Rock Island Argus., 1901-06-01
The Daily Short Story
JIM AND HIS INEz,


to go round the point to a village JAM
boree. a moonlight night. \ fascinat-
ing girl. l fancied 1 loved her and
told her so.
"Pshaw," she said, "you don't love
me. But like you. Up to this mo-
ment you have been n gentleman to
me. Ill forgive you this momentary
lovemaking. and Jim will have to play
his game with some other party. Come
with me-"
She darted around the pavilion with
the same light step that made her
waltZing captivating, and I wondered
as / followed her who Jim was and
what game he was up to. We came TO
the bluff that led down to the water
where the Ida's mast could be dimly
seen, a slender streak against the path
of the moon.
"Oh. heavens! They've goner' my
companion gasped.
"Who?"
''Your boat and the men,"
1t was true. The Ida had disappear
ed. and the streak 1 had thought her
mast was n blasted pine on the waters
edge.
MY friends have taken her out for
a sail. They should have taken me.
But never mind"
Your friends are a few feet away
and coming now. Do you see that
white spot out there? It's your pretty
little yacht. Jim didn't dare take the
AIable tonight. for the revenue men
have been watching her. Your boat
can beat anything but her in n light
breeze. But run TO the road. I'll he
there in n moment. They'll leave the
stuff near Huntington. Get your
friends"
\ suspicion that there was some
thing missing in that girl turned to-
real alarm for the Ida when the other
remnants OF the Mystic Three met me
and informed me that they had been
unceremOniously shaken by thciTSgirls.
With n few words OF what had happen
ed we hurried To the road. y wagon
was waiting there, and so was my
gypsyIike friend. Not n word was
spoken as we drove Off through the
tree arched roadway. We must have
gone three miles when our conductor
drew up the tired horse.
Promise me-" she said. that not
one word of this night will ever leave
your lips and that you will do nothing
to trace it up, and will save your
boat"
"But you? May 1 not find you
aGain?" l asked.
She jumped from the wagon. ana we
followed suit. Taking the horse by the
bride. she backed and turned him i'm
the narrow road. Go home. Sham"
into the darkness. What could we do?
We promised silence. Then my friend
took my hand and started into the
wood. We reached the shore. Two
boats lay near by. The graceful lines
and low lying deck of one were un-
mistakable. 1t was the Ida. The
mainsail was down and Tapped in the
water at the luff. There had been
haste in leaving her. The other boat
was n skipjack, one of those incom-
prehensible speedy boats of ungainly
shape that skim all over the sound. A
rowboat. another and still another put
out to the Ida. Two returned after
unloading something.
Now is your chance" whispered the
girl. for whom by this time I'd have
given up the boat. III bring that
man ashore and lose him. Take the
rowboat and get away as soon as you
can" Then, turning to me. she said,
"You may. but forget me-" and lifted
a pretty mouth. l did. but l have not
forgotten her. 4 man on the Ida In-
stantly dropped into the rowbOat, and
n few powerful strokes brought him
ashore. a short discussion. and man
and girl were gone. Little time it took
to spring into the small boat and little
longer to reach the Ida and set the
sails. even putting the jib tOpsail on
deck to set when we were away.
"By George. they're following us!'
The skipjack had set sail and was
chasing us. She gained. We recog-
nized her now as the Mabel. The wind
freshened and the sea boiled. But we
knew the Ida and laughed when the
cushions rolled off the windward seats.
while the dishes ratified in the lockers
and the water rushed by the cabin to
leeward. A gust sent the scuppers deep
under the water. There was some
heavy weight to leeward.
Three casks" sang out one OF the
Mystic Three who had crawled into the
cabin. zones busted, and. great Scott,
It's whisky"
"Shift themr' I shouted. and the
whole thing flashed across my mind. |
The Ida had been used by moonshiners.
We were flying before the wind now.
and the skipjack was gaining on us, as
we could not use our headsails-
Fire the things overheard. It'll
tighten us, and that's all they want" L
as the tiller tugGed hard. |
rhe Ida lugged n little in n strong |
breeze before the wind.
Excuse us. This IS n cinch. Let
hem hustle for it. Wen load the toy
cannon and scare these behind the time
pirates"
The yachts cannon, about foot long,
vas brought out on deck. 1t was
ough work loading it. but il was done,
ind hang went n quarter of pound of