The daily Alaskan., 1919-01-11
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THE RUT
By VICTOR REDcLIFFE.
seS%S%SSSeSSSeSSRRN%% RN%%S%R%SsSS%Nt9 ,Dyright. 1918, by Western Newspaper Unlon.)

Professor Archelanus Tidworth re tired from the rostrum in the little village hall of Holmwood with smirk and n bow, and hurried his steps once behind the scenes, to & table where his wife was counting over the meager receipts of the evening.
 "We'll have to cut out these way back towns-feld too narrow for our abilities" muttered the professor.
 "Attentiye audience, though. How you did pour 1t into them, Archelanus quoting the classIcsl"
 That was the stunt of the impressive looking, basso-profundo voiced pro- lessor. He had worn, tattered lee ture, which proved that every town he went to had missed a marvellous com mercial future through striking a rut and sticking in 1t. "Get out of the rutp was his loud praying appeal to towns and individuals.
 The discourse was dreary and vapid, but its one essential point took root with at least two Of the audience, Muriel Baird, eighteen, an orphan, a drudge In the home of a distant rela- tive, seriously drank in the glowing pictures dellneated by the rostrum tiend as to the wonderful prospects open in the great thriving city for the young and ambitious, and Murlel long ed for expansion and independence.
 Across the aisle from her, Arnold Wade was likewise fertile ground for the seed sown by the lecturer. He had worked at wages never increased In the next town, had saved some money, even enough to enable him to buy an automobile, and in a modest way en- loved life, but he, too, left the hall re- solving to "get out of the rut!"
 This estlmable young man the next day made all his arrangements for giving up his position. He experienced a rare sense of freedom as he started away in his auto, bound for the city fifty miles distant,
 At the same hour, carrying neat looking suitcase, Muriel Baird took the old turnpike road leading to the nearest railroad town. She was sec retly glad as an automobile slowed up and It's owner sang out courteously, Gan I give you lift, young ladyT'
 Muriel turned to view her questloner, dlscerned that he was a young man, blushed dlvlnely and murmured: "l was going to Ledbury."
 "Rlght on my way. Why" he add ed, didn't l see you at the lecture last eYening?"
 To which Muriel assented, and this naturally led up to the discovery that they were 1.-two souls of a single thought"-"gettinE put of the rut"
 "Well, we'll" commented the free and open Arnold, "this Is quite coinclden- tai. Here we are, starting out with the world all before us. Suppose you save time and railroad fare by staying right In the machine Ill we reach the city. tell you, consider having your pleas ant company all the way seems like a hamburger of good fortune. Itewould be pleasant to keep track of one an- other. Won't you write me to the gen. eral delivery when you get settledf And I'll do the same to. you"
 And then they parted with good honest, hearty handshake, and neither was likely to forget the other for a long time. to come.
 Arnold sold his automobile for a fair sum and spent a week looking for an investment for his little Capi- tai. One day he received brief note from Muriel, telling that she had found work at Q dellcatessen store.
 Arnold started to locate the place that evening. Inquiry led to 1t being pointed out to him across street he had been traversIng. A swift automo- bile turned the corner. He met a crushing contact and knew no more.
 It was not a long story he heard, when, after a week of uncOnsciousness, fever and delirlum, Arnold was made to comprehend that he had been ten derly cared for by Mnriel and her em- ployer, Mrs. Latcombe, who lived behind the little delicatessen shop. It was, directly In front of It that Arnold had been run down. It was Muriel, who witnessed the mlshap, and a recognition of his friendly face had led to her caring for him as If he were an own brother.
 Arnold mended slowly. One day from an adjoining room he heard his kind hostess say:
 "rve got some rather bad news for you, Murlel, dear. l have word from my Invalid husband In California, and be wants me to sell out and come to him. am offered four thousand live hundred dollars for the five stores. You have made sthis one, with your pleasant manner and neat way of keeping 1t, and am going to ask the purchaser to retain you In charge"
 At that Arnold joined the ladies. II.