Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-04-15
The Daily Story
Ananias Elopes-By Clarissa Macke.
copyrighted, 1914. by Associated Literary Bureau.

buggy had been engaged and that n.
was to harness the sorrel horse a
though Hep Riddle himself did,.
know what Ananias Slime wanted ~ a
with buggy.
By Thursday evening AnaDias sin.
was shivering with nervous dread n
had feeling that in some way Or 81
er his elopement would be illustrates
Time and again he had found the VIA
ow Rowelrs wits could outmatch ~
own, but so far as he knew not a son
was aware Of the approaching MAJ
rage save the prospective bride n,
! minister and himself
! Ananias ate scarcely any supper a,
though Mrs. Rowell had prepared n
favorite dish of oyster stew. She ..
opposite him and blinked her eyes
him until he gulped down a huge en-
of scalding hot tea and bolted ava,
| from the table.
Little DEAR. murmured the widoy
with strange smile on her face.
Ananias locked himself into his rom
and made an elaborate il hasty toiIe,
After many maneuvers he let himsel
out and managed to escape by the bacl
hall door. There was no sign OF tn
widow, and he hoped she had gone I,
call upon one of her cronies. 1t woul,
be I'll luck indeed IL she had taken
into her head to call upon En- Beyis
though the two rivals were not IN
best Of friends since Ananias came be
tween them.
Still, the Widow Rowell was apt I,
do the most battling things.
Ananias hurried to Riddles stable.
and climbed into the buggy which
grinning negro had prepared for him
He drove rapidly out of the yard, near
ly losing a wheel in the turn, for b.
was not a skillful driver
Ounce Harbor folks are inquisitiv
and prone to mind each others bust
ness to most annoying degree: there
fore it had been decided that EN- Be
Wis was to wait for Ananias in whip
poorwill lane by the brook. He wouh
catch her up into the vehicle. and ava,
they would go to Big Harbor
Whippoorwill lane was there. and
was EN- Bevis, for Ananias recognize,
the white veil she was to wear abou
her uncovered head.
He pressed her hand and received
tender pressure in return. After tina
they rode in silence through the wood
toward Big Harbor.
At last they reached the main stree
of Big Harbor, and the sorrel hors
chose to gallop madly until Ananias
saving at the reins. managed TO brin,
him to a stop before the gate Of th,
parsonage.
Delay therer' yelled the little ex
sailor angrily just as the ministe
opened the front door and stepped intt
the porch to meet them.
The prospective bride got out unaid
ed while Ananias was tying the sorre
horse and she was inside the house b,
the time Ananias had reached the gate
When Ananias Slime reached the par
lor, where stood the beaming clergy
man and his smiling wife and couph
of servants for witnesses, he stood ii
the doorway aghast at the sight tina
met his amazed eyes. The bride wai
there-a bride was there, indeed. bui
not the one he had so carefully chosen
Standing there in the modest splendoI
of gray satin dress hurriedly gar
nished with white lace and punches OF
artificial orange blossoms was the
En- BeviS was nowhere TO be seen.
Somehow he had been tricked by
the artful widow whom he had at first
courted, only to leave when bettei
chance presented itself. Surely retri
button was close upon the heels oil
Ananias Slime,
1--WE are waiting, Mr.. Slime" remind
ed Mr.. Twigg, smiling benevolenty.
Dear Ananiasr' cooed Hetty Roweh
fixing her agate colored eyes upor
him.
Ananias moved forward mechanical
v. There seemed nothing else to DO
Things were hideously mixed and
bitter fate seemed to have driven him
straight into the arms of the Widow
Rowell. He felt that she had outwit
ed him again-never more would Ut
ry to get the best of her. He woulu
admit defeat. As for En- Bevis, wnal
.ould he do about it nor without
,reating scandal that would shake
he three villages TO the core?
Nothing,
So Ananias went forward ana was
oined in the bonds of holy matrimony
o Hetty Rowell. When the ceremony
vas over Mrs. Twigg Congratulated
hem warmly.
Its the oldest thing" she baboiec'
but Josiah and / really thought tne
ride-we understood ii was 10 DC
mother. We are quite surprised.
80 are we-' smiled Mrs. Ananias
line as she took her husbands arm
nd went down to the waiting Duss'
nd the impatient sorrel horse.
Somebody tossed an old shoe aitei
hem for luck and il struck Ananias
ght I'm the back of the neck. so tns'
e uttered an explosive blast OF PRIV
anity that caused the minister ana US
life 10 close their front door hurrieo"'
But the Widow Rowell-I mean MIS-.
nanias Sline-merely smiled eompas
onately. as IL she knew that her nus
and had Just cause for exasperanon