The Prescott daily news., 1913-01-03
THERESA'S PLAN WON
By HARMONY WELLER.

Theresa naQ never, Qurlng ner twenty-six years, done anything of which her parents might disapprove.
 Tawny of hair and with great smol- dering brown eyes, the girl could be either a saint or a sinner, but as it happened Theresa had chosen the for mer.
 But now" muttered Theresa while she watched a great automobile whirl- ing out of sight along the dusty road, ''I am going to turn sinner 1 simply must know that good-looking man who has just passed by in his motor. It Is positively wicked that a mascu- not to mention feminine ones," Ther- esq sighed, and her eyes absorbed the vast beauty of the farm upon which she had been spending the summer.
 T believe" she ruminated. with a shy, sweet smile, that l could really love-him, if I only knew him"
 Then, out of her strong desire to be- come acquainted with the man who twice daily whi2zed past the farm house on his way to business in the city, TISeresa formed plan.
 During the afternoon when every one aoout the farm was either sleep ing or busily engaged, Theresa made her way to the thicket of fir trees. Once within the shelter she drew from her ample pocket three empty ale bot ties which she had secured from the kitchen. A moment later she had broken them into jagged pieces and put them into a cigar box. Making ter way stealthily toward the barn she next added score of thin rusty nails to her box and some sharp steel filings.
 Surely some of these will pune ture at least one tire" was the thought centered in Theresa's S mind while she made her way back to the house. She put her treasure within the thicket of vines that clustered over the porch then swung herself into the big ham, mock to await the twilight hour. He generally passes about 7:30." she decided before slipping off into snort nap
 It was the toot of the motor horn far ill the distance that awakened Theresa. She jumped up hurriedly, picked up her box of evil looking glass, nails and filings and stole swift ly down to the roadside. With trem- bling fingers she strewed the con tents of her box across the width of the road and tossed the box into the hedge.
 After triumphant little glance at her handiwork she sped quickly up tue path and into the house. Breath ] less and guilty she watched the an. preaching motor from her window among the roses.
 As the car drew nearer Theresa felt cold chill run down her spine. What if anything should happen and he should be hurt?" she whispered to the roses. She had prepared her self In a way for the report of a punctured tire but was not listening for the terrible explosion of all four of them
 She fell back against the wardrobe in her room and could not summon courage to look out and see the result of her endeavor.
 Down in the road a man was nut tering short, improper words. Ue was standing beside his big motor car the tires of which were all as flat as a piece of linen. Twilight had fallen with swift wings and the road was no more than a road.
 And through the soft twilight Theresa heard her fathers voice in conversation with the man of the motor.
 We have food and beds to spare" her father was saying Come in and spend the night with us. We are all ways glad to welcome stranger at our table"
 70, how glad" murmured Theresa
 Her heart was beating now with the success of her scheme and her checks were flushed. There was sometime hidden in the depths of her eyes and as sine descended the stairs perhaps the saint and the sinner were oddly combined. Theresa felt very much like the sinner as she found herself looking into John Ridgeway's eyes.
 Tt is strange" he was saying that I have gone over this road twice day for two years and this is the