Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-02-12
DAILY SHORT STORY
The MiIIionth Chance.

Gus side glances which enable a wom-
an, without turning her head. to COM
pass wonders of vision. Then she
flushed rosily.
You are very hard on him." she
breathed softly. careful of the nearby
clerk at the glove counter in the big
department store.
Hard nothing" grumbled Mr.. Brad
ford. If there's any impractical ami
mai on the face of the globe it is an
inventor Take that Internally foolish
scheme of his. for instance-that spring
cushion he has invented to attach TO
the bottom of elevators in case Of
fall. Now, what do you suppose the
percentage of accidents on an elevator
isl
How should l know" retorted his
daughter. with a superb feminine con-
tempt for statistics.
LESS than one in a million jour
neys,'' said her father triumphantly if
not veraciously.
Just the same" returned his daugh-
ter obstinately. 1T must be very dis
agreeable when that millionth acct.
dent does happen
Her father walked stolidly toward
the machine in question. Sarah trail
ing obediently after him. though her
thoughts were otherwhere. and her
eyes now vaInly swept the crowd for
n glimpse of young Fielding.
Il suppose you are not afraid TO go
up" 1eered Mr. Bradford as the two
found themselves the only occupants
of the cage as it rose TO the fourth
floor
.Of course I'm not" said Sarah re-
sentfully. Then she added artfully,
You talk about inventing as though
it was Iike-well. like drinking.
lit is as bad as drinking" said her
father sOlemnly. "or as the cocaine or
the poetry habit. Any one of these
will ruin a mans career. Now, Sarah.
don't he all day choosing that scarf for
your mother
This last as they stepped from the
car. Mr.. Bradford was secretly afraid
of the majestic females that swept to
and fro on this special floor. their demi-
trains gliding noiselessly over the deep
carpets. their eyes fronting his with
an insolent scorn that quite abaSbed
him. tyrant as he was apt TO be ut
home. A.
Mere man." they seemed to be whis-
pering among themselves. Finally the
banker solaced himself by going to
window and looking out on the street.
Hence he did not see Fielding step
from the elevator in the next moment.
He was not aware that two heads were
bending together over the scarf. on
which neither of the young people saw
aught OF the colOrs
But even the choice of scarf cannot
last forever. 1t was premuturely ended
by the return OF the magnate. who
turned as purple as the Persian silks
before him when ne beheld the pretty
tn bleau.
He grew more purple still when Field
ing quietly entered the car with them.
But the banker choked down his wrath
on rejecting that even inventors can
lawfully ride in any public convey
ance. Then he snapped angrily at the
elevator boy:
why are we stopping before this
blank wall, you young procrastinatOr?
DO you think this sort of thing is en-
joyable?"
But the boy. Il lad of sixteen. newly
on duty. went white with terror.
''Somethin'S wrong up above" he
"JOsh. he's been drinkin'.
! knOwed. though | never told. Some
thins wrong. and the brake amt hold
in right. It's slippin'' he ended in a
shrilI yell
Three floors to fall" thought Field
ing as he seized the half fainting girl
l,f H.. H..
Don't be frightened. any OF YOU. My
cushion attachment was sold the firm
last week. If it's on
Aye-if, How large a word! AS
the cage shot downward at fearful
speed. very slightly broken 10y the
yielding ropes. the banker found a
whole century of thought compressed
into that brief period. \ voice cried
in his ear that il was Il Judgment on
him. the cushion would not be there.
that the cage would strike The ground
with the sound so happily denomDated
by the newspapers as q "sickening
.hud.' He saw himself and his child
piled in a mangTed heap-he 10 whom
life had always seemed so substantial
and sure.
Then half dozen women waiting
n the basement saw the failing cage
shoot downward and rise again like a
rubber ball. When it came down the
second time il rested quiveringly on
the springs. while inside was au undig-
nifie6 mass. which presently astoRish-
Pd the watchers and the component
parts OF the heap lay resolving into
four badly shaken but quite undam-
a Sed people.
The elevator boy staggered out first.
Gee he stammered. holding his
head. If l don't get even wild Josh
for dat, never thought we'd stop
his side of Chiny,''
Fielding followed. half carrying
Sarah. who chung to him with de
icious abandon which made him wish
such accidents might Toe frequent
As TO the banker. he spoke but little J
uuriI Fielding had landed father and :