Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1917-02-02
A Skating
"Accident''
By OSCAR COX

10 Alec Wnstonr
"WhatY
"Fell on the back Of his head on the
Ice and has been unconscious for two
hours"
THAT'S strange, Alec is a splendid
skater"
at wasn't his fault"
"Whose fault was IT."
"Blllles,"
"You mean Wilhelmlna Ripleys."
Eyes; she's the llvelIest girl In town,
She's an imp Of mischief Her princl-
pal object In life seems to be to make
trouble"
"You mean among the fellows. Why,
they stick to her like flies to mo-
asscs,"
"The more fools they"
If report says correctly you are one
Of the biggest fools Of the lot. But
how did Miss Ripley inlure Alec Win.
stonW
"You see they were skating together,
Alec skating backward, Billie forward
For some time she had been trying to
stir up bad blood between Alec and
Horace F0rrar by exercising that dia-
bolIcal smile Of hers.
"YOu mean that seductive smile"
"Whateycr you like 20 call It. Any
way, she first encouraged one, then
the other She was skating with Alec,
He, having his eyes in the front in
stead Of the back Of his head, couldn't
see Farrar skating behind him with
Josie Emerson. Both men being back
to back, Billie thought 1t would be n
fine thing to steer Alec against Horace.
When they struck Alec's feet went up
in the mir and he went down on the
back Of his head"
"That's too bad. hope he didn't
crack his skull"
1.-THE doctor says not, He says there's
conclusion Of the brain"
WAS Billie hurt?'
Hurt, No, Such persons never get
hurt, They are protected by Satan,
whom they serve. Billie went down,
but forward, not backward, and fell
partly on Alec"
There was pause In the dialogue, at
the end Of which James Barnet said to
Charlie Bates:
Charlie, this is a serious matter for
all you fellows who have gone daft on
Miss Ripley"
what do you mean?' asked Bates,
looking ut his friend anxlously,
"Why, she'll be badly broken up at
the serious result of her innocent play
fitness
"Call It devillshness."
"Shell inquire a dozen times a day
after Alec, sending him spoon fodder
and flowers. AS soon as he gets well
enough to see her she'll 90 to him, cry
little, wonder If he'll ever forgive
her, and the result will be that he'll
take her In with no more resistance on
utI pulI luul jelly uSu'
Hell be n fool If he doesr cried
Bates eXcitedly, and, examining his
hands down into the bottom of his
trousers pockets, he strobe up and
down the floor.
"Y0u seem averse to Alec's being
roped into the meshes of this imp Of a
oyir1 ~ rom n rly oil hIe friand
Naturally. I've been there myself"
replied Bates.
Where"
"ln Billle's good graces."
"Oh! You have, Ell? How long did
you stay?'
IAN evening"
"And the next day."
81 was reduced to the ranks and
Alec was promoted"
81 should think that you'd covet re-
venge on Alec"
"Oh, Alec is an inoffensive sort Of a
fellow. He was quite smart boy be-
fore he had that fever. don't blame
him. My wrath is all for the girl"
you'd better keep it hot"
"What hot?"
Your wrath. Suppose it should cool
and Billie should take hold Of you
again. Where would you be?"
"Do you take me for an idlot?"
81 take you for what we men oil are
in the matter of women. So long 1
must be moving on"
A week later the two friends met
again.
II say, jim" said Charlie, you were
all wrong about how that matter be-
tween Billie and Alec would turn out. I"
How is that?"
"Alec was only stunned. He was
up and about the next day"
"How about Miss Ripley?"
'"rhe thing sobered her"
"How do you know"
GLOW do I know? Why she told
me So"
"When?"
Last night"
AT what hour?"
"At what hour? What's that to
you?"
"Tel me the time you left her last
night and I'll explain
81 didn't exactly leave her last night
1t was this morning. | think it was