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About The Falls City tribune. (Falls City, Neb.) 1904-191? | View Entire Issue (July 9, 1909)
THE FORK in the ROAD By H . A ■ HE L MHOLT Z (Copyright, by Daily Story Pub. Co.) Half-past eight found ail of the gang except Jimmy Dean assembled in Mika Riley’s back room. Over their mugs of beer they discussed the week's net profits. Business had been more tliau ordinarily good. Not one of the six, engaged in the genteel art of burglary, hadruntheleast chance of being hauled into the dragnet'of the police unless it were Jimmy. For a moment they held their breaths. No, Jimmy was too smooth to fall inio any trail. Why, their leader was the best “house-lift er" in the business! A quiet smile wreathed the faces of the five as a low, familiar knock was heard. Jake Col lins was the first to reach the door, and as their leader stole softly in,each nod ded a silent welcome. "What makes you so late, Jimmy? None of yer plain-clothes friends tag ging yer, was there?" Jake asked, with a smile of confidence in his chief. “No; that wasn’t it,” slowly re sponded Jimmy. "1 just sat down after my feed to think over me experience of last night. It was the rummest go I ever struck In me life, and I’ve had several, yo’ know, boys.” “Spiel the tale, Jimmy; it must be a good one. We’ll talk biz after wards,” Jake -urged, eagerly. "Well, if youse -boys wait until me suds gets here, I’ll spiel it. It’s a hummer,” he added, as he reached for the drink set down before him. “Yer see, it was this tvay,” lie began be tween his gulps. “Last night there was ! nothing framed up for the bunch, seeing that we are laying a little low just at present, so I thought that I would do a little job that was ripe, i The guy belonging to the place was out of the city; I made sure of that; j besides, the servants’ ball was on that j night, so yer can see how the layout sized up. Pretty soft, hey? The base- j ment window was a cinch. I reaches the main floor and made for the ' library, knowing just about where \ it ought to be situated, and hold- I jng me glim in one hand. I makes 1 tflg grnnfi entree where the safe ! stays when it's'at home. 1 flashes the 1 bull around and rooks right into the j muzzle of a 38! Up against it? Well, ; I was for fair! Who would have ex- I pected it? It proves the old saying, bovs: ‘Always be on the job.’ “ ‘Well, boss? says T, ‘you got it over '■ me all right! What yer going to do?’ ■ “ ‘We’ll fix that later,’ he shoots ! back. ‘I expected you; that is, maybe 1 not precisely you, but some one of J your profession, so I just stayed around here for the excitement.’ with that ne turns on the gum, and I notices we were in a little room j next to the library. Say, you could j have knocked me down when he sticks out his mit and says, real frien dTv like: “Shake, old man!” And then he ! asks my name. I wasn't wise lo the j game so I handed him me mit and tells him the first installment of me name ' is Jim. * i— “ Milli,* he says, says he, ‘sit down j over there and we’ll have a nice pleas* ; ant chat. I suppose you are wonder- I ing what kind of a game I am playing on you, but I’ll inform you right here that I am square. I have something I would like to tell you about myself; it ; will be interesting to you, and I’ll pay you for your trouble listening to it. Will you trust me?’ “About all I could do was to nod my head, though I’d given anything if I could have beat it about that time. “ 'Well, then, you wait right here un til I get a couple cf bottles. Now, don't go away, will you?’ he says, rather anxious like. “By that time I was getting interest ed in the game and so I made up my mind to stick and see it out. Pretty soon he comes back with four quart bottles of beer and a box of cigars. “ ‘Have one, Jim,’ says he, and I didn't wait for the second call. “ ‘Jim,’ he goes oil, ‘I'll bet you won’t believe what I am going to tell you, but it’s the whole truth, every bit. Just 12 years ago to-night I was in the same circumstances you arg in. 1 was just out of college then, and came to Chicago looking for a job. Day after day I hunted for one until at last I was almost willing to give it up as a bad business. Then my money gave out and I was up against it right, as the boys say. But at last I got a job as a freighter in a wholesale house, packing trucks, but I was glad of even that. I tell you, a square meal was * abouttheonly ambition just then. Afterl had worked about two weeks, I got into a row with one of the men, and he gave me a beautiful beating. But that wasn’t all; I lost my job. The fel lows at the warehouse all told the boss I was to blame. Well, in a few days I was more badly off than before. The worst of it was, I couldn’t find a posi tion anywhere. “ ‘One night when I was wandering around looking in the windows and wishing I had the price of a beer lunch, a fellow tapped me on the shoulder and said: “Want to make a good thing?” I nodded. “Then come along with me,” he said, pleasantly. I fol lowed him into an alley, and he took me into a back room where there were three other fellows. Then he told me that they were a band of lifters and offered me a chance to join. They told me exciting stories about their doings and their life. On the whole, they didn’t seem to be such a bad lot so I joined them. They put me on a job the same night after giving me the best meal I ever had and the biggest. One of the men went with me on the job to point out the place they tu.4 mcrVM. When we got there he handed nie a ‘jimmy,’ I got in a basement window anil 1 came upstairs and gathered up some valuables in oue room and had just en tered another when i threw my spot light around, and, great Scott! I was . in a girl's room! She was sitting up looking straight at me! My hand i shook, but I pointed my revolver at j her. She never so much as winked! “Don’t do that,” she said, sharply. | “It might go off! You are welcome to anything I have. My jewels are in that box on (lie dressing table, and my purse is in the little drawer to the right.” “ ‘I picked tip all the stuff and was turning to go, when she said: “How long have you been in this business?” “ ‘ “This is my first experience,” I answered, truthfully. First I thought I would bluff her, but by that time 1 was feeling kind of sorry for being in the business at. all. She nodded sym pathetically at me when I gave her my reply, and pointed to a chair. “Tell me why you are here,” she asked, kindly. I told her all that 1 told you, and when | I had finished, she said, emphatically: “I knew you were no common burglar. Your face and hands show that. Don’t you know .you are making a great mis take? Think of what you might do in the world and then think of the many I possibilities of your capture and your j long years in a prison. Just now you are downhearted; it's a perfect shame j to ruin your life,” she said, earnestly. “ ‘I couldn’t stand that sort of talk, and told her about my three men friends. She thought for a long time, and then said: “I tell you; I'm going to do something for you. In the bot tom drawer of, that bureau over there in the corner of the room is $500 which you haven’t got—you see you are very inexperienced, aren't you—I was saving that money for some new clothes but I am going to give it to you to pay off yhur gang, as you call them. With your share i want you to purchase a new suit of clothes and other tilings that you need, and come to this address.” Before I realized what she was saying she had reached over to her writing desk near the bed and had written an address on a card. Handing the card to me, she said, simply: “That is my father’s address—his office address; I will speak to him about you in the morn ing. He will do anything I ask.” “The next day she was down at the office when I came. She helped me to the position all right, and I made good; that’s all. After a time I fell into the habit of going to her : father’s holise to talk over business, and it wasn't long before she and I realized we were made to travel this world together. When we were mar ried I got a half-interest in her fa ther’s business, and since last year,’ hig voice lowered respectfully, ’1 have ' full charge. “ ‘You see, my friend, Jim, what that girl did for me. Ever since that time 1 have been wanting to do 1 lie same for some fellow like you. It's all wrong, Jim,’ he said, pleadingly. 'Don’t you see you’re wrong? Ixiok besides at the risk you are running! Why, man, what chance is there of living in a cell with four walls preliy close to gether? And after you get out—Oh, Lord! Now, Jim, I am going to give you a chance, just as my wife gave me one year ago. Here are $500, Come * v *- * i • I . * ( down to the office to-morrow morning, and I will see what I can give you in the line of work, and good, decent work, too: and if you stay with us and make good, 1 promise to stick with you in all your troubles. Just a minute— I'll write you a note and an address for you to give to the superintendent. He’ll fi* you out.’ “Then he turns to a desk, and writes for a few minutes. While he was handling his pen, I tell you, boys, I thought some. He was right; I knew it; and I tells him so when he hands me the envelope. . “‘Well, Jim,’ he says, full of sympa thy and pleasant like, ‘I'm mighty glad to do for you what was done for me.’ “With that he excused himself for a minute to go upstairs, explaining when he comes dorwn with a small grip in his hand that he was on his way to New York to meet his wife, who was just returning from a trip in Europe. Then we walks out. of the house by the front door ancT walks down the street. On the corner he leaves me, shaking hands before we parts, say ing: ‘Think over what I have been saying and read my note before you go to the office in the morning.’ ” Jim fumbled in his pocket for a let ter. Then he said, slowly, with a queer look on his face: “Here is the let ter.” It read: My clear Jim: When you read this I will be well on my way out of Chicago and' will never perhaps, have the pleas ure of meeting you again. Lord, Jim! but you were easy! I heard you when you came into the house. You pretty nearly spoilt my Job, but I got away with the prize all right. I admire your judgment in one tiling: you picked the job, but you couldn’t handle the propo sition. Did you know, Jim, that the Ripleys were away to a funeral in Mich igan and had left the family Jewels and $10,000 which the old boy had not time to take to the bank, right in the house? I heard him tell the butler at the train to be careful because there were valu ables In tlie house. The rest was easy. The servants all went to the bali; I made sure of that, and would have no trouble at all had you not stepped in at the crucial moment. You didn’t give me very much trouble, as it turned out, but I was put to it for a minute all right to make up some kind of a story. So I rung in the girl and myself, with you for the eome-on. You know my revolver was not loaded and I couldn't take many chances with a hold-up man like you, Jim. Par don me lor classifying you with us, al though I was dead seared that you would make a break. I would have vamoosed myself when T went after the refresh ments. but I had loft the grip upstairs and didn’t want to pipe it off to you any way. Well, good-by, Jim. Take a flyer at reform; you are the original 190!) goat all right. Yours very cordially. RAFFLES NO. 9. “Some one punch the bell. No; this drink is on the 1909 goat,” said Jim, ■oberly. Conquered the Frosts Fruit-raisers in the irrigated dis tricts of Colorado are much elated over the success with which weather conditions have been met in their or chards this spring. The telephone has been instrumental in fighting off the frosts, tile effects of which would undoubtedly have been fatal to the • crops had not extra precautions been taken. The story of how the vigi lance of the fruit-raisers was reward ed reveals a new and interesting tri umph of scientific agriculture. The instances in question are re. ported from Canon City, in the ranch section of Colorado. The fruit in terests here are extensive, and the annual crop is of great value in the orchards. When the temper At ure drops below freezing point it always is necessary to resort to artificial paeans to prevent damage. Accord ingly the all-important question with the fruit-growers is the weather. The Canon City telephone exchange was of great assistance to the ranch men this year. Daily weather re ports were given out to about Til fruit-growers, and several hundred in quiries were received every day from others interested in the wdnther pre «* diet ions. On Monday, April 19th, the Busi ness Men's Association of Canon Cit.j prepared a list of 200 citizens to a slst. in the work of safeguarding tile fruit crop. The volunteers were scat tered over the various orchards and an organized system of protection was put in operation. Each man's telephone number wos secured.so that he might be called upon when needed. Two watchmen wee appointed,, one to take up his position on the north side of tin' city and the other at th< southern end. These men were to keep tab on the temperature during | the night and report each hour to the I night operator at the telephone < x I change. The fruit-growers had agreed that as soon ns the temperature dropped to L'li degrees the alarm to smudge would be given. The smudge alarm | In (lie orchards differs very little from an alarm of fire in the city. The m.i nient tile word has been passed n\er the wires men are seen hurrying about to and from their stations and soon the fires are lighted in all the ranches. In some places crude oil is used for tiie fires. Smudging in this sec tion has worked wonders. The tem perature of the orchards in some in stances has shown a rise of from S to 12 degrees, and the crops have been saved from destruction. So it was that though three heavy frosts were recorded the fruit was not fro. Ken. in the fruit districts of Grand .Junction and Montrose, In the same state, similar conditions prevailed. Special weather reports were receiv ed from tlie government and al once transmitted to the fruit growers. It is little wonder that the per centage of t I ‘phone developD.it nt has reached a high figure iti the belt. The instrument lids proved itself of inealcuable value to the growers, anil any who failed to provide themselves with telephone facilities were In a sorry fix when the late spring frosts set in. It is only one of the many instances where the telephone has come to the rescue of the farmer. The ’phone service in this section was furnished by the Colorado Tele phone Company, which like all other lines of the Hell system uses the tele- j phones and apparatus of the Western Electric Company. TOO MUCH FOR POLICEMAN New Yorker’s Explanation Couched in J Language the "Cop” Could Not Understand. A man whose work ends at two j a. m. was inspired by the spring at- ! mosphere to take a stroll before go- S Ing home to sleep. Near his house Is a section (in Brooklyn) where the houses are surrounded by private gar dens and the owners give their ad dress as on the terrace. It was in this section of beauty and exclusiveness that this man chose to take his stroll, taking to himself an odor of refine ment and intellectuality by inhalation. He was strolling with a delicious, suspicious leisure when halted by a policeman with a query as to what he was doing there. "Exercising my prerogative,” re plied the pedestrian, who really didn’t i see that it was any one’s business. “Ye’re what?” “Exercising my prerogative.” “Well, we’ll see about that,” said ; the cop. “You can come tell the lieu ! tenant all about it.” Willingly the man went. The sta- ! tion was just far enough away to make his walk so much the more beneficial. Arrived there, both he ant} the policeman told their stories. "Exercising your prerogative?” asked the- lieutenant with a smiling nod at the policeman. "Well, Mr. Man, that is all right when you ad dress a lieutenant, but you deserve to be run in when you tell it to a cop. He ain’t no walking dictionary. Now go home; and another time kindly ex plain to a cop .in language he will un derstand. Or carry a dictionary with you. Good morning.”—New York Press. Keeping the Flat Vacant. There was the sound of the stop ping elevator, then the opening of the door of the flat across the hall and the tramping or reet on the other side of the wail. The flat dweller sprang up, ran to the piano and began to play wildly, inharmoniously, discordantly. The caller listened frownlngly for a moment, then clapped his hands to his ears. "Don’t!” he implored. "Don’t! I never heard you play so badly. Why? Why?” It was not until the door of the op posite flat was closed and the sound of retreating footsteps was heard that she stopped to explain. “I don’t want them to rent that flat this summer," she said. "It’s a whole lot nicer to have it vacant." Advocates Diet of Apples. Doctors and others advocate the free use of apples for this season's diet. It is claimed that if this fruit is put on the daily bill of fare, tho liver will be kept in good working order, the skin will be clearer and the circula tion less sluggish. An apple eaten in the afternoon be tween the usual hurried luncheon and the late heavy dinner gives the stom ach Just enough to do and does good work with the blood? Another one should be eaten Just be fore going to bed at night. Kven stomachs that cannot digest a glass of rich milk at night take kindly to an apple. It has no ill effects. Confession. "You sign every petition that comes along, don’t you?” "Yes.” answered Mr. Slimming; “a man with a petition always catches me in a moment of weakness. I am so glad he is not a bill collector that I am anxious to oblige." Character Shown In Face. An amiable face la trustworthy. If •yes are shitting and you have dis covered Insincerity—then beware. Safe Rule for Guidance. What one has one ought to use; and whatever he does ho should do with all his might.—Cicero. Too True. Shortly after marriage the average | mau act? as if ho lia<f <yy>f§rred a j great favor on jits wife by leading her to the altar.—Chicago Daily News. :: Chas. M. Wilson HAS IN STOCK FISH GLOBES 1-2 gal. to 3 gal. in size Tumblers in a number of styles and prices, from 30c to $2.50 per dozen. See the 15c Glassware. You can’t match it at the price. Anything- you want.in Fancy ) China or Dinnerware. A Complete Stock of Groceries Fine Coffees and Teas a Specialty Chas. M. Wilson 5 Seasonable Suggestions To be Found Here: / Lowe Bros.’ Paint Pittsburgh Electrically Welded Fencing Fishing Tackle and Sporting Goods Alaska and White Frost Refrigerators Call Our Tinner Before the Spring Rains J. C. TANNER Falls City Nebraska Plumbing Hardware Let Us Be Your Waiter We never tire of helping others when they ask for good job printing. We can tickle the most exacting typographic appetite. People who have partaken of our excellent service come back for a second serving. Our prices are the most reasonable, too, and you can always de pend on us giving your orders the most prompt and careful attention. Call at tins nttice and look over our samples. UNTIL JULY 17th 1909 Lyford’s Clearing Sale WILL CONTINUE I ___ ! Entire stock of Colored Fancy Wash Goods is included in the following lots : All Wash Goods sold early at up to 12 1-2C, go now at 7c All Wash Goods sold early at up to 20c, go now at 10c j All Wash Goods sold early at up to 50c, go now at 25c | - ■ "• ’ TAKE NOTICE OE THE FOLLOWING DISCOUNTS 20 per cent off on all Embroideries 20 per cent off on all Muslin Underwear 50 per cent off on all Wool Tailored Suits 20 per cent off on all Wash Suits. 10 per cent off on all Wool Dress Skirts 20 per cent off on all Fabric Gloves-?!^8"* 10 per cent off on all Lace Curtains CWv&n A WaV with purchases of $2.00 or more, until Friday, the yjlYi&i i myyc*jr 2^j jujy^ a ticket for the first entertain ment of the Falls City Chautauqua. We will also have season tickets on sale. Do not miss this, the greatest educating and most entertain ing event of the year in our city. V. G.LYFORD __ V___