Show Daily Daiy Short Fiction Stor Story AN EVEN DIVIDE By ELLSWORTH LEWIS Copyright 1915 b by tho the Newspaper Syndicate Well Vel queried Mr Ir James Wallace as his son came camo slouching Into tho the library and dropped Into a n chair with wih a 0 tired tred look You wanted to see me me father Humph You wanted to go so over the old ground again 7 I gound With Wih some new ground added added Philip you ou dont don't amount to putty Right you ou are father tather I think of ot a every o time I Isee Isee Isee see you And you I feel teel like one You aro arc too lymphatic even O to fall fail fallin in love lovo lovo Such IB is the tha case Unfortunately you have havo mon money of ot your our own If I It depended on me you OU would have to go to work for tor a n dollar dolar a n day I dont don't b believe le e I could earn ear half hal of or that father You may mt po go 0 Its It's no use uso to talk to a n 10 lay figure But nut theres there's flure another side to It It I 1 have r ha mono money and could have havo speculated speculated and lost it I. I I could have married married mar mar- ried tied but the girl would have havo been a bigger fool than you think mo me to be I have taken life Ifo cas easy but bul I have havo swindled no one ono If I I had hd more moro energy energy ener- ener gy py I might havo fallen falen In love lovo with wih a n chorus girl If I I were no lymphatic I 1 might havo have been unloading a bo bogus gold ol mine on you and ond other captains a n of harmless Industry ono If I I am a I am ama The father looked at the eon son in a puzzled way and after a minute the latter later continued I 1 have havo somo good news for tor you father tather I am going to make a n change Humph I am going awa away Where to I dont don't know like you rou Not a bit 1 like e me mc father tather I cant can't be bo anything else than a dawdler and anda a so 50 long Ions as ns I stay slay In the tho ct city You see sec the young youn women of ot my set set arc are frivolous and the young men spendthrifts and dawdlers I dont don't know where I am going nor what I shall go into but hut I shall shaU make a a. change The Tho young youns man mAn roso rose and and took two or three turns around the room and then then halted d to say Father should I make five thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand dollars In the next year ear besides winning a good wife what will the bridal gift gif be 7 A thousand thirty brownstone front fron Thanks hanks in advance When father rather came home to dinner h he was as told that Philip had departed with wih two trunks and that he ho had de declined do- do dined to give his destination I didn't believe he had the tho to get himself to the station laughed tho the old man When Philip left lef the city ho rode a hundred miles mies b by rail mi and got oft off oft at ata ata ata a town of or 2000 WOO Inhabitants Vh Why He could coul not answer At the tho hotel they wondered who the young oung man was and what had hal brought brought him there but he made no explanations Ho lie lo must make mke and find a 1 bride within a year ear and ond ho realized it I would require a heap of thinking After a month In which nothing had accrued to his benefit young Mr Philip Wallace Walace was about ready rendy to admit admi his failure and do without the bride and tho the bron brownstone bro tone He had hod got Rot out of tho the rut however howe er and ho he discovered ered to his lila surprise that he had acquired a a bit of pluck Something might turn tur up If it I he held on He was In the office of ot the hotel one morning when the telephone ran rang and the operator at Benton BEnton ten miles mies awa away aay said saith Tell Tel the tho sheriff that tho the bank was robbed last night night Of Or how much the young man asked The rhe robbers pot got sat of ot tho the banks bank's mone money and about tho the same from the safe deposit vaults And have tho the officers thero there got a acue clue cue The They know thero there were three robbers robbers rob rob- bers bent and anti that they passed the house of a n farmer miles mies out out an hour after aler midnight midnight They were vore In a one horse buggy bugg and had hal driven so 80 fast tast that the thc horse dropped den dead d. d Any reward Yes 1000 for tor each of the robbers and for the tho return of tho the money Young Wallace Walace did not start for tor tho too sheriffs sheriff's office on tho the run rn In fact ho did not start for tor any of office but sat down In a n bewildered wa way And when the landlord came camo co In and asked if It tho the had hd rung during his absence he received no answer Queerly enough the tho young youn man was feeling tho the awakening of ot an instinct that tbt ho did not not know ho lie POs possessed Ho He had read rad of crime and nc criminals for tor years but had never speculated for tor a mO moment over o a case Now ow ho lie found himself much Interested In this one It was wasa I a fact he ho said Mid to himself that a bank had been heen robbed and antl the robbers had got awa away but the tho death death of or their horse must havo have in mado ado a change chango In their plans Would the robbers robber dare go back to town and tr try to escape by tho the railroad railroad rail rail- road No Xo There Thero was no train rai- rai be before before be- be fore 9 0 o'clock in the morning and be before before be- be fore that time there thero ther would bo ba a hue and cry ci Would they dare continue on foot across the country countr with wih their plunder telephone with wih against every o cr them farmer using the It I was waa oven to himself that a young oung man who had bee been characterized b by his hiI father tather an ns a 1 fish fish- worm and totally without energy should find himself breathing like a runner runne as he thought of ot pitting hImself himself himself him hIm- self against three desperate men That was what it I might come to After Arter having ha arrived at this thia de decision do- do the putty man mn went to the tho livery Ivery stable and got a n horse and buggy bugg and ane started for Benson Denson He Ho reached tho the town to find It I seething with wIh excitement Officers and amateurs amateurs ama ama- am- am were vere on tho the hunt and tho the farmer who had seen Been tho the robbers and witnessed the tho fate fato of their horse had to tell tel the story stor over again a score of ot times When Then ho had learned where this farmer lived Ived young oung Wallace alace drove out there He Ho asked no questions questions ques ques- tons of gf anyone anone What he saw sav sw for several miles along the road mies was three or four tour farmhouses ns os many barns some somo straw stacks and here and there a bit of ot woodland If I his theory theor was correct tho the robbers rob rob- rb- rb bers hers would find safe a hiding place for the plunder and then separate and ami come back later to divide tho the spoils The They would r realize that every town for tor fifty fley miles mies around would ho bo notified noti noU- fled fied led before noon They would have to conceal the tho plunder er at nt once and within a mile mie or cr two of where th they y lost their horse As every over farmer farer kept his hla hit barn bar locked and a watchdog besides the fellows would bo be driven back to the tho or tho the woods bace Philip drove back to Benson to think It I over On the 0 way ho lie 11 met ayoung a n young oung woman driving Ig drI a horse and buggy In passing pasing each other the they almost came to a 0 halt haI and the tho young oung attracted b by the girls girl's man was vs BO so o agreeable personality that for a moment mo mo- ment mont ho almost forget hl his role of ot amateur mate sleuth I S SAn An hour later lator a note nota was handed him by a boy Ho He was asked to call callon callon cal on Miss Hazel Drayton Dryton at a n certain certin addres He found her to be tho the girl Irl he had hae passed on tho the highway Ho Jo I had ld scarcely given net her his name namo when 3 she sho ahl You fRil are looking for tho the bank bank- plunder Well Wel Both of oC us Know 1 0 where whre It is Perhaps Lets work In partnership partnership vide ide the reward Wo We may find the plunder tho the robbers robbers You see fee fee I must mUt i live five thousand to hold tithe lathe fat pr promise Then Thon he proceed her nil all about it i. i j But if ife e we e ero to divide your our father think thin you had ha d dwell well wol 7 asked tho the blushing blushing Mil Mu M when ho he had finished j f Father Is a hard heart bea I Miss Drayton 1 Yes I INot Not more moro than three minute before Mr lr Wallace Valoe sadi see sec Ivo Ive Ivo got half hal the monty mODe ha have ve it I. I and ten months to toi J other half and tho the wits wl sad and 4 make mako an oven even divide and I Ij I Ithe the chances T S S S SA A straw stack Ruck yielded up I ti U tr din der There Thero wa was wan an on oven reward The Tho fro fT If called cUel for and handed ore over w WF y year yar ar There hero arc are no Wallace alco now |