Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-10-03
DAILY STORY
WAS 1T TO ROB HIM OF
MONEY OR A KISS?
.[OriginaI.l


When | was Il bOy-I think | was
conference.-the standing in Il railroad
station, woman | had never seen be
fore surprised me by approaching me,
putting her arms about me and giving
me kiss. Then she went away, look
ing back at me admiringly and smiling
as though well satisfied both with her
self and me. l confess her reason for
what she did vas Il mystery to me,
and it has been something of a mys-
terry ever since. The incident has moth
ing to do with this story unless it may
serve for material on which to base an
opinion in Il similar case.
Fletcher lie Roy had been graduated
from college and was making a tour
abroad One day he was travelling
through Switzerland in one of those
railway coaches they have abroad
which are nothing more or less than a
string of StagecOaches mOderniZed ana
built together. lie Roy was Il hand
some fellow, with reddish curly hair,
blue eyes and eXquisitely curved lips.
which he did not cover by Il mustache.
In other words, he was tempting to a
woman, though to do him justice he
was perfectly unconscious of his man
ly beauty and nothing disturbed him
more than to have it remarked upon
in his hearing.
In the compartment with him were
man, girl of fourteen to sixteen and
young woman. The man and the girl
sat on the same side with lie Roy, the
young woman opposite. 1t suddenly
occurred to lie Roy that he might not
have funds to last him till he should
again reach point where he could get
more. After glancing at his fellow
passengers to satisfy himself that he
might safely examine his funds before
| them he took out his pocketbooll and
counted a number of new crisp notes
he had drawn in Paris. He had de
| termined the amount and put the bills
| back into his portemonnaie and the
| pOrtemonnaie into the left breast peck
ct of his coat when the train dashed
| into a tunnel under the Alps.
| Not more than twenty seconds had
elapsed after this entry when lie Roy
|
| " another on his left breast Some
one who could not see him was feeling
| to find out where he was. He graSped
both hands. They were soft and small,
| like a woman's. In another moment
he felt a face against his cheek and a
| pair of lips were pressed to his mouth.
| There was no beard on the face. For
perhaps ten seconds those lips were
| glued to his, then they were with
drawn, and their owner made a vigor-
Gus attempt to get away. Both hands
were held in lie ROy's grip. In vain
the woman-if she were woman
struggled, only to be held the tighter
For time lie Roy never doubted that
| what he had experienced was an at
tempt to rob him. But the kiss-what
did 1t mean? Was the person he held
the young woman who sat opposite OIL
the girl beside him? She might be
either. The man beyond the girl might
have educated her to such methods
she being an accomplice. He was more
inclined to suspect this couple than
the young woman opposite, for while
counting his bills he had glanced re
peatedly at the latter, and she haG
never once taken her eyes off a boot
she was reading. Lastly, it occurred
to him that for some reason he could
not understand she might have desired
to kiss him.
These thoughts flashed one after th'
other in his mind while the train wa.
speeding through the tunnel lie Roy
held the two hands in his despite fran
tie efforts to get them away till thi:
last supposition occurred to him. TheI
suddenly he released hisgrasp.