The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1911, 1911-01-20
Held For Ransom
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

|
| On a certain summers afternoon Mr..
James Gilbert Of Gilbert's bank in a
town we will call Hopedale opened the
telephone In his private office to be
greeted by strange humming 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
| q voice that gave the banker 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 a 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 and
was his style Of beauty. For young
man Of twenty -four who had fished
full hour without a nibble Mr.. Gilbert
was in luck.
OF course the owner of the canoe was
bound to show of. 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 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 no.
tel to be effusively thanked by Judge
Henrys, the father, and by the crate.
full, If 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 mat
ter of fact two or three letters did
pass, and then Uncle Sans carriers
failed 10 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 said? 1t was
trying to reach some one at the hotel
. on the hill, but evidently making q
failure of it. The owner was in trou-
BILE somewhere. 1t looked as If 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, a moment and then
ordered his auto around.
J 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 it and farmer in
sulky attitude leaning against the
fence. The females in the auto were
Miss Henrys and girl friend. There
was handshaking and introductions
and Miss Kitty explained:
Eve were coming along at about ter
miles an hour when the calf ran ir
front Of the machine. was willing
to pay damages. but had no money
and the man here would not take one
Of my rings" !,
| II hain't taking no rings any more
Feller come along here last summer
and run over my old woman and the1
f left a diamond ring that turned out t.
be glass;"
He was given his money by tn
banker.
! OF course Mr.. Gilbert had to call a
the summer hotel that evening to tall
the matter over. There was some
thing that the young people wanted t.
say, but they couldn't say it until afte
Judge Henrys had poured out hi
J thanks and remembered that he had t
meet man in the lobby. Even afte
he had departed the matter fingered
but it was very soon cleared up.
4 Two weeks later, in the banker
auto, Miss Kitty and Mr.. Gilber
4 went spinning over the west road. 8
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
i reached the center of the road jus
in time to be converted into fres
Il pork. The farmer was looking on, an
Il he came out to say, and looking 6
Il Miss Kitty as he said it:
u "Ding my buttons, If you haven
i went and gone and done It ag'in!'
"Of course I'll nav" said the hanl