The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1912-05-04
~ I000000l1T5lG5Gl0Tl16 2&
An Assisted Elopement
(Copyrieht. I0Ia. b Associaled Li.eraIy Press.)
X K X
By DONALD ALLEN

sociated Literary Press.1
| most began and quite closed with the
| father saying:
Ruth, it's time you were thinking
Of marriage. 1 have selected q hus-
band for you"
But won't marry him!"
81 think you will
Il know I won't. I'll commit suicide
frst!"
The lovers had a talk about the
changed condition of things, and after
eliminating every other course they
| settled on elopement- Elopements are
always in order as last resort. There
was no hope that the father would re-
| lent. He hadn't pulled a gun on young
| Bennett, and he hadn't stood up and
declared that he would rather see his
! daughter in her grave first, but hadn't
| he said that he had already selected
| a husband for her? He hadn't said
! just who, but of course it was q man
| OF sixty with money. He would be
| Jealous, and he would be fiinicky and
pour his coffee into the saucer before
| slipping it with long-drawn s-o-u-p-pi
No; an -elopement was the only
thing. Mr.. Bennett would take his
| true love in a horse and buggy by
| the light of the moon and drive away
| to the house Of a Baptist preacher and
| have the ceremony performed. He
| selected a Baptist preacher, because
he had always heard that in case OF
a hot pursuit Baptist could rattle on
the ceremony in thirty-one seconds by
the watch. Miss Ruth was sure there
would be no pursuit; but the wise
young man was taking no chances.
| The night arrived The horse and
buggy arrived, The lovers arrived, and
away they went. They saw the fences
go past them, but what they did not
| see were two men starting out in a
carriage, only a moment behind them.
! The two men were shaking hands ev-
cry now and then and talking like
long-lost brothers reunited.
The lovers had seven miles to go.
At the end of the first mile a wheel
came loose and was noticed just in
time to prevent an accident. While
| 1t was being set right the two men
drove up and offered their assistance.
Father" exclaimed Miss Ruth as
! she recognized her parent.
''Father!" exclaimed young Ben
nett as he recognized his.
Was the game up? Were they to
be taken back in chains?
No. Neither parent paid the slight
est attention to his offspring. That
! buggy had been fixed for a wheel to
come of. It was now fixed for all
four wheels to remain on, and the low
ers went ahead.
My father and yours togetheri"
gasped Bennett.
'T can't make it out!" whispered
the girl.
Gould they have known us?'
Surely"
81 will drive faster and try and
shake them off,
The horse was put on the gallop.
but ten rods behind came the other.
At the end of the second mile an axle
tree gave way with a crash, and it
was realized that this was the end Of
the elopement.
BAD smash, Tom" said the pro-
fessor to the Judge, as the pursuers
drove up and halted
yes; pretty bad, Jim,' was the re-
ply.
Miss Ruth was hauled out Of the
wreck, to stand shivering and weep
ing, and the young man stood with
open mouth, as he saw the two faith
ers together and heard them call each
other by their first names. To his
certain knowledge, they had been enc
mics less than a week before
These PEOPLE cannot go on, Tom"
srNOt with that Ivrook Tim
But they can take seats with us"
"Only too happy, I'm sure. Let's
see. young man-where were you
bound for?'
about five miles along this road"
sheepishly answered Mr. Bennett.
Album! I think we are bound for
the same place. Get right in"
Sitting together on the front seat.
the fathers conversed like old chums
Sitting together on the back seat the
lovers clasped hands and wondered
what prison they wero being driven to.
When the parsonage of the Rev.
Moses Hurley was reached the car
rage was halted and the four people
entered the house.
"a little marriage ceremony" said
the professor.
between these Two young people"
6GHed the judge.
In a daze and a tremble the lovers
were made one. and then Miss Ruth
braced up to ask:
Father, what does it all mean?"
why, daughter, in the first place,
have acknowledged to Tom that I
was an ass, and he to me that he was
a bigot, and in the next 1 told you
that I had selected a husband for you,
and we came along to see that you
got the right oneI"
CDED THT00