Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-05-06
DAILY SHORT STORY
.lOriginal.1
A Soft job


lOriginaL1
Two pals were sitting over their
grog in a cheap gin shop.
"Hev y tried tanythin' Vlately, Ev-
ans? asked one.
We'll, yes. Atried solthin' last
week"
"Make q haul?"
swell, I'll give V the YARN, and y
can make up yer own moind as TO that.
1 was readin' in the papers about the
swells that was livin' in the Thousand
acre shootin' places on Long Island,
and I says to meself, says [, Evans,
me boy, if v KIN git in within the serv-
ants o. one o them country places y
might do n fine stroke o business. So
1 fixes meself uplin store clothes, puts
some bills in me- pockets fur treatfn',
to go with the barney, and takes the
train to -. One mornin l goes to
the big iron gate o a fine place. and
keeps me eyes open till 1 sees the
porter leavin' the lodge with some
tools over his shoulder. Then I'walks
in as though L belonged to the place.
1t wasn't long before l sees young
woman come tearin' along on a mettle-
some cob and it was plain she couldn't
manage i'm. When she KEN up, sees
that she was frightened, and 1 Jumps
for the nag's head and grabs i'm. She
had on a black dress, with white col
lar The black dress andscollar looked
mighty like Il servant.
Eyer horse is mighty spring. 1
says.
"'Much obliged for stoppin 'im,' she
says. 'Ridin' among the trees is dan
gerous. 1 might have had me head
taken off by u low branch
fright v are says 1. 'Ye're fine
horsewoman. 1 don't wonder yer mis-
tress has v break in her cobs.'
'She looked at me Gurus loike and
says:
"'What re v dom in here?
"'I jist walked in to see the place.
says l. And fine one it is
"Do v know any of the servants?
"sNo. l don't, but I'm liken to make
their acquaintance
"'What for?' she asked, givin' me
sly look
"T'm a sociabIe man and likes to
spend me money in good company
"'Y' mean ye're in the perfession and
wants to git a chance to crack the
crib
"'Y' do me great injustice 1 per-
tested, reproachful loike.
"'Sposin' L gives y a chance, what
is there in it for me-?
''Y' could ha' knocked me down with
a feather I'd come all the way to
meet suthin loike this, expectin' to hev
to work me way stealthy, and here it
was throwed right in me face.
GIVE money in me pocket 1 told
her. I'll pay down $50 and if Y III
meet me in the city after the job I'll
give v share O. the profit
"I'Il not trust v for the profit she
says. Make it hundred and I'll put
v on the track o as fine haul as y
ever made in yer life
81 give her the hundred and she told
me when the night come to climb the
trellis at the back O. the house, first
maxim sure the lights was out and the
house quiet-after 2 o'clock in the
mornin', for the quality sets up late
and after crossin' the roof o. the porch
I'd find n winder unlocked. l was to
git in and go down the hall two doors
to the right, and I'd find the silver
stored away in a closet.
"'How will L git out o. the place with
the high wall and the gate lockedY
"Tll speak to the porter she says.
He's one of us. Be off now; it won't
do for us to be seen talkin' here. I'd
lose me place for that alone
with that she spoke to her cob and
rode away.
Il goes off half a mile or so in the
woods and wanders about till the mid
die O. the night. then creeps up to the
crib, waitin' two hours longer for the
last light to go out and an hour more
to make sure all was asleep. Then ]
goes to the back o. the house. and,
sure enough, there was the porch and
the lattice, with no trouble at all to
climb to the roof. 1t was but three
steps to the window, and when 1 tries
1t, it slides up as if it had been creased.
81 gifts into the winder and feels me
way along the wall till 1 comes to the
second door. 1t was standin' open, and
/ blessed the girl for maxim it so easy
for me. When l got into the room, l
shet it and, first maxim sure the cur
tains was down. TUX out me bullseye.
Openin' closet, l see heap all rolled
up in sheet and. feelin' of it, knows
by the heft that it was the silver.
''Well, / didn't grudge the hundred
I'd give the girl, for 1 know'd there
was q mighty lot of it and even melted
down there'd be ten times what I'd
paid for it.
"'Come out o. that says a mans
voice behind me, and, turnin', the lee
tries went up all over the house ar
onct, and cop had me covered.
'Well, they TUX me downstairs, and
there, in fine toggery, stood the girl