Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-11-18
She Hrgus Daily Short Story
'For Judith"-By Curran Richard Green1ey

made way for LaidOn. kite stood In
the doorway, leering a drunken well |
come from under the mans hat SLOUGH |
ed over her frowsy head.
"Grub's a-plenty, an Texas Charles
hit the trail, leavin' his bunk behind"
and upon that assurance Landon fol.
lowed her to cubbyhole back of the
saloon, where the aforesaid bunk was
located. Somewhere behind the thin
partition jangling piano rreled and
shrieked, and q chorus of discordant
voices beloved medley of ribald
songs. He could hear the snap of
cards upon the tables, the clink of
glasses, and then a few minor chords
were struck, and a mellow baritone
rolled forth in border song of starry
nights and women's faces. Landon
sprang to his feet. He knew that
voice, and he pushed the door Open.
Henderson," -..----l
The singer, a handsome, haggard
boy, sprang from the piano and start.
ed for the outside door, his eyes fixed
on Landon'S like those of haunted
animal at bay. Landon. caught bis
arm. g.. "a
mo, you don't, Jack. l have moi
come all this distance to lose you
now"
Not a man stirred to interfere The
scene was too common in Umiltas, and
Landon and his quarry passed out to
the shelter of clump of mesquite.
Then the boy faced him.
''See here, David Landon. If you
have come here thinking to take me
back I tell you now / won't CO. I've
| reached my limit in singing for bread
| in this hell hole, and I'll never go home
alive"
Landon's gray eyes bored their
| steady, sane insistence into the desper-
| ate brown ones.
"Shut up, Jack. You will go back
| with me tomorrow. 1 came here to
| find you, and / won't leave without
| you. Wait; hear me out! Locke's tool.
Red Matthews, the forger, died last
week. He made a clean breast of it.
and we know-all Trenton knows-that
you had nothing to do with >wrecking
the bank. Locke will die hard, but we
have him cornered, and he has to take
his medicine. Let so, boy. You are
throttling mer'
| Henderson's hands dropped, but he
poured out storm of questions.
| He confessed. Landon, he told me
that Lilias did it-Lilias; that he had
forced her to forge Dalton's name to
that check in order to gain time with
the New York people; that the truth
must come out and she be tried for
forgery unless / would take the blame
upon myself to shield her, and my
fight was the only thing that could
save her. l never knew of those. false
entries on the books until 1 saw it in
the papers-that was a forgery too
But what's the use of all this? You
! know all about it,
"Lilias"' Landon caught the tone in
which Henderson uttered the name
The rest was meaningless babble. And
Judith had sent him to bring her lover
home,
Henderson was still pouring out his
questions as Jack thrust the letter I'm
the boys hand. Never mind all that
The girl had nothing to do with IT.
Red Matthews did the forgery, and
Locke sent him out of town before he
found out that you were accused of it
Here is Judith's letter" And he turn
ed his back, every nerve a-quiver with
the blind rage that possessed him.
Here's one for you" And Hender
son held out the sheet of paper.
You Dear Old Stupid David:
Il Who SO blind a man that will not
see? When you have brought Jack back
to Lilias Locke to comfort her i'm these
black days of her fathers disgrace, come
to me and ask what you will. JUDITH.