Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-02-16
By HENRY T. ARCHIBALD

|
speaking about these dams bursting
and destroying people" said citiZer
of Colorado, reminds me of a case oil
| food out here i'll this state. OF course
the one ! refer to didn't destroy hun
dreds Of homes and lots Of people, but
to those concerted in it it was &
mighty important affair"
What food do you refer to, Silsby|
asked Wilkins, sitting with his feet on
the iron rail encrcing the stove and
intended for a foot rest.
IF I'm going to tell you the story
III have to bring the different events
In as they happened" replied Silsby;
'otherwise I'd get it all mixed up. To
begin with. Molly McGregor was the
prettiest girl in county. and not
only the prettiest girl but the biggest
madcap. But you ought to see her
now She's the quietest little woman
in the world and afraid of her own
children. the oldeSt"-
"Oh, cut that short" cried the man
on the other side of the stove. You're
putting in the end before the begin
ming thought you said you were go
ing to proceed in order"
If you can tell the story better
than
"Oh. 20 on said the other foot
warmers in one voice.
AS ! was saying" continued the
narrator. Molly McGregOr was the
merrieSt madrap in the county. She
had all tht men in love with her, from
the richest rant Imam to the meanest
cowboy. McGregor. her father, was a
Scotchman. who was about as hard to
move when he took il position as Pixies
peak. and the position he took with
Molly was that she was to marry the
man be Selei.te;l for her.
.''rhe Old man didn't worry much
about her not doing as he intended
when the time came. for she had one
man dangling about her one day and
another the next. and sometimes they
were thick as flies about II sugar bar
rel So long rs that kind OF monkey
shines was going Oh her father knew
that there was nnfhin9 TO fear. and
even if his daughter should fall i'll love
with someone OF her admirers he had
no idea. that Molly would marry any
one except tue man he picked out for
her."
II thought" interrupted the man on
the other side of the stove, YOU were
going to tell us something new. That
sort of stuff is to be found in nine
tenths of ali the stories In the world"
shut up. Wilkins" said one OF the
listeners. "and let's have the yarn"
I'm not going to spoil 1t for him."
grunted Silsby 1T was old McGregor 8
confidence that was his undoing. SO
far as his daughter was concerned.
But, tell you. my friends. 1t doesn't
do any good to watch a girl. You
might as we'll watch soldier on the
field of battle with a view Of pulling
him out of the way from the bullet
that's going TO kill him. Before you
know il he doubles up. So does the
girl. A certain fellow gives her look
and she drops.
"The man that looked at Molly Nc
Gregor when she surrendered was Ned
Deane. who was nothing but cow
boy. Ned was q very good fellow. but
he had nothing laid up. while the own
er of a gold mine that was yielding
ST .OOO TO the ton was dead stuck on
The girl
First thing Old McGregor knew that
his daughter WAS going to go back on
his matrimonial plans for ner was
when Bryant. the mine owning suitor,
rode up to the ranch one morning and
said:
Say. old man. met your daughter
just ncw driving that automobile you
bought her last Christmas. with Ned
Deane sitting beside her. AS they
went hy | caught sight Of valise un-
der their feet. and reckon they're
running away.
"'What" exclaimed the Scotchman.
his eyes buiging ont of his head.
"'iIp1 You $50 it's an elopemrnt.'
"MrGregor never did anything fast
in his life ill that moment. Ii wasn't
five minutes before he was il one. OF
the autos he kept on the ranch. and |
tell ynu the hand on the speed gauge
iu<I sam around from zero to fifty in
no time at all
Oh np's .uinG 10 give us a runaway
couple In III auto chased by her father
in annilcr ansn." interrupted the crit
iral vi ikinS That's hackrryed.'
BET yon ten that isn't the point of
:ha Stnry." said S:lShv.
wilkins failed TO come up. and Si!s-
by rror"rdpd:
"A,r(;rrgnr doesn't come into the
story nr my version Of 1t at all. except
that there was Il big chase. Ia tell
YOU something about that only my
friend on the ether side of the stove
considers it vermont story material
One thing | must mention. and that Is
that while The race WAS going Oh the
clouds were thickrning and there was
mu.terina uf thunder lust before
The lovers rpnched the turn of the road
where il goes down into one of the
narrowesi canyons In Colorado they
heard II report behind them and. look
;,,, I,.,.l s.v thar :, huStaI fire had
sent the pursuing auto off over level
SPACE beside the road 1t didn't upset,
but Molly knew the race was over; her
father couldn't hope to catch her on