Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-07-16
I II . u a ilv
Short Story
A FIGHTING FAMILY.
BY Oscar Cox

t4lE Nt@*1 ana 10 urea NILls us was
springtime and every one was going
into gardening Though it did not
make any difference to him whether
he paid or 50 cents for a cabbage he
concluded to go in for gardening too
Locking OVER catalogue of farms
Tor sale and finding one that seemed
about right he took G train To go and
inspect the premises.
When he alighted at the station ana
went out ON 70 the street he saw 4
girl sitting in an auto. She wore an
alpine hat with a feather I'm IL and
Tiny American flag on her corsaEe.
Can YOU tell me. he said 10 her
handing her the ad, where lean find
thatZ"
She took the slip, glanced at it ana
said. That's the Erskine property
Ina going there in a few minutes and
viii take you with me I'm my machine
if y0u like
Warringham accepted the offer and
after every one had come In on the
train had passed out the girl re-
marked that she reckoued "she hadn't
come on that train" and turned her
car away from the station
who did you say owned this prop
erty9' asked Warriugham.
II. belongs 20 Major Erskiu=."
whats he major Off"
THE Pittsford battalion
t Everybody here is preparing for
war theR2'
Eyes, everybody that has any snunE.
There are a few slackers among The
men"
When is q man 10 be considered "a
slackerg'
when he's young. able6odiad and
don't go to the war;
WarFingham WINGED, The cap fitted
his exactly. He noticed that the girl
wore legginEs, which were plainly vls-
lble beneath her short skirt
FIT seems to me- he said "that Won
are got up Ina a soldierly fashion
reckon you're not a Stacker.
"Tou bet"
What are you going 10 do % help
the cause hght?"
Fl don't know I'm going 30 do
something You see. I'm the grand
daughter Of a union soldier fin the biz
war so years ago and the grand
daughter of a confederate soldier $50
you see, it won't do for me TO sairkr
did you have any more grand
fathers in the Cuban fracas2'
mo You don't suppose I could
have more than two grandfafhers DO
yQu2 But my father and four uucIaa
Women are not now what they
were I'm your graudmothers' time.
Then they were feminine
My confederate grandm0thaT
wasn't coward. She drove some
federal soldiers out of her potato
patch with a gun"
How about your union grand
mother?"
"she stood off a mob in the draH
riots
"Tou do come of a fighting family
don't ypuf DO you think gou could
stand up to be shot at without show
ing the white feather2"
II don't know. I reckon b would
depend on how mad 7 got. Both my
grardfarhers agreed that when they
first went into fight they 'heaved J9-
nah. but when they got mad they
weren't scared a bit"
son that ground they should make
soldiers of women. My experience
with your sex is that when q woman
Is mad she's mad from the crown of
her head to the tip Of her big tee"
BY this time the girl was turning a
to grounds with a house and big
pole from which doaIed the Stars and
Stripes. Women In feminine uniform
were walking about and before the
house paced a sentinel
Hhta s this 2' asked Warringhau
The barracks of the Pirtsf1rd bait
talon
She drove up to the house and
alighted. while the sentinel faced and
brought his musket TO 4 present
young woman came out OF the house
with Heutenants straps on har
shoulders and asked:
Where's the recruit you were 90