Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-23
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE GIRL IN = SAILOR COLLAR.

! TIE O!RL I'm - SSlEOH SOGITNr''
LOrigiu1Ll
Travelling in the west whore tie stage
coach is not yet obsolete. riding be
side the driver. l asked him 10 narrate
some adventure that had happened to
him willie ON the box. This is what !
succeeded in drawing forth:
When they was buiIdin' the Union
PACING | was drivin' between Jules
burg that was the end of the rail-to
Denver. One night I'd scarcely got
out o. town when l could see i'll the
dusk the tigur' of Il gal skippiT along
the road ahead of me. When l ketched
up with her She turned Il frightened
glance at me, and. feeln' kind of
Gurus about her, l asked her to cit
up on the coach. l give her Il hand and
lifted her TO the seat you're occupyin'
how. She didn't seem inclined to talk,
and as l pushed her pretty hard to do
50 She climbed up ontcr the hindmoSt
seat. where | couldn't git at her.
When we made the second change of
stock it was dark as pitch, for it was
10 o'clock and a cloudy night. Soon
as I'd twisted the ribbons i'll the brake
I turned round toward the gal and
found her sprawled half on the seat
and half on the coach top. I went
back to her and found her dead, with
Il knife stickin' into her heart.
Well. the body was sent back to
JulcShurg. where there was an inquest.
The gal was recognized as one of the
kind that made up the population of
that temporary settlement, though she
hadn't been at the place mOre'n two
days. The coroner didn't give himself
much trouble about the case. and as
for suSpectin' me he knew | hadn't no
motive fur the act Them rough and
tough people was always a-killin' each
other. and the gal was probably run
min away from some I'm who follcred
her climbed up over the boot and
stabbed her.
The railroad reached Laramie. and
Julesbcrg was deserted. l was drivin'
from Laramie one night-it was just
about rs dusky as when l TUX on the
gal Il year befOre-whon l see Il Teller
ahead of me beside the road washin'
his hands in Il pool O water. When /
come up with him lie didn't seem to
notice me, keepin' on washin' his
hands as though he'd got pizen on 'cm
and was mighty anxious to git it off. !
noticed he was mighty pale, and. not
likin' to leave human being who
didn't seem quite right out 50 far from
any one, l asked him if he wanted Il
lift. He turned his face on me. and /
give YOU my word, stranger, il was the
widest loOkin' face l ever see. He
washin' his hands. More II ever dis
likin' to leave him, l asked him ag'in.
This time he stopped his washiu' and
climbed up. l wanted him 10 set by me
SO 5 l could pump him. but he went
uD 10 the back seat and never said
word. l concluded to let him alone,
and as he didn't say nothin' ! forgot
he was there.
Bimeby | remembered him and look
ell around To see if he WAS ali right. 1t
was Il dark night. but l could see his
fiEur'. fur il stood out above the sky
line. But what surprised me was that
close beside him was another figur,
which, ii seemed 20 me, was woman.
But l wasn't certain that il was
either man or wOman-I wasn't GER
tain that it was any living thing at all.
/ didn't want to make a mule o myself
by askin' the Teller If he had any one
beside him when 1 wasn't certain there
was anybody there. 80 l jist attended
to my drivin' and let him alone. Not
hearin' no conversation. l concluded
I'd been mistaken. and TO make sure
turned 10 look ag'in.
II that what he was a-lcanin' up
ag' in wasn't gal, then l hadn't eyes
capable o drivin' six boss team.
Couspi,u was q white sailor collar
where the neck ought ter be. and l sud
IDENTITY remembered that the gal that
had been murdered had Worn jist such
Il collar. l had 10 supply the head by
ina Cinin' il. but bimeby il seemed TO
me the face Of the murdered gal came
out o the blackneSs.
l must have been fustered, for
didn't show 10 kind o sense. Il ii