The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-23
A Virginian Page for Each Member Of the Family
m THE Tolls OF THE Law.

! 1t was late winter when Miss Bes-
sic Hyde arrived at her aunts coun-
/ try house Tor two weeks stay, but
| there was still plenty OF snow on the
1 ground. Even before unpacxing her
trunk and hanging up ner dresses
the girl was out romping around. Not
! that snow was a novelty 30 girl
from town Even at that moment
there We're piles OF 1t in front of her
fathers house, waiting to be removed.
| and growing biacker every moment.
But this snow was different. 1t was
white snow 1t wasn't mixed with
SCOT. cinders. old shoes. tomato cans
and beef bones. II was as clean as
| the spread on spare ped. 1t was
good enough to eat. She threw snow
balls at the dignifed old family dog
and gave him a bad opinion of her
city manners. also of her skill as
fthrower.
on the second day of her stay Miss
Bessie observed something. 1t was
| something that the man OF all-work
around the house had never observed
/ yet. although he had been there five
years. To the north OF the house WAS
a hill that was evidently on some one
eise,s land, as there was a dividing
/ fence. BY taking down panel OF the
I fence a girl on sled could start at
.
down over Aunt Hetty's lawn, and
/ then pass through an open gate and
1 strike the highway. The road had a
| gradual descent for a quarter of
mile.That was a slide down hill
worth talking about. II only thefe
was sled of some sort about
There was. II Was a handsled used
| by the aI4-werk man for various 55ehsl
/ He was not about, and Miss Bessie
took possession. Aunt Hetty wasn't
| looking, and a panel of the fence was
removed. almost as neatly as a farm
/ er's hired man could have done il.
Then the sled was dragged to the top
/ of the hill, and all was ready for the
gee whiz.
Had the girl swung her nat and
uttered few preliminary war whoeps
before starting, and thus brought
| Aunt Hetty to the door, things would
have been altogether different. She
would have been told that that hill
I belonged to old Adam Flint, who was
both mean and misery. His htll stood
! there ready to do business. but he
was afraid that somebody would
eloRe with IL that he had posted
signs everywhere
NO trespassing unrer penalty of
the law read the signs.
/ The girl could have seen no less
than three such signs had she looked
around her. She wasn't hooking fo,
( signs. however. Also, had she looked
I abuut, sire world have been warned
that a girl gee-whi2zing on a sled into
! the highway aaa--de4sH h another htA
/ might possibly meet vehicle uf some
sort coming up,
If she had been told these things
the ride would have been postponed
and Miss Bessie HYDE might have
lived on 10 he an old maid. FortB-
nateIy she was not tntarrered with.
The first any one knew of the adven-
ture was when shout came from
the top Of the Hill. The sled came
down ike bullet. The all-work
man ran TO stop K. hnt fell down
and rolled over. Aunt Hetty ran to-
stop it, but she slipped on the Verau-
da and sat down hard
| Away went the sled with a fright
ened girl hanging on -or dear life
aud one foot trailing behind a II F7id-
der. 1t was going like a hunted rab-
bit when II made the turn into the
highway, and then there was a sigh
of relief, But the respite was short
Coming mp the hong hill WAS old
adam Flint In his "pnng." which Is
q homemade SLEIGH. Close behind
!. him followed man driving horse
s4ti-+A.4+ s-ff4s rf~,4r
the hanks steep
Miss Ressie shut her eyes and
screamed. Old Adam Flint called
Whoa" To his horse aud decided
that his last hour had come.
The man in the cutter grinned ana
got ready to enjoy a. good thing
| The sled struck old Adams knock