Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-01-16


Stires seemed vastly different from the
old; that if he We're playing game"
! 1t was curious one.
i On the one side was a black record.
! exemplified in Prendergast-clouded in
7 fanny. a shuddering adherence of his
past self as he saw it through the pitt
less lens of public opinion; on the other
| was grim constancy of purpose. pas
i sionate wish TO reconstruct the warped
I, structure of life of which he found
/ himself the tenant. days of healthful.
peace inspiring toll, woman's face
I that threaded his every thought. AS he
1 welded his pick in the trench or labo-
riously washed out the few glistening
+, grains that now were TO mean his dai.
;, ~ sustenance he turned often to gaze
/ mp the slope where, set in its foliage.
the glass roof of the sanitarium spar
| killed. softly through the Indian haze.
! Strange that the sight should mysteri-
| ously suggest the face that haunted
/ him.
\ -Prendergast saw the distracted re-
! gard as he came up the trail from the
| town. He was in an ugly humor. The
i
to Harry he had not returned to the
hiding place in the wall. and with this
/ in his pocket the faro table had that
day tempted him. The pouch was
empty now.
i Harry's back was toward him. and
| the gold pan IN which he had been
washing the gravel lay at his feet
! With noiseless, mirthless laugh Prem
| dergnst stole into the cabin and reach
| ed down from the shelf the bottle into
/ which each day Harry had poured his
1 scanty findings. He weighed it in his
hand-almost two ounces. little less
than $50. He hastily took the empty
1 bag from his pocket
! But just then shadow darkened the
doorway, and Harry entered. He saw
the action and. striding forward. took
/ the bottle from the others hand.
Prendergast turned on him, q SIMS.
ter snarl under his affectation Of sur
prise. Cant you attend to your own
rat killing% he growled. Il guess I've
got right to what need"
'Not to that" said Harry quietly.
"We shall touch the bottom Of the
your meals here, presume"
II still look forward to that pleas
ure," answered Prendergast, with an
evil sheer. Three meals a day and a
rotten roof over my head. When 1
think of the little l have done to de-
serve it, the hospitality overcomes me.
Z All i have done is to keep you from
starving to death and out of Quod at
the same time. l only taught you a
safe way to beat the game. an easier
one than you seem to know. and to
live on Easy street"
/ Il am looking for no easy way" re-
sponded Harry. whatever you mean
by that 1 expect to earn my living as
Pm earning it now. It's an honest
method, at all events"
You've grown all fired particular
since you lost your memory" retorted
Prendergast, his eyes narrowing
You'll be turning dominic one of these
days. Perhaps you expect to get the
town to take up with you and to make
love to the beauty in the green riding
habit that brought you here on her
horse the night you were out of your
head"
Harry started. what do you mean?"
he asked thickly.
Prendergast's oily manner was gone
now. His savage temper came upper
most.
II forgot you didn't know about
that" he scoffed. 81 made neat story
Of it in the town. They've been CAB
bling about it ever since"
Harry caught his breath. AS through
a mist he saw again that green habit
on the hotel balcony-that face that
had haunted his waking consciousness.
1t had not been Prendergast alone,
then. who had brought him here. And
her act Of charity had been made. no
doubt, thing for the tittering of the
town. cheapened by chatter, coarsened
by jokel
Il wonder IL she'd done II If she'd
known all know" continued. the 9TH
er malevolently. You'd better 60 up
to the sanitarium, Hugh, and give her
q nice sweet kiss for itv'
A lust of rage rose in Harry's throat,
like iron on Prem
dergast's Shout IN
! !: ! ! ! ! !
der and turned
him forcibly to- :
ward the open - III
door. His other X l&A E3
hand pointed. and lH [ E
his suppressed WIKI f.E y
: voice said: This ~ A~DNtX "
cabin has grown - Vh,A
too small for us kAI
both. The town {NlA
will suit you bet ME4 m NJ
ter" Hd1 lN\