Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-15
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DAILY SHORT STORY
RIGHT SMART O. FUN.


| even pay his son the wages he gave
| the hired help. OF course the old man
was rich. Stingy people always grow
| rich. But what bothered Sam was
| that his father wanted him TO marry
| Farmer Dudgeon's daughter because
| DUdgeOn was as rich as himself. Molly
| Dudgeon was very unattractive
! young woman, and Sam would have
| none Of her.
| So one fine morning in June Sam
was missing on the farm. ana a young
| man who might have been his twin
| brother. calling himself Bob Burton.
| applied for work TO John Ketcham.
| whose unpretcntiouS farm lay twenty
| miles distant. The harvesting was on
and men We're hard to get, therefore
| Bob Burton was engaged.
| Now, il happened that Farmer Bur
! ton had a daughter Bessie, one of six
| children. who was as pretty as 4 ripe
peach hanging in August sunlight, and
| Burton cor sam Singleton was as
much Smitten with her as he had been
| repealed by Molly DudCeOn. There was
something winning about the young
| man, ana BESSIE was as much attracted
| to him as he was TO her.
| BESSIE was a quiet little mink. one
! of the "still water runs deep" kind.
and was 50 prudent as to her meetings
with Sam that her father, especially
since he was busy getting in the crops.
| knew nothing of what was going on
| till it was too late. Then he dis
| charged the interloper and put his
daughter under strict watch. lie had
nothing against sam, mind you. eX-
| cept that he belonged to that uncertain
| class, extra farm hands, many of whom
| are 4 tribe shiftlesS. kctcham would
| have been glad enough to marry his
| daughter 10 n man possessed of 4 few
acres. some stock and utensils, but a
| rowing farm hand never.
Well. BESSIE remained the same duti-
! full child, SO dutiful and unresisting
| that one would suppose butter wOuldn' t
melt in her mouth. But one morning
| III October. when a white hoar frost
| covered the ground, her mother, going
| TO the spring house for some honey,
| east her eye up the road and saw her
| dutiful daughter jump u fence, get into
| Il buggy with the discharged farm
| hand and ride away.
Pa" she called 10 her husband, who
| at the moment came out of the barn
| door. "RcSSic'S gone away with that
| mis- able Burton Teller. iist seen her
| git into Il wagon with him up yonder' -
Without Il word Farmer KetclIa N
turned back into the barn ANA began to
| harness up. The only light convey
| ance ne had was out with his only rca-
| sonably good roadster lie put the
81, i,+n
| ed heavy wagon and drove away in the
| direction the fugitivcs had taken.
Now, the county seat lay ten miles
away, midway between the Ketcham
| ana Singleton farms Sam was bent
| on reaching it and a justice whom he
| hoped to find there, with view to a
| speedy marriage. He didn't know their
| flight had been discovered and didn't
move in Il tearing hurry till he heard
a familiar creak behind; then he laid
| on the stump of Il whip. and the race
| began. Three quarters of an hour later.
| after various yiciSSitudcS and delays to
| both pursued and pursuer, the young
| couple dashed up to the courthouse.
| jumped from the buggy and ran up the
steps.
As soon as the loungers saw the
| couple drive up in such haste they
! knew there was Il runaway match.
| EloperS always have the sympathy OF
| observers on their side aud in 4
| twnklinC every I0ungCr became a
| swift footed messenger hunting for the
! justice who was not in his office. Sam
! ana Bessie had scarcely reached the
| room where the good man worked
| when old Ketcham drove up and like
wise dashed up the courthouse steps.
Get in there" exclaimed lounger,
| pointing TO the open door OF vault.
! The couple did so. and the door was
! closed, save crack for air. In Il few
| moments Kctcham poked his head in
ut the door and. seeing only one man
| looking out the window and another
| reading 4 newspaper. went on through
the building in his search. Mean
| while the Justice arrived. and the con
ditiOns were explained to him. Since
| the impressive marriage service was
liable TO interruption in the office. the
| justice went into the vault. There
| was no light there. and he was obliged
to proceed from memory. When near
| " through he heard n commOtion in
the Office Some one had told ketcbam
what was going on in the vault. The
two men in the office were barring the
way. and the old man was fighting for
! an entrance.
Feel for her hand" exclaimed the
justice. Got it, All right. 1 pro
! nounce you man and Wife
When the couple came out and
! Farmer Ketcham learned that his
daughter had married the heir 10 the
| Singleton farm he asked Sam why lie
| hadn't told him and saved sill the fuss.
Wouldn't "a trusted father any
more'n you" replied Sam. Besides.
there's right smart o fun in a run
| away"
Farmer Singleton was Is rampant
about the marriage as Farmer Ketch-
am was secretly delighted. Singleton
| repudiatcd his son and made a will