The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1917-01-13
A Skating
"Accident +"
By OSCAR cox

/
Jim" said Charlie Bates excftedly,
what do you suppose has happened
to Alec Winston?"
WHAT"
Fell on the back of his head on the
ice and has been unconscious for two
/ hours"
That's strange. Alec is n splendid
| skater"
ut wasn't his fault"
Whose fault was it7"
"BiIlie's."
You mean Wilhelmina Ripley'G."
Eyes; she's the liveliest girl In town.
She's an imp Of mischief. Her princi-
pal object In life seems to be to make
trouble"
"You mean among the fellows. Why,
they stick to her like flies to mO-
| lasses."
The more fools they"
"If report says correctly you are one
Of the biggest fools Of the lot. But
how did Miss Ripley 1nJure Alec Win
ston?"
"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 Farrar by exercising that dia-
| bolical smile of hers
"You mean that seductive smile.''
Whatever you like to 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 it would be a
fine thing to steer Alec against Horace
When they struck Alec's feet went up
in the air, and he went down on the
back of his head"
"That's too bad. l hope he didn't
crack his skull"
''The doctor says not. He says there's
concussion 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 a 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 at his friend anxiously.
'Why, she'll be badly broken up at
the serious result of her innocent play
fulness."
Call it devilishness."
She'll 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 go 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
her part than a jellyfish."
He'll be a fool if he doesr' cried
Bates excitedly, and, cramming his
/ hands down into the bottom Of his
trousers pockets. he strode up and
down the floor.
"YOu seem averse to Alec's being
roped into the meshes OF this imp Of a
girl remarked his friend.
Naturally. I've been there myself, 4"
replied Bates.
"Where?"
I'm Billie's good graces."
"Oh! You have, eh? How long did
you stay?"
can evening""
"And the next day?"
Il was reduced to the ranks and
Alec was promoted
II should think that you'd covet re-
venge on Alec"
"Oh, Alec is an inOffensive SOFT of a
fellow. He was quite a 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 hotY'
Your wrath. Suppose it should cool
and Billie should take hold Of you
again. Where would you beY
DO you take me for an idiot?'
II take you for what we men all are
in the matter of women. So long.
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"
"How is that?"
"Alec was only stunned. He was
up and about the next day"
How about Miss Ripley"
''The thing sobered her."
"HOw do you know"
How dc I know? Why she told