Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1906-11-01
|B|indasaBat.
BY Martha MeCuiloch> W iiiia1ls
CopNriglt. 1905. hg Ruby Douglas
By Martha MeCuiloch W ,iiianls
Copyright, 1895. by Ruby Douglas

ton girl when she swept through it
riding cross saddle. To he sure, the
town had been reading this long time
about the divided skirt. but then the
town was also not exactly sure in It's
mind that riding its streets even upon
II proper sidesaddle was not rather
bold
or course in the country 1t was diff
ferent The very best young women
rode there. Moreover, it had come, to
lie Il sort of proverb among the plan
tation folk that the hardest and most
| reckless riders were town girl visitors.
Very few OF them had any mercy upon
| the beasts luckless enough 10 carry
them-this not because they were hard
| hearted but from sheer igno,ance and
| the pure animal delight Of finding
themselves mtcttered for Il time. They
| freited not little, these town bred
riders. when the country folk checked
speed at hills or insisted that horse
should have a chance to blow bit
| after II hard gallop.
Possibly envy. the least touch. gave
| edge to their uisapproval OF Edith
Taunton. Edith had fortune and
| three fine saddle horses. AS ii that
were not enough. Billy Drayton fell
into way of sharing her early sallops.
| Until she came back to the old
| I,;I n
rise once year 1t was provokingly
| significant, this change in him. lie
| had been the despair Of the town
matchmakers. He was 4 governors
grandson, rich. good looking, good hui
mored Further. he was Il squire OF
danes so nobly impartial nobody ever
vet had been able to establish
claim to him. The people he regarded
| most and was readicst TO serve were
| meek old ladies who had known Iiis
mother and very little girls.
| Edith was, he insisted. only Il big lit
| tie girl, very lone and lorn in her big
empty house What he did not say was
| that he thought her coming back to it
| something so fine and brave he was
bent on helping her fight down the
loneliness and make her own social
place.
| This in the beginning-until the town
| gossips took to craning the neck, saak-
| ing the head and drawing aside the
| least bit when the girl came among
them Billy saw the head shaking, the
drawing back, a long time before she
| nd mn min nc
| daylight and had no thought Of tread
ing on the corns of town proprety in
| anything she did. But, being also full
! of quick intutions, after awhile she
| understood.
| And then? Then only she really did
| set out to horrify the good gentlewom-
| en-. She drove tandem through the
middle of the square. sitting up very
straight, looking neither to right nor
left, but pulling up at the corner by
the bank to pick up Billy and take him
| away with her. Next week it was u
card party-wholly masculine in COM
position, except for Edith herself and
the colorless cousin who served as her
companion There were wine and eli
gars and a supper afterward-a very
late supper.
The town thrilled with the horror of
it. But not as it did little later, when
everybody knew that thereafter, upon
| Sunday evenings, Edith meant TO be at
home to her friends. :,
If Billy had known in time that new
er would have come to pass. But he
had gone away for a fortnight right
after the night at cards first making
Edith promise to have no more such
assemblies until he was there TO give
her countenance and protection
When he came back and found the
mischief done, he was in a sad taking
81 see just one way out Of it-you
have got to marry me, else you won't
have rag of reputation left" he said,
pretending to shake her hard.
Edith made mutinous mouth at
him. suppose we try some other sac
rifcial lamb. Aren't you most too old
and tough" she asked her eyes dane
ing wickedly
Billy grinned cheerfuly. you can
have carloads of 'em for the taking,
| '''NN 'A+''' '''tsA AfAillHNt bul hDu ne
lleve they'd he the least effectual." he
said. you see. what you need really,
Is not sacrifice, but a scapegoat.
I'm strong enough to have your sins
confessed over my head and thence
forth imputed to me"
But scapegoats have to be sent
away. out into he wilderness | learn
ed that much at Sunday school. and |
can't have you go away" Edith pro-
tested. Besides. I am not doing any
thing horrid | shall 90 to church
+ Mornings Just Inc slime. Ks Tor the
evenings, you know yourself other
girls go TO church then. mainly to have
somebody see them home ana stay all
hours afterward making love to them.
| really feel like mlsSionary-th bows
can come here and rest or talk or do
anything they please As II is now.
they have no choice at all-thev must
either NOPE ut home or 20 out and
court Somebody-and that must be
| dreaGfully wearing"
1T u.s." Billy said feryently h, eyes