Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-04-12
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
A FOOLS LUCK.
ICopyrieht. 1eOe. DC. q. Eewis.l

cash. l call IL business deal. but
now that many years have elapsed
and no harm can come of it | may say
that il had TO do with laces which had
escaped paying full duty ut the New
York custom house. This did not find
out for myself until years afterward.
l was to be allowed two weeks to see
the sights of Paris, and, being n young
man of twenty-four. il was right and
proper that the head of the firm should
give me Il lot OF fatherly advice as 10
how 10 take care OF myself. When /
came To think it all over afterward.
could not help but see that he had
been more interested in the safety of
his cash than in my moral welfare. 80
l had been in Paris just one day
when l made friend. and ii came
about in n curious way. / had found
nv way to the Bots and taken a seat
on bench occupied by man asleep.
1 gave him no attention. and il was
while my back was toward him that
he was suddenly seized and hurled
across the path by young man OF
him Il gentleman. As the fellow arose
and sneaked off the young man ex-
planned TO me i'm fairly good English
that the canaille was trying 10 pick
my pockets as he came up. | felt un-
der obligations. of course. and as he
sat down on the bench beside me and
entered into conversation l found him
an agreeable gentleman. He was
man about town with plenty of money
and there was time when his name.
DARCY. had been enrolled among the
nobility OF France. / didn't think II
at all singular that he took TO me
and hoped / would permit him to make
my stay pleasant. l was conceited
enough to think il my due and TO
wonder IL bit why the rest of Paris
had not heard of my. arrival.
In the course of two or three days
Gustav Darcy and had become
chummy. He had told me all about
the estates he had fallen heir TO and
the improvements lie was making to
his different town houses and country
seats. aud / had turned myself inside
out TO him. There was only one thing
that l kept back. and that was about
the $4,000, but the week had not end
ed when glass too much made me
boast of that. If my father had
only beer Frenchman. I should
have claimed Gustav as a half brother
or something of that kind ana been
proud of the tie. l think he referred
TO that S1O.OO0 on several occasions,
hut carelessly. as became Il young man
OF millions. and he came 10 know the
very hour when | was TO receive 1T. |
was To receive il at O'Clock of Fri
day afternoon and start for Havre the
next morning ut . TO take steamer
for home.
Gustav didn't go with me to get the
money, but awaited my return at the
hotel. There was no hilarious rejoic-
ing on his part when 1 exhibited the
bank notes. He had paid sums of that
size for hairless Russian dogs He was
perturbed instead of hilarious. fearful
instead OF joyful. and it was all on ac-
count of the fact that he was to lose me
next day. When he could choke back his
emotion. we opened a bottle of cham
payne our last. and fifteen minutes aft
er drinking my first glass of it was
lying on the floor fast in stupOr. The
gallant and sOrrowful hearted Gustav
probably learned the trick from his
friend Jones while taking in the Bow
cry. All | remembered was feeling
sleepy The chevaIier probably lost no
time in possessing himself of those
bank notes as soon as / was helpless,
ond he had been gone twenty-four
hours before / could tell my story to n
policeman brought in by the landlord
courteous. He may have called me n
bayseed and a fool, but, if so, he was
talking to the landlord instead of me-
He said nothing whatever TO hurt my
feelings, not even when it was found
that Gustav had taken my tickets and
my last cent. He hadn't left me watch
or pin to raise the amount of my hotel
bill on.
l was lying in bed. with n head that
seemed big enough to fill the whole
room, when the policeman returned
after two hours absence. | was routed
out of bed and put in a. carriage and
taken to a hospital to identify my dear
Gustav. There was no trouble about
that. He lay there with broken leg
and his features had undergone no
change. Six hours after robbing me-
while on his way. to the depot to take
& train. his cab had been upset ana he
had received his hurt. He wasn't bit
glad to see me. but still he carried the
thing of very well. He remarked that
l was the biggest fool and the sOftest
mark he had run across during his ca
reer and advised me to accept OF n Ie-
gal guardian as soon as l returned to
the United States. He has everything
he had robbed me of. and when / ex-
pressed my surprise that scion OF no
bility should descend to knockout drops
and robbery he laughed in chorus with
the officers. There were certain for
malities to be gone through with be-
fore my property was restored to me.
and during the Interview / learned
that my affectionate Darcy had been
rIn wing. the cnnfidencf c..anna for tho