The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-14

, soul she said. are you Captain Asher's
niece
II am said Olive. in surprise.
=" Well WELL said the other. That just
beats me. When l heard he had his niece
with him. l thought she was a plain girl
with short frocks and her hair plated down
her back
olive did not like this woman. 1t Is won
derful how quickly likes and dislikes may be
generated
But you see l am not she replied
Seven cents. please
e I'm not going TO pay any toll said the
| other
OLIVES face flushed Little boy she ex-
claimed. back that horse! As the young
ster obeyed her peremptory request Olive
gave 4 quick jerk 10 a rope and brought
down the tolleate bar. so that it stretched
Itself across the road. barely missing in its
downward sweep the nose of the unOffendng
horse. Now said Olive. If you are ready
to pay your toll you can go through this
gate. and If you are not you can turn round
and go back where you came from
Thus is Miss Maria Port introduced TO the
! reader. Finally there comes time when
she has poor Captain John at bay. She
threatens him with a suit for breach of
promise. though he has never breathed one
word of love to her. Like all sailors. he is
helpless with women and in his despair he
Methodist minister. a meeting of the Dorcas
Society is beirg held at Mrs. Faulkner's. and
this good woman determines TO storm and
overcome Maria Port with the full strength
of the Dorcas membership.
Now. ladies'. said Mrs. Faulkner. in my
opinion. the thing for us to do Is to go to
see Maria Port. tell her what think of
her. and have all this wickedness stopped
Without debate 1t unanimously
agreed that the presidents plan should be
carried out. Ard within ten minutes the
whole Dorcas Society of eleven members
started out in double file 10 visit the house
of Maria Port
Here. however, although they trIumphed
in the end Maria holds them in check by re-
fusing to see them. shrewdly guessing their
mission. Whereupon. in true Stocktonian
style. the Dorcas Society camps in Maria
Ports house for the night. and when morn
ing dawns the dreadful woman has flown.
leaving orders with her domestic TO close up
the house. and from that time forward she
troubles the captain no more.
But. in the meantime. Olive herself is
having her own Stocktonian love troubles.
She is wooed by -four young men, one Of
whom she loves. hut she Is in pitiahle
tange with the other three. She can no
escape. save through the help of her friend.
Mrs. Chesterfield. very charming woman Of
the world. who knew Olive In Europe.
Now, my dear Mrs Easteriield.' said
Olive when they We're some distance from
the tolgate and the house. ! am going to
ask you to add to all your kindnesses one
more favor for me-
That has such an omiuous sound said
/ Mrs. Chesterfield. that l am not disposed to
promise beforehand
1t is about those three young men You
mentioned
e L mentioned no number. and there are
four
= In what l am going to ask of YOU one
of them can be counted out. He is not in
the affair. Only three are in this business.
Won't you be so good as to decline them
all FOR me? l know that you can do 1t bet
ter than l can. You have so much tact.
And you must have done the thing many