The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-01-10
Held For Ransom
-.
By M QUAD
So
Copyright, 1910, by Associated Lit
erary Press.

On q certein summers afternoon Mr..
James Gilbert Of Gilbert's bank In O
town we will call Hopedale opened the
telephone in bis private Office to be
greeted by q 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 a start.
It had been two years since he heard
1t. From the jingle Of voices he made
out the words:
Auto ran over calf; pay SO; farmer
won't let me 60; NJ money: hurry up.
Hello, central: hello, hellol 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 a!young
man Of twenty-four who had 6shed a
full hour without a nibble MI. Gilbert
was In luck.
OF course the owner Of the canoe was
bound to show OF. It 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 OF bis coat
and slipping OF 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. r .
That evening he appeared at the no
tel to be effusively thanked by Judge
Hsnrys. the father, and: by the crate
full, II chagrined, "canoeist' Several
other evenings saw him, there az 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 a bit, as perhaps had
some one else. and now. on account OF
the crossed wires, he was hearing her
voice again. r
What had that voice: said7 II was
trying to reach some one at the hotel
ON the hill, but evidently making a
failure Of It. The owner was In trou-
bic somewhere. 1t looked 10 Il she
bad gone out In an auto and run down
q calf and the farmer vas holding her
until the damages were settled The
banker thought for q moment and then
ordered his auto around.
Which way1: He had trusted to luck
sncs 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 he
saw an auto beside the road with two
female figures In It and a farmer In
ssulky attitude leaning against the
fence, The females in the. auto were
Miss Henrys and a girl friend. There
was handshakipg and tntroducdons,
and Miss Kitty explained: .g-s
I'VE were coming along at about ten
miles an hour when the calf ran In
front Of the machine. I was willing
to pay damages. but had NO money,
and the man here would not take one
Of my rings" :,
i. u, hain,t taking no rings any more.
Teller come along here last summer
and run over my old woman and then
left q diamond ring that turned out to
be glass" -.
he was given his money by the
banker.
OF course MI. Gilbert had to can at
the summer hotel that evening to talk
tho matter over. There was some
thing that the young people wanted to
say, but they couldn't say It until after
Judge Henrys had poured out his
thanks and remembered that he had 30
meet a man In the lobby. Even after
he had departed tho matter fingered.
but It was very soon cleared up.
Two! weeks later, in the bankers
aute.. Miss Kitty and Mr.. Gilbert
went spinning ovsf the west road. So
earnest was their talk that they failed
10 note that they were drawing near
the farm where the calf accident had
occurred. They were forcibly remind
ed Of the locality, however, when a
hog suddenly rose from the wayside
ditch tn front Of the farmhouse and
reached the center Of the road Just
In time to be converted into fresh
PORK. The farmer was looking on, and
be came ont to say, and looking at
Miss Kitty as he said It:
"Ding my buttons, II you haven't
went and gone and done it ag'inw
"Of course III pay" said the bank.
or as be took out his purse. "How
much is itT'
"You needn't say anything to the gal
about 1t. but III make it an even g."
"You are very penerous.n was the