The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-02-29

reply OF the young man.
But what can we do?"
Like thousands Of other couples,
we can elope."
ooh, Ford!"
"Yes, elope. am going to have
you at any cost"
But we'd be turned out doors
and there'd be columns in the papers
and they'd get my picture and
and"
But an hour later Miss Hazel was
saying that she thought an elope-
ment would be just the thing. 1t
would be by night. 1t would be moon
light. They would elope In an auto.
They would 60 whizz! chug! chew!
over the roads and laugh at the old
folks left behind.
After the first outburst neither ia
Their mentioned the quarrel again. The
son was not ordered to cease calling,
and the daughter was not ordered to
the garnet on bread and water. AS a
matter OF prudence. and to keep his
trail covered, young Mr.. Bartlett
ceased his calls, and for the same
reason Miss Hazel was very demure
in the presence of her father. She
must do nothing to excite his suspic-
ions. She was prepared at any mo-
ment to hear him break out again,
but he had nothing further to say.
It didn't happen to be moonlight
night when the elopement at last took
place. On the contrary, 1t was so
dark that the auto ran over COW
almost the first thing. That meant
a stop of half an hour to repair
broken lamps. Then the chauffeur
tried a fence and knocked down fifty
feet of it. Then there was another
long delay, and the lovers reached
the house of country parson to be
told that the good man had the jump
Ing toothache and wouldn't leave his
bed for wedding or funeral.
Four miles further on, explained
the good mans wife. was another
minister. That is, he called himself
q minister. She wasn't saying he
was or wasn't. She wasn't saying
that any ceremony he could perform
would be binding. She wasn't saying
whether his fee was so cents or 81.
All she knew about it was that he
was a Baptist while she was Pres
byterian.
The Baptist minister wasn't home.
He had gone to a point nine miles
away to hold funeral and hadn't re-
turned yet. He might return at any
moment, and he might be gone two
days. Whenever he got where there
was good cooking he hung on like
grim death. There was Mr.. White,
the justice of the peace. only two
miles down the road. He some
times"
The Judge had gone to bed, but he
got up and stuck his head out OF the
window and said he'd be hanged if
he would marry anybody in such a
hurry Let them come back next day
next week He wasn't going to
hurry matrimony at 2:40 gait and
then be blamed for it afterWard. He'd
married thirteen couples in hurry
and ten of them had applied for d.
vorces.
The night was getting old. the
chauffeur kicking and the auto limp
ing, and it was decided to return
home. Just then another machine
drew up, and from it descended Mr.
John Bartlett and wife and Mr..
James Wright and wife.
why. daddy-why. mammal!
Married yeti" was asked.
mo"
Then this fellow has got to do it
or We'll pull his house down"
But, daddy, we've eloped!" pro-
tested the daughter
"You haven't done any such thing.
We knew about it all the time"
But the quarrel?"
Nonsense This old fool John said
the world was made in six days and
| said six years. He's come up to
fourteen days and I've come down to
fifteen days, and we've decided that
one little day hasn't made cents
worth of difference to the corn crop"