The Saint Paul globe., 1904-11-13
By
ELLSWORTH KELLEY

horse only sped on the faster. Tommy
Haskins gave Sideways glance OF
alarm at Billy
Is he's he-running Off
But Billy only laughed, and said:
Ease up a bit on the lines and see''
Tommy Haskins slackeRed the lines,
and very soon Prince had slowed down
to a walk. The boy turned to Billy
with delighted eyes, albeit his voice
was trembling just little.
When / get to be a man I'm going
to have a trotting horse-just like
hint"
They walked Prince the rest of the
way, and when they, came to the strip
OF alfalfa along the creek bottom, now
In full bloom and ready for the first
cutting. Billy laid his hand on the lines
and stopped the horse. The odor of
the bloom was beginning to rise with
the early falling dew.
Smells mighty good, don't it? But I
just got a sniff of somethin' a heap
nicer. Don't you smell it, too-ma's
coffee bilin'?''
When they reached the ranch house
door, Tommy Haskins' ma met them
and started to extend Tommy's COM
panion hearty Kansas greeting, and
TO say that supper was already on the
table, when she paused, scrutinized
Billy's face closely, and exclaimed:
Good land alivei II 1t isn't Billy
McGuire. Pa. pa! Come here this
Tnfnut'. Here's Billy Mcguire that I
used to go to school with back in IN
diana. long before ever saw you! My
naemory's better'n yours, Billy McGuirei
You don't know me? Don't you recol-
lect the girl that used to hold you with
one hand and wash your face In O
snowbank with the other? Well, I'm
her!"
Then Billy replied. while the sound
or his boy name, spoken In an oldtime
voice, ran through his veins like wine:
Molly Briggs, sure as livei I thought
this morning that I had seen those
eyes of Tommy's somewhere beforei"
Tommy'S pa came forward, smiling,
and shook hands cordially with Billy
Mcclure, and asked him il he had just
come out to Kansas.
why, no." said Billy. s1've lived at
the county seat for the last ten years"
'sWen,' put in Tommy's ma, we've
been out here dozen years this spring.
and the last six of 'em right here on
Walnut crick. How on earth does 1t
happen that we've never heard tell OF
you?" Then fash of intelligence lit
up her face. 1T can't be-yes, it is so,
too. Pa. I'll declare if you didn't vote
for Billy last fall! Don't you remem-
ber-'For representative, W. H. Nc
Guire?' / noticed the name at tho
time, but I never thought once of it's
bein' Billy!"
After supper they insisted that Billy
had to stay all night. But Billy de-
clared that he was compelled to take
the morning train for Topeka to look
after q case he had in the supreme
court. So they did the next best thing,
and made the most of an old fashioned
evening visit that lasted until the
hands on the big. old-fashioned clock
pointed alarmingly to the XII. on Its
face.
Tommy Haskins sat wide-eyed all
evening listening to the talk about the
Smiths and WigginSes, and the Dilling-
becks, and about the church festivals
at the chapel. where, town against
country boys, a cake was voted to the
prettiest girl. And the country girl
was the winner. And of all things!
Her name was-Molly Briggs! And
then and there Tommy Haskins resolv-
ed that, when he went back with his
ma to visit at gran'pa'S next fall, he
would see at least two places. 30 He
would see Wesley chapel where. his
ma had been voted "the prettieSt GIRL"
then he would have her show him the
identical spot where she had washed
Billy's face in the snowbank.
When Billy had at last said goodby
at the front gate. and had promised to
come back next Sunday week and stay
all day, the moon was riding high In
the sky, and the smooth road was al
most as light as day. AT the cross
road he turned to look back, and saw
them slowly walking toward the house.
Tommy Haskins and his ma ard his
pa, hand in hand
AS he faced about and drew the lines
with a firmer grip, his thoughts fell
into rhythm with the rhythm OF his
horses gathering feet, and both SEEM
ed to say over and over:
BILLY McGuire-is found-is foundi"