Mexico Missouri message., 1912-12-05

trinkets into the satchel. II was TOO
much for the little old ladys little
old husband. He fairly shrieked:
Young man, you're damned
scoundrel, and the best argument
ever saw for hell.hrel"
Mrs. Temples grief changed to hor-
ror at such bolt from the blue:
! Walter" she gasped, such lsn.
/ guage!"
But her husband answered in self
| defense: Even n minister has a right
| to swear once in his lifetime"
Mallory almost dropped in his
| tracks. and Marjorie keeled over on
him, as he gasped: Good Lord, DR..
Temple you are "a minister"
Yes, my boy" the old man con-
fessed, glad that the robbers had re-
lieyed him Of his guilty secret along
with the rest OF his private properties
Mallory looked at the collapsing Mar
jorie and groaned: And he was In
the next berth all this time!"
The unmasking of the old fraud
made a second sensation. Mrs. Fos.
dick called from far down the aisle:
DR.. Temple, you're not a detective"
Mrs Temple shouted back furious.
": How dare your"
But Mrs. Fosdick was crying to her
luscious-cyed mate: "Oh, Arthur. he's
not a detective. Embrace me!"
And they embraced, while the rob-
bers looked on aghast at the sudden
oblivion they had fallen into. They
focused the attention on themselves
again, however, with a ferocious:
Here. hands up!" But they did not
see Mr.. and Mrs. Fosdick steal a kiss
behind their upraised arms. for the
robber to whose lot Mallory fell was
gloating over his well.flled wallet.
Mallory saw It go with fortitude, but
noting piece of legal paper, be said:
Say old man, you don't want that
marriage license, do you?"
The rObher handled IL as II II were
hot-as 81 he had burned his fingers
on some such document once before,
and he stuffed It back in Mallory's
pocket. Il should say not. Keep it.
Turn round"
Meanwhile the other felon turned
up another beautiful pile OF bills in
Or. Temples pocket Not so worse
for parson," he grinned. You must
be one of them F1fth avenue sky
shaffures."
And now Mrs. Temples gentle eyes
and voice filled with tears again: ION,
don't take that. That's the money for
his yacation-after thirty long years.
Please don't take that"
Her appeals seemed always to ind
the tender spot OF this robbers heart,
for he hesitated, and called out:
Shall we overlook the parsons wad,
podner?"
Take It, and shut up. you molly.
coddle!" was the answer he got, and
the vacation funds Joined the old gew-
gaws.
And now everybody had been
robbed but Marjorie. She happened to
be at the center OF the line, and both
men reached her at the same time:
Il seen her FIRST" the first one
shouted
You did not" the other roared.
Il tell you | did
Il tell you did" They glared
threateningly at each other, and their
revolvers seemed to meet, like two
game cocks, beak to beak
The porter voiced the general hope,
when he sighed: "Oh. Lawd, II they'd
only shoot each other"
This brought the rivals to their evil
senses, and they swept the line with
those terrifying muzzles and that
heart-stopping yelp: Hands up"
Bill said: You take the east side OF
her, and I'll take the west"
An right"
And they began to snatch away her
side-combs, the little gold chain at
her throat, the jeweled pin that Nal.
lory had giveE her as the first token
of his love.
The young soldier had foreseen this.
He had foreseen the wild rage that
would unseat his reason when he saw
the dirty hands Of thieves laid rudey
on the sacred body of his beloved.
But his soldler-schooling had drilled
him to govern his impuls IS. to play
the coward when there was no hope
VI SANNtoSlul Ddlllt, anu " SIIlhe only
when the moment was ripe with per-
feet opportunity.
He had kept telling himself that
when the finger of one OF these men
touched so much as Marjorie's hem,
he would be forced to fling himself
on the profane miscreant. And he
kept telling himself that the moment
he did this, the other man would
calmly blow hole through him, and
drop him at Marjories feet, while the
other passengers shrank away in ter
ror.
He told himself that, while it might
be a fine impulse TO leap to her de-
fense, it was a fool impulse 10 leap
off a precipice and leave Marjorie
alone among strangers, with a dead
man and scandal, as the only re-
wards Tor his impulse He vowed that
he would hold himself in check, and
let the robbers take everything, leav.
ing him only the name OF coward,
provided they left him also the power