Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-06
The Argus Daily Story
Finding a Treasure-By Arthur Langley.
copyrighted. 1911. by Associated Literary Bureau
wilkins was bored.

IdDlS Oh Tue TSdulnS room OF MS CluD, ]
be arose from his chair. strolled aut TO
the cigar stand. lit Il cigarette. smoked
for few minutes, threw away the
stump. walked to the club entrance
and stood with his hands in his peck
cts. wondering what next be should
do to Kill time
"CabI'
a vehicle was wheeled from the line
OF cabs standing before the club to the
curb opposite him, and he entered ii,
telling the tehu to drive him to the -
theater. where he intended to buy tick
cts for that evenings performance.
On the seat beside him lay a lady's
hand bag. wilkins took 1t up, looked ut
it. opened 1t and examined the con-
tents with view to discovering TO
whom it belonged. He found them as
diversified as those in boys pocket.
but there was only one article that
gave him any hope of identifying the
owner Of the property, a brown paper
parcel FIVE or six inches long, two
inches broad and an inch thick Find
ing no address or other mark on it, he
concluded it to be Il shopping purchase
and put 1t back in the bag. But. desir-
ing to exhaust every means of finding
a clew to the ownership. he took 1t out
again and unrolled it. He found bills
to the amount of $4,000.
His ennui left him instantly.
Not that he felt elated at making an
accession to his fortune, for he had no
idea of keeping his find, but that It
was evident the money had been left
inadvertently in the carriage by a wo-
man and there would be something for
him to do to trace her and return the
money.
Moreover, there was a daintiness
about the bag and its contents that
caused him to fancy the owner was
young. Then. again. a middle aged
woman would not likely be so careless
as to leave small fortune in cab,
and an old one would be no more like
ly to be riding about with SO much in
would have it that the lady was
young. and, having gone thus far, he
fancied she must be attractive. She
| had doubtless been the last person to
occupy the cab before him, and the
| driver could tell him about her. Will
kins put the bag and contents under
his coat and when he left the cab
asked the driver for information con-
corning his last fare.
Wilkins was informed that she was
young lady who had been taken in
before q dry goods store and had been
driven to a bank. She had come out
of the bank and re-entered the car
rage. ordering him to drive to another
store, where she alighted. seeming to
be ILL., She had staggered into the
! store and disappeared He had wait
ed some time for her. but as she didn't
reappear he gave up waiting for her
and drove away.
On thinking the matter over wilkins
did not believe there would be much
hunting involved In the case The
loss would be advertised. and all he
needed to do was to watch the per
sonal columns in the newspapers. This
he did for a week, but not seeing the
notice he expected he concluded that
either the young lady had taken other
means to recover her loss or had been
i'll or possibly might have died. He
inquired at police headquarters If any
such loss had been reported. but gain
ed no clew in this way. He did not
care to make known his find. for he
knew that If he did there would be
many claimants. and it would be diff
cult 10 head off some of the more in
genius ones.
The matter dragged along till vii
kins began TO he troubled at holding
so large an amount of some other per
sons money. Then one day he con
tided the matter to his friend Brod
well. Brodwell said that he had seer
an advertisement of a large amount
of money having been left in a cab
but just when he had seen the notice
he couldn't remember. nor could hi
recollect the newspaper in which 4
had appeared.
Wilkins made a search through thu
newspapers issued since he had found
the money, but they were so vOlumi
nous that he failed to find what ht
looked for. This was discourse ing
He began TO fear that his keeping thu
money would get him into trouble
Probably the matter had been put int
the hands Of detectives who might b,
on his track. He was inclined to turf
the matter over to the police. but fear
ed his reasons for keeping 1t secre
would not be accepted. at any rate
he might suffer in the opinion of thu
public, who would know all about tn,
affair
= Being an Imaginative man. he per
nitted himself 10 brood over the stu
alton. Instead Of a romance be haC
caught a tartar. He began 10 wisI
the money was in the bottom of tn,
I sea. Indeed. he thought of putting i
D there The bills were a burden to him
He didn't like TO put them in the bank
tor the deposit of such a sum nigh
2 excite a suspicion that would lead (,
! the fact getting out that he had larg,
. sum In his possession which did no
belong TO him That discovery nigh
S lead 10 very unpleasant consequence