The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1911-09-07
A CHASE.
BY ELLA WHEATON
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

Not all stepmothers, any more than
all mothers-in-law, are bad, but Mrs.
Greatorix was at least avaricious
She had no children of her own, but a
stepdaughter. Moreover, the husband
and father had died, leaving 100000
to his widow and 100000 to his
daughter, Alice.
Alice was fifteen years old when
her father died and, having no other
home, remained with her stepmother.
She feared her fathers widow and
would have been glad to get away
from her, but she was too young to
lay plans for such purpose.
There was a clause In the GreatOrix
will that if Alice was not married by
the time she was eighteen $4,000 of
her fortune was to go to her step
mother If she had no children at
twenty-five another $4,000 was to go
to her stepmother. Why Mr.. Greatorix
threw such q temptation in the way
of his wife to keep his daughter un-
married does not appear. The most
probable solution Is that it was the
result of a compromise-that the wife
was claiming more and finally got
this stipulation out of him.
Unfortunately for the stepmother's
plans Alice must go to school, At the
high school when she was seventeen
she met a youth Of eighteen, and be-
tween them there sprang up an at
tachment. Roger Ashurst called oc-
casionally on Alice, but 1t didn't take
him long to discover that he was OBJ
noxious to the stepmother. Opposi-.
ton is an excellent incentive to love,
and Roger as soon as he left the high
school and went into business began
to lay plans to possess the girl he
found so muob difficulty in counting.
Besides, Alice had told him of the
why's and wherefores of the case, and
he saw plainly that in order to help
Alice he must obtain the legal rights
of husband.
AS the girl approached the age of
eighteen her stepmother began to
watch her very closely-so closely, in
deed, that she was unable to commune
cate with her lover, Mrs. Greatorix
intercepting all her letters. Two weeks
before Alice's eighteenth birthday she
was locked up in her room. But one
night as she was going to bed, hear
ing shot thrown against her window,
she opened it, and stone was thrown
in to which was attached a note from
Roger stating that he would watch
for her aunt to go out and when she
did he would enter the house and take
her away.
A couple Of days after this Alice was
not especially surprised at her bed
room door being kicked open, and there
stood Roger. Hastily putting on her
hat and wraps, she went with him
downstairs, got into an automobile
and was starting when Mrs. Greatorix
appeared, hurrying home.
A garage was located around the cor
ner, and thither the stepmother ran,
hired an auto and made chase. The
fugitives had taken a broad avenue
which was the most feasible outlet,
and into this avenue Mrs. Greatorix
ordered her chauffeur to proceed. She
saw the auto in which her daughter
was eloping-she recognized it by it's
color-just turning into a side street.
For several minutes 1t was lost to her,
but on turning into the side street she
herself caught sight of it trying to pass
a cab that stood in the way. While
she looked the auto chugged past the
hack and darted on at full pace.
When Mrs. Greatorix reached the
vehicle that had blocked the way her
chauffeur endeavored to pass 1t on the
right, but at the moment the hack
swerved to that side Of the narrow
street. The chauffeur moved to the
left, and the hack also turned to that
side.
Run him down." cried Mrs. Great
orix. Hes in league with the elopers.'
But when the chauffeur tried again
to make a passage the hack drew out
of the way and let him pass. The pur-
suing auto soon turned into another
avenue, and Mrs. Greatorix, looking
first in one direction, then in the other,
saw the fugitive auto moving south
ward
"There it isl" she cried. "Put on all
your power"
They followed the auto twenty miles
into the country, when it stopped sud
denly.
"Now's your chance" she said to
her chauffeur. Don't let them get
away"
But the chauffeur was obliged to
slow up for the reason that the driver
of the other machine got out to fix
something. When Mrs. Greatorix
pulled up beside him he was working
with monkey wrench. His auto was
empty.
Mrs. Greatorix was SO mad that she
abused the fellow for leading her on
wild goose chase. He looked at her
innocently, apparently not knowing
what she was talking about Then,
not waiting for q rejoinder. she order
ed her chauffeur to turn about and so