Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-11-17
CHAPTER T.
Mh.n Grsek Meeta eresk.

efffF1 fFfFt Rf~N'N
~w WIEN was lad-first per
NV son. singular. perpendicular
w again. entertained several
exaggerated ideas, pardon
able distortions Of m over nimbIe inn
agination. supplied al various times
now In the woodshed. now In the gar
ret aud again from my geogFaphy-by
the rornanees Published by Mr.. Beadle
If fe9rsome memory.
Among these boyish failacies was an
almost ineradleablc impression that
man to be villain must look the part
--beelIing eyebrows. hooked moose,
blue black mustache with dagger
points end a shiny plug hat atop 1t all
or y bloody bandanna if he happened to
he q pirate.
He was invariably going about the
accomplishment Of his ncfarious plots
with much aha ing and 20 ho-ing.'
For long time Swallowed the al
dernan In our ward, hoping to catch
him In couutcrfeiters' den or red
handed in an abduction.
I-pon a certain day was confronted
With the appalling Information that he
was the mcekest church deacon IN
town 1t was q rough blow, totally uR-
expected
I WAS staggered.
There was q l1inb ia the social fabric
somewhere Close upon the heels Of
this disillusi0u came the laundering
revelation which BOWED me over com
pletely. The kindly Old man with the
gray side whiskers who gave me pen
MES and patted me on the back had
made fortune selling spurious mining
stock to orphans and widows and shot
clerks,
IT took me some time m readiust my
outlook upon life But the final crash
which enbittered mF soul and made q
misanthr0pe Of me 1871 I had puppy
love was the shatterine Of the Idol tC
whom had given my boys hero wor
ship.
Handsome. young debonair. poor,
courted famous for his affablity, he
had married a woman for her money.
aud brl given nothing in return, de
MED her children, Knocked her with his
affairs. and was even known to strike
her
Servants chatter turned this loose.
II wasn't q beautiful thing for 81 boy
10 learn. last faith in humanity, and
/ haven't regaHed much even 10 this
day
Ny father did not find it necessary
to moralize over my questionable re
gard for the tales Of Mr.. BeadIe,
I myself took them out TO the real
of the house aud made a bonfire Of
them.
Shortly after / stumbled upon on,
DArtagnan and milady and his emf
nence. David Copperheld and Mr.
Heep: the false Stuart and Beatrice
Vautrin and the distinguished provin
cial, Vatican and Javert.
was sixteen at that time, and
CLEANED from that wonderful Treasure
house-my fathers library--that heroe
and heroines of all shapes and colo
were principled men and women-jus
that--liylng and dying in honor, rough
~ or meekly, that all Others were tru
villains.
So. then, come TO Smead.
Put out into the streets ut the az
Of FIVE, he had grown UP like a weeC
strong, hardy. upprineipled.
To begin with, he had never had an
principles, and never acquired any
Later. in his manhood, he wrote dow
one law for himself: Don't get foun
out"
Early IN his career he had fallen /
with boxers and prize fighters, and b
soon became known as a great iittl
e.'tryout' man. He followed this gam
for several years. never smoked, nevt
drank. read good deal. studied an
practiced all known games OF chant
and corrected his speaking Englis
learning in some odd way that the we
spoken man went farthest.
"A At twenty, blond as 8 viking,
beautiful body, affable. winning,
made his first <smokeroom trip. II
intellectual veneer hoodwinked all d