Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-07-09
Ananias and the widow Row.

bOWdFu Ana01nb hnu the WHOM hoWs
ell.
Before she reached them there was
a shout. Alvin Barker, a teller in the
bank, jumped from his automobile and
half carried a yelled lady to the air
ship and lifted her into the passengers
seat, strapping her in with deft rapid
ity.
There's your passenger, Ananfas,"
he muttered in a choked tone. "Clear
the way, all of you'll" he shouted.
The crowd fell back. Ananias
jumped nimbly into the pilots seat,
was strapped in, Barker whirled the
propeller, the engine started, stopped,
started again, and the ungainly bird
teetered over the ground on its land
ing wheels.
1t mounted a rise, then lifted and
rose obliquely toward the pale moon.
From the pilots seat leaned a gnome-
like figure, Ananias Slime.
In the passengers seat, stifly erect,
sat the passenger, the yelled lady.
On the ground two other yelled Ia
dies stood shoulder to shoulder and
gazed upward after the vanishing Ana
MAS.
For the moment a common grievance
declared a truce between them.
"Who was she p rumbled EN- Bevis
in her deep tones.
The Widow Rowell cleared her voice
of emotion.
at looked like that Underwood girl
from Snarling Hollow" she muttered.
The shout of applause which had
arisen when Ananias Slime sailed away
died down as the airship became a
dark speck against the moons face.
Silence fell upon Terry's feld-si.
lence which was broken by confused
shouts.
We turned hastily to discover Hay
wood D%rayton's big motorcar plung-
ing across the grassy field. Haywood
Drayton was president of the Ounce
Harbor bank.
Mr.. Drayton jumped from his motor.
car, followed by the imposing form Of
Constable Lee.
Alvin Barker was sliding toward his
own little runabout when the big con-
stables hand fell upon his arm.
81 guess you'll have to come along
with me, Alvin" he said good natured-
ly, and as the teller struggled to free
himself the officers hand frightened it's
hold.
BE a good boy, Alvin" he coaxed.
you can't rob the bank without be-
ing punished for it, you know
1T was Ananias," quavered the teller
desperately.
"Ananias is an accessory; don't for
get that. We must get him." put in
Haywood Drayton.
Hes got a lady with himr' some
one said, and the constable laughed.
"a nice lady-deaf, dumb and blind"
he explained between chuckles-"a
wax figger from EN- Bevis' show win
dow, her hol1er form filed with pack
ages of greenbacks from the bank. Oh,
Ananias is clipping with al heiress, all
right!'
EN- Bevis and Hetty Rowell ex-
changed glances of dismay.
"Look!p' screamed some one. HE is
coming backr'
We gazed up at the pale star strewn
sky.
Out of the silence came the throb of
the airship's engine, and the huge
wings were directly over Terry's field.
Down swooped Ananias Shines air.
ship until it was 200 feet above us.
For a moment it lowered, rocking vio-
lently.
Than soma ona coroo mod in borror
for a dark object was falling from the
airship-a human form.
A shuddering cry went up as the
yelled passenger struck the ground and
was still.
Some n remembered what the con-
stable had said about the wax figure
in EN- Beyis' show window.
Lets see!" he shouted, and ran for
ward.
Sure enough, the poor yelled lady
was the familiar figure we had often
seen in Mrs. Bevis' window. But her
waxen head vas smashed to atoms,
and her broken form revealed rolls and
wads of newspapers-that was all.
Cunning Alvin Barker had tempted
AnanlaS 10 run away With the stolen
money, while all the time he had hid
den the money in a safe place and had
stuffed the dummy passenger with pa
per.
Ananias, conscience stricken-per-
haps fear stricken, who knows?-had
repented and returned to drop the lady
and the loot upon Terry's field. He
might have made his escape in the
Hawk had not something happened to
the engine.
So the Hawk came Topping to earth,
and Ananias crept out Of the ruins and
sought Constable Lee to give him
self up.
An hour afterward two yelled ladies
appeared In the constable's Office. One