The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-05
An Original
Expedient
By ALAN HINSDALE

Father" said Johnnie, tell me a
story"
"All right: I'll tell you a story about
an elopement.
when / was young man l secured
a position with a maker of artificial
limbs. / Travelled through the country
gical contrivances to the small deal
ers.
Zone day was driving along a road
with my wagon load OF samples when
overlook a pretty girl walking the
same way | was going. l asked her
II couldn't give her a lift. She ac-
cepted the offer and got In on the
vacant seat beside me.
"Her name was-let me see, what
was her name? Well. Wen call her
Susie. That was the first girl who
ever snuggled up to me, and l tell you
stuck to her like kitten to foot
warmer. In truth, 1t was one Of those
cases of love at first sight. and
couldn't tell you which fell in love
with the other first. She was going
to town to do some shopping, and |
arranged with her to drive her back
the same afternoon.
II didn't go into the house with her
when we reached her home. You see.
1t wouldn't look right that | had pick
ed up Susie on the road. But the
next time | went over the route
called with letter of Introduction
who from?" interrupted Eva.
well, / didn't intend to say any
thing about that. but since you want
to know Susie gave me the name OF a
friend of hers, and l wrote the letter
myself, signing the friends name. /
called on Susie. presented the letter.
and she received me as a stranger.
OF course that wasn't a nice thing
to do. but Susie had told me that her
father was cranky old man and she
couldn't make young mans acquaint-
ance without his asking innumerabie
questions about how. when and where
she had met him"
when does the elopement begin?"
asked Johnnie.
ut begins right here. visited Su-
sic and courted her. From the first
her father opposed me, and when l
asked him for his daughter he refused
me point blank. Susie wouldn't give
me up, and there was nothing for it
but to run away and be married. BY
this time winter had come on. and
! that winter there was great deal OF
snow. After big storm started on
business trip in sleigh. Susie had
written me that her father had been
called on to serve on jury and was
away most of the time. Her mother
sympathized with Susie and me, so
she didn't count against us. | drove
up to the house one afternoon, and.
the father being at the county seat.
Susie and | concluded that 1t was as
| good a time as any to go off and get
married. Susie's mother didn't object.
and we started.
eve hadn't been gone long when
| Susies father came home He asked
/ her mother where she was, and the
poor woman looked guilty. He forced
her to admit that Susie and l had gone
-, or to be married and to tell him
which way. Then he got into the
sleigh he had come home in, and away
he went llckety split after us to head
us Off before we could get married.
Susie was looking back all the
while, and presently, when we were
on rise, she saw her father coming
some two or three miles away. Then
| l knew l was In for a chase"
Did you lick your horseT asked
Johnnie.
You bet did, my boy. But he had
no speed in him. l used him simply to
! Jog through the country, carrying me
and my samples. stopping here and
there, and for this I didn't need fast
horse. The consequence was that Su-
sizes father. having the best animal in
his stable. gained on us.
Il was full Of expedients, and as |
drove on racked my brain for one to
delay our pursuer. l remembered that
there was bridge ahead, a small,
| rickety affair. II could have time
to ruin that bridge behind me I could
keep my pursuer from getting over It
and In that way I might escape. Then
an idea struck me how to cause the
delay.
Passing from a rise down into a
place where there was a deep snow
drift beside the road. pulled up, took
a couple of artificial legs from my
samples and asked Susie for her shoes.
She took them off, and put them on
the wooden feet, got out of the sleigh
and stuck the legs In the snowdrift.
leaving only the feet and ankles expos
cd. Then | got back into the sleigh
and started on again.
What's that forT asked Susie.
Hell see the feet sticking out o.
the snow, think you're buried head
down and stop to pun you out. If he
takes enough time doing it I'll be able
to send that bridge sailing down with