Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-02-16
DAILY SHORT STORY
MY NUGGET.
IOriginal.l

regions ana sunk d nOic- oAy
ideas OF fortune had begun with visions
Of owning one of the big mines Of the
state. had been reduced to making
few hundred thousand dollars and had
finally settled into discoura cement and
decision to go home as poor as had
come. This l did not relish, for had
girl there whom had left several years
before with a lordly scorn at her sug-
gestion that 1 should settle down to
hard work at home, with her to keep
house for me and do the hewing Of
wood and drawing of water. 1 would
go west make fortune. and she would
have a corps of servants TO do the hew-
ing and the drawing.
l gathered up my camp kit, put my
pick on my shoulder and started of in
an aimless fashion. / was not settled
In my mind what to do. At home there
there was poverty alone. 1t was
pride that made me irresoiute about re-
turning. Passing cleft in some mix
ed rock and earth. a prospecting instinct
was still strong enough in me tosinduce
me TO put the point of my pick into it.
Almost Immediately l took out a mug
get which from its looks l judged
might be worth 5000 or $4,000. All
my wild dreams required to me, and l
dug on. expecting to make a strike;
but, though | spent several days at the
work. found no more gold in paying
Thap I resolved fn Syn homo
/ came to this resolution in the even
ing and after scratching my initials. on
my nugget went to sleep. The next
morning it was gone. Some one pass
ing must have seen me sleeping and
robbed me.
l had thrown aside a few Jumps
from my hole for more careful tinspec-
ton and now examined them, finding
three of aggregate value sufficient to
pay my expenses to the east. 1 was
still determined to go home.
In the stagecoach that was, to take
me to the railroad among the passen-
gers We're two who were noticeable, a
staggering miner with a pistol strap
ped to each hip and a diminutive trav
cling parson. The miner admitted that
he carried $4,000 worth of dust in his
belt and would like TO see the man
who would get it away from him.
The parsOn was beside himself with
dread lest road agents should attack
us, starting at every sound from with
out. The miner was telling how he
had once beaten off half a dozen rob
beers single handed, when a shot was
heard. the driver came tumhing from
the box and the coach came TO a sud
den stop. 4 single masked highway
man stepped up TO the coach door and
opened il with his left hand. while in
his right he held short cooked rife,
and ordered us to alight one by one.
This precaution he doubtless took be-
cause he was alone.
The miner, being nearest was order
ed out first. He stepped out nimbly
enough. The robber took off his re-
volvcrs and slung them by the belt
over his own shoulder, then ordered
him to disgorge The miner handed
him lump which at a glance 1 recog
nized as my nugget. 1 got out next,
then the others, except the parson,
WHO SiTdllh lIilO u COIICI
Spare me, my good man! Oh, spare
me, I'm a man of God, with but
few dOllarsi''
Come out o. that rOared the rob-
Der. ''or I'll make hole in your
This threat seemed to throw the lit
tie parson into a spasm Of fear. He
still shrank back. piteously begging the
robber to spare his life. The robber
put his head and shoulders into the
stage. seized him by the collar and was
dragging him roughly out, the rife
meanwhile being lowered. when we
heard a shot. and the rObber rolled
back on TO the coach steps face up
ward. There was small round hole in
his forehead from which the blood
oozed
The quickest change / ever saw in
my life was in the parson. He was
bending forward with a smoking Der
ringer in his hand which he had held in
his sleeve and with which he had,
quick as fash shot the rObber. Seeing
the latter quite dead, he sprang forward,
kicked the body down on TO the ground,
and ordered me to go to the horses
heads and uniOosen the reins, which
~ TIT tAtl dtOAnh a III W hAltcis
then. as the miner stopped to take his
pistols from the dead robber, the par
son dragged him back by the collar
and in a twinkling clapped a pair Of
bracelets on his wrists.
Jim MaXey," he said to his prisoner,
Il came up from Denver for you.
You're wanted for the Simpson rob-
berry
The effect Of this sudden change was
reviving to all save Maxey, who was
sullen enough. told the detective that
the nugget the thief had passed to the
road agent was mine. and he said that
could have IL il i could prove prop
erty. This was easy, for 1 had only TO
mention the mark / had put upon It
He examined IL and gave me my prop
erty at once. being convinced that
owned IT and not caring to put me to