Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1902-01-30

did not wish to show the re-
suits of oVereXertiOn when she reached
her destination, the lawn party at Colo
mel Websters in Blythedale. 1t was a
twenty mile ride from her uncle's
house in Plainteld, but that was moth
ing to so expert 4 rider as Dorothy.
The road branched three ways just
ahead of her, and at that point stood d
guidepOst from which some vandal
had removed the sign. However, 1t
served as a landmark for Dorothy, who
had been over the road once before and
remembered that the branch to the left
led TO Blythedale.
a young man overlook her just as
she came in sight of the guidepost, and
as he passed her he smiled as one who
wishes to be sociable But Dorothy,
who had strong views about chance
acquaintances, froze him with glance,
and he rode on so humble that the
curve of his back over the low handle
bars was like the prostratiOn of an
oriental devotee
Dorothy saw the offending stranger
alight before the guidepOst. and as she
came up she heard him say to another
dismounted cyclist, IF you're not sure,
I'll ask somebody else, for it is very
important TO me-"
There's no doubt about It," said the
other. The right hand road leads to
Blythedale"
grave question of duty confronted
the conscientious Dorothy. Could she
allow this young man to be so woefully
miSdirected? He had offended her, but
revenge is simple Besides, he had not
behaved SO very badly. 1t was not as
if he had spoken to her. 1t was only a
smile and not at all an offensive one,
and he looked very much the gentle
man.
So Dorothy stifled her resentment
and spoke to him, or, rather, she ad-
dressed the landscape in general as she
passed him, saying. The road to
Blythedale is the one to the left
She made feint of taking another
road and thus permitted him to get
ahead of her. Out of the corner of her
eye she saw that he accepted her ad-
VIC NlluOul llNSllullOl, anu lhol
forded her considerable satisfaction.
She had returned good for evil, and the
matter was important, too, for she had
heard him say So
He rode slowly, and Dorothy had to
exercise restraint to keep from over
taking him. She suspected him of
waiting for her, though he never once
looked over his shoulder.
Il can't In common fairness pretend
TO fix his pace for him." said she, but
/ won't overtake him, and l don't like
TO trail along behind him all the way to
Blythedale"
In trying to decide what to do about
it Dorothy remembered that about
three miles from the fork in the road
there was a well, with rude, little
shed built over 1t. She had quenched
her thirst there on the occasion of her
former ride to Blythedale and had
praised the water to the rustic who had
drawn 1t for her. She resolved to stop
there again and give the stranger a
chance to gain lead. 1t would have
been easy enough to stop anywhere,
but it seemed silly to do so without ex-
cuse
Yet the idea that she was pursuing
the man whom she had repealed began
to annoy her, and she wished him out
of her sight. Every time she checked
her speed he did the same, yet it must
have been pure accident for he never
once looked back. When he quickened
his pace, she found herself instructive
ly increasing her own rate of speed,
and the sum of it was that they held
their relative positions as accurately as
If they had been two cars fastened to
the same cable.
This absurdity will end at the WE'LL"
thought Dorothy But what had be-