The Washington bee., 1911-02-25
4 WINTER
ROMANCE
By Nj. QUAD
copyright, 1910, by Associated Literary
Press.

with the new schoolma'am at once. and
as he was the biggest of the boys and
could lick any one OF them be felt that
he had the best chance. He was go
ing to marry Miss Seymour or know
the reason why. When be began TO
betray signs Of his love his father
took him out to the barn and turned
on him to say:
NOW. Jed Smith. don't you go and
make no ding dang fool Of Yourself:
1t wss plain. sensible talk, but Jed
wouldn't take It that way. He was 8
poor reader. but he had dlgested so
many love novels that he wasn't going
to let go without try for IL. BE had
drawn the schoolma'am on his hand
sled, he had skated with her. they had
slid down hill together. be had brought
her the biggest apples OF any one. but
there was really nothing in these
things to arouse her romance, and be
realized that romance must come be-
fore love. After thinking over 1t for
ten long nights and losing hours OF
sleep he got his plan. The school,
ma'am must be abducted and be must
rescue her. At first the trouble SEEM
ed to be to find the abductor, but Jed
Smith had way with him. Having
got the next biggest boy in the district
out to the barn with him, he unfOlded
bis plan and added:
"Jim, you've got to bear the school,
ma'am away, and I've got to rescue
her. You've got to turn your coat
wrong side out and wear a mask and
her I've got to give you a mighty good
licking, but as ! am going to give you
so cents you mustn't mind that"
Jim demurred. He didn't want to
abduct a schoolma'am and he didn't
want TO be licked. He came to IT In
time, however. Fifty cents in cash
was not to be sneezed at. and he would
be licked If he refused to enter into
the plot. 1t took some little time TO
perfect the details. but at last every
fresh signs" and be took him to task
again.
Jed" he said, ''if you are going to
make q fool of yourself in any way,
then look out for me"'
In winter. especially on a cloudy day,
it begins to get dark soon after
o'clock in the afternoon. The school
ma'am had often TO stay after school
had been dismissed to look over the
work for the next day. She had only
half q mile to go when ready. Some
times two or three pupils stayed and
walked along with her; sometimes
she was alone. Luck aided the con
spirators. 1t was young Jim Andrews
who was to do the abducting part
His fathers barn was near the school
house, and he could both watch and
have a horse ready haTnessed. JED
Smith was TO be waiting up the road.
One afternoon the signal was given
and the plot was afoot The teacher
had remained until almost 5. She
was Just donning cloak and hat when
a masked villain appeared before her
and announced in an awful voice:
Come with me. II you scream OI
struggle It means death?'
Miss Seymour was properly shocked
She had never seen a masked villain
before No man. holding a peach
stone in his mouth to make his voice
terrible, had ever thus addressed her
She thought she recognized the figure
and there was a something about the
terrible voice that sounded familiar
but she grew faint, her knees weak
ened, and she was about to sit dOwr
when the villain seized her with s
grip Of steel and bore her out to his
sleigh. She screamed and struggled
but she had to go. Jed Smith had
said that it would be all the better fol
the plot If she screamed and stTug
gIed. More credit would be due hin
for rescuing her.
What neither of the plotters had
counted on was that some one nigh
come driving along the highway at the
critical moment. Some one did come
He was a man without romance In hi:
SOUL He was driving a fast horse Il
a cutter, and when the masked mar
swung the schoolma am into his sleigh
and started of at a gallop the stran
ger followed on and cracked his whiE
and shouted TO let the girl know that
help was at hand. She heard him. and
so did Jim and his horse. In fact, tht
horse ran away. and just as he reached
the point where the rescuer stood
waiting he SHE'D into q drift and
things were upset, Jed jumped for
ward. but he had scarcely roared out
Die. villain" when he was knocked
silly by the Stranger Then the stFug
Cling Jim caught it. The schoOlma' an
was pulled out of the robes and blan
kets and stood one side. and then hel
rescuer went in TO have some fun with
sbductor and rescuer.
He stood them on their heads in the
drifts; he jammed them about; he wal
loped them up and down, and when
they shouted for mercy be waIIoped
the harder. Then. when tired out. be
lifted the girl into his cutter and drove
her home. 1t did not break up the
school; it simply broke up the romance
OF the thing. When Farmer Smith
had got through using the CAD on tka
battered Jed be threw it aside and
said:
You was after romance. and III
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