The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-01-19
BY M QUAD

On a certain summers afternoon Mr..
James Gilbert Of Gilberts bank in a
town we will call Hopedale opened the
telephone In his private Office to be
greeted by a strange hummlng OF the
wires. Then two or three voices began
calling and talking. Then some one
used energetic language to central, and
she answered resentfully. Then came
a voice that gave the banker a start
1t had been two years since he heard
1t. From the jingle Of voices he made
out the words:
Auto ran over calf; pay $40; farmer
won't let me go no money; hurry up
Hello, central; hello, hello! Oh, dear"
The banker smiled. Two years before
while fishing from the wharf and be
fore establishing the bank summer
girl from the hotel on the hill had come
padding about in her store made ca.
noe. He saw at once that she was a
novice. He saw also that she had
not yet passed her twentieth year aud
was his style of beauty. For young
man Of twenty-four who had ished
full hour without q nibbe Mr. Gilbert
was in luck.
OF course the owner Of the canoe was
bound to show Off. 1t was only her
second voyage In the birch bark, but
she thought she knew all the canoe
tricks and was ready to resent any
advice. She wasn't rendered any to
resent, however. The young man con-
tented himself with taking off his coat
and slipping off his shoes When the
canoe turned turtle he was ready. He
took a long dive and came to the sur
face with the choking, struggling girl
In his arms and reached the shore with
her.
That evening he appeared at the ho-
tel to De effusively thanked by Judge
Henrys, the father, and by the CRATE
full II chagrined, canoeist Several
other evenings saw him there as well,
and between talking politics with the
father and canoeing with Miss Kitty
the time was passed very pleasantly.
Something was said about correspond.
ence when father and daughter left
for their home in the city. AS a mat
ter Of fact two or three letters did
pass. and then Uncle Sans carriers
failed to deliver. The young banker
had puzzled bit, as perhaps had
some one else. and now, on account Of
the crossed wires, he was hearing her
voice again
What had that voice saidl 1t was
trying to reach some one ut the hotel
on the hill, but evidently making a
failure OF It. The owner was In trou-
BILE somewhere. 1t looked as II she
had gone out in an auto and run down
a calf and the farmer was holding her
until the damages were settled. The
banker thought for moment and then
ordered his auto around.
Which way? He had trusted TO luck
once and would again. out OF town
by the west highway-over the bridge
up the long Hill and then straight
ahead for five miles. Far ahead be
saw an auto beside the.road with two
female figures in 1t and a farmer in
sulky attitude leaning against the
fence. The females in the auto were
Miss Henrys and girl friend. There
I had .. lrfnar and fUfrrHnrf
and Miss Kitty explained:
I'VE were coming along at about ten
miles an hour when the calf ran In
front Of the machine. was willing
to pay damages. but had no money
and the man here would not take one
of my rings"
Il hain't taking no rings any more
Teller come along here last summer
and run over my old woman and Their
left a diamond ring that turned out &c
be glass"
He was given his money by the
banker.
or course Mr.. Gilbert had to call n
the summer hotel that evening to tall
the matter over There was some
thing that the young people wanted e
say, but they couldn't say It until aftel
Judge Henrys had poured out his
thanks and remembered that he had {,
meet man in the lobby. Even aftel
he had departed the matter fingered
but Il was very soon cleared up.
Two weeks later. In the banker
auto. Miss Kitty and Mr. Gilber
went spinning over the west road. S,
earnest was their talk that they faile,
TO note that they were drawing nea
the farm where the calf accident ha'
occurred. They were forcibly remind
ed Of the locality. however, when
hog suddenly rose from the waysid
ditch in front Of the farmhouse an,
reached the center OF the road Jus
In time TO be converted into fresl
pork. The farmer was looking on. ant
no came out to say, and looking a
Miss Kitty as he said Il:
"Ding my buttons, II you haven
went and gone and done Il ag'inw
"Of course I'll pov.n said tho hnnk