The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1914-10-23
"OH, THAT MANI


copyright, 1914 by the Mcclure. Newspa-
per Eyndicate-j
Had Miss Lisle Vernon decided an
hour earlier that she ought TO drive
into the village to post letter and
to get paper Of needles and some
elastic tape and sheet Of music and
half dozen other things she could
have gone In her fathers auto or In
her own runabout, but when she had
at last made up her mind both MAJ
chimes were out.
There was no steamship line be-
tween the Vernon place and the VII
lage, a distance of four railes. There
was no barge canal. There was no
flying machine handy. The only way
to get there just at that time was to
walk.
The letter could have been sent a
month later as well as on that day.
and there wasn't bit of haste about
the other things, but Miss Lisle start
ed on that long walk 1t was hot
and dusty and there were no babbling
brooks or shady dells on the way.
After going half a mile the girl de-
cided to turn back. She had turned
when man came driving up with
rather smart looking rig. and halted
to say:
Miss Vernon, my name is F1etch-
er. l know your father we'll If you
have started for town let me give you
a lift / wouldn't walk the distance
on such day for $40 bill"
Miss Lisle had never heard OF Mr..
Fletcher, but he did not look like
kidnaper, anu she accepted his in
vitation. At the end of a mile a
buggy, with two young men In it,
came up behind them and started TO
pass. Mr.. Fletcher gave them all the
room he could, but the man with the
reins had planned smash and he
brought it about.
There was a row and threats made
and week later Mr.. Fletcher was
arrested on warrant charging him
with malicious damage, and Miss
Lisle found herself subpenaed as
witness for the defense. She had re-
turned home after the officer and her
father had said:
Eyes, know Fletcher. He is an
old bachelor, and was sued for breach
of-promise about year ago."
But / didn't know it." protested
the girl.
"Well, you know 1t now, and you
hadn't better take any more buggy
rides with him. One of the young
fellows was a brother of the girl, and
l shouldn't wonder If there'd be more
trouble"
A week later the trial came on be-
fore Justice of the peace, and there
was large attendance of spectators,
and the lawyer for the prosecution
took Miss Lisle in hand for the cross
examination.
He was a young lawyer, and he
wasn't going to spare anybody. After
the usual questions about name, age
and residence, he started out with:
Were you on the highway between
Stone Hill and this village In the fore
noon of the seventh day Of last
month";"
II was in a buggy with Mr.. Fetch
err"
well, what happened?"
"Those two young men came up be-
hind our rig with another horse and
buggy"
"They came up quietly, did they?"
mo, sir. They came cursing and
shouting. They passed on my side,
and the one with the reins deliberate
ly refined the horse in. He looked at
me and grinned as he did it. We
were standing still as he did It."
Miss Vernon, you know what per.
jury is, do your"
Eyes, sir. and I know what insult
is as weli!"
"That is ALL" and Miss Lisle was
out of It, except when he came to ad-
dress the jury he strongly limited that
the reason for the collision probably
lay in the fact that Fletcher was
driving one-handed and could not con-
troll his horse.
1t did not take the jury over ten
minutes to find for the defendant,
and thus the case was closed. That
is, the main case. Miss Lisle had a
case against young Lawyer Blaisdell,
and though 1t was never to be tried,
she could say to him:
'T'll follow his trail untfl am re-
vengedl He knew l was telling the
truth, and yet he tried to make me out
liarl Think OF his limiting that
Fletcher had an arm around mel
"Oh, but could see him burned at
the stakel"
Three months later, as she started
out one day with her runabout. she
was hating yet.
Golden Hill was steep, long hin,
with two turns in 1t, anc at its foot
was bridge over deep river. The
girl was just taking the last turn with
whizz that would have carried
her across the bridge when the man
she hated appeared before her with
small log IN his hands, and the
obstruction was thrown in such a way
that the machine was run head on In