The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1916-04-14
When Betty
Was Lost
A Search That Ended In
By LULU JOHNSON

otrang, sitting n his big touring
car, watched with lazy interest the
tiny figure Of the child toiling up
the hill. He was fond of children,
all sorts and varieties, but there
was an elfin daintiness about this
independent young wayfarer hat
appealed most particularly to him.
She could not be more than five,
yet she carried herself with a know
ing little air that belied her timid
eyes and her rosy, quivering mouth,
while her smart frock and fetching
hat indicated comfortable circum-
stances.
He forgot that Danvers was half
hour late for their appointment.
He even neglected to think about
a certain girl whose image for the
past week had filled his thoughts al
most constantly.
To his dismay, as the child was
opposite him she sat down upon the
steps of a high stopped house and
began to cry, not loudly and with a
wild display Of grief, but quietly, as
if she sought to keep back the tears
that trickled down her cheeks.
In an instant Strang was out of
the a and knclt on the stoop be-
side her, seeking to learn the cause
of her grief.
81 guess Pm losted," was the
p%laintive reply, can there isn't any
policeman to find me-"
perhaps I'm as good as a police
man." he suggested as, with a shud-
der, he thought of tn is dainty
child's spending the day in some
dingy police station. Glow were
you lost, and where do you live:"
81 was WI muvver," was the halt
ing explanation. "She coined in on
the trolley, an when We changed |
was losted, an then I tried to find
Aunt Mollie's, an l guess she's lost
ed too. I can't find her either"
"Wherc do you live? In the
country" he asked hopefully. If
they used any particular trolley it
might be easy to trace her people.
Con the gween trolley" assented
the child. eve live way out, most
to where they stop"
81 guess we can find you them"
declared Sidney cheerf1lly. "You
jump into my a and I'll take you
out along the line. We're sure to
see the place then. Is your house
right on the line Of the cars:1
"No, we has to walk a dood ]ot,"
said the child.
"But you'll remcrnber tho corner
where you took the car" urged
Strang. And this time she nodded
an assent.
Only one suburban line boosted
green cars. These ran out to Mount
Holly, a distance Of eighteen miles.
By following along the road. which
for the greater part Of the way
paralleled the tracks. he probably
would enable the child to get her
bearings.
She was old enough. to recognize
a familiar neighborhood even if she
was too young to be able to call the
suburb by name.
He made her comic rtablc in the
seat beside him, and presently they
were whizzing through the side
streets toward the open country.
Sidney forgot all about the beiated
Danvcrs, but he could net quite for
get about the girl who, had been
haunting his memory. As they
rushed along her image came back
afrcsh to him.
Somehow the child With her flow
erlikc face reminded lam tantaliz-
ingly of that older girl whom he
had seen sitting in a box at the
thcater a week before
Strang had questioned several Of
his friends between acts, lmt no n
seemed to know her, and he had
spent his leisure time since then in
trying to find some trace Of her.
lie was not permitted to enjoy
his thoughts long, for the child
o forgot her troubles in the de-
light Of riding, and her very evil
dent pleasure delighted Sid1uy, who
even dared arrest to let the speed
cut another notch when the, child
begged to 60 faster.
But when they had come to the
end of the line and she had NOT rec
ognized any familiar landmark the
situation turned serious.
Perhaps even now a hysterica1
mother might be clamoring at the
police station for her child. und a
general alarm sent out at once
might cause him to be apprehe ndea.
With an anxious face he turn ed TO