Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-01-16
DAILY SHORT STORY
A BROAD HINT.

| on two adjoining contiguous plots In q
| far western territory. 1t was not
large town. the inhabitants numbering
| not more than 100 families, and nearly
| all of these were original settlers. The
| people OF Brookmeadow did not en-
| courage newcomers. They were hard
/ headed sort and did not take kind
| " TO mushroom growth. What good
would it do u.s." said a citizen to one
| who asked what inducements the PEG
| pie would give him TO settle among
them. Ito get in lot of strangers? As
we are. we don't need any gov'ment ex-
cept on special occasions. No, sir, we
| don't want strangers
One day settler came to town who
| did not ask permission-a sleek, oily
man who could absorb information as
| silently as the sun sucks up water, but
never gave out any. A few days after
| his arrival ''shingle" was hung out
ON the street bearing the inscription
Anthony Waxem. Attorney at Law"
Brookmeadow thus far had no pro-
fessional man except a doctor and a
| parson. The introduction OF lawyer
was considered superhuOus. and the
question was raised whether Mr. Wax
EN- be allowed to remain. What's the
use a-doin' anything" said old Hon
ker. las will do itself? If lawyer
can make livin' in this community,
for my part I'd let him stay. It's my
opinion he'll starve." Old Honker'S
opinion was held in great respect in the
town. and IL was decided that the law
yer should not be interfered with.
When MIR. Waxem had been in Brook
meadow three months no citizen had
given him a case. and ii was not be-
lieved that he had had u case He had
spent much of his time away and had
been seen by several OF his fellow
townsmen at different times at the
frame shanty located at the county
seat called the courthouse But, since
he had 10 law business and no pros
poets of any. his early departure was
looked for
One morning there was u surprise
sprung on the citizens OF Brookmead-
ow. When they gathered at the post
office to get their mail the postmaster
handed each and every owner of prop
erty carved out of one of the contigu-
Gus tracts on which the town was built
a note bearing on the corner of the en-
velope the name of Anthony WaXeni,
Attorney at-Law." The recipients of
these notes were Informed that there
was a flaw in the title of the original
tract whereon their property was To-
Gated. Mr. Waxem had picked up the
flaw and for Il consideration would
give Quitclaim deed to every lot If
this was not satisfactory he gave no
tice that he would begin suits OF eject
ment
Thus half the citizens OF Brookmead-
ow had been euchred by the man whom
they had been waiting to see starvo
or depart. They We're not an eX-
citable people. but every man left the
postoffice with lowering brow. That
evening a group of prominent citizens
assembled in the meeting house and
appointed a committee TO have the rec
ords searched with II view to deter
mining Mr.. WaXem's position, and II
it was secure to take such measures
as were necessary toward clearing the |
title
1t was one week before the commit |
tee were ready to act; then they went |
in body to Mr. Waxem's office. That |,
gentleman, being perfectly confident |
of his legal position and believing that |
they had come to offer n compromise. |
though he received them urbanely. re- |
solved that he would not give an inch
from his original demands.
MIR. Waxem,' said the chairman.
I'VE have taken legal advice and find
that you are right. But these people
bought their lots in good faith and will |
not pay blood money. Many OF them
can't afford 10 pay. and If you insist
they must be turned out of their
homes. Now. we have decided to give
up that part of the town the title OF
which you are interested in to you,
all the houses TO the other
tract. VIII that satisfy you?"
Perfectly" said the lawyer, consid-
ering the proposition bluff.
with one proviso." continued the
the property held by
you is to be used for cemetery"
This singular provision somewhat
puzzled Mr.. Waxem.
I'VE shall need" continued the
"a corpse with which to
open the cemetery, and we have
thought that in order to do away with
all dispute in reference to the title
hat corpse should be the person hold
ng an undisputed right to occupy the
AS the chairman spoke the last words,
he opened package he carried under
MS arm rolled in an old newspaper
and displayed about twenty feet of
,ope. at one end of which was moose.
Mr.. Waxem had by this time caught :
he spirit of the argument and turned
pale.
"Since the dedication and opening of
he new cemetery" the chairman went
IN, "are appointed for tomorrow after
loon at o'clock perhaps we'd better
prepare the corpse" II
The chairman cast his eyes to the !
selling with a view to discovering +;
something to which the rope might be ;