The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1918-12-14

some buttermilk from the churnins
this morning, and if"
"Thanks-thanks, but l must be 20
ing. Very kind of you, indeed"
If the old pensioners eyes had not
been so dim he might have seen 8
young man blushing like girl as he
| walked towards the gate, but he
didn't see, and in his hospitality he
called out:
Call again any time you break
down. If | amt out here, take the ak
and use it as long as you want to-"
Father, how could you speak that
way to him?" exclaimed the daughter
at his elbow as soon as the latch of
the gate had clicked.
"Lordy, but what have I done now?
A young feller's auto breaks down in
front of the house and we lend him
an ak and tell him he can have 1t
again any time. You are always ready
to give buttermilk to tramps, and I
wondered why you didn't come out
and offer him a glass. I don't want
folks to think I've turned stingy In my
old age"
During the next month Molly
Thatcher heard from the goss.ps of
the village that the young man was
connected with the big new factory
five miles away. She got sight Of him
and his auto at least every other day.
but he peered in vain for her. She
lad maids curiosity, but she also
had maids timidity. At nine O'Clock
one moonlight night, as the village
lights were going out and a strange
silence was creeping over the land,
she; walked down to the gate and
leaned upon it. She had not been
standing there ten minutes when the
hum of an auto came to her ears from
the crest Of the hill a quarter of
mile away. She had heard that the
dark-haired man sometimes rode about
at night. She would wait until the
machine came nearer and then step
behind a rose bush.
"Puff. Puff. Chug." And then the
girl heard a sharp snap, and some.
thing told her that the auto was COM
ing down the hill uncontrolled. She
Sprang through the gate and saw II
coming. There was only one person
in the vehicle. and intuition and the
moonlight identified him. The course
was fairly straight, but the brake was
not working. Second by second the
speed increased, and as the machine
came whizZing past she raised her
Eand above her head and screamed
to the man:
Jump for your lifei You will be
killed at the bridget"
For the fraction of q second he |
looked into her eyes and smiled, and |
she had to turn and seize hold Of the |
gate while she waited for what must |
happen at the foot of the hill and the
harrow bridge. And when the crash
zane she screamed to her father, doz-
ng on the porch, and ran screaming
Town the path the wild auto had fol-
owed. When neighbor aroused neigh
,or and half dozen men gathered at
he wreck they found the girl under
he hill seated on the grass and the
'ead of the unconscious young man In
Ter lap.
"He is dead" some of them whis.
'ered after look.
"No! No! 1t can't be SOP she al.
most fiercely replied.
"He must be taken to the inn and q
octor called"
mo, take him to our house. Run
or a mattress. Lift him carefully. If
e hadn't been coming down the hill
n hopes-in hopes to see-to see
"Cut and bruised and suffering from
he shock. but no bones broken" re-
0rted the doctor to young Marshall's
riends next morning. "Leave him
ight here and don't worry about
im."
Two weeks later, as the young man
as able to ride away in the auto Of
friend he said to the old pensioner
efore departing:
81 may not want to borrow your ak,
ut I should like your permission to
all again."
"Why, of course, of course. I tell
Jolly we must be neighborly."
"And will you be neighborly? was
uietly asked of the girl as the gate
as reached.
He must have read the answer If
ar eyes, for he came again.