The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1906-12-13

As far as she could see the road
stretched away dusty and desolate 1t
was the haying season. Farmers were
! busy with their crops and passersJ ~
were few. Olivia's car stood half in
and half out of the wayside ditch, and
| it WAS beyond her power to move it.
/ There was nothing to be done but wait.
If deiverance in any guise approached
she could readily signal it. for she
! stood on the crest of hill.
| Below her the countryside lay like Il
green map. The clear air Knocked dis
lance and brought things wonderfully
near-the cluster of houses that formed
Oakdale village, beyond these the gray
| gables of her own home and still far
Their away the shining roof of VIII
/ loughby manor.
1t was at the latter that she looked
with the most interest. for the For
esterWilloughby feud, beginning about
land line, had continued for two gen
eratons. The elder Willoughby had
died, but Broughton Wiloughby had
returned from college and the manor
j was reopened.
The villagers, who took a lively in
terest in the two families. declared him
to be fine, sensible young man, nor
was Olivia whit less popular. PEG
pie liked to wait for her smile and
nod as she galloped past. Recently
her motor had taken the place of her
horse, a course of which her father
heartily disapproved, for he hated mod
ern innovations.
His role of hostile neighbor was only
one of many idiosyncrasies. Trains
| filled him with horror unspeakable
1t was his boast that he had never rid
den in a sleeper He loathed the bus
| tie of a city life and chung tenaciously
to his New England homestead, whose
| inaccessibility rendered it doubly dear
to him. Olivia often leased him by
saying she was sure he would like to
keep her at home beside a spinning
wheel.
Anything" he cried, would be bet
ter than what you have chosen! With
such hideous, snorting thing as that
how can you expect to come to any
thing but grief? And. though Murray.
the groom. is an excellent-what do
you call it?-chauffeur, you insist In
going about the country alone You
are a modern, Olivia, and l wash my
hands of you
Yet now, as Olivia was experiencing
her first breakdown, she recalled her
fathers words with a twinge of ap-
prehension, and 1t was a relief to hear
another machine approaching. a relief
which turned to CONSERVATION when
she saw its occupant. Young Will
loughby coolly ignored the embarrass-
ment of the situation.
81 beg your pardon" he said pleas
antly, but can I be of some assist
ance?"
Thank you" answered Olivia con
fusedly. at won't move either way,
and | can't find out what's the matter
with It," Nor could Wllloughby when,
after twenty minutes work, he man
aged to get it from the ditch.
There doesn't seem to be any help
In sight" he observed cheerfully after
looking up and down the road. "Will
you let me take your motor in tow
Olivia hesitated. But what had a
family feud to do with a breakdown?
"If you will be so good" she muir
INJURED, and. gathering her dress about
her, she stepped into her own car.
She leaned back with a sign of relief.
At least she would not have to talk to
him. Then the absurdity of the affair
struck her. She realized how she
would look whlrling through the vii
lage streets as If taken captive by Will
loughby. Instantly her pride was up
In arms. At the edge of the village
she called to him. and he lowed down
Immediately.
II think" said Olivia, Il would rath-
er you left me here. I'm sure some
farmers team will be passing and take
me the rest of the way, and am most
grateful to you for the assistance you
have given me-
at was the greatest pleasure" said
Willoughby and, raising his cap, was
gone.
But Olivia was sure that the farmers
team which came to her aid few mo-
ments afterward was OF his sending,
and, though she told herself 1t was the
uneventfulness of her life that made
the afternoons occurrence seem of so
much Importance, yet she took pleasure
In mentally recalling each incident. In
deed, 80 much did Willoughby occupy
her thoughts that she was scarcely sur
prlsed when few days later, scudding
home against wind that presaged a
storm, turn In the road brought vii
loughby into view. He was on his
knees In the middle of the road, appar-
emily investigating his gasoline tank.
1.-THE sparker doesn't connect" he
said In answer to her question and
quickly accepted her offer of assist
ance. They started homeward in com
/ plete reversal of the parts they had
played before Now it was Oliyia's
motor that went CALAMITY ahead, while
| Wiloughby and his car tralled In the
rear They were still some twenty
miles from Oakdale, the wind was
steadily rising, and a few great drops
of rain began to fall.
"Now." thought Olivia as they sped
forward, Il have Cancelled the debt
We are square. There need be no fur
Their exchange OF courteses" Yet even
as this crossed her mind hei motor
came to a sudden Earring stop Goth
she and Wiloughby alighted.
/