Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-01-15
The Argus Daily Story
Hands Upr'-By Clarissa Ma okie.
Copyrighted, 1918. by Associated Literary Bureau.

Asthe conductor quietly unlocked the
gate to the last car he heard the faint
claak of metal and his ear was Instant
ly alert
What's that?' he muttered into the
Nothing hut the cIank of your gate,
old man." reasSured the detectives
voice from the step.
II thought it sounded different" re-
marked the conductor as he went back
through the train and left the rear
coach in the hands of the detective
II had been planned that the detec-
tive should array himself like n bandit
and hold up the passengers of the last
coach, thus forcing them to give up
what jewels they had. hoping thus TO
discover the thief If he was among
the eight passengers in the last coach.
Ten minutes afterwarf just rs the
engine shrieked warning blast that
they were once more In running order
and the air was filed with the sound
of rushing steam. the door of the rear
coach suddenly opened and the eight
passengers faced genuine holdup.
Hands upr' ordered the masked man
in the doorway as he held a big re-
volver in either hand. There was in
slant obedience on the part OF the eight
passengers.
The masked man drove the four
moody passengers down to the other
end of the car, where the card players
sat like statues, their hands high
above their heads Quickly, deftly.
the man stripped them of their jewels.
ordered them TO open their bags and
deliver their money and valuables.
Like fash his weapons were here,
there and everywhere. Once he
caught the little brown man edging
away toward the door. and only the
cold of the steel barrel brought the
writhing passenger to realization
that he must give up more than be
had lost before.
The highwayman left the brown
man for the last. One by one he had
stripped the others of everything that
was of value, but still the missing
watches had not come to light Three
revolvers sagged the pockets OF the
bandit. for the bankers had been arm
nervous looking group, against the
rear door, while the brown mans turn
came at last.
Hands up" ordered the masked man.
"They are up protested the brown
man.
"Way upw commanded the other.
The brown man stretched himself
on tiptoe, and the masked man held a
revolver to his ear while with the 9TH
er hand he deity went over the cloth
ing of the irate passenger When he
concluded he had collected in his pock-
cts eight gold watches.
Immediately wrath broke upon the
brown mans head. The seven travel
ing companions told him in language
more or less carefully chosen what
they thought Of him. The bankers
told what would become of him when
he reached the next station, and the
bankers wives said they had known
,, from the beginning that he was a des-
perate character.
Meantime the masked man was MAX
ing a slow backward retreat for the
door. He still held the two revolvers
leveled at the heads of the twice In
jured passengers and was quite deaf
to their appeals for the return OF their
property.
The brown man was explaining vol
ubly that he was a detective and that
| instead of the masked man removing
the stolen watches from his pockets
they had come from the pockets Of
| the masked man, who had skillfully
| used ledgermain TO plant the guilt on
| the innocent passenger. None of the
other passengers believed him. and so
| they felLto talking and protesting I'M
! I'll the slam OF the door brought them
to realization that the masked man
! was going, and so was their property.
! With beated valor the bankers
| sprang to the platform TO witness the
| form of the bandit vanish in the shad-
ows of the plain. They even heard his
hooking laugh as he vanished, but they
| did not care
Their coach stood solitary in the
| midst of the plain The remainder OF
| the train had gone on and left il be-
hind. Afterwgrd they knew that the
masked man had uncoupled the car
| just before he entered.
When the conductor discovered the
/ loss Of his Pullman coach the train was
backed down fifteen miles and took it
on, but there was pandemomium let
loose for the conductor TO quiet. Sew
eral astonishing facts came to light
then and there.
First. the brown man really was a
detective. and a great detective too.
Then, the masked man really was a
highwayman who had been on the
train and had posed as a detective in
order to complete his interrupted job
of looting the parlor car The con
ductor required several days 0? hard
work and mastery figuring in order to
make up a report that would not place
him entirely in the wrong, and every
Individual In the rear coach vowed his
and her intention to bring suit against
the company Tor the outrage.
All this goes 10 show that sometimes
things really are what they seem TO he