The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1904-06-30


ont their forbidden intficacies, fitted By
like I succession Of dreams. firing 1t
length, she pedalled slowly; when = con-
sciousness OF being followed grew upon
her awfully.
Pursued? Like Hash the long DOM
nance Of nature. sex and years reas-
serted their sway. Paula-not Paul
now! The sweet security OF skirts.
chaperon. and-why not own 1t to her
self?-a protector. even a man-so ne
were the right man; all these grew up
on her longing. Arthur himself-oio
he always sleep very sound? AS for
George Baylor. she would probably have
Jumped at him; out Of fear. OF course;
yet until the scrape and jingle OF wheels
disclosed two riders bending over their
handlebars, the idea of being discovered
by a sweetheart, curdled holly in her
veins, so that George himself might have
drawn hope therefrom.
But with her male protectors sleeping
the ''sleep of BEARS" Paula's strength
and courage went lower and lower.
"Close in on your SIDE" some one
called. Don't let him leave the main
road" The muffled tones acted like
cold water douche. She spurted.
Hey, you! Stop. thief" Though the
voice seemed further OF. the words were
terrible. Taken by some one for mid
night thief?
Failing to drop dead at the idea, Paula
spurted once more, until, but for long
descending grade. she would have fallen
from the wheel. She could not shake
them OF. Nearer they crept in the dim
lunar light, until, nearly wild with ap-
prehension, she dashed wildly down the
grade
Then q scream, glare and an onco.u-
ing roar announced the night express
that stopped nowhere, seemingly this
side Of doom-to Paula Yet she kept on.
on; 0reading the vague horror OF dis
grace behind even more than the Shrek
ing peril before.
The wheel bounced, zigzagged, reeled
across the track-was it by hairs
breadth or a rod? Paula only knew that
the Intervention of long, crashing ser
pent had given her moments respite
It's earth-shaking convolutions passed.
and there came her nemesis; yes, the
pair of them. Gasping. exhausted. she
turned into a footpath towards the lights
and noise of an all-night factory twink
ling through a strip of woods. Bump!
Bump! Bump!
The going was worse than shaggy;
then-bzzzt-bzt-bz
Paula knew that Arthur's wheel could
assist her no longer. She fell rather
than dropped from the machine. and
was striving weakly to regain her feet.
when her relentless pursuers came up.
Too far gone physically to care much.
she hid her face. but it was roughly un-
covered. 1t was darker amid the trees
than in the open.
"Nabbed at last" shouted someone.
seizing the punctured bike In his other
hand Next time you steal wheel.
don't make SO much fuss getting out Of
the house. Hello! No. you don't-why,
Paula"
As the boy-girl looked up meekly. the
golf cap fell off, and her hair came down.
The speaker was Arthur. her brother.
who could only stare and calculate. As
theOther man pushed bis wheel through
the shubbery, Paula screamed. and might
have fallen again. but he boldly tald her
up: boldly. yet tenderly.
arthur came by on your Wheel" he
explained. "Said bike thief had"
Another faint scream, as Paula tried
to hide behind her hands.
Oh. these laundering elder brothers!
Dear Miss Paula" murmured the
other man. and somehow the feminine
naturalness Of the words restored her
like old wine. May I. customer"
The other man was George Baylor.