Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-02-12
DAILY SHORT STORY
BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME.

| Tony Raymond. When / returned he
| was comfortably settled In his new
home, and l was invited to dine with
him and his wife. Being DESTROYS to
| know how the wedding had passed
f, off. l encouraged them To give me tbs
! particulars. Raymond turned the sub
| ject. and Mrs. Raymond looked I'M
easy, When she left the table and us
to our cigars Raymond, pouring me a
| pony of brandy, said:
| I'VE had bad slip on our wedding
| day. Lucy doesn't seem to get over it.
| Indeed. it made her ILL.,
1.-The afternoon before my wedding
| day my partner, Jim Dale. and | shut
\ up the office early and strolIed uptown.
| 1 stopped at BARRIERS to get shaved,
| and mt the door Jim asked me if he
should wait for me. At first / said
yes. but changed my mind.
| al had forgotten | said, that DIark
| ley * Co. are TO send in 500 on their
account about q o'clock. l must go
| back to the office
with this we parted, and, passing
| into the shop, L got my shave. after
which / returned 10 the office.
AT a quarter before q q young man
came in, asked for Raymond " Dale
| and, upon my telling him that ! was
Raymond, counted out 500 in bills,
took receipt and left. l was about
to look the office door when IL very re-
spectacle old gentleman stopped me,
asking if 1 was Mr.. Raymond. l re-
piled that 1 was and invited him III.
He seemed greatly agitated.
~ beg your pardon, sir, for detain-
ing you, but 1 would like TO know if
my son has just paid you money for
account of Markley & Co.?
Some one has just paid me 500
THE old man seemed very much en-
barrassed, and l waited for him to go
on.
81 knew it, he said presently, be
fore l asked you. 1 have been watch
ing him and saw him come in here.
am in great trouble about him. / fear
he will end by breaking his poor moth
er'S heart. He has been gambling and
losing not only his own money. but
mine. His associates are OF the worst,
and 1 have reason to believe that re-
Gently he has become involved with
gang of counterfeiters.'
"Instinctively l took out the bills the
young man had paid me and examined
them. They seemed all right. and l
handed one of them 10 the father.
whose hand trembled as he took it.
THANK heaven he said, 1T IL all
right Then, going to n window. he
held it up to the light and after exam
lining 1t threw it on a desk and Pdrop-
ping into a chair buried his face in his
hands
"'What is it?' I asked uneasily.
"'The water line
"'What water lineY
'In the paper. 1t is the same as q
counterfeit bill / found in my boys
room Then starting up he dived into
his pockets, and, grasping roll OF
bills, continued excitedly. Give me
the worthless money and take the good
notes. If you proceed against my boy
we will be ruined. and it will kill his
mother. Keep the matter quiet, and /
can hold it over Henry to insure his
future good behavior
pity and desire to escape annoy
ance at such a time decided me.
made the exchange. He pressed my
hand gratefully and departed.
Remembering several things that |
needed / took two SO bills of the mon
ey paid me and on my way home spent
them both. 1 passed the evening with
Lucy, making our final arrangements.
then went home to bed. The next
morning when / reached the office a
stranger was waiting for me. with one |
of the shopkeepers of whom l had |
made purchases the evening before.
I'd know him anywhere by his hang |
dog look
"'Mr. Raymond said the other, you
are wanted at police headquarters
what forI'
"'Passing counterfeit money
81 was arrested at an hour when | |
should have easily secured a prelimi-
nary examination at once, but there
We're so many cases on the docket that
afternoon came and my case had not
been heard. Fearful that | should have
TO spend the night in n cell. sent Jim
Dale to Lucy to break the news. You
can imagine the effect. Lucy tainted
and had to be put to bed with Il quiet
Ing drug. Fortunately at the last mo-
ment got hearing and, though | was
held for trial, succeeded in getting bail
accepted about > o'clock in the after
noon. Then 1 went to Lucy and thought
it best to tell her that l had been mis-
taken for another man and the matter
was all settled. The wedding came off.
but you may imagine the affair cast an
ugly shadow over it,
when my case came up for trial the
police had got hold of a lot of counter
letters who had been playing various
games to get rid Of their green goods
and an old man was led in whom /
Identified as the distressed father of
the clerk who had paid me 500. A
wig and beard We're then removed, and
The judge, looking at him, said:
Pete Griffin. you here againT
eyes, your honor
"'Well, You won't be here again for
en years !