Middletown transcript., 1906-07-14
laughed a little mot as the man
.fad lanphed. however

Ter UP TIE SbdlfS.
4 biistering hot Wednesday
dawned For this day had been
arranged one Of those terror
striking rural entertainments, a
picnic IN mid July One Of the
partially shelved bachelors be-
fore alluded to came to offer him
self to Miss Deane as her escort,
all invitation which was cour
teously declined; Miss Deane was
packing. Later, however, ar
rived mother with a headache,
imploring the unemcumbered
spinster TO go in her place to
keep an eye on her children.
Alicia had never been selfish, and
she consented, her kinswoman
undertaking to set things right
with the would be escort.
Over the rutty red roads, under
the blazing yellow sun, the ier.
sey.wagon swayed, tilted and
plunged, laden with its freight of
children, matrons of assorted
ages and Alicia Deane. Bug
gies, containing each its man and
maid, were strung along the way,
making passing dark blots on
the crests of steep red ridges.
Judge Carroll and Susie Benham
swept by in his light turnout,
with its handsome trotters, the
girls delighted, conscious giggle
! causing heads in the jersey to
twist toward her and tongues to
wag in laughing asides.
Thank goodness! Tomorrow I
shall be gone! was Miss Deane's
mental ejaculation, whilst with
disciplined gayety she told
stories to her youthful flock.
The day droned along some
how in the breathless woods.
More than once Alicia was aware
of George CAROLS watchful gaze
upon her. and once he brought
her a gourd Of cool water from
the spring, a voice out of the dim
past rather imperiously inform
ing her that she looked all tired
out, and ordering the chaps
away to play. Then came the
customary thunderstorm, the
crowding into small farmhouse,
wet vehicles, red mud, swollen
streams.
At last the procession got
started, and began to slide and
diminish over the hills. When it
arrived at Otter Creek, now boil
ing angri.y betwixt high banks,
Carroll's buggy was just ahead of
the jersey wagon. He had his
nervous team well in hand, and
struck the water at well chosen
spot. Presumably his compan-
ion, overfiowing with the exuber-
ance of conquest, desired to get
ahead Of the buggy in advance.
At all events, she snatched the
whip out of the socket, and be-
fore her escort had time to re-
monstrate, she had ficked the
fuming horses. Even the iron
hand on the reins could not do
more than moderate the violence
of their forward plunge. The
wheels on the near side struck
rock, the buggy tilted alarnlingly
and Carroll, his energies absorb
ed by his horses, was powerless
to prevent his companion from
being ierked into the water, by
whose force she was whirled
down stream.
At the risk of turning the ye-
hicle completely over, he sue
ceeded in forcing his team back
to the spot from which he had
started them, and throwing the
lines to willing hands outstretch-
ed to aid, he rushed along the
bank of the creek.
But someone was before him.
Alicia, whose mind worked rap
idly, and with whom to think was
to act, had already had time to
shrink from the vision of his
bride that was to be. She was
out of the wagon on the instant
and fleeing toward a sharp bend
in the stream nearby. Poor lit
tie Susie, alternately gurgling
and screaming, was being swept
IN that direction. Selling an
overhanging branch of tree
with one hand. Alicia reached out
over the water, and by super
human effort caught and held
the girls spreading skirts. But
Susie was solid and helpless, her
rescuer far from robust.
Help me, Susie! she gasped.
You can find a footing here if you
try!
Vain was the appeal. Susie
was past all effort beyond that of |
pulling Alicia into the water with |