The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1915-07-14
The Problen1
Ey LOUISE B. CUMMINGS
BY LOUISE B. CUMMINGS

| out Ilpr lainpf = cpllStlil, il!i't tht VIA
gentleman had Instituted 80 many pre-
cautions that it WAS wei Hi%h imnuSSi-
bic to get through them. lie had not
locked up bis daughter. for no ..li''
could be kept indefinitely under lock
ANA key b. Il parent. bit he llHh hired
so many persons to guard 80 many
avenues by which the wedhiU" might
be effected timt the locking UP did not
seem necessary.
In the first place. he hribcl Il do
nestle to watch Miss Salic. iie had
| Il guard 1T Ill the rllruah @tattoiS
| Every livery stable in the place was
paid not 10 furnish Il conveyance to
Miss Snllr Eulniston and WiIlam
| itOXcy. There was more bribery III
small ways too numerous to mention.
As Mr. If,imistou did not consider it
practicable to lock mp his daughter. so
did lie refrain from forbiddin= her to
meet Mr. IloXey He was aware that
love laughs at lucksmiths.' and for.
bidding Sallic to meet any particular
person would be Ineffective. The prob.
lem therefore. that faced tile lovers
| was not bow to get together. but how
to get married.
They tried every clergyman IN town
and failed with all. Mr. Hnuliston
w;ts we'll to do: he--Gavc literally IN
churches: he Informed every clergyman
llnt his daughter WAS not of age and
warned each and all that If amy OF
them married her he would do so 1T
his peril The domi,Iirs knew that Mr..
Hulniston was Il man not to be trit1cd
with. ANA should they offend him he
could never again be approached for Il
subscription.
One day y young man with pr'ciy
complexion and full blac MbraIrl. car
rying a satchcl. entered the tE!:ii:, rail
road station of the place and called
for ticket to Ridgcwooh. II station
without the town limits. Before the
train left tail lad:;. yelled. entered
the same station Hnd also bought Il
ticket for Ri.lgewond. The ticket AGENT
noticed that there WAS something ;!hunt
the young nuns appearance that
caused him to w0ndc: who and what
he was. He knew every one in the
town and had never seen such Il per.
son there before. As the man walked
away from the window the agent no
| ticcd that he had Il peculiar gait. The
young man picked UP II newspaper 1T
Il stand and. entering the train took
Il seat beside tho yelled lads. then,
opening his paper. began to read.
| Now, it happened that the conductor
of the train WAS one of Mr.. lIumiSton'S
laid spies. When the train stopped ut
IL station still within the city limits
he sent telephone message to MIR.
Humistull. whom he caught in his of
flee. that there WAS Il strange looking
couple aboard the train and suggested
that MI. liumiston take an ;lutoino-
bile and 60 10 Ridgewuod ut once.
Mr.. Humiston tclelllnned to his house
to know If his daughter was there and,
learning that she was not, jumped into
IN auto and reached Ridgewood just
as the train bearing the young man
with the black beard and the yelled
lady was pulling out of the station.
Mr.. Hunist6l noticed the yelled lady.
but since she was a head taller tslan
his daughter she did not interest him,
But when lie saw her enter an auto
cab and short gentleman with Il
black beard get in with her he WON
dered If this couple could have any
thing to do with the warning lie had
received. He concluded TO shadow
them. Jumping into his auto. he kept
half block behind them.,
The auto ahead Of him stopped at u
church.
81 have it, said the shadower. Il
have been warned on,account OF this
couple. but they are not the ones
against whom have been warned.
That woman is not my daughter and
that little fellow is not Hoxcy. But
I'll bet they are going to attend a we'd
ding, and the conductor must have
heard them say something to Indicate
that the principals are Sallic and
Billy"
Mr.. Humiston waited til the couple
had entered the church. then went III
behind them and took Il seat in the
last new from the altar. The tall wO-
man and the short man were waiting.
near the chanccl. Presently Il side
door opened. and q clergyman in vest
ments entered, took his position on the
cllancel, and the couple stood before
him.
Mr.. Humiston heavcd Il sigh Of re
lief. After all. this was the couple that
was to be married, and they did not
answer to the description Of Salie and
Billy ut al. He did not wait for the
conclusion of the ceremony, but sped
home in his car.
Sallie had not returned. While he
was asking questions about her the
loorbell rang. and he was handed 4
4 telegram Opening it, he read:
Ridgewood.
Married. Do forgive us. papa.
SALLIE.
Mr. Humiston crushed the message
in his hand anta-rrowlcd. But before
many minutes bad elapsed anxiety got
the better Of him to know how the
couple had succeeded in fooling him.
He gave the telegraph messenger {:
dispatch containing his forgiveness and
told him to send it to the Ridgewood
telegraph Office. 1t brought the newly
married couple home in time for din
ner. The little man with the black
lboar1 throw his arms around Mr. HUI