Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-06
A RIDE FOR LOVE
BY GEORGIA GUSTS.

/ gust. The season at the Heartwood
Lake hotel was at its height, and the
| landlord smiled complacently as he is
sued orders for extra beds to be pre-
pared in billiard-rooms and out-build-
ings, while clerks and hall boys were
| kept busy replying to the continuous
| whirring of electric bells. 1t was mid
| afternoon, an hour when most of the
guests of the hotel had retired
to their rooms for the siesta
which had become habit dur
| ing the warm days of the earlier
| summer.
| The interest of the few loungers on
| the broad piazza was centered for mo-
nlent on a group of bicyclers, a score
or more of whom were gathered in
| front of the hotel, ready for a ride of
| 20 miles to a famous resort where they
were to dine. returning by moonlight.
! It was an animated scene, and a young
man who was in the act of descending
the stairs to join the party, paused a
moment at the door, looking down on
! the group of men in golf stockings and
knickerbockers, and girls in short
skirts or flaring bloomers. His eye
rested longest on one of the girls who
was standing somewhat apart from the
others, talking in a low voice to a tall,
| blond man whose eyes were fastened
eagerly upon her face.
She was simply attired in well-fitting
gray cloth with a jaunty cap crushed
down upon the rebellious dark curls
of her small head. Henry Sutton,
watching her unobserved, thought he
had never seen her look more charm
nd he iCh n ha
| turned away and mingled with the
| group at the foot of the piazza steps.
by Jovei" he exclaimed, mentally,
81 believe she is beginning really to
care for that fellow; he is not fit to
breathe the same air with girl like
Rose Miner, yet what can L do? Ihave
| said all I dared, and what has been
the result? Only to make her look
upon him as an abused and much-to-be-
pitied mortal, while bah! if didn't
| happen to worship the ground she
| treads on, it might be easier to be mis-
understood" and Sutton put an enor-
nous energy into the pumping of the
debated tire of a wheel belonging to
plain. shy girl who was starting with
some trepidation, on her first long ride.
Sutton felt sorry for her, and when
Rose had started off with Converse at
her side and not even a glance in his
direction, he gallantly brought up the
| rear of the procession of wheels with
his quiet companion, whose strength,
he soon discovered, was quite unequal
! to the task she had undertaken. At the
end of the first five miles, they met
| party of the girls friends returning
| from drive and with an extra seat
in the carriage: they offered to take
the tired rider and her wheel back to
| the hotel, and Sutton, thus relieved of
his charge, continued on his way, hop
ing shortly to overtake the remainder
of the party.
He had not indeed proceeded far
when, as he rounded the crest of hill
| he deserted at some distance ahead of
| him two figures who were bending over
their wheels at the side of the road
| AS he came nearer he recognized Miss
| Minor and Converse, and he would
have passed them with simple nod of
recognition, for since their conversa-
Ntion regarding Converse, Roses man
ner to Sutton lad been decidedly dis
tant, but to his surprise it was Converse
| himself who called out to him:
81 say, Sutton!" he shouted, lend us
hand here, will you? Miss Minor has
| punctured her tire, and have left the
most important part of my repair kit
| at home"
Sutton jumped off his wheel at once,
but he looked inquiringly at Rose be-
fore he examined her wheel. He fan
cied she looked a trifie annoyed, per
haps at being obliged to accept a IA
vor at his hands, but her tone was cor
dial enough as she said. simply:
81 am glad you have come"
He set to work at once to mend the
damaged tire, ana they were all three
quite silent during the operation.
When it was finished, Sutton raised his
cap with grave politeness.
IT trust you will have no further
trouble, Miss Minor" he said. ''And
now, since I can be of no further serv-
ice, l will ride on ahead to inform. the
others that you are coming"
The road inclined steeply upwards
from the point where the riders had
met. so that Sutton did not gain much
upon the others, and when he reached
the highest point of the road which
swept downhill again, he heard their
voices behind him.
| without looking Odck, OutlOh CodSISo
down the steep incline, and had re-
gained his pedals, ready for the next
ascent, when he heard his name
shouted behind him in Roses clear,
ringing voice. He turned his wheel az
once, and saw her springing from her
wheel, which was half way down the
hill; her companion had disappeared,
but in another moment Sutton under
stood what had happened. Converse s
iuhoa1 had s4r,,nl, q stone in the middle