Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-09-06
81. WILL CARRY YOU"

He caught her up in his strong arms
as though she had been Il spray of bios.
SONS and ran with her out into tie
storm.
By moment more they were in the
midst of the woods, and she knew that
there was no longer any hope that he1
parents might see and rescue her.
u wish that you would letme walk,
Lonnie,' she begged, family.
No. like to carry you. You ain't
heavy, Mary, and am the strongest
man you ever saw!"
He struggled on with her through
the storm, while she closed her eyes
and resigned herself to the situation.
She was beginning now to reason. She
did not believe that the idiot mad as
he was, would harm her, and she felt
sure that, when they once reached the
parsonage, their excellent pastor would
in some way. divert Lonnie from his
purpose. He was rushing on with in
credible strength and speed, breathless
and silent amid the turmoil of the ele-
monts.
Suddenly wilder gust than ever
struck them, and the idiot reeled and
almost fell with his burden. He was
obliged to put her down for n nom mt
n order to recover himself. A bright
thought occurred to her She was
very swift-footed, Perhaps she could
distance him
Come, Lonnie!" she cried, playiully
catch mel"
Like a sprite she darted ahead of
him, before he could even make mo.
ton to detain her. She knew every
inch Of the wood-path In utter dark
ness she could still have found her way
there unerringly, Now incessant
flashes of lightning made every rock
and bush plain Mortally fearing that
she would escape him after all, the
idiot sprang in pursuit of her. stop,
Mary!" he beloved "Stop, stop"
Winged to almost supernatural fleet
ness by her terror, still she sped on
ahead of him. Suddenly there was
pause in the lightning. Taking alyan-
tage Of the molnentary gloon, Mary
sweryed from the path and crouched
behind convenient boulder. Hor ruse
was successful. When the next flash
came, the idiot appeared, far in ad-
vance of her. The thunder which in
stantly followed was deafening. II
ratified horribly, long after the
first wild crash was over. The girl
instinctively put her hands tc
her ears and uttered shrek
of alarm, but her weak voice was
drowned in the detonation of the thun
der Another appalling flash of light,
ming came almost immediately In her
panic she forgot to he cautions. She
stood upright and gazed down the long
vista OF the forest path. At first she
saw nothing, but when the light came
again she could discern the figure of
Lonnie lying prone upon the ground,
only a little in advance of the spot
where she had last beheld him. Per-
haps he had been seized with some sort,
of fit. Perhaps he had been struck bv
the lightning. Perhaps he had sue
cumbed, in spite of his boasting, to an
uureasoning fright at the fury of the
storm-but there he lay, and if she
WAS ever to escape now was the time.
As fast as her feet could carry her
she returned to her parents house.
Finding that they had not yet re-
turned, she ran onward drenched and
exhausted though she was. to the
Widow Temples, which was the next
house. There her lover met her at the
door His head was bandaged, hut
otherwise he was himself again. lie
poured forth an alarmed appeal for an
explanation of her distraught condi. |
tion, but she could make no response
for, as soon as her foot crossed the |
threshold, she foil in a dead faint, from
which she did not rally for hours.
When she began to regain conscious.
ness she cried distractedly over aud
over: Don't let him get mel Oh, |
don't let him get me p
But pretty Mary Doane did not need
to worry, and 1dalias peaoh-bloom