Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-04-29
The Argus Daily Short Story
His Typewriter.-By Kingsbury WEIGH.
Copyrighted 1910. by Associated Literary PresA

When 1 was a young man L was a
teller in an eastern bank. There 1
learned the banking business, and,
having saved some money and inherit
ed a little more, 1 concluded to go
west and start a bank of my own. l
chose Nevada and opened up in a min
ing town where had no competition.
It was when the business was in
creasing and / was thinking of taking
on more help that a young woman
came to me one day asking for posi-
ton as stenographer and typewriter.
My unanswered letters were accumu
lating, and it occurred to me that l
had better save time in this way rath-
er than employ men whom 1 would
have to intrust with the handling Of
money. The young woman said she
had Just come from the east to find
employment and would begin for a
small salary. She was rather too good
looking to suit me. | was afraid of
passing every day in a region where
women were scarce, especially pretty
ones, with her, but by cutting off
couple of hours q day on my letters l
would be enabled to hold on to the
handling of the cash. That decided
me, and 1 engaged her.
Imogen Bradley looked to be about
twenty years old. Her face would
have made a good model for a picture
of a Madonna. From the first she took
an interest in my business, posting me
if she saw anything going wrong and
assisting me to right it. The only
7 1oSf fO 10 fn
handle any cash. She said that she
WAS not used to money matters and if
she should make a mistake would
blame her and that would break her
heart.
What 1 feared when employed her
came to pass. l was cooped up from
morning till night with a pretty young
woman who in my eyes grew prettier
every day. One evening after banking
hours while 1 was debating to her she
made a bad blunder, and gently
chided her. Tears came into those
heavens windows" of hers. The
temptation was more than 1 could
bear. l kissed them away.
The next two or three days 1 spent
ruling my folly. 1 didn't want wife.
mind was bent on girl in the east
whom 1 thought some day l might
marry. I didn't know what to do to
rectify my rash act. The consequence
was that l did nothing. / simply let
matters drift, though 1 controlled my
self sufficiently to refrain from any
further kisses. looked for her to re-
proach me either for having kissed her
or for not continuing to kiss her, but
she made no reference to the first kiss
and didn't indicate that she would like
another. Indeed, she seemed to me to
possess that innocence to be found
especially in girl lowering between
childhood and womanhood.
1t was about this time that Handy
Andy" a noted desperndo, was ter
rorizing the surrounding country. He
worked alone, but did not fear to IN
dertake what was usually undertaken
by half a dozen men. He had robbed
an express car single handed and got
away with the plumber. The passen-
gers of half dozen stages at different
times had handed him their valuables.
He had tackled a bank located in the
center of a town of 5000 inhabitants,
though In this case the only thing he
took away with him was bullet In
the leg. When / was informed of this
robbery naturally began to feel So
licitous for my own funds. True, we
had weapons. but bank robbers don't
usually wait for people to use them.
/ was no hand to tackle them myself,
and with two young boys and girl
for support in case Mr.. Handy ANDY