The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-10-04

and the runabout arrived, and she
announced her intention Of taking Z
long ride at once. Miss Plaster
groaned and told more tales Of luna
tics. James groaned and predicted
death by strangulation. Nevertheless
the girl went.
She started out In a cloud of dust
and haI gone two miles when there
was bur-r-r-r-r and the vehicle
came to a stop. She worked away ut
the levers without avail. She got
was no use. She was stamping her
foot in anger when a man came out
of the woods close at hand. He was
a young man Of twenty-five-a good
looking young man, and he had
professional air about him.
Something wrong?" he pleasantly
queried as he looked from the girl to
the runabout.
Eyes it won't 60"
In three minutes he had discovered
the cause Of the trouble, and after
running the vehicle up and down he
halted and asked If she were going
over to Sherlockville. When he re-
ceived an affirmative reply he said:
| $50 am l. II you have no objections
goes well. The machine Is new and
must be coaxed bit"
To her surprise Miss Bessie found
herself seated beside the stranger and
bowling along at merry gait. They
had gone a mile when she suddenly
remembered that the young man had
not introduced himself. Then she re
membered the escaped lunatic and
the words Of warning. For half a
minute her heart was in her mouth.
Then she took sly peep and failed
to see anything murderous in the
mans looks. They were a bit gloomy
and preoccupied but not savage.
"Excuse me-" he finally said as he
turned to her. II am from the asylum.
but I haven't card with me. My
name is Ashley, and II I mistake not
you are the young lady at Miss Pilas-
ter's."
Miss Bessie bowed In acknowledge
ment and her heart jumped again.
This man must be the escaped luna
tic! She developed her plan in a
moment. She became very communi-
him off his guard. If he was on an
errand to the village she would wait
and take him back, and to this he
readily agreed. There was wait Of
ten minutes and then he reappeared.
Little was said on the return trip.
The young man was moody, and Miss
Bessie was wondering how to land
him at the asylum without pro.
voking desperate resistance. Aunt
Plaster and James were waiting at
The gate, and to her establishment the
vehicle came to halt and the luna
tic raised his hat to the woman and
nodded to James.
"Why, Bessie, where did you find
the doctor?" asked the Aunt as she
came forward.
"Doctor?" repeated the girl.
"Why. yes-Doctor Ashley OF thu
asylum"
Good heavens, but isn't he thai
escaped lunatic, and are all my plans
for his capture to be knocked in the
headY
"Sorry for you" replied the doctor
with smile. 81 am from the asylum
but not exactly lunatic. You have
just kindly taken me to the village tC
have an aching tooth drawn"
"But IL have captured you, you
know"
II won't dispute it."
When 1t Is said that from that day
on for two months the doctor was q
frequent caller at Miss Pilaster's, and
that he and Miss Bessie have beer
writing twice a week to each other
since her return to the city, the read
err can drawn his own conclusions. He
will at any rate feel bit OF sympa
thy for Miss Plaster, who turned tc
James the day her niece went home
and with her apron to her eyes tear
fully exclaimed:
"Oh James, things have so changed
about since I was a g-gurl that CAM
make 'em out We told Bessie tc
look out for lunatics, and now she's
going to marry a whole asylum full
: of 'em !"