Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1915-12-04
THE CLOSED ROAD
BY KEITH KENYON.

when Bert Perry closed hts desk on
Friday night he hadn't any very dis
tinct idea Of where to go, but as he
passed to the elevator and looked at
the door OF the office that used TO be
Jane Tenny's he decided on trip to
Piney Roads. Jane Tenny had been
public stenographer. but when
things had grown dull in Wall street
she had given up her business ven
ture and moved on to Piney Roads
to seek her fortune in chickens and
fruit farming.
IL was six o'clock Saturday eve
ming and Bert decided that his first
stop would be at the Piney Roads ho-
tel.
ITS a neatly kept little place."
thought Bert. as he surveyed the sym
metrical rows OF hollyhocks on either
side of the path, although It doesn't
seem very large"
Then he sounded his horn for some
one TO come and take his car. but no
one seemed to be stirring and there
was no sign Of garage. He sounded
long and impatiently until at last
from behind the house appeared an
old man in overalls.
There amt any garage round
here" drawed the man. you'll have
to take your machine down to the
crossing
where is the proprietor" Bert
was getting impatient and, as the old
man seered not to understand, he
added, the man who keeps the place,
mean"
"Oh, now l understand" drawled
the old man, chuckling. 1T amt a
man-it's a lady She was back in
the orchard picking cherries. and she
said she had Just stepped in to tidy
up bit and would be out soon. Here
she is"
When Bert caught sight of a pink
dress and then he recognized Jane
Jane, whose interesting, pale face had
grown positively pretty since her so
journ in the country.
And how unembarrassed and cordial
she wasl She really seemed to be
glad to see him.
From the garden could see It was
you." she said, land Just had to take
of my sunbonnet. | don't want you
to make fun of my farming"
There followed a few explanations.
NO, ! am not the proprietor Of
the hotel" Jane assured him. There
must be some mistake In the road
hnnE Tn ha kktvd
tourist today who has come here with
that idea. And you really came all
the way up here to see me? Why
didn't you let me know"
Just then another car pulled into
that driveway, car of French build
that made Bert's modest roadster look
insignificant.
IL say" called one of its two occu.
pants to the farmer, who was Just
making his way back to the orchard,
where is the garage of this estab.
lishment? Well drive right In and
you have the proprietor ready to see
us when we get back here. We've
only twenty minutes for dinner"
That's the way it's been all the
afternoon" said Jane, when she had
explained to the distinguished-lookin
tourists that her modest little house
made no pretentions at being a hos
telry
That's a great disappointment"
said one Of the men 1T promised to
be something out OF the ordinary in
the way of inns. When / saw II
felt certain you'd give us a dinner
worth eating. What? Back one road?
Thank you"
When Bert returned to the veranda
from his room, Jane had solved the
mystery.
I've been looking at your road book
and it says that the way to get to
the inn is to turn at the second road
after you leave the pike. Well, the
county has just closed up the first
road and put a row of poplars across
1t. That accounts for the confusion"
II was not until after James de-
lightful little supper. served on the
open veranda. that she showed her
guest over the place. the orchards and
thC OCiiy pdbCuCo, INC pOullIy ydiu
and the neatly kept truck garden.
But the worst Of it all is" she
confessed rather dolefully. at doesn't
pay any better than Wall street."
Jane. I've Just had an inspiration"
he said. very solemnly. you say that
you want to make some money. Why.
this very afternoon You have had
chance to make more money than
we've been making in Wall street for
a week. or that you can get from your
farm for many day. The inn down
the road is no good. I am told, and
the owner doesn't care whether he
has any patrons or not. There are
dozens of motorists along here every
day who would stop for dinner or
luncheon If they knew you had good
things to eat. This road catches an
unusually high-class traffic Think