Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-01-04
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE BUSH GUINEA.

fOriginal.1


element the story teller can make use
of. Per contra. there are incidents that
would pass the general reader unno-
ticed. but would be seized upon at
once by the writer of fiction.
long while ago. when Bristol. Eng
land. was growing rich with the profits
OF the West India trade. a stranger set
tied in the town. taking lodgings near
n famous old inn called the Bush. One
day soon after his arrival In Bristol.
about the noon hour. he entered the
coffee room of the Bush. seated him
self at a table near u cheerful fire-fOr
il was late i'm the autumn-and called
for II glass Of brandy and water.
Would you like to see the London
paper. sir!" asked the landlord. hand
Ing him the sheet.
Thank you" said the stranger
Now the act OF the host was notice
able from the fnct that the stranger
bore about him no evidence of prosper
ity or that he would make n customer
for the inn worth cuitivating. His
clothes We're seedy. his body was lean,
and he WAS bent over I'm a confirmed
stoop- He read the paper through. paid
sixpence for his brandy and went out
The next day he came again at the
same hour. called for a sixpenny worth
OF brandy. read the paper and depart
ed. He never gave n waiter a fee. new
er took n meal in the house-indeed, his
expenditure was but sixpence a day
which included the monopoly for the
noon hour OF the paper. He was mani
fsStlv a N I'm 1T
stances. and IL was not long before he
came TO be known rs the poor gentle
man.
Never for a moment did John Weeks.
the landlord. intimate or permit any
one of his employees TO intimate that
the stranger was something of q
sponge. On the contrary, Weeks would
reserve the paper for him every day
and gave out that when the poor gen
tleman'' had IL no one else WAS to ex-
pect It.
Christmas came without the poor
gentleman" even having called for any
thing to eat I'm the house. and Weeks
made up his mind that his guest should
have one good square meal free OF
expense. The day before Christmas
as the gentleman was departing. the
landlord stepped up To him and said:
Tomorrow being Christmas. sir. we
keep open table. and ! should esteem
1t great honor. sir. il you would par
take of orr hospitality"
The poor gentleman" muttered his
thanks and went out, neither accept
ing nor declining the invitation. The
landlord feared that. though he had
put the case as delicately as possible.
he had wounded his feelings. placing
himself I'm the attitude OF rejecting on
his guests parsimony. His feelings
We're relieved. however. by the gentle
man appearing the next day punctually
at l o'clock i'm the same seedy garments
he had hitherto worn. Seating him
self at the table. lie partook OF a dinner
with the apparent relish OF one to
whom square meal was novelty.
not failing TO do justice to the rare ale
for which the inn was noted far and
wide. After he had eaten his fill the
landlord handed him his paper. which
be read till he had exhausted every
word. then rose to leave. Weeks. who
had enjoyed the satisfaction his bene
ficiary had shown I'm the one meal he
had taken I'm the Bush. stepped up to
him and helped him to put on his
coat. To cap the climax Of his gener-
osity the kindly landlord slipped a
Christmas gift Of guinea into the
poor gentleman's" hand. The re-
cipient looked at the gold piece. then
at the landlord. sighed: something like
a smile lowered for moment about his
lips: then. buttoning up his coat. he de
parted
That was the last time the poor gen
tlenan" was seen at the Bush. Wheth-
er his absence was that after such
Kindness he was unwilling to trespass
further OH the generosity Of the land
lord. whether lie had suddenly died or
gone TO some institution. Weeks did
not know He only knew that his
guest came no more, and he missed
him.
John Weeks was too generous man
to make money. He gave shilling's
worth for n shilling. and when the
owner Of the building he occupied adj
veTtised II for sale he had no money to
buy 1t. aud all that he possessed, which
was the good name ef his hosteIry and
the business he hal built up. was tn he
n dead loss.
The advertisement Of the sale ap-
peared In the London papers. and one
day wien Weeks spirits were at the
lowest ebb at the grim prospect before
him he received n letter from a famous
London banking house stating that IL
he wished TO acquire the house he oc
cupied he might draw upon them for
the purchase money.
Was the offer bona fide or cruel
joke on the part Of some one who knew
his desires? Weeks made up his mind
that the only way to find out was to
go TO London and present the letter.
He lost no time I'm reaching the me-
tropolis and. going To- the bank. sent
the letter In by a messenger with the
that the person To whom
IL was addressed was without. He
was not kept long waiting the messen- |
ger conducting him info n Driyate Of