Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-03-21
DAILY SHORT STORY
HOW SHE MET HER FATE.
[Original.l

en-we fell to comparing notes as to
how, when and where we first met our
| husbands. One had sung in n church
choir with the man she married, anoth-
er had met her fate at dance in "a
| barn, third was the wife of one who
had fallen in love with her at seeing
her run across back yard. The eX-
periences were not especially startling.
| and we We're growing tired of them
| when Mrs. Perkins, Il meek little wCm-
an who had kept silent, was invited to
| give her first meeting with her hus-
band.
"Oh, always wanted to marry
clergyman" she said demurely.
And did you?"
"It was this way: When l was
| girl my father was engaged in mining
in Colorado. Needing a housekeeper.
he sent for me to go out to him. l
| travelled by rail as far as the cars
| went, then by stage. The coach was
| full of passengers, and we all soon
| got acquainted at least the others
| did for the conventional life l had led
was so different from that of the west
that 1 sat mum as church mouse. y
y
rectly opposite me-
your fate?" interrupted one of the
| listeners.
He talked very well. and after Il
time many of the passengers We're lis
tening to him. He had just been grad
uated at n theological seminary and
was going into the mountains to preach
the gospel TO the rough element that
abounded there. y small, quiet look
ing man beside me, with soft voice.
wouldn't say anything at first, but
finally gave the clergyman some in
formation concerning the class of pco-
pie he would have to deal with. espe-
cially the 'toughS.'
''Of course | couldn't but admire the
man who had given up the comforts
of the east to come to such Il country
to preach the gospel TO such terrible
people. He seemed glad TO learn what
he would have to meet and asked his
informer Il great many questions. What
impressed me in his favor was that he
didn't seem at all appalled, at the ter
rible prospect before him.
while we were talking" Mrs. Per
lzinS went on. ''there was Il report
ahead and the coach suddenly stopped.
\ man whose face was covered with Il
bandanna handkerchief put his head
in at the coach door and said, Hands
up" / didn't know what to do. for
such things We're entirely new to me,
but, seeing the other passengers put
their hands on their heads. / did the
same. The man at the door had re-
volver i'll each hand, and | was in ter
e
cidentaIly. for never could stand fire
arms nor people who handled them
careleSsly."
Just the one for Il clergyman's
wife" put in one of the women.
Then he threw open the door and
told us all TO get out, which we did,
still keeping our hands on our heads.
and stand in a line. There was mask
ed man standing i'll the road pointing
pistol at the stage driver and anoth
CIR man. also masked, waiting near the
coach door. The one who had opened
the coach door took Il sack out of his
pocket and came down the line, taking
our valuables and dropping them in
the sack. L was standing it was all /
could do TO keep from fainting-be-
tween the young clergyman and the
small man who had sat beside me III
the coach. / leaned a little against the
former for support. The robber got
halfway down the line when. finding
that his pistols were in the way of his |
taking our watches and things. as well |
as holding the sack, put them in his |
He robbed the clergyman. |
then me, and, coming to the man next |
me, found nothing.
Its all in my boots said the vic |
tim
The rObber bent down to search the |
mans boots. 1t all happened so quick |
that 1 never knew how it did happen.
l heard a crack right under my nose,
and the robber fell on his face In
half a second there was another crack
and the robber looking on jumped and
fell backward. The man who was be-
ing robbed had snatched n revolver
from the man who robbed him and
shot him In the back of the head. With
the same weapon he shot the next rob
Der through the heart and started after
the third at the horses heads. who ran
into the bush beside the road. The
next thing 1 remember was seeing the
terrible man who had done all this
killing dragging the body of the third
-obber out of the wood.
"Well. it turned out that the small
man with the soft voice was the quick
shooting deputy of Boulder He was
he most awful man in Colorado, only
lie was on the side of the law instead
IF the villains. He turned the bodies
over and looked at their faces r<ith no
moro uIlaIOS of cOnSciapca tbon ;f ba
lad killed a fly. He seemed to know
-wo of them and said they were be-
yinners, as he had suspected from the
irst. He returned us our property. and
We all got into the coach and drove on.
"Until we reached the next town the
quick shooting deputy rode on the box
With the driver. The clergyman, poor
'ellow, had n weak heart He was
-ery white, leaning back on the cush-
on, and 1 gave him sniff at my