Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-05-28
DAILY SHORT STORY
The Weapon of David
IOriginal.1

What We goin' to do that for: he
won't Farm nothin' except how TO play
games. Them athletics takes all the
students time nowadays"
There are wus things n athletics.
Seems 10 me I'd ruther have my boy
git strong than git rarnin', though
they're both good. / knOwed 4 Teller
onct that got his start in the world
from baseball practice. While he was
in college he KEEP up his farnin'. but
KEEP up the athletics too. When he got
out into the world he found himself in
fix where the rarnin' wouldn't "a
been no use without the athletics.
This was the way OF it:
when | lived out in Nevada it was
a mighty rough country. Gamblin
an mimi was the two perfeshions,
gamblin' bein' considered the more re-
spectacle of the two. There was two
or three lawyers. doctors an SIGH like
in the place an few editors. Nike
Gallagher was ,runnin' the Diamond
Drill newspaper an tryin' to establish
it by a fearless course. He was al
ways attackin' the worthless. an this
way he got the support of the thrifty.
DdL liz iltiN ~ hO a SOOG dN&lA Va II sum
an wouldn't have nobody in his en-
ploy that couldn't shoot. One day a
young man just out o college came
along and asked for position.
Young man. said Gallagher, the
positions are all vacant just now. The
managing editor was killed last week.
an the local will be buried tomorrow.
For the next few weeks there'll be
pretty hot work for any one that takes
hold on the paper, for we're bound to
run the men that shot 'em out o. the
town. Can you shootT
NO said the young Teller. I never
had any practice
"'WelI. then, I reckon I'll have to
give the position to the next appli-
can't
1.-The young Teller thought n spell.
then he said: 4 can throw straight
enough. was pitcher for the univer-
sity team and was counted the best
pitcher the nine ever had
The young man had the edication.
though the next applicant knew how to
fan the hammer and all quick shoot
in tricks. but rarnin' was out of his
line. Gallagher TUX the college man
and set him to work at onct.
THE next mOrnin' there was siz-
Zlin' article referrin' to Il certain man
who had shot the local editor. goin'
over his past history like Il harrow
over field. Blackleg. vagabOnd.
drunkard. murderer. was the terms
used. Soon as the Teller saw the arti-
Gle he went to the Drill office. climbed
the stairs, and the first thing the new
employee saw was the muZZle Of
cooked revolver comm through the
door, The next thing was an arm and
the next Il mans body. OF course they
was comm mighty quick, but not too
quick for the editor. He caught up an
iron inkstand and. Jest as the mans
face showed within the door. let fly.
takin' him plumb in the temple.
well, the next mornin' there was an
obituary in the paper recountin' the cir
cumStance and warnin' the man who
had killed the managin' editor that
enough of his record was known at the
Drill Office to land him in Jail. When
the new editor met him on the street
that afternoon the Teller was a-comin'
out of the metropolitan gamblin' sa-
loon with two revolvers strapped to
his hips. The editor had ks pockets
full OF stones and seein' his enemy
reachin' for his gun, got out Il two
FOUNDER rock and landed it in the mid
die of his forehead. The Teller dropped
like lead. but got off with conclusion
or the brain. When he got well he was
warned by the committee to light out.
and he lit.
But the end hadn't come yet. The
toughs didn't like the idea of new
Teller comm in with what they consid-
cred a barbarous way of fghtin'. SO
one Of 'em-the moanest. low lived cuss
in the territory-give out that he was
goin' to down the editor with the old
fashioned weapon-the revolver. The
next day the newspaper man was walk
in along the street when he heard a
sharp cry. Look outr He had to do
a pretty quick job of thinkin', which
was this way: Not seem an enemy in
front, he concluded there was one be-
hind and bullet was comm right off.
He wheeled Ike a fash. takin' Il stone
from his pocket as lie turned. got his
eye on q man bringin' a revolver to
bear on him and put stone right
ag'in the weapon. knocEin' il twenty =
feet away. Before the Teller could
draw ag'in the editor sent another
stone that broke his jaw. This ended
the scrimmage.
The fact that the editor set an ex-
ample OF goin' about unarmed-stones
wasn't considered arms-had q fine eff
feet on the community. The best citi-
Zens declared that carryin' OF weapons
wasn't necessary or civilized, and the
committee posted a notice for all 10
disarm. Any man that was caught
with weapons on him would be shot
down In his tracks. The Diamond
Drills circulation increased. and as the
town became safe and respectable trad
ers came in and advertisements flooded
the paper.
THAT was the way the young gradu-
ate got his start IN life. and ] reckon
that when a man has got his start
the better his education the more fitted
10 t. 60