Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-01-17
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE MAN WHO CAME BACK.

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copyright, 1905. by Mcclure. Phillips Co.
People who could, remember Samuel
Hastings as a boy and a young man
and Nancy Lee as a girl and young
woman could not recall that either of
them was particularly disputatious OF
obstinate When the two got married
1t was called a good match, and all
seemed to go well for three or four
| months. Then 1t was known that argu-
ment and dispute We're the order OF the
| day
About a year after marriage and aft
er they had had numerous disputes and
separations Samuel came up from the
potato field one day and said:
Ding my buttons, but them potato
bugs are. just going for the vines to
beat all creation. l wonder why they
have so many more legs than bug"
.Hbey haven't" replied the wife.
Eyes. they have. They've got sixteen
legs. and you can't find bug with
over twelve"
They haven't got but ten legs. I was
looking at one this afternoon"
Sixteen, Nancy"
"Only ten. Samuel
was q boy twelve years old and
working for the family, and 1 heard
the dispute. There was no anger in 1t.
but each party was mulish and deter
mined. They kept up the dispute for
three hours, and at length the husband
said:
Nancy, I'm not going to stand any
more of this. If you insist that later
l. I1-- I0,v \
house"
Il say ten and shall stick to 1t, and
if you want to leave you can"
Next morning Samuel left. He had
about $40 in money and bundle OF
clothes. and he did not say where he
was going-in fact. he walked off with
OUT word. and the wife stood in the
door and saw him go and made no eff
fort 10 detain him. 1t was a small
farm. and when he had been gone a
week she hired n man to do the heavy
work. and things went on as usual.
One day. year and half later, the
missing husband walked into the house.
He looked about as usual. and hung
his hat up in the same old place as if
perfectly at home.
'Howdy, Nancy?" he saluted, and she
saluted him the same way.
Dinner was just ready, and he sat
down ut the head of the table. They
talked about the farm and the crops
and the weather, and when he was
through eating he showed back and
said:
well. Nancy. are you ready to give
in that later bug has sixteen Iegs?"
ho ,lrvt
she replied.
Are you going to stick to it?''
Till die
And | shall stick to sixteen"
He picked his teeth for awhile with
out anything more being said and then
rose slowly up. walked outdoors and
was not seen or heard of again for over
two years. His own people did not
know where he was and held no CORE
spondence with him. The matter was
of course known to everybody for five
miles around. and there were many
who thought II their duty to wrestle
with Nancy. She would listen to all
they had to say, and when they had
finished her reply was:
Just as long as Sam Hastings can
stick to sixteen l can stick to ten. and
he may stay away and be hanged to
him.
Samuel's home coming on the second
occasion was good deal like the first
His wife sat on the veranda sewing
one summer afternoon when he turned
in from the dusty highway with a bun
die on his shoulder. She knew him as
soon as she saw him. but she made no
fuss over it. When he had reached the
veranda he laid down his bundle and
said:
We'll, Nancy. l don't see that you
have changed much"
''Nor you either
Feeling purity well?'
''First rate"
"So'm l."
Then they discussed the neighbors
for an hour. and she said:
Il suppose you will stay to SUPERB
ooh, / guess So
He stayed, but when the meal was
finished he asked:
About them tater bugs"
"They have still got ten legs" she re-
piled.
Couldn't make 'em sixteen. could
your
Not if l was to be burned at the
stake. Samuel, you know what a de-
termined woman L am
What q mule, you mean"
"Then you are just as big a one.
Just as long as you stick to sixteen I
shall stick to ten"
"Then goodby to you"
Three minutes later he was out of