The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1919-01-15

and the runabout arrived, and she
announced her intention of taking .
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 haL gone two miles when there
was bur-r-r-r-r and the vehicle
came to stop. She worked away at
the levers without avail. She got
down and peeked and peered. but 1t
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 a
professional air about him.
"Something wrOng?" he pleasantly
queried as he looked from the girl to
the runabout.
"Yes 1t won't CO."
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 I. If you have no objections
I will ride with you and see that all
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"
minute her heart was in her mouth.
Then she took sly peep and failed
to see anything murderous In the
mans looks. They were 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 a card with me. My
name is Ashley, and If I mistake not
you are the young lady at Miss Pilas-
ter's."
Miss Bessie bowed in acknowledg.
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.
cative. In fact, she gushed to throw
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 a 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 the
asylum"
"Good heavens, but isn't he that
escaped lunatic, and are all my plans
for his capture to be knocked in the
headY
"Sorry for you," replied the doctor
with smile. II am from the asylum,
but not exactly lunatic. You have
just kindly taken me to the village to
have an aching tooth drawn"
"But IL have captured you, you
know"
II won't dispute 1t"
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 been
writing twice 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 to
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 was g.gurl that can't
make 'em out! We told Bessie to
look out for lunatics, and now she's
going to marry whole asylum full
Of em!"