Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-06

There were two settlements among /,
the Nevada silver mines in which from
the first was rivalry. These were the
Quartz Gulch and the Pine Flat peo-
pie. Both were bad lot. The Quartz !
Gulchers had one good man among |
them. while the Pine Flatters were all |
bad. The good man at Quartz Gulch
wasn't good because he was naturally
inclined that way, but because he own
ed property in the Gulch that he would
| like to make valuable, and he was pre-
vented from doing so by the reputa-
ton of the town. No one would invest
money there, no one would even come
there to investigate.
Pete wilkins, this so called good man
of Quartz Gulch, sat down one day for
la Job of thinking with view to find
ing some way to better the morals of
his fellow citizens. He considered the
feasibility of shutting of their liquor
supply, or corraling all the weapons in
the settlement under lock and key, OF
Inducing an evangelist to come among
them and impregnate them with reli-
gious principles. 1t didn't seem to Mr..
wilkins that any of these plans were
feasible.
At last wilkins got down to the foun-
tain head of all ACKNOWLEDGMENT. If
he could only get some respectable wo-
men in the camp he believed they
would act as a palliative upon the men
and eventually bring about a better
state of morals. The first difficulty
was to find the women, the second to
get them to the Gulch and the third to
keep them there long enough to pene-
trate the outside coating of villainy and
get hold on the mems better nature.
He didn't mind the disappointment the
women would experience in expecting
to secure husbands and homes, but he
didn't like to be put in for failure.
1t occurred to him to interest the men
in his project. There would be no diff
ficulty in securing their approval OF
bringing in the women. The trouble
would be to induce them to behave in
such fashion as to induce their more
delicate partners to remain. He called
meeting Of the citizens and thus ad
dressed them:
"Pards, I been thinkin' o. some way
O. gittin' the better o them galoots
down on the fiat, and I think I've hit
the nail square on the head. I'm goin'
to send for a carload O. the best lookin'
, and most respectable women to be
found in the east to be sent out here to
beautify the town"
There was q yell Of appreciation, and
the orator continued:
"What we want is decent homes,
and you can't make home without q
woman in it. All I'm afeard Of is that
If we induce good women to come in
and start homes for US you fellers II
scare 'em away"
Cries Of 1--WE won't" TRY us-'
j Bring 'em on and seer
A collection was taken up, and a suf-
ficient sum was raised for the purpose.
The scheme was popular both because
Of the coming of the fair sex and top
, ping the inha bitants Of Pine Flat. Pete
Wilkins was appointed a committee Of
one to carry out the project and at
t once opened up a correspondence with
D a society called the Helping Hand in
an eastern city, and arrangements for
a first shipment of young women who
needed homes were made. If these
: reported favorably on their reception
and the prospects before them another
shipment was to follow.
The probability is that all would have
C worked well had it not been that GER
tain citizens of the town were so pulled
up with pride at their prospective out
doing OF Pine Flat that they must
needs crow over their rivals before
: their chickens were Matched. When II
was learned by those of the Flat that
the Gulchers were going to have a
cargo Of women sent out from the east
there was a feeling among the latter
that something must be done. Various
propositions were made to see this in
9 novation and go their rival one better
8 but they were either impracticable OF
absurd. One stupid churl suggested
that they send for cargo Of monkeys
another that a number Of wax figures
in the show windows Of city stores be
bought up and placed in the windows
Of the shanties, suggesting the presence
Of housekeeper.
One suggestion was received with 9
hO"A VI uSll5hl. <1dlOh WIN
e before going to the bad had laugh
# school, thus spoke to crowd Of hi.
fellow citizens who were debating tn,
question:
e ut seems to me-" he said, that b,
y blabbin' the Gulchers have given u
an advantage over 'em. What w
want to do is first to lay our plan anC
Ic then shoot any one of our number W,
is see heading for the Gulch, SO that h
Ie can't give it away. There was ono
lot of fellers who started a tow
they named Rome. Not far of wa
Is another town, the people of whicl
% were called Sabines. The Roman
were as bad'off for want of women a
we or the Gulchers, but the Sabine
had plenty Of 'em. The Romans invii
ed the Sabines with their wives AM
daughters to a blowout. and at a sig
y. nal the Romans picked up the wome
IL and run 'em Off. Now, what propos
is to go out and meet these gals that
coming to the GulAers before the
= git to the end of the journey and ru,
tA,,, T., he,