Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-04-29
DAILY SHORT STORY
"A Change in the Wind"
[Orignal.I


after ALL
IN tell you the story, though I don't
expect you 10 believe it. Ill admit
that if l had seen it in fiction I would
have considered the author a fool TO
write such an improbable yarn. George
! was poor as Il church mouse. He had
been more or less of 4 waif, having
lost his parents when he was too
| young 10 remember them. He hardly
knew who had taken care Of him. ex-
! cept an aunt who had educated him.
! At eighteen he had entered the count
ing room of 4 mercantile hoaSe and
| had never got more than SO Il week.
! As for Alice, she was dependent on her
| father. who had hard time 10 get on
with Il pitiful income of $1,000 a year.
/ George and Alice were sensible and
made up their minds that they must
| give each other UP or be sure of a life
! Of misery, for George was an orphan
with no one TO help him. George went
out to the Treat home 10 spend Sunday
! and say gooGby. The lovers had 4
! narrowing time OF il. for there is moth
| ing more dreadful than one Of these
! long gOOdbyS. on Monday morning
/ George was obliged to 20 back TO town
| to his desk. and Alice trumped UP an
! excuse to go TO the city and buy few
needles and pins and such things, which
| she needed to patch her wOrnOut
| clothes.
George was TO get off at the Il street
station. while Alice was to 90 on to
the main depot. You know the tunnel
| is near the Il street station, and the
train pulls up just as it leaves the tun-
mel. George and Alice took advantage
of the darkness to indulge in Il long
embrace. Passing an air hole, George
| thought ii was the tunnels end and.
preferring that the other passengers
should not witness the parting. got up
and went to the door. But. seeing his
| mistake lie returned to finish the kiss.
Without Il word he sat down. put
his arm around the figure beside him.
drew her to him and kissed her There
was Il shrek. and Il few moments later
the train shot out of the tunnel George
! Spicer was sitting in seat beside Il
strange woman. Alice sat directly be
| hind
There was a racket and no mistake.
Alice tOBlltlu understand IL NItDE-e
| saw that ne had made an unfortunate
mistake. and the woman kissed was
furious. Casting Il piteOus appeal ut
| Alice for suspension of sentence,
George was hurryinG TO the door when
the woman cried. stop thief The
/ passengers interpOsed between him and
the door. and lie was not suffered to
leave the train till the woman had
been satisfied of his identity and his
address.
whether she really felt very much
outraged or was in hope that she might
bleed George. l don't know. BE that
as it may. that afternoon 4 constable
entered the counting room where lie
worked and arrested him for assault
on complaint of Mary StringfelIow,
widow. George was taken before 4
magistrate and held TO answer 20 tie
charge under bail of $1,000. He could
not raise 500 to save his life and was
obliged to 20 10 Jail. The poor fellow
was locked up. and it seemed as if the
world had turned its back on him.
The next morning the newspapers !
gave an account of his tranSgrcssion |
and its result. As soon as Alice saw |
it she went TO the Jail to sec him and |
was perfectly satisfied with his eX-
PLANTATION But the affair was 4 bad /
mixture. Since Alice and George We're |
not engaged and didn't intend TO be en- |
gagged, il wasn't pleasant for her TO |
come forward and explain matters. !
George preferred TO simply state that /
he had made a mistake and had in !
tended to kiss some one else. The re- |
suit was that he was sent up for i hun |
dred days. lie appealed from the de- |
cision of the court. His case did not |
come up until just before the cXpira-
ton of his time, and then the higher |
court instead of reversing the decision |
added hundred days TO the sentence.
During all this time the newspapers |
discussed the affair. the public being |
much interested. The case found its |
way into journals far and near. and |
when the unfortunate though ludicrous |
addition to the term of imprisonment /
was announced every newspaper in |
the land had something TO say about it. |
THE day before Georges time was |
up man came into the prison to see |
him. He had 4 newspaper in his hand, |
with an article announcing Georges /
approaching discharge. and asked che |
prisoner if he was the George Spicer |
named. George admitted that he was, |
though lie did so with fear and trem-
bling lest some other charge was to be /
brought against him. Then the stran- /
ger asked 4 dozen or more questions /
about Georges parentaEe and his |
childhood. Finally he announced that |
twenty years before Georges father |
had died in the far west and left S19.-
600 in gold in trust for him. The trus
tees had been hunting for him ever
since. and the money had grown to be |
about 100000
Alice met George at the prison door /
the next day and was surprised at his /
radiant appearance. He said he was
hungry and took her 10 n restaurant /
Alice had been saving for that very /