Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-02-14
The Argus Daily Story
A Transformation-By Walter Ormsby.
Copyrighted. 1913. by Associated Literary Bureau

number being drawn from orphan asy
lums, the volunteers having REACHED
an age where they were expected to
do something for themselves Having
collected my cargo. | put them on a
train and started west with them to
Denver. where extra stages were pro-
vided. so that all could go to Dead
mans Flat together.
On our arrival at our destination, as
we drove down the main street, |
noticed that the tin cans had been re-
moved, sidewalks laid and trees plant
ed beside them. Certain shanties had
been cleaned up. evidently TO house
the women till after they had been
made wives. At the tavern where the
stages pulled up the citlzens-all men
stood in two lines, every man uncover
ed while the stages passed between
the lines. Each man wore a serious
look. which was partly intended as re-
spect for the newcomers and partly
from anxiety as to how he was to
come out in the scramble for a partner.
committee headed by Hickory Ben,
each man having secured from the
store suit of shiny black clothes and
white cotton gloves. handed the ladies
from the coaches, and when all had
alighted they were escorted br Il band
consisting of a fiddle. two horns, a gut
tar. Il flute and a drum to their quar-
ters The crowd was about to follow,
but l waved them back. telling them
that the ladies needed an opportunity
to "clean up"
hnh nj Iron y-h Nv 0oNHg~ vol oil "a
acquired n considerable influence over
them. and they obeyed me instantly. l
am quite sure that the brief survey
they had made was sufficient for some
of them to make a choice, and possibly
a glance given here and there from the
men to the women in or on the coaches
or when marching to the maidens'
quarters had been returned in kind.
For why should not love work as
quickly among the iowly as among the
highborn?
Then. too, there was another oppor-
tunity for such an exchange of glances
when the women marched to the tav-
ern, where an excellent supper had
been provided for them. The men
rather than eat their own suppers i'm
proved the time watching for the exit
from the maidens' quarters and the re-
turn, and an occasional blush told that
the wearer had not been dispIeased
with some one In the crowd who had
made a mute proposal with the eyes.
| have mentioned in the beginning of
my narrative church that now stands
on the site Of n former gambling and
drinking saloon. The beginning Of that
| church, temporary room, which Is
now used for a Sunday school, had
been built during my absence and had
| been provided with table for my use
and seats. On the evening of the ar
| rival of the women they were escorted
to this room and seated around the
walls. when the men were admitted.
| and the counting began. The commit
! tee Of arrangements in order to lessen
the proba bility of fights when more
! than one man claimed the same wom-
I an made rule that as soon as q cou-
| pie became engaged they should either
come up to the table before me and be
married or go to their respective resi-
dences till they were ready for the GER
emory.
was surprised at the number of
couples who mated during the evening.
In ten minutes after all had assembled
the first couple came to me, and | mar
ried them. In half an hour two cou-
pies advanced together. Meanwhile
some five or six couples left the hall
engaged. And so the good work went
on till II o'clock. when ten couples had
been married. Eighteen had left the
room betrOthed, leaving seven women
unprovided with husbands Since they
were among the comeliest and most
refined Of the lot | surmiSed that
either they had not in so short time
been able to make up their minds as
to one or more suitors or that They
could not bring themselves to such a
marriage without more time for prepa-
ration. However, | will say here, be.
fore bringing my narrative to close,
that all these women were married In
time except one who could not be
brought to what was to her an ordeal.
| sent her back to the east.
My experiment was a marked sue
cess. 1t was not to be expected that
all the uncOuthness would at once be
stamped out In Deadman's Flat. 1t
was not. but it died all the same IN
der the feminine influence But the
greatest change appeared a year later,
when the helpless bundles of flesh be-
gan to appear that now constitute the
population OF the town. Indeed. there
was far more softening in the men at
the babies appearance than when
their mothers had arrived
! remained In Deadman's Flat-now
called Arlington-for ten years and left
il prosperous and attractive town.
no more like the place / had found it
than a menagerie Of untamed animals.
| did not remain longer because | was
not needed there And by that time
most Of the uncouthness Of the west
had begun TO give place TO a more civil
lized condition Where tallow dips
were used in dingy board houses to-
day electric lights shine on walls az
tlstically decorated