The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1912-07-05

course, Miss Marjorie had a story to
tell when she got home, and It was
the attempted crime that reused the
fathers ire. Was this the twentieth
century? Was the police force of the
! village, consisting of two men, being
| paid enormous salaries to catch Grim.
inals red-handed or to play checkers
and sleep? The major asked great
many other questions that neither his
wife or daughter could answer, and
wound up with the threat to have the
state militia called out.
Meanwhile something had happened
at a manor house two miles away,
Ruth Forest was coming down that
evening for stay Of two weeks with
her old school chum, Mrs. Thurston,
a bride Of two years. Harry Thurs.
| ton, brother of the husband, had al.
ready been there a week. It was for
him to take the auto and meet Miss
Ruth She would surely be looking
for somebody to meet her, and there
could be no mistake.
X With that spirit of carelessness SO
prevalent with young men, he select
ed tall, willowy girl, instead Of a
short, stout one, and bore her away
He fully intended to introduce him
self and do some talking after get
ting clear OF the depot, and when he
lost his passenger in the way he did
ne was TOO asronlsned ana raJtleu To
do the right thing. There came as
instant suspicion that he had some
how picked up the wrong young lady,
and in his Illustration. he put on
speed and disappeared.
Arriving home, his explanation was
that Miss Ruth was not among the
passengers that got off. This passed
all right for half an hour, and then
the missing guest showed up to dis
prove it. Harry then owned up, and
after gasp of establishment, his sis
ter said:
"a rather tall, slim girl, eh?"
Eyes"
"And she knew you were headed
wrong?"
yes"
Then 1t must be some one living
fl or near the village. She didn't
command you to stop? She didn't
demand to know where you were TAX
ing her?"
mot a command nor a demand"
answered Harry. "She just opened
the door and jumped, and as she
jumped she screeched-Lord, how she
screeched!"
well, young man, l think you
have got yourself in trouble. l be-
lieye> the girl you tried to abduct was
Marjorie Graves, only daughter of
Major Graves, one of the most pep
perry men in four counties"
But it was a simple mistake"
Eyes, but the trouble will be to
make him believe it. And the la
mentable part Of the whole thing is
that l wanted you and that particu-
lar girl to fall in love with each
other"
Cant we do it just the same?"
why, Major Graves won't let you
come within ten rods of his house!
And if you were to meet the young
lady elsewhere what could you say?"
81 guess you'll have to match me
up with some one else. She ought to
have had a placard hung about her
neck stating who she was. All her
fault"
The majors deal for the auto went
through three days later, but he did
not let the excitement of it turn him
from the trail Of the wouldbe abb
ductor. He made many moves, but
he got no clews. Ten days later he
and Miss Marjorie were riding out
The major had taken three lessons in
running the machine and felt that
he knew all about it. He had done
very we'll for an hour at a slow pace
so well that he decided to hit 'er
up" to about thirty. The daughter
protested, but the hitting took place,
just the same. Half mile had been
covered when the machine swerved
out Of the highway into an unfenced
meadow and began to cut up all kinds
of circus tricks. 1t wiggled and wob-
bled 1t ran in circles. 1t shaved
the whiskers off of stumps.
Young Harry Thurston heard Miss
Marjorie's screams, and the majors
cuss-words and calls for help, from
the brook where he was fishing, and |
he was soon on the scene. He lodged |
here and there and shouted instruc-
tons, but the major was repeating |
the Lords Prayer and his daughter
continuing her screams. The only |
way was to take a flying leap for the
footboard as the machine came along. |
1t needed courage and confidence, but
the young man landed right, and soon
died it.
Miss Marjorie reached the. ground |