Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1906-11-14
The Reir.
ChiltcIl

copyrisht, 'aso.

| INTO anu looheL
As far as she IJe.,. zee
stretched away ~ ana &c
WAS the hayng Sc "a Far.l
busy with their q IS and
| were few. Olivia's ear s,H9a
| and half out of The waysiGe GA
| It was beyond her power 10
| There was nothing TO be done
| If deliverance in any Guise a stH
| she could readily signal it. -!;1
stood on the crest of hill.
| Below her the countryside lay lie IL
green map. The clear air mocse. u.s-
| uear-the cluster of houses that formed
oakdale village, beyond these the gray
| "a Jles of her own home and still far
| Their away the shining roof OF Viii
loughhy manor.
1t was at the latter that she looked
with the most interest. for the For
| ester Willoughby feud. beginning about
a land line. had continued for two gen
erations. The elder Willoughby had
died, but Broughton Willoughby had
| returned from college and the manor
| was reopened.
The villagers, who took a lively in
terest in the two families. declared him
to be a fine, sensible young man, nor
was Olivia whit less popular. Peo-
pie liked to wait for her smile and
nod as she galioped past. Recently
her motor had taken the place of her
horse, 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
filed him with a horror unspeakable.
1t was his boast that he had never rid
den in a sleeper. He loathed the bus
tie of city life and chung tenaciously
to his New England homestead, whose
naccessibility 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 a 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 modern, Olivia. and I wash my
hands of your
Yet now, as Olivia was experiencing
her first breakdown, she recalled her
fathers words with a twinge of ap-
prehension, and it 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.
Il beg your pardon" he said pleas
antly, but can l be of some assist
anceT'
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 Willoughby 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. ''Wfl
you let me take your motor inrtow?"
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 whirling through the vii
lage streets as II taken captive by Will
loughby. Instantly her pride was up
in arms. At the edge of the village
she called to him, and he slowed down
Immediately.
II think" said Olivia, 81 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" sud
| Willoughby and. raising his cap, was
gone.
But Olivia was sure that the farmers
| team which came to her aid a few mo-
ments afterward was of his sending,
and though she told herself it was the
| uneyentfulness of her life that made
| the afternoons occurrence seem of so
| much Importance, yet she took pleasure
in mentally recalling each incident In
| deed, so much did Willoughby occupy
| her thoughts that she was scarcely sur
| prised when a few days later, scudding
| home against a wind that presaged a
| storm, turn in the road brought Will
| loughby into view. He was on his
knees in the middle of the road, appar-
emily investigating his gasoline tank.
"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 Olivia's
motor that went CALAMITY ahead. while
| Willoughby and his car trailed in the
1 rear They were still some twenty