Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-12-15
DAILY SHORT STORY
BIue-Eyed Joe EggIeston.
[Original.l

derfOOt looking fellow over there?' in
quired passenger of the stage driver
during a change of horses, pointing to
man standing in the door of the express
office.
THAT? That's Joe EgglestOn. He
amt so meek as he looks. Jist We get
up alongside of me on the box for the
next relay. and I'll tell you somethin'
about him."
In Il few minutes the driver got the
reins in between his fingers, the man
holding the leaders let go and they
flung away down the road.
WAL, as to Joe EgglestOn." said the
driver when the pace had settled down.
Il always thought Joe Il quiet, inoffen-
sive chap with no great spunk till his
affair with Jennie Robbins. Jennie's
people were poor enough 10 eat gopher
meat, and as Jennie was as purity rs Il
pictur' and had all the men in the
neighbornood in love with her they
wanted her to make a good match.
Jennie was only fourteen at the time
they set their hearts on her marryin'
Thil Steere, big cattleman, but she
had all the monkey shines of Il woman
OF twenty She wasn't havin' much of
u time when Steere asked for her. so
she didn't object, thinkin' that with his
money she might make things hum.
He was forty, crOssgrained and mean
as sawdust.
"Shc hadn't much more'n said yes
when along comes Joe Eggleston, nine
teen years old and as fair loOkin' for Il
man as Jennie was for Il gal. The
men didn't think much of him. He
seemed a timid sort of Il Teller and
most of the time didn't even carry
gun. He was clerk in the express
office. and a man that dabbes in ink
isn't ginerally much good for blood.
But the wimmen all seemed to cotton
10 him. He had Il way of lOokin' at 'em
out of them blue eyes of his'n. At any
rate him and Jennie jist went together
like two magnets Joe knowed that
she was laid out for Steere. but that
| didn't keep him from bein' about with
her hull lot
''One day Joe sez to her, SEE he,
Jennie. there's goin' to be Il weddin
| down at the City hotel in Park City
Park City was relay station for the
stage line. and, as to parks. they was
on the maps of the town that was to
be. What dye say SEE Joe. 10 us
goin? After the pair git hitched there's
TO be n dance
'''Pll go with We, joe she SEE, but if
Mr.. Steere finds it out he'll put holes
enough in Yer body to make a culender
of We. Have We got a gun?
There's plenty of guns in the office
SEE Joe. III take a couple along in
case Mr.. Steere gifts on to us
''They lit out after dark, but, as bad
luck would have it, one of Steere's cow
boys saw 'em and went off to tell the
big cattleman that his little bird had
flown. Steere was kind of paralyZed at
fust. but the more he thought about
measly clerk takin' his gal away from
him the madden he got. He mounted
the fastest horse lie could find and dug
out in the direction Joe and Jennie had
started. He followed 'em all right
enough till he came TO where the road
] fOrked; then he took the wrong fork
This is why they got to Park City long
before him. If they was goin' to git
| married. they'd "a had time enough
| for q dozen hitchn's before he come
up. but Joe hadn't no money TO support
| a wife. They was jist folIerin' the in
| stinctS of two children of nature. 1t
beats anything the way SIGH will run
| their heads into a moose jst for little
| fun.
WAL, the weddin' was over. and the
| guests was all a-slingin Il lively leg in
| the dinin' room. the tables bein' piled
! mp agin the wall. A fiddler stood on
| barl scrapin away and calm Ladies'
III, 4 IaTf oil
| Joe was a-slingin' Jennie in turn cor
| nerS' when all of student Steere rode
| mp to the open door and begun 10 pump
! lead into the room. The change that
! come over that dance was remarkable.
| There was Il screamin' of wimmen and
| a swearin' of men, though none of the
men raised Il gun, for they never sup
| posed Steere would he shOotin' that
Away onless he was backed by Il dozen
| or more of his cowboys back in the
| dark holdin' the drop on the crowd.
"Then was when Joe showed no.
! Catchfn' sight of Steere outside and
KNOWN well what was up, he drawed
| with his left hand, for Steere had
winged his right, and begun shootin'.
mOvin' fOr'ard at the same time. Jen-
ME she got out his other weapon. and
as soon as he had emptied the first
handed it to him, and he kept on pump
| in.
Zone of JOe's shots knocked the big
cattleman off'n his horse. Then one of
the men said to joe, 'Ye little fool. git
out of this while We have a chance
| Some on 'em hurtIed Joe and Jennie
| out back door. and they made tracks
| for home. leavin' Steere to be carried
upstairs 10 room. where he lay for
a month not KNOWN whether he was
a-goin' to turn up his toes permanent
or not.
meanwhile some of the people told
him if he ever shot into dance agin
they'd give him a chance to dance him