The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1915-07-02
toward Ananias and the Widow Row

Before she reached them there was
a shout. Alvin Barker. teller In the
bank. jumped from his automobile and
half carried yelled lady to the air.
ship ana lifted her into toe passengers
seat. strapplng her In vita deft rapid
ity.
There's your passenger, Ananias,"
he muttcred in choked tone. "Cleai
the way, all OF you!" 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 gnOme
like figure. Ananias Slime.
In the passengers seat, stiffly 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 common grievance
declared truce between them.
"WhO was she?" rumbled EN- Bevis
In her deep tones.
The Widow Rowell cleared her voice
of emotion.
1T 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 field-si
lence which was broken by confused
shouts.
We turned hastily to discover Hay
wood Draytons 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.
II 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 its
hold.
BE good boy, Alvin" he coaxed.
"You can't rob the bank without be-
ing punished for 1t, you knoww
1T was Ananias," quavered the teller
desperately.
get that. We must get him." put In
Haywood Drayton.
Hes got lady with him. some
one said. and the constable laughed.
"A nice lady-deaf, dumb and blind"
he explained between chuckles-"a
wax fgger from En- Bevis' show win
dow, her holler form filed with pack.
ages OF greenbacks from the bank. Oh.
Ananias Is clipping with an heiress. all
right
En- Bevis and Hetty ROwell ex-
changed chances of dismay.
Look screamed some one. HE Is
coming back"
We gaZed up ut the pale star strewn
sky.
Out Of the silence came the thrOb of
the alrship'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 moment it lowered, rocking vio-
lently.
Then some one screamed In horror,
for 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 one remembered what the con-
stable had said about the wax figure
in Elm Bevis' 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. Bcvis' window. But her
waXen head was smashed to atoms,
and her broken form revealed rolls and
wads of newspapers-that was all.
Cunning Alvin Barker had tempted
Ananias to run away with the stolen
money, while all the time he had hid.
den the money in Il safe place and had
stuffed the dummy passenger with pa.
per.
Ananias, conscience stricken-per-
haps fear stricken, who knows?-had
repentcd 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 crcpt out of the ruins aud
sought Constable Lee TO give him
self up.
An hour afterward two yelled ladies
appeared in the cOnstable's Office. One
was I'm Bcvis. and the other was Het-
ty Rowell. They came to proffer bail
for the aviator's release.
"Cap'n Fish baied him out an hour
ago." explained Lee. II don't reckon
we can do much agin mans running
off with wads of newspaper-unless,"
he added hopefully, you want TO make
a charge against him for stealing your
wax figger. Emv'
Elm Bevis looked thoughtful.