The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1897-04-16


boys sold ont here
~ guess ho'n beck visiting; Tll GO
and speak 90 him." Tom walked back
10 where uiuG aud the girl had found
a seat "iowdy do2 Won't you iu-
troduco mo 90 your wlief'
Kinks face turned q deeper rod
than ever the suu hBl painted 90. "sho
ain'tmy wlic-czactly-yct" hc STAN.
mDrcd.
Tho train WIS running along side
the state road. Hink suddenly started
mp and looked out OF tho window.
"lts him." he exclaimed oXcitedly.
"H0 must a. faw as get on.
Tom looked toward the road and saw
mon standing upin blackboard like
Roman charioteer, shaking his fist
and apparently hurting opprobrious
opithets no the train.
owe can't stop this here train now,
they could hear the conductor shout,
"ior we've got to be in Davisvillo by
100" IL was then 1890.
"rll beat your old COW, thea, the
man yelled back IN derision. "Iell
'em I'll meet EN- at the Davisyille
depot"
"Confound it, said Hink, ~ visit
he hadn't seen us get on.
The girl began 10 cry.
"What's the row? Who is that fell
low2" Tom asked.
"Why, you see, Mr.. Hargrove, 7"
Hank replied, "he's Mary's brother
and he's took full notion that she
sha'n't marry me-says our Bill
cheated him swapping watches. Mary
amt eighteen till July and I've got to
get bacl, to I-oway TO cultivate my
corn and 80 her mother said for us
Jest to slip away and get married with
out letting Durfey know. We come
to Nankitt this morning, ! got my
license and we was going 10 the Bap-
| fist preachers when we seen Durfey
coming. We was near the depot and
so we jest skited and got on tins tram
and he must "a saw us.
"And now he's going to Davisyille
to stop you?" Tom queried.
"Yes-and he'll beat us, for that
bay he's driving can outtrot any horse
around here"
"Well, he can't prevent her from
marrying you, can he?"
81 guess he could-he's my guar
deen," Mary said, lifting her face al
ready swollen with tears. "rhen,
anyway. if he meets us and says /
must go off with hun l just know I'll
do it. won't want to leave Hink but
I always do what Duriey tells me-.
Tom wondered that any man should
want to marry a girl with so little
"backbone"-so he termed her timid-
ity-but he kept this reflection to
himself, knowing the ways of bride
grooms and their unreasoning fond.
ness. "Perhaps we can get the con-
ductor to hurry up the train" he
suggested.
That parsonage was collecting fares
in his shirt sleeves but wearing his CAP
to give an official air. "Can we go q
little faster, AbeP Tom said, as he
gave up his ticket; "this gentleman
would like to beat that blackboard
man to Davisville. Runaways," hC
whispered in conclusion.
The conductor frowned, punched
the ticket, then stuck it in Toms hat
band. "We can't go more'n nine
miles IN hour" he answered. "We'vC
got strict orders not TO kill no steers
nor horses an i they're Jest eyerlast
ingly on this hero track. Bat vel
try to keep that smarty on the State
road in sight" he ended, vindictively
for the insult Of miscalliug his train q
COW ranked in his bosom. "WheI
we stop at Sage I'll get off and tell tn,
engineer"
Sage was q station where q grail
elevator reared itself about the sur
rounding cornoribs and where
weather beaten platform served d
depot. BY the time the train reached
there everybody in the car knew thu
story of the runaways. At Sage tn
Swedes clattered out and the conduc
tor ran to the locomotive and told tn
engineer to ''go mite faster"
The passenger could see the man il
the blackboard clipping along the roal
about a quarter OF a mile ahead
''He's bound to beat you," Tom said
drawing In his head after a survey o
their rival. "Hndn't you better sc
off at the next stop and try to get
farmer to drive you back to Nankltt
You say you have your hcense?"
eyes" Hink answered, despond
emily, "here it is" He drew it fror
his pocket and handed it to Tom
eff we did get off we mightn't fill
anybody willing to take us back"
"That's So" Tom responded. Fl
ran his eyes over the license-a ne
| idea came to him. "Would you IL
Squire Phinney marry your" he asked
} "He's there on the front seat. 1t wi
be legal if it's done before we reac
the city line.
1 ''You can bet I'm willing to MARI
if Mary is" Hink answered, ioyfullN