in the room, and
every single one of 'em, incIudin the
deacon and the squar, replied that 1t
was his.
"As to the Debatin society, it may
be a good thing" said Lish as n grin
spread over his face; but, as to the
subject of discussion tonight, l guess
you'd better drop it and let it stay
dropped. This half dollar has bin in
my pocket fur two weeks, and every
one of you was willin to lie to git hold
OF it,
Then Lish moved softly down stairs
and went home, and after the rest of
the crowd had sat and looked at each
other fur two or three ninits in an
way the president put
on his hat and said:
Instead of follerin anybody else
back to the days of julius Caesar, l
guess we'd better foller Lish Billings
down stairs and call the thing bust
ed" NJ. QUAD.