Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-09-12
DAILY SHORT STORY
MY FRIEND HASTINGS.

One day stranger who gave his
name as Hastings arrived in town,
and after a little while il was given out
that he was schoolmaster from the
east who was taking a winter vacation
for nervous trouble. He didn't look
the typical pedagogue, but when 1 be
came acquainted with him / found him
first rate fellow. He seemed to take
ii liking to Inc as well, and after our
acquaintance had continued for month
he got into the habit of dropping in on
me when he saw my light evenings.
Along in March Mr.. Hastings went
away for three days. He was board
ing ut the inn, and upon his return, and
as soon as he had finished his supper,
he came to my rooms. This was about
8 O'Clock In the evening. We chatted
for awhile, and then he read law for
q time, and about half past 8, as /
laid my book aside, he looked up and
said:
Il had forgotten TO tell you that an
old friend came back with me to stay
4 few days. l told him if he felt like
it to drop up here this evening and be
introduced. You will find him a very
nice gentleman.
While l was making some apprOpri-
ate reply step sounded outside, and
the stranger entered. He was intro
duced as Mr.. Barber. and | no sooner
set eyes on him than / wondered how
Mr.. Hastings happened to be friends
with such an uncouth fellow. He
neither looked nor dressed like a gen
tleman. and as soon as he began talk
ing discovered that his education had
been sadly neglected. Once or twice
during the next half hour / caught
Mr.. Hastings making signs to his
friend as IL telling him to do less talk
ing, but they had no particular sig
niticance for me ut the moment. 1t
had come 10 o'clock when l arose and
shut the front blinds and saw to the
fire i'll the stove, as was my usual
practice. / had just emptied 4 scuttle
of coal in the stove to keep the fire
through the night when an arm was
passed around my neck. mans knee
was pressed into the small of my back,
and l was garroted in first class shape.
My breath was shut off by the arm,
and my back wrenchcd by the twist
the fellow gave me, and I suppose /
lost consciousness for four or five
minutes. AT any rate. when l could
take notice of things again. Mr.. Hast
ings was smiling down at me, and his
friend had finished tying me.
What are you doing with meE was
my natural query.
Just preventing you from getting
into trouble" was the answer. Jim,
go down and fasten the outer door and
bring up the tools
Il want to know what this meansw
l said in pretty bold tones as the man
disappeared from the room.
Mr.. Hastings sat smoking cigar.
In II lazy way he tiicked off the ashes
and smiled and said:
Il thought you We're far enough
along i'll law to tumble to plain case
when you saw one, but as you are not
will explain. We are after the
money i'll the vault below"
Good heavens, but you don't mean
to tell me that you are a bank rob-
ber.'
That's i pretty rough term for 1t.
Deplete is much nicer word than rob.
Yes, we are going to deplete the bank
OF its cash, and let me say to you that
If you hadn't put yourself out to make
my stay pleasant while here piping off
the job you would have been cracked
ON the head instead of gently assisted
to lie down on your back. Here Is
Jim, and we shall now get to work.
1t may help you in later years, when
you have bank case on hand, to
watch our operations. / don't think
you are fool enough to go to shouting.
If you are we can soon gag you"
While the men were stripping of
coats and vests and getting tools out
| Of u bag l lay there like a stunned
sheep. 1 couldn't get over it that my
friend, Mr.. Hastings, had blossomed
| out into bank robber, and / kept
wondering all the time If it wasn't
some sort of joke. l didn't think of
calling out, knowing that almost
| everybody was in bed by that time
and the streets deserted. Had I yelled
my loudest no one would have heard
me.
The plan of the robbers was to cut
| a hole through the floor of our back
| room directly over the vault and then
so down through the brickwork into
| the vault itself. They ripped up the
carpet, bored a few holes and then In
| serted saws and soon had a space four
| feet square cut out. They smoked and
chatted as they worked. and now and
F., then Mr.. Hastings turned to address q
word TO or give me a smile. In a little
time they were at the bricks, and as
| fast as taken out they were piled up
IN the room. They had gone down
through three courses when they sud-
| denly began cursing. There was q
steel plate under the third layer, and
had the robbers had the best of tools
they could not have pierced ii in three
| days. They were knocked out in a
minute. and to save my life couldn't
help but grin over IT. Hastings caught
me at IL, and after a scowl his brow
L IL nd xx-ith b,