Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-05-04
DAILY STORY,
TIMID NANCY.

When ! was apI ointed payInaster at
the mills l was sayen little shanty
in the yard for aDv office. l wanted
safe, but they W ouldn't give me one
The money was handed me in en-
velopes to pay out Vat once. l maae
closet in the shanty with 4 lock and
bolts SO that if l must leave the money.
there for short uime / could lock 1t
up In lieu of Il clerk 1 had slip or
q girl. Nancy O'S.eil when she came
TO me was only fifteen, but she was
bright. and l soon worked her in to re-
lievinG me in my accounts. She was
delicate. pale faced little thing, and
never felt it safe to leave her alone
in the office with amy cash there.
One dag l went un to find Nancy on
u chair looking frightened half out of
her senses 1t was the old story of
woman's timidity, and there was
mouse i'll the room.
Nancy L, said. this won't do. I
am obliged, AS you know, no keep
small sums of money in my desk, and
we've got mem at work we DON'T know
much about. Suppose some rascal
should come in here and nelp Himself?
I'm afraid I'll have to demand' man
assistant"
was fully minded TO do what l
said but Nancy begged soihard that L
promised to do nothing in the matter
for awhile longer, though 1 was de-
termined totbring the matter up at the
3 x-h n
changes wereUisually made.
One Saturday soon after this IL re-
ceived the pay envelopes for the5 week
and took them to the office. u was
about starting out with them when
received an order to go at onces to the
presidents office. Meanwhile zone of
the principal directors had come in to
talk over some important ma tier with
him, and when 1 arrived l WAS told to
wait. l had left the pay envelopes in
Il big drawer in my desk. L would
have put them in the closet. but l had
been checking them off with Nancy,
and they were scattered over the desk,
and. not daring to keep the president
waiting, l opened the drawer scraped
them into it, locked it and toll Nancy
| would be back in Il few minutes.
While l was waiting / thought about
the money i'll the. desk. but nothing had
ever happened, and l didn't worry
much.
At last the president summoned me
into his private Office and told me that
they had taken up the matter OF eX-
penses for the coming year, and, as the
profits were dissatisfyinG todhe stock
holders. he had decided to reirench. A
number of the less important employ
ees were to be dropped, andu must get
along without Nancy. This Vet me out
of the responsibility of sending her
away, so 1 said nothing and hurried
back to my Office, my mind occupied
with how I should break the news to
her.
When l entered Nancy Was looking
out of the window watching for me.
determined to get the unpleasant duty
off my mind at once and commenced to
tell her that her services would be no
longer needed. She tried to stop me.
finished what / had TO say. To my sur
prise she didn't seem to pay any at
tention to the matter, waiting till had
told my story; then, coming near. she
whispered:
There's a man in the closet"
"a man.
Eyes. He must have seen the CASH
ier's clerk come in with the envelopes,
for no sooner had you gone than he
came in and told me that if didn't
give them to him he'd Kill me. 1 had
to make up my mind pretty quick what
| would do, for, you see. I'm only
girl and he looked so fierce and held
knife at my throat
"Well?' / Interrupted impatiently.
Il knew that If didn't do something
right off,
.'Cut it shortr' 1 cried fiercely. "Is
the money gomez
II told him that if he'd look in the
closet-I didn't want to tell real lie,
and 1 didn't need to, for I'd only got
that far when he ran into the closet,
and / shut the door on him and locked
and bolted it"
The first thing 1 did was to take a
glance ut the envelopes; the second
was to pick Nancy up and give her
such a hug that she cried out; then l
dropped her and gave an alarm. Sew
eral persons came running in, and 1
told one of them to go and tell the
president that the mems weeks pay
was in jeopardy and to come at once.
In two minutes he was there. Then,
with q revolver I'm one hand, opened
A.. oil nd
man came Sinking out. He was one
we had taken on a few weeks before
and had come on purpose to rob.
s.1'bot LITTLE girl " L said DojutinC