Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-12-28

ing 70 do7" walled the girl at the point


j,
Ing 10 do?" walled the girl at the point
of tears.
"Reach Rosebury some other way
than by rail-" was the prompt re-
spouse. "You see, watchful as your
uncle is, he don't know that we are
headed for my friend, the Rev. Jarvis
Boutwell, at Rosebury, who will marry
us at once. Then we can defy the
malignant old guardian, who is bound
you shall wed another man of his Sc
lection"
"Walter," sobbed Gabrielle patheti-
cally, 81 an yours till deathT
All this and much more Neil over
heard, hammer suspended, his good,
sympathetic heart stirred to his
depths. At the end Of ten minutes he
understood the situation complete.
Here were two gentle souls pursued
by an ogre in the shape of a meretri-
cious relative and guardian, who
sought to rend them rudely apart and
crush their mutual love under his feet.
1t should not bel Neil startled the
cooling, calculating pair by abruptly
confronting them.
"Friends," he announced clearly,
1--we been eavesdropping. I overheard
all you said, and I'm going to help
you"
Gabrielle clung closer to her brave
lover. Walter scanned hopefully the
open, honest face of the intruder.
"How can you help us?" he ques-
toned obviously.
"By taking you to Rosebury in my
automobile"
But the roads may be watched"
81 won't take the roads," explained
Neil, that is, the trayersed roads.
Here's the proposition If you think
that striking Rosebury after dark by
an ~untraveled route you can manage
to reach this minister friend without
being discovered, I'll get you there"
"You will %
"Without fail !"
"Ill make it the best days work
you ever did," pledged Walter Young.
"See here, friend, I'm not marrying
this jewel of an angel for money. I've
got more of 1t than she has. It's a
case of genuine, disinterested love and
a cruel, scheming guardian"
81 guessed that" nodded Neil in a
clipper way. "Now let me explain to
you. There's a half road west; no one
ever uses it now. 1t runs by the old
glass factory that burned down. It's
made up of refuse and cinders that
would ruin ordinary tires In ten min
utes. I've got solid Ones. Folks have
jeered at my old machine, but all the
same it can make that trip, and they
couldn't even begin it."
ooh, Walter, this is dreadful" pal
plated Gabrielle, as, an hour later, In
the dark the old auto bumped and
skidded and Numbered along owe the
glass works road.
"Not when it throws you into my
arms !" cried Walter %jubilantly. "Think
of our good fortune in running across
this genuinely fine young fellow, with
a heart big as the moonl"
With a whiz the automobile finally
rolled out into a smooth country lane.
you've arrived" announced Neil.
whats the program? This is the
edge of Rosebury."
IT think" spoke Walter, after brief
thought, shat I'll take no risks. I'll
leave you two here, go for Mr.. Both
well and We'll get married before we
venture into town."
He was gone an hour. He returned
with his friend. There, in the auto
mobile, the solemn words were pro-
nounced that made the runaways man
and wife.
"For you" spoke Walter Young, tax
ing Neil aside and pressing a folded
slip of paper into the hand of their
gallant chauffeur. "It's a check, and
good, and none too big for a man who
has helped me with the best little girl
in the world"
When Neil Borden opened the check,
back at Fairview, four hours later, he
found it to be for one thousand dol
lars. The adventure it commemorated
had awakened latent romance in his
heart. He could afford to think of a
life companion now, and did. His
choice fortunately fell upon a sweet
souled creature who did not disdain
riding in the old automobile, and Neil
made that the test Of her worthiness.
WAKEFUL HOURS SEEM LONG