Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-11-17

women aboard and nearly al The men.
1t was a profitable trip, as smoke
rooms 90. He becan the most expert
ship gambler In the business because
be worked alone. which seems rather
ar impossible feat 10 the larman. He
took infinite delight in playing The gull
10 his kind and piuckinG them
He was twenty. four when he put up
his first gambling establishment
1t made money from the start And
with rare foresight be never visited
the place at night during the play. He
would generally drop into the cashiers
Office early in the afternoon. balance
the accounts and leave.
Thus he was unknown TO ali save hts
employees and the police, who black
mailed him regularly once a month.
His Atlantic trips now became few
and far between.
He began to smoke and drink CTR
cumspectly, for none knew better than
he what good business asset clean,
healthy skin was He became a mem
Der Of two or three fairiy decent clubs.
He was getting on. The street urch-
in and the "tryout' man were for
gotten.
He married.
she was the daughter Of a rich man
whose forbears had been rich when
New York was known by another
name. The father strenuously object
ed to the match. With the blind OBJ
stlnacy Of her sex she ran away with
Smead and was promptly disinherited-
Perhaps the poor woman knew two or
three months Of happiness,
Smead had married her with an eye
70 the future millions, and upon see
ing them take wings the veneer crack
cd He enlarged his gambling enter
prises, took up ship gambling again,
drifted into the fast set Of the city, let
his long smothered desires run riot.
All the evil in him developed with the
sinister rapidity of uightshade,
His irons and fires became multifari-
GUS He tried his hand at smuggling,
not for the pecuniary gains so much as
for the sporting chance it offered. He
became as closely watched as any man
III the world. but time after time be
slipped through the customs,
Often he was not smuggling ut MI;
just pure deviltry to keep the inspec-
tors and the secret service on the jump.
They believed he stood alone never
susnecting that he was the brain and
heart Of n colossal organization.
The poor. foolish woman who mar
. RED him died of broken heart, for
women die Of that as surely as they
breathe,
I Here you have him. a picturesque
villain under bis thatch of gray, Of a
. type common enough in cities.
+ Petty rascality. On the race tracks
and in his gambling establishments he
was called square, Il sporting term for
any one not found out Oh, he was
! generous and free handed-outside of
I his home.
/ And there you have the gist Of vii
l8Iny. 1t is at his firesde that q man is
proved We who meet him outside at
! the clubs in the hotel Hobbies, We vote
him Il first rate chap, but before We
/ give our confidence let us see the wife
who waits and watches at home.
"wen?"
Going along finely said the doctor
"You are naturally robust
How long before III be able tc
throw this cane out Of the window
Perhaps two weeks. If you are care
ful No whisky. I don't think tobacco
viii hurt you. Good morning"
No whisky.
Smead grinned at the lighted end Of
bis cigar, They little knew him. He
drank because he liked it, not because
it had any hold on him
Give him credit for TINT much; BIZ
could stop it; he had done so many 6
time, For two weeks, then. nothing
stronger than coffee should pass bis
lips. He scowled down into the bril-
liant. sunshiny street
The only man who had ever brought
him up with Jolt, club Ioafer, go
ciety tea drinker. fellow who boush;
his clothes in London and wore spats