Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-02
The Argus Daily Short Story
A Vampire-By F. A. Mitchell.
Copyrighted. 1910. by Associated Literary Press.

They say that doctors ana clergy
men see more of humanity as it is
than any other class of men. but
question If the endless panorama of
incidents typifying the different phases
of human life is witnessed by any
class that every day passes before
bankers Sometimes whole stories are
enacted before US spread over a term
of years. / am the repository of one
such story that | watched from it's
beginning to It's climax.
One afternoon a weather beaten old
farmer with silky white hair scattered
over his head came to my desk and.
pulling out a wallet, asked for a draft
on Denver for 5000 In favor OF Thomas
Williams. lie counted out the money,
and then, having nothing to do while
the draft was being prepared. began
to tell me the beginning of this story.
"I'm sendin' the money" he said,
ito nay boy out in Colorado. He went
out there n year ago, takfn' some
money with him that ! give him. bJst
he hasn't had much luck, and it's all
gone. First he got sick; then when
he got well he went prospectin' and
struck somepin that looked good, but
some other fellers jumped his claim,
whatever that means, and took it all
away from him.
"Then Tom got sick ag'in and went
to horsepittle and stayed there three
months, Now he's got out of the
hOrsepittle and lookin' about for some
pin. I'm sendin' this money TO give
him chanel. Toms mis- mothers pet,
and she lays awake nights worritin'
about him. I'm mighty fond of the
boy myself somehow. He was always
smart little chap-took lots of prizes
and things at schulz.
when he got old enough to work.
wanted him TO help NE on the farm.
He tried it for awhile. but l see purity
quick he didn't take to it. He was
too smart to be cont0- "a to follow a
plow same IS his fl - who didn't
never get no eddicatiou. So 1 says
to him one day: Tommy. reckon you'd
better go to the city and work that
Away. This don't suit you He was
mighty well pleased at that. 1t al
most broke mas heart to part with
him, but she knowed it was better for
him and let him go.
tom didn't like it in town so well
as he thought he would. Leastaways
he didn't stay long in the place he
went into. They must "a thought a
heap of him, though, for they raised
his salary twice. so he wrote me. But
he got into a fight with one of the
head clerks end got himself discharged.
He said the head clerk accused him of
stealin' some money.
Tom was alIus an ambitious little
chap, and after Ieavin' his place he
concluded he'd so west and try and
do somepin big, for ma and me agin'
we got too old to work. So we scraped |
up $500 and give it to him, and he"-
At this moment a clerk laid the |
farmers draft on my desk, and the |
first chapter of his story was finished, |
for he began TO count over his soiled |
and torn bills, now and again wetting |
his thumb on his lip as he turned them |
up. Then, leaving them TO me and |
folding his draft, he put it in
his wallet, crammed the wallet down |
into the bottom of his pocket and |
with "Goodby, Mr.. Cashier" left the |
bank.
The second chapter Of the story is |
very short. There is hardly enough in |
it to make a chapter, but there is |
good deal beneath the few words re-
quired to tell 1t. A girl of eighteen |
came to the bank, laid down $24, near
" all in silver coin, and asked for a
draft to cover the amount.
ITO whom VIII you have it made |
I asked.
"Tom Williams" in a soft voice, al
most a whisper.
/ ordered the draft made out, and
he girl stood waiting Unlike the