Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-09-09
OF course, there are no such things

OF course, there are no such things
nowadays
What were they. them?
Bank thieves. The one that had
the pot shots was the very brute
drove out of the bank ut Coburg with
u bullet in himr"
Il knew it.'
LOT course You did. Bunny; so did I.
down i'll that strong room. But old
Ewbank didn't, and | thought he was
never going To speak again.
"'YOu're lelirious.' he says at last
Who i'll blaZes do You think you are
The new manager
The new managers in bed and
asleep upstairs"
When did he arriver
"'This evening
"'Call himself Raffes?
"'Yes.'
"'Wcll. I'm dashed" whispered the
real manager. Il thought ii was just re-
venge. but now l see what it was. My
dear sir. the man upstairs is an inn
poStor-if he's upstairs still, He must
be one of the gang. He's going To rob
the bank-if he hasn't done So alr~dy"
IF he hasn't done so already NUT
tered Ewbank after him; If he's up
stairs still! BY heaven, If he is I'm
sorry for him.
His tone was quiet enough, but
about the nastiest 1 ever heard. l tell
YOU, Bunny. l was glad I'd brought
that revolver. 1t looked as though it
must be mine against his, muZZle to
muzZle.
BETTER have a look down here first
said the new manager.
"'While he gets through his window?
No, no, he's not down here
Its easy TO have look
Bunny, il you ask me what was the
most thrilling moment of my infamous
career | say 1t was that moment.
There l stood at the bottom of those
narrow stone stairs. inside the strong
room, with the door a good foot open,
and l didn't know whether it would
creak or not. The light was coming
nearer-and 1 didn't know, | had to
chance it. And it didn't creak a bit.
1t was far too solid and we'll hung and
l couldn't have banged it If 1 tried; it
was too heavy, and ii fitted SO close
that l felt and heard the air squeeze
out in my face. Every shred of light
went out except the streak underneath.
ana It frightened. How l blessed that
doori
"'No, he's not down there l heard
as though through cotton wool. Then
the streak went out, too, and i'm few
seconds l ventured to open the door
once more and was in time to hear
them creeping to my room.
We'll, now there was not fifth OF a
second to be lost. But I'm proud to
say l came up those stairs on my toes
and fingers and out of that bank
they'd gone and left the door open
just as gingerly as though my time
had been my own. l didn't even for
get to put on the hat the doctors mare
was eating her oats out of as well as
she could with n bit or it alone would
have landed me. ! didn't even gallop
away. bat just logged off quietly in
the thick dust at the side of the road,
though | OWN my heart was gallopng,
and thanked my stars the bank was at
that end of the township in which L
really hadn't set foot The very last
thing l heard was the two managers
raising Cain and the coachman. And
now, Bunny
L
I'm sorry to say it Isl said Rallies
apologetically. The thing should have
ended with an exciting chase. know.
but somehow il didn't. | suppose they
thought l had got no end OF start;
then they had made up their minds
that | belonged TO the gang, which was
not so many miles away. and one Of
them had got as much as he could
carry from that gang as 1t was. But
| wasn't to know al that, and I'm
bound to say there was plenty of ex-
element left for me. Lord. how l
made that poor brute travel when l
got among the trees Though we must
have made it over fifty miles from
Melbourne. we had done it at snail's
pace, and those stolen oats had brisked
the old girl up to such Il pitch that
she fairly boltcd when she felt her
nose turned south. BY Jove, it was
no joke, in and out among those trees
and under branches with your face in
the name! l told you about the forest
Of dead gums? 1t looked perfectly
ghostIy in the moonlight, and l found
ii as still as 1 had left it, so still that
| pulled up there, my first halt and
idS MY tdl W lhe sIouHu ior TWO oF
three minutes, but l heard nothing.
not n thing but the mares below and
my own heart I'm sorry, Bunny, but
if ever you write my memoirs you
won't have any difficulty in working
up that chase. Play those dead gum
trees for all they're worth, and let the
bullets fly like hail I'll turn around
in my saddle TO see Ewbank coming
up like the wind in his white suit, and
I'll duly paint it red. Do it in the third
person, and they won't know how it's
going 10 end"
But | don't know myself" 1 com
planned. Did the mare carry you all
the way back to Melbourne!"
Every rod, pole or perch. / had her
well seen to at our hotel and returned
liz. Lnctc- in the l..l.liI...