Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-10-23
The Argus Daily Story
A Broken Leg-By Ryland Bell.
Copyrighted. 1912. by Associated Literary Bureau.

was stormy one He gave me to
understand that could have no
daughter OF his: that if | persuaded
Edith to marry me without his con-
sent he would never recognize either
of us any more than if we were Stran-
gers TO him. and that the results of
our folly and Edith's iugrattude must
be endured without any assistance
whatever from him.
What kind of young man are
you" be Numbered. for a gentleman
to give his daughter to: As poor as
church mouse. you have come here in
hired carriage to see me-"
Yes" | retorted. land III go away
in the carriage in which I came"
And | hope you'll stay away"
We turned our backs upon each 9th
er. he TO go into another room. / to
go out and get into the cab. | saw
Edith at an upper window with q
panied expression on her face. She
kissed her hand TO me. and / waved
mine to her. Then | got into the cab,
shut the door with a bang and was
driven away.
AS it happened l sat down on the
left side of the carriage. whereas l
had come on the right side. The seat
nv recent interview to notice il for
some time. Presently without getting
my mind OF the latter | endeavored to
arrange the former. The hump re-
manned. | arose and lifted the cush-
ion. There lay package about seven
inches long by three wide. the wrapper
being brown paper. | was not so alb
sorbed in having been refused the
girl | loved but that l removed it and
revealed package OF bank bills. The
one on top was of the denomination of
$780, The next was $1,000. the next
$500, and so on of mixed denomlna-
tons to the end 1 counted $4,000 in
all.
Here was a find-a big find-a deuced
big find. 1t would be impossible to
give the confusion of thoughts pass
ing through my mind. had stumbled
upon the wherewithal to recoup.
Edith would yet be mine. Would the
owner of the bills turn up? What
would he the outcome? These were a
few of the flashes upon my brain. but
give only n faint picture of the fur,
moil there. | can only say in justice
! to myself that almost Instantly all
gave way to the fact that the money
was not mine and its owner must be
| found
During the next few days l bought
every newspaper issued in the city
where lived and had found the bills
not doubling that their loss would be
advertised. When the next morning
after | had found them | saw no no
/ tice of them | was surprised When
on the second morning no notice ap
peared | was astonished. and on the
third morning, having gone through
with dozen newspapers without find
/ ing what looked for, was amazed.
On the morning OF the eighth day
received a telegram from my college
chum, Henry Harker:
Come at once The position is vacan
and cannot remain so forty-eight hours.
This was in response to letter
had written Il few days before to Har
ker. who had succeeded his father "a
president of a large manufacturing es
Establishment. asking him to give me
job. | am not one to 20 back on m.
proposition and began at once N!
hurried prepare ton to leave. Blu
what should | do with the bills | hat
found? Acting on the principle 'th
IpoSt said Tho SpOupSt TDapHad " | ha,
kept the matter to myself and tn
money under lock and key, | being tn
only one who knew where mus
act at once | thought of depOSitin
the bills in "A bank. No; that wouldn'
do at ali. Fifty Thousand dollars of
strangers money i'll ones possession
involved danger. 1t might land tn
finder in Jail TO give it to a frient
for safe keeping would require deposit
ing the secret with him at the sam
time.
spent hours turning over differ
ent plans and finally settled on In
following: | went to a safety depOsi
company and rented box. 1t was tn
last thing did before taking a train
anu vas III al hi tHNllui hurry VI
plan was TO use an assumed name. In
in the hurry Of preparation | had no
settled upon name. When the ca,
todian. IN old man. took out his boo
and asked What uameE' / gave mir
the first that came into my head Gu,
tavuS Hail Williams. He wrote
down: handed me the key to the boz
went with me To the vault. | pr
away the bills, turned the key and f.
the first time since had found ther
felt relieved
Harker put me in a position that
had not been prepared to fill. He sal
he knew | could learn the duties as
went along. did learn them. but n
mind was Gyed on them to the excl
sion Of everything else thought {
the fortune locked up in the safe d
post company once in awhile. br
since there was nothing concerning
to think about more than when / ie
it my mental dwellings upon il wei
very brief and less and less frequen
had paid years rental TOR the bu
I and given an address that did not czi~
So I was not troubled with any con