The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-05
TIE EVENING STORY
Meg's EIopement.

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Meg Bertram had refused her
Cousin Roland many times. but she
nao meant to please her family and
herself by marrying him., until =. the
Hon. Clay Cecil came to Lowville.
The Hon. Clay was tan and blonde
ana iangu1d. with dropping mus
tache. and an intermittent drawlEhe
explained the trace Of western burr
marring 1t by. tales of life on his
Cousin Glenham's ranch. Glenham
mad quit the ranch to- fill an earl
dom; at least, that was a logical in
ference. The Hon. Clay was always
admirably vague in his statements.
Lowville ladies said he was $50 unpre-
tentious." Men there, contrariwise.
thought him inclined to play his hand
for it's full worth.
Still they had to admit there was no
offensive display of what the Hon.
Clay called "side.'' His card read
simply. "Clay Cecil" with "Autocars"
in the lower left hand corner. He
dressed well, had money in reasonable
amount, and though he was lucky at
bridge played a scrupulously fair
game. Nobody ever had known him
try to turn an acquaintance to profit.
Notwithstanding this. Roland did
apart from Meg-at least, Roland told
himself he would have hated the fell
low if there had been no woman in
the world.
The Hon. Clay ignored Roland's
hostility in way that was truly mas
terly. It stood him in hand to do SO.
Roland and Meg would inherit pretty
well half Of Lowville, and much be-
side, when Grandmo other Bertram,
who led as well as owned, the town,
should be gathered to her fathers.
It was a startling triumph for the
Hon. Clay to sell grandmother the
first auto car ever owned in town. He
| himself had hardly dared hope for 1t.
Possibly it was this initial triumph
which inspired him to try for a great
err one, namely. Meg herself. She was
as handsome as she was rich-more-
over she had an air, one that, he told
her often, would make duchess
Jealous. 57
The car buying was really her do
| ing. She liked new things, dash and
speed, and the overseeing of ancient
| bounds, Roland was in all thing CON
servative. He would not ride in the
car except to bear grandmother com
pany. Meg had to put up with folk
| outside and the chauffeur. But she
was never lonesome. Notw1thstand.
| ing other sales due to the weight or
grandmother's example, the Hon.
| CLAW found time for many spins. be-
| side her, and at length. as her en-
thusiasm mounted, offered to teach
\ her the art of running the car.
| Meg was enchanted, but grand
mother put her foot down against the
plan. saying laconiea oGo rna al ; S1e
scrap-iron for a girls folly The Hon.
| Clay bowed and smiled, and in strict
privacy told Meg her lessons might
begin in his runabout.
| Thus it came to pass that cary
upon an August morning, misty
moist, but lacking dew, Meg slipped
away unseen, and five minutes later
| was spinning beside the Hon. Clay
across the countryside. UP, DOWN
back and forth, around corners down
by-lanes the red car twinkled. Meg
never in her life had been SO ecstati-
callv happy. She held the wheel, but
all the working of it came through a
stronger hand that fell over hers-
/ and sometimes chung longer than was
| She hardly noted the clinging nor
| did she note distance, direction and
the fact that clouds boiling up, had
quite hidden the sun. she was even
Obvious to the fact that they had lei
Il the level farm lands until hill steep
i and rocky, almost stopped the tr1s
Il machine. By good hap and caution
the car was coaxed up it. At the
summit, Meg looked about, little ap-
prehensively. There was Tar view,
iall hills and hollows, with sleeper
swelling hills at the boundary-ano
mot a single house in sight-scarcely,
indeed, q sign Of human occupancy. :,
'sTurn back! It's going to rain,
Meg said, sternly.
The Hon. Clay laughed. "You mean
it is raining-hard,' he said. u
think there's a barn down there in
the hollow. Anyway, Wen look for 1t
ANY shed in such a storm
Inside of five minutes they mao
found the barn and were under shell
ter. but drenched and dripping. Meg
moreover, began to feel desperately
hungry. In the excitement OF the ex-
petition she had eaten no breakfast
She clapped her hands as her com l,
panion drew from some recess small
hamper, full of good things.
you're a special providence every
way" she said with a grateful smile
setting her white teeth in sandwich
i as she spoke. ..,
think you'll find out I know how to
take excellent care of you," he said
"Much better than that smuff, Roland
Won't he be wild when he knows?'
"What?" Meg asked, startled.
The Hon. Clay looked at her mar
rowly, and answered with his best
drawl. ooh! our elopement-you know
we are across the line-in state that
demands no such foolish fermalities
as licenses or the consent of guar
!. easily-if we went back for ito
morrow. But I don't care to go back
for lido you? AS soon as the rain
stops we will go ON and find our wait
ing minister"
"You! Do you think I'd marry you
To save your life? Or mine?" Meg
cried superbly, her eyes blazing,
The Hon Clay shook his head, but
laughed lazily. you'll do ito save
your reputation, my dear" he said
u making as if to take her hand. "Be a
; sensible darling he went on. fYou
like me-and you must marry some
body We are known to have gone
away together-even without the
> storm we could not have got back be-
fore morning. You need not hope we
have been followed. The big cal
, would never take our roads, even il
anybody knew them. And VIVA
horses could make and hold half oul
) speed
my sorrels," Roland cried, spring
, ing upon the Hon. Clay, half throt
Ting him, then shaking him as a dos
. -baI,ac rat stThey caught yOu-ii