Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-01-04

jealous because I've had ginger enough
to scrape little commission here and
there. They'll forget all about 1t to-
morrer when Congressman Keizer gets
here and all the crowd"
Where the crowd was coming from
Eli Pepper had not calculated. He had
announced that crowd would be
there. and he had expected that neigh
boring villages would hasten forth to
participate in Blue Mills old home
week celebration and spend their dol
lars In that enterprtsing community.
That these villages might be SOM
nolent as Blue Mills desired to be, IL
1t had not been for Eli Pepper, he did
not consider.
He whistled cheerfuuy as he hustled
about his store prying up the eau
tiously fastened covers of cracker box
es, cheese case, prune boxes and so
forth, until the long room was tidily
ready for business In the morning
Many eyes watched Eli Pepper that
night as he went about the closing Of
his store. They saw him open the
closed boxes that should have offered
refreshments. They saw him come
outside and put up all the wooden
shutters that securely closed his win
dows against intrusion. These were
barred outside and in and went all
around the long low wooden building
even to the part that bachelor Eli used
as living apartments. In the bedroom
shutters, We're circular holes cut to ad-
init air at night. Otherwise the place
was as securely shattered and barred
as If it were bank instead Of a gro
Gerry store.
At last Eli went within, and the OUT,
side wooden door was closed behind
him, and the faint pencils of light that
shone through chinks in the shutters
disappeared. It was so quiet around
the corner store that they could hear
Ell winding his alarm clock IN the bed
room and they could see two round
yellow globes of light on the ground
where the lamplight shot through the
holes in his shutter. Then the yellow
globes died out and oil was SIN.
1t was not until Ell Pepper gave
vent to regular orchestral announce
ment that he was deep in slumber that
the lurking members of the old home
week committee put their plans In op-
GRAFTON. Henry Staples put the sttua-
ton rudely:
He's snoring to beat the band now"
he whispered to his companions. Come
on now"
Stealthily they went, bearing the
heavy iron bars that belonged to the
wooden shattered lookup on the hill
side. Quietly they removed ELS wood
en- bars and replaced them with the
Iron ones, and when the iron bars gave
out they pieced out the shutters with
crowbars, and in the front of the store
they boldly nailed the shutters fast.
The front and back doors were treated
likewise. and when they had finished
Eli Pepper, chairman Of the old home
week committee and leading spirit of
the village Of Blue Mills, was as Sc
curely locked up as IL he had beer
the lookup on the hillside.
Its good thing there's plenty 0
eat In there and that Eli's used to t
ting his own meals" chuckled Henry
SAapASS lucJ SlOle away.
Hes got everything to make him
happy" grunted William Boiling. HE
won't have to nail up no pickle bar.
rels or cracker boxes for a week"
I'VE can look In the winder every
night after he's in bed and see If he's
WELL" added Jake Fleming, subduing
any uneasiness he might have felt
ho+ efr
all rightY' asked William Boiling.
"Of coursen snapped Staples. at
says that Ell Pepper is suddenly call
ed away and won't return till after
old home week is over ! dropped q
note through the hole in the shutter
telling him he was to stay there while
we run this old home week business.
j guess he'll not try to push himself
as leading citizen after this"
81 expect he'll have the law on u.s."
remarked William Boiling heavily.
He don't know who done it," re-
torted his companions.
The next day Congressman Keller
delivered an Grafton to the people of
Blue Mills. They listened toerently
to his discourse. and when he had de-
parted they told each other they'd
much rather hear the minister talk.
They paraded the village streets to
the admiration of their own kin. for
no outsiders braved the insufferable
heat to come forth and srend their
money In Blue Mills. At the end of
three days all attempt at a celebra-
ton had died out, and the merchants
took down their decorations and re-
sumed their accustomed seats on their
dOOrsteps.
Then they prudentIy set about tore
lease Eli Pepper from bis enforced Sc
clusion.
iii have the law on yen he shouted
furiously at his Iiberators.
William Boiling stepped forward
heavily.
You shet up. Eli Pepper, or wen
have the law on you for malcontent
and dangerous to the peace and han.
piness Of this here village"
Thus Blue Mills planted her foot
heavily on the iconoclastic rule of Ell
Pepper and went back to the SOM
nolent content Of her quiet days.