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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 1914)
A4 HOME aND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION Just a Little Different By Arthur Peach. COOKE had closed the blinds of his little city restaurant, and he, with his two chums, Stevejfi, a reporter, and Verven, a plainclothes man, were seated around one of the rear tables, ready for one of their late "feeds." The steaming food was spread be fore them when some on tried the floor. stnvnns looked UD. "Don't let,him in rnnvv " he erowled. "Let's have A little peace tonight." Cooke smiled his round smile. "He Bay be as hungry as you are, and he may have a stray nickel about More likely he has a scent," the reporter answered. But Cooke let him in, and filled his order. The poorly clad man handed over a big bill. Cooke stared, then winked at his friends. wnon thn three had cleared up Cooke's offerings, and leaned back to smoke, the man who naa liKewiw done damage to Cooke's cooking, ama ftver to them. "Gentlemen, may I smoke with vaii? I'm n little lonely, and I had &n experience tonight that Is a little u nrriinarv ana ma&ea a Stevens pricked up his ears, and na rtptRctive lookea mieresieu. rAlra nfforod him a seat. i ... 1 ,1 nf "I was etanamg in ra the Hutel Weeden, wondering where I was to get enough to buy a meal. I saw a man studying me, and fin ally he came up. He was a well dressed chap, looked as if he had money, though I could see he Bpent It In ways that don't make a man live long. "He asked me if I were game to do something for him, and do it without asking questions. Any other time I would have winked in his eye; but he followed up his question with a show of bills that dazzled me. id I fell. "He took me to his rooms and told me he was giving an affair at a place In the city where you can do as you please as long as you pa7 i. kiiu without a kick. "He said he wanted me to dress .,. oa a ppntleman. go with him to this affair, and he would tell me later, there, what he waniea 01 ui. I was simply to appear on my own hnnV under the name ol btatiora "I'm a bum now, but I have seen wtor davs. and it all looked tempt ing. He fixed me up in a good rig, 4nctTMirtinna what to QO auu mow when I cot there. "I was taken right in at the door without a word, and soon I was at home. Of course I was wondering What was coming next; but I m a be liever in the present good or evil. "They were a sporty crowd; I know the brand, and they were hav ing a high old time. I was a little rusty in some lines, but I held up my end, all right. "I was paired off most of the evening with a girl that was a beauty a little daring, and a bit too much of other things, perhaps; but she seemed to be unusually interested in me and, of course, I met her half way. I was having a glorious time. This guy who told me to show up was right in the thick of things, and I began to wonder when he was go ing to put me wise to his real reason for bringing me there. I didn't seem to serve much purpose, and It didn't , peem likely that he'd ask me just to till out. "But the fun was moving fast, and didn't worry. I had a pretty girl, and I was willing to let things go pn. "After a while, though, I could tee that the affair was dragging. You know how It is at some affairs a lot of kick and snap for a while, then things go dead, and the fake to keep It up is pretty poor. Well, that's the way the game went. "I had drifted out into one of the kails with the girl, when suddenly ah a Riieeested that we eo back. We wung out on to the ball room floor "Then the fun commenced. Two pen in. plain clothes came in, rushed up to me, and said: 'You are under arrest! "Well. I was Bome jarred. I have done much that I ought not to have done, but nothing that merited ar rest. "The whole place went quiet as a tomb. Every eye was on us. "I got off something about what they meant, and then they grabbed me. I am hot-tempered, unrortun ately, and I didn't like their meth ods. I shook them around a bit, and of course a fleht developed. But they had me. "When they got a dead grip on me, I saw the chap who nirea me, and thought I was crazy. He was saying: 'Take that chap out; he's an impostor! I have just discovered it! He forced his way in through the crowd around us. What do you mean by coming in here? Gentle men, run him out. "I was so stunned I didn't think for a moment, and in that moment I was chucked out, and It was to late for bright thoughts. I tried to talk with the men, but they only grinned. "I was rushed to the upper floor, and given my old duds, and then rushed out to the sidewalk, and told to beat it "I was mad clear throuEh. I couldn't lust see what was up, but It was plain to me that the chap wasn't going to hand me all the money he promised though he had given me some. . "As I stood across the street. I heard a man talking, and a crash of hand-clapping, and it came over me just what the game was. "I haven't been in the city a week, but I'd heard that this chap's crowd were trying to beat each" other out giving stunts that were a little dif ferent some new kick, something for excitement, and he had made me the monkey of this one. "I made a good one. That scrap I put up in the bail room kept them with their mouths open for awhile; and mind you I was dead in earn ests I couldn't have been hired to do that stunt, and make it real as I did, and it wouldn't have been such a thundering good joke for him to tell them If he had put me wise what was up. It came as a surprise, all right, and I certainly showed how hard it hit me. "I was sore enough. That clapping mount he had made a little SDeech. rehearsing the Btunt, and how he got me a bum, dead broke, down ana out. to eo there as a gentleman. "I'd have liked to crack his head, but I'd get mine in return or some thing worse, so I beat it "That's the yarn. I won't tell you who it is, but you'll see the affair written up, and 11 know tomorrow. Good-night, gentlemen." When he had gone, Stevens sad: How much of that was 'con' and how much true? It sounded pret ty-" The telephone tinkiea, ana u turned to it. His friends saw nis face expand with astonishment He turned and grabbed his hat "I'm off, fellows! That guy's yarn is straight! Ed just telephoned me that Irwin gave a blowout, that a guy there was thrown out as an im postor, and and as the ball Drone up, they found that some ou gone through the duds and cleaned up all the cash in the bunch, with some jewelry thrown In; and the guy who did it was our friend! I'm off!' The detective rose. "Guess I'll go down to quarters, too. He couldn't v... imttnn into that affair unless Irwin vouched for him; so the yarn's true. He's burled In the masi diub by this time, but I can take a nana. Cooky, you've assisted a cnmmu. aii th time he has been gassing here, behind your blinds, he's been safe." "Cooky" banged a plate, 'la dumbed glad of it I hope he gets iwav. He deserves to, after tnai raw deal by Irwin the mutP CANCER cured without drugs or knife NATURAL SANATORIUM 178 Ett 60th Street, Portland, Oregon Jit 1 m Armup i x m I Malt Rainier is the fure Malt 1 onic ; s I For Mothers Who Require Additional 1 Nourishment and Strength. j M ABK TOTJB PHY3I0UN Bflj 88 m
