The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1904-07-15

tcopyrisht. ~, By Daily Story Pub. o.,
~ THOMAS 2. MoNTFokT

THOMAS - 4 MONITOR lF II
y Copyright, IA, BY Daily story Puk Cal
\ THERE was great excitement IN the
#5 Judkins household. Everybody
b was disturbed, restless and uneasy
The cause OF all this excitement was
the failure Of Minerva Judkins to APP
pear at the breakfast table. and the
further fact that a search. Of the house
had not discovered her whereabouts.
\ These things within themselves were
not 80 strange and startling as to set
tho whole household wild, but, when
taken in connection with some other
things, they had q most portentious
Y meaning. t$ 4 CIV x ... Js5c Ne
. 4 oh. Minerva! Minerva" Mrs. Jud-
kins walled. II wonder where she can
be?" :, :. %g ,si.. y Fss ss.%t, 2, i"
!; Old Sam stopped and glared at his
wife. Whats the use in saying that?''
/ he cried. II know, and you know, ex-
actly where she is. There's no sense
in beating about the bush, trying to de-
csive ourselves. She's eloped, that's all
there is to it. Eloped with that Jack
Burns" y '-tf>.% i
No. mol" Mrs. Judkinsa naoaned,
don't say that. It can't, 1t must not
be true!" ~ 80. G9E >>2;2.ysr, .' !. /.
i ,7s well. Just the same, It II true.
4 They've eloped. But Il promise you
right now that it's mighty little good
\ It will do them. I'm going to follow
and bring her back, and II i lay eyes
on Jack Burns he's .. dead man. III
shoot him on sight, r..s /
! "oh.. Sam! You mustn't do anything
rash!" S 5:, t3zS7s 3E% 33 ~ .5
VA Don't you bother about that!"| he
cried. I'm not do anything more rash
than putting q bullet through Jack
Burns heart, @55 %.;.s3 ~ : Il, =
Minerva Judkins was q woman
4 grown and had 4 perfect right to mar
~ whom she pleased, and no one was
privileged to nay her NAY. But her
father did not see it in that light, and
having selected Z husband for her, was
determined she should marry the man
Of bis choice, regardless of her OWL
preferences in the matter. g..
This arrangement would have beer
distasteful enough to Minerva. even II
! the man Of her fathers choosing had
Z been q decent. respectable sort of5per.
I son. but when he offered her an old
widowsr with six children, an I'M
shaven face and q woefully unkempt
appearance, it was simply revolving
The thought Of marrying such man
: was the more revolving to her from the
fact that she was In love with Jack
Burns, q man nearer her own age, and
" one Of whose personal appearance and
character she could Justly feel proud
Il, T In reality Sam Judkins had nothing
against Jack Burns, and II he had
been left uninauenced he would have
been perfectly willing for Jack and
+ Minerva to marry. But, unfortunate
he was not left uniniluenced.. Old Ben
Tucker, the widower above mentioned
Y attended to that. He had an influence
over Sam that the latter found ire
sistable. He had q mortgage on Sans
farm, which he Threatened to foreclose
unless he was given Minerva. for Z
wife. = = ~. "s5>s&%:i,AE Z : 4 =
#s Tucker was at the Judkins home
when it was found that Minerva had
I disappeared. In fact. 1t had been
b arranged that he and Minerva should
I marry that morning, and It was fo1
d that reason that he. was there. It was
also for that reason that Minerva had
had disappeared.
+ n f When Sam took down his gun and
announced his intention Of following
4 the clippers old Ben offered to accom-
& pany him, and his offer was accepted
Near the Judkins farm was river
and across the river was 4 town. II
4 was to this town that old Sam very
I naturally concluded the lovers had
gona. It was the only. town anywhere
4; near. and then In other Opponents the
/ elopess had always gone there to. get
marriad. :, ~. =
IA boat was secured and the two mel
4 got In and set out across the river
( Tucker took the oars, while old Sam
I sat in the stern nursing the rifle, In
\ perfect silence the former pulled away
smanfully, and the latter stared straight
B before him, watching the opposite
shore. : '$e5n. 4v..r : :. =. =
In this way they proceeded. until
u they had reached the middle Of the
river, where the water was deep and
( the current swift. Then all at once old
u Sam ;sprang to his feet in = state Of
wild excitement and raised his gun to
4 his shoulder Just before him he saw
Jack Burns standing on the river bank
] 5 Hold the boat still, can't your" he
called to Tucker. LET up on them
cars" rs :4.p@, - - - !. ..,t,T.|.
What IL :" Tucker asked, for seat
4 ed facing Sam he could not see Burns.
What are you going to shoot here
for /. 4. ~ - '5,,c% sE':. h
'.T1e,s there on the bank" Sam re-
piled. 4 "Jack Burns! I'm going to kill
him. Hold still until | get q; bead on
him" \ 49,. ; x ;s3 :, q. Il Z
ii Instead OF doing as Sam admonish-
4sed, old Ben, 1t the mention OF Burns
Y name, sprang excitedly to his feet il
ret look At his rival. In 80 doing he
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