Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-18

"There is always way when love starts
to find it."
Silence fell between them moment.
The girl. her brown head bent, made
pretty picture.
But, Dick" she said shyly, I'VE couldn't.
I've always said no one but dear old Mr..
Gilchrist should marry us. He's known me
ever since l was a little girl. He's over at
Bridgetown. and that's twenty miles away,
with no train until evening Still she
frightened little, 1.-The runabouts in the
barn"
And so is the coachman," rejoined Dick.
THE first person your father will look up
when he gets home and finds you gone, is
Briggs And a carriage is easy to trace"
''Oh, WELL Ethel sighed despondently. NO
girl pretty, twenty and very much In love,
likes to see romance slipping away from
her Il suppose We'll have to give it up
Give it up? Not yet Your bicycle is
here. Wen make it on our wheels.
But father comes home at IL, Dick 1t s
10 now. He'll suspect something and over
haul us with that old automobile before
We get half way
We'll about that, l am doing some
figuring on the roads.
The girl took a few steps toward the
stairway. Then she turned swiftly and
threw her arms impulsiveiy about Car
ruthers' neck. Dick she said softly, and
there were tears in her eyes, will you al
ways be good to me? o.
He held her closely moment. Il will,
dearie, God helping me- he replied simply,
and his kiss sacred pledge.
Carruthers sat down again on the wide
settle in the hall. Head in hands and
elbows on knees. he pondered without NOV
ing until Ethel returned. Then, confident
ly. he outlined his plan of campaign:
"A quarter of a mile south of us Is the
crossroads he began. ITO the west of
that is Oliver. ten miles; Bunker is six
miles east. Well your father. when he
comes in an hour-no, fifty minutes-will
G,,I hn two hirI,
tracks leading south toward the cross
roads. One wheel will have a punctured
tire. I'm going to tie this handkerchief on
my rear wheel just to show him that, and
to make the track easy to follow. But
he'll lose US at the cross roads.
Before get there we'll swing up on
to the path, where the ground is hard and
no marks show. I'll take off the hand
kerchief. We'll turn around and go back
north, riding on the path for half mile
beyond your place. Bridgetown is twenty
miles straight north. We can make it in
three hours without hurrying.
Now, this Is what / think your father
will do. He'll ride back to the crossroads
in that benzine buggy of his and spend If
teen minutes looking for the trail of the
bandaged tire. Then he'll squander half an
hour in town calling on the ministers. Next
he'll try Bunker, that's the nearest
town. He'll have arrived at the conclu-
sion long before. of course, that we've
eloped, and he'll do Bunker and return,
y
minutes When he reaches the crossroads
again 1t will be half-past twelve.
IF he goes to Oliver, his blood will be
up, and think they'll reel off that twenty
miles in fast time, say forty-fve minutes
Then we expect him at Reverend Gill
christ's very shortly after you're Mrs. Car
ruthers'
But supposing he doesn't go to Oliver?"
queried Ethel anxiously. Wouldn't he
overtake u.s.
I'm that case. sweetheart, I'm putting my
trust in a certain hill. two miles long, just
this side of Bridgetown. It's a bit stiff.
even for a ten-hOrse power car. If he
crowds the machine and l devoutly hope
he will. they'll not reach the top. A cog or
something will give"
For the joy of hearing her confident. self
reliant lover thrust them convincingly
aside. Ethel tried to think of other objec-
tons, but there were none.
They rode bravely out the wide gateway
and turned to the south. The house was
silent IN the flooding sunshine; no one was
stirring about the stables far in the rear.
Carrutncrs smiled with satisfaction as he