Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-19
The Argus Daily Story
His Conversion-By f. A. Mitchell.
Copyrighted. 1879 by Associated Literary Bureau


dissatisfied with a hard job and takes
an easier one the chances are that bell
soon want an easier one still. The fell
Ter that tackles the job he happens to
have for al! it's worth 10 the one that is
most likely to git an e:1ier one in time.
and when he gifts it hen he satisfied
with it till he gifts an easier one. ana
he'll be goin' up hill all the time.
hadn't been trampi9' very long be-
fore it occurred to ME that it would be
the easiest thing in the world. when
some fool woman was givin' me
somep'n to eat, with no man about the
house, to make her tell me where she
kept her valuables. take 'em and light
out | needn't trv it on at houses near
together. but separate. so that there
wouldn't be any one to call on for help
and Id have a better chance to git
away after I'd done the job. Another
thing must keep clear of was houses
where there was telephone. or. If l
tackled one of 'eIn. must cut the wire
/ before started in.
The first job of the kind I tried !
found dead easy. The men were all
. away, and the women was skeered to
death. They handed over all the money
they had IN the house ($10 and offered
me some jewelry besides. l declined
the jewelry cause didn't care to be
traced tryin' to convert 1t into cash.
l got away with the money, and 1
don't believe the losers tried very hard
to find me. The amount involved
wasn't enough to pay 'em for dom so.
BY choosin' houses that were unpro-
tected and in thinly settled regions
and bein content with small sums I
did a very good business and took the
least risk possible. The people l rob-
bed considered me their natural enemy
and would have taken any revenge on
me they could. This kept my con-
science, and on the whole l considered
my lot far better than that of persons
who slave all day at hard work.
roamed at large and had what money
l needed for an occasional good time.
If the persons | robbed had only kept
on hurting their maledictions at me per-
haps Id "a got enough by this time to
set up in some kind o business, hiring
others to do the work. Strange to say,
my run of prosperity was brought TO a
standstill by the opposite kind O. treat
ment.
One day after trampin' two or three
miles without meetin' a person or a
team or comm to house ] overlook
gal on the road and played the usual
game of out o work. hungry, no home
nor nothin'. asked her If she knew any
charitable party whereabouts who would
give me crust of bread. She was the
easiest fooled gal / ever tackled. She
not only believed all | said, but almost
cried over my misfortunes. She said
she lived with her old mother around
a bend in the road ahead and II I'D
go with her she'd give me all l wanted
to eat and little money to help me
on to Il better condition.
She took me to a spick and span place
and set me down before a bright fire,
where | could warm myself. for 1t
wasn't in the, line o my business TO
wear seasonable clothes. and off she
{
thing 1 knew | heered squawkin' in
the chicken house and. lookin out
through a winder. saw the gal chop
pin the head off'n Il fat hen. For
awhile couldn't believe that she was
fool enough to kill chicken for me,
and didn't feel sGre of IT till ] heered
it sizzlin' on the stove.
All this while | was thinkin' how
I'd commence the business l was there
for. My usual game was to find out
where the money was kept or at least
in what part of the house to look for
il. Sometimes ! did this by round
about questions. sometimes by obser-
walton. If could learn this before
hoistin' the pirate flag It made the
Job much easier for me. In this case
1t occurred to me that while the gal
was out in the kitchen cOokin chick
en- for me that she could sell for "a
cents a pound | might 20 up the front
stairway and take look into the bu.
Teau drawers.
Coin softly. l turned into bed
room on the second floor. | opened
The top drawer of the bureau and find
IN no!hin' opened an inlaid box on the
Inantel. Among a few trinkets and
other small articles nestled a roll OF
: bills. took EN- out. stuffed 'em in
my pocket and was turnin' to leave
the room when | saw an old lady
standn' there lookin at me. She
turned white as sheet. ran into a
room, locked the door. and heard bel
raise a sash and call out to her daugh
ter that there was a rObber In the
house. I ran downstairs. intendin' tC
light ont. but met the gal in the hall
She looked as If she hadn't yet get or
TO the fact that ] was the rObbeT hei
mother was talkin' about.
Where is he:" she asked.
81 reckon he went down the back
stairs ! said
If the old woman hadn't recovered
from her scare enough to unlock her
self and come downstairs | would "a
said I'd look for him in the hack yard
4 and got away In that direction As
BOON as she 81 " me she screamed and
runnin' back into her room, locked
herself in again. This put the gal or
TO my true object. She gave me ioot
az dieo 4hoi