Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-19
The Daily Story
Gentleman ChauFeur-By T. a. Mitchell
Copyrighted 1914, by Associated Literary Bureau

| himself He was smooth shayen ona
his wife had no difficulty In fixing a.
him a beard. His hair was light ana
she blackened it with pomade. Tbe,,
he got into a suit of his chaufeur,,
clothes that be had brought from ,ba
garage and, after surveying himself ,n
pier glass. went out to get the car
he had altered.
At the appointed hour Cbaugor.
Erskine pulled up at tue residence %
the representative OF Sir Oliver III
| dale's British oil corporation. Tha
front door was opened. gentleman
! whom, Erskine recognized as NJ
| Handiside came out. kissed his hand
! to his wife who appeared at an ur-s-
window and got into the car. gsvjny
| his directions before closing The door
Mr. Handiside was being driven
through narrow street leading down
to the Hudson river when there was
puff and the car was filed with a fin.
powder. Astonished, he tried to H.,
down window. 1t could not be pov.
ed Then he tried the one on the 9th.
er side Of the car. This, too WA
stuck fast. He raped on the partj.
ton between him and the chauffeur
no response was accorded him. Last.
~. he tried TO open door and failed
Meanwhile Mr.. Handiside was breath.
ing in the powder that flied the car
1t had been injected by the Chauffeur
who had squeezed a rubber bulb. fore.
ing ii through the tube. an end ~
which had been inserted into a hole
bored in the partition. The man in.
side began to feel languid, drowsy. and
his efforts TO get out of the car relaxed.
Finally he passed into dreamland.
When Nj. Handiside came out of his
trance it was pitch dark He was IT.
ing on what was evidently a bed. but
his surroundings, being invisible, be
could not see them. He got up ami
felt about him till he came to duo-
and, turning the knob. opened it and
looked into Il dimly lighted corridor.
Returning to the room, by the increas-
ed light he saw dresser, and on il
were matches. Lighting one, he stood
before an electric switch and turned
on more light.
By this time it was evident to AIr.
Handiside that he was in a hotel.
Pushing a button, he called for Soma
one from below. 4 bellboy responded.
who called the night clerk. and Mr.
Landslide was informed that the eTea-
ing before a chauffeur had driven up
to the hotel, said that he had a fare
who was i'll and begged to be permit
ted to leave the invalid till his family
could be communicated with. The
landlord had consented. and Mr.. Handi-
side had been carried in and put 10
bed The chauffeur had gone off 10
bring Il doctor, but had not returned
Since the invalid seemed to be gently
sleeping he was left TO himself.
Day was breaking. and Mr.. Handi-
side, feeling weak. decided to return
to his bed. At o'clock be arose.
called up his own chauffeur by teIe-
phone and was driven to his home to
break the news of his strange adven-
ture to his wife.
How near Mr.. Handiside's surmises
as to the cause of his experience were
to the truth is not known. He GER
tainly never knew who had been his
chauffeur in his Intellectual effort -
reach the railway station. He too
the next through train southwark. but
somehow he had n feeling that the de-
lay he had been subjected TO would be
fatal to his buying tie Furtado oil
lands.
Meanwhile Cuthbert Harrington.
dressed in somewhat shabby travelling
clothes and felt hat pulled down over
his eyes. was driven 10 the station
where he entered private compart-
ment in sleeping car. He reached
his destination without having beSl
recognized. and the morning after the
funeral of Manuel FurtadO appeared
at the home of the deceased mans
oldest son, and after an effort that last
ed ten hours succeeded in getting tile
at price the heirs never hh't
dreamed Of The papers were siSnes'
sealed and delivered at 10 o'clock ttnt
night, when Mr.. Harrington went 10
bed TO sleep the sleep. if not OF TIE
just, at least of the winner.
The next morning he called on young
Furtado TO say goOdby before going 10
the station. and while standing in the
patio who should come through tue
large Mexican doorway but Mr.. Handt-
side.
Good morning. Mr.. HandiSide,' said
the American magnate. Come to buy
the Furtado oil lands? There's the
principal heir to the property rlsnt
there. Mr.. Handiside, Senior Furtado
With this MIR. Harrington took ais
departure, was driven TO the station
and returned TO New York.
Hugh Erskine was well to do before
ne demeaned himself to become NJ
Handiside's chauffeur. but this service
made him a double millionaire. M-
Erskine has since assumed Il Leadership
n New York society. She says she
made more by dressing her husbdn-
,nce than she ever made in dresSln-
herself in all her life.
AS for the Furtado heirs, though they
became rich by the sale of their lanes
hey have been miserable ever since
hat they did not get more.