Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1920-10-07

and Leone was hurrying to be there.
The wedding was scheduled for three
in the afternoon and it was two as
she approached the halfway point
where a new resort was springing into
existence. She had an hour to travel
the thirty miles remaining before her,
and 1t ought to be easy.
LeOne's thoughts were of the fiirt-
ing captain as she approached house
that was being erected beside the
| road.
This was the house that Fred Rich
ards had a contract to build. He had
! been builder all his life, following
in the footsteps of his father, and
when he laid aside his khaki he went
into business on his own account; and
| some within of fate sent him TO Ken
nelWOrth county.
Fred was anxious over the contract.
He was behind on his schedule, due to
Il scarcity of carpenters. SO he dOnned
an apron and went at driving nails
! in earnest.
On the day of Jane Jarvis wedding
| Fred hung 0Gt of window in the up
| per story of the new house and adj
iusteda some old-fashioned shutters
that the owner of the dOmiCile in
sisted should be an adornment of his
new abode
| 1t was an awkward position Fred
was forced to put himself in in order
to perf3y:9, the task, and perhaps that
was the reason he lost his balance
and nearly fell when he pulled a ham
mer from q pocket and the prongs
caught in his clothes. He managed to
regain his equilibrium, but in the
struggle he had detached small trim
| ket he had been wearing. This trim
| ket, in falling, somehow managed to
receive considerable propeling force.
Just as Leone Jarvis roadster
| passed the house she heard an Omi-
nous kissing, followed by thump,
thump, thump.
The feeling of veXatiOn developed
into anger when she discovered bent
! nail Clinglng to the flat tire. She be-
came furious when she considered the
position - placed her IN. She would
be late to her sisters wedding; for
she had no spare tire and it would
take some time to repair the damage.
Those carpenters are to blame"
she ragged, as she heard several ham,
mers pounding in the new house be-
side the road. ''They ought to help
me-"
She strobe toward the house and
accOsted the first man she saw. He
was leaning out of a second story
window adjusting green shutter.
II have a puncture-and you're to
blame" she called. ~ picked up a
nail you left on the road, and I'm
stranded and in horrible hurry, too,
What are you going to do about it?"
The man looked down at her, rather
whimsically it seemed.
"What'll we do about it?" he echoed.
"Why, Wen fix the thing, of course.
That's the only thing to do, isn't it?"
He disappeared from the window
and presently came limping out of the
house.
His eyes became big and round as
he looked at her, standing as though
dazed. But his eyes were no bigger
or rounder than LGOne'S, and he was
no more daZed. However, by struggle
they regained their composure and
without utterng a word walked to the
stalled roadster.
THE nail didn't cause the pune
ture," he said, pulling 1t from the
flat tire. "See, it scarcely penetrated
the surface of the casing" 49,,
T He crouched on the road and ex-
| amined the tire carefully.
Here" it is" he said presently, and
with the aid of pair of pliers which
she, handed him he pulled an object
from the tire and held it up. At first
he looked puzzled, and then a broad
smile crept across his face, and her
countenance assumed duplicate of it.
N"I told you" he said, Strengthening
up, his eyes bright with a strange
| light and his voice sounding as must
cal as it did that night when the moon
was full, II told you 1t would help
me track you, and then. VIII you
Will you forgive me for the puncture?"
Eyes" she said, meeting his frank
goze with one just as frank and as
sincere, II will. Tm-I'm glad it hap
pened-even If It does make me late
for sisters, wedding.
1t was, Of course, a tiny gold pin
with a broken clasp.
He carefully attached the trlnket to
the under side of coat lapel.