The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-12-08
The DAILY
STORY

SHORT STORY /
Whole Hearts and a
Shatterd Car
II wasAgdsrk stormy night; the
Wind swept ~ iiefce gusts. along
the barren tiiilsldes and niourhea
~ ppgh lie slesfiess trees, driving
bef6l II sheets Of pouring rain, as
a,sciNary car might have been seen
aHpg itsiperilous way along d..
setted country road. At the wheel
Sjpf the storm,tUssed vehicle, his
faee set in grim determination, was
young man OF about twenty-five.
Long years d hard service had Lett
the machine much .delapidated; !:
was not at all the sort OF a car
that ought 70 have been taken
abroadiin sucha night. The object
OF Franklin MLdison's nocturnal
expedition was one of serious i'm
poDt-it was to pay OF the mort
rage on the old home. FRANKLIN
lived on q farm four miles from
Middletown He had inherited thu
farni and the mortgage. He hal
workedlh hard to recuperate the rur
J down place, Ind gone into fruit
,rowing and saved money. He was
rew ready to take care Of the mort
ne. After that he proposed to
II married, set out two more ap'
aie orchards and run for the legis'
l'latufe
The holder Of the mortgage on
Franklin's old home was a chum Of
Frnnklin's about his own age, n
youth possessed iof much money
who spent HIS summers with an
: uncle In Middletown. When Frank
lin had inherited the farm and the
Efnortg2ge he found that his father
had n IN paying 77per cent. intee.
est and mentioned the fact to bis
friend Martin Fairbanks.
sontrageous," said Martin. "PaJ
the old thief OF. I'll lend you thu
o1Qney to do 4 and take a mort.
be Dom you for the amount at 9
"a sent And SO 1t was done.
A The mortgage fell due on Deceln
yper 9 and Franklin, now being in \
Position to dos wanted TO take Il
up SO he wrote MARTIN, who WIS
leading the simple life galong the
Great White Way. asking him 10
empower some enc in MiddleIown
as his attorney 20 discharge the oo-
lgA zion. To Franklin's surprise,
for Martin seldom visited Middle.
Known in winter, he received a reply
saving that important business
called Martin 70 that place on De
Gambler a and If Franklin wouil
drive down from the farm on thar
date they could 90 business. But no
CNlartin) would not arrive until s
o'clock in the evening and would
have but few minutes to spare.
This sounded rather. CURIOUS, but
Franklin, anxious to get the mort.
gage out OF the way, started for
Middleton on tho evening specified,
regardless of the .ho%ling. storm and
the frailty OF his flivyer. He had
advanced as far as the outskirts ~
the town. Then Just where the
/ rqad descends The hill. the might.
leSe-b een-e1pected happened. A
I Inch. torn from tree by TIE
gale struck his windshield. smash.
tng II and cutting him about the
head and face. He lost control o..
the wheel for a second, the .cas,
SHE'D tola roadside ditch and turT.
ed over with an exploding tire and
a broken axle.
franklin crawled from under the
wreck. Bleeding profusely but not
otherwise phneh injured some con.
tusions and isprains and slight 10
ternal shake.up. AS Franklin
cleared the ,momentary daze from
his mind he saw that he had been
fwrece Ia In front OF a, trim white
house. the Understanding windows
OF which gave promise to help, mr..
/ nigs and sticking plaster He knew
fthe place we'll! Il was the home Of
PROSPEROUS Silas Metfiweather,
alddletown's hardware merchant,
who possessed, emong other good
things daughter HIillle. charm.
1 ~ creature about Franklin's oxh
age and, as her father said, as
smart gas a key OF tefpenny nails. ''
Franklin knocked at the door,
which was presently opened by Mil
| lie. and heestaggered into the hall.
Aiillie did not faint at the CORY
spectacle -she was not Of the faint.
ing kind: but she screamed a
screech which brought the rest W
tho family running. They got Frank.
lin into the sitting room, onto a
sofa and Mrs, Merriweather and
Mile went to work on him with
YARN water. peroxide OF hydrogen
Hind conrt-p plaster, while SilaS Merrl.
weAt her telephoned for the doctor
anh The patient 4discoursed dis.
iolnted lily OF wrecked cars and fly.
Ing limbs. Franklin was really sof
y when the ministratlons. OF, his
i4dateur surgeons were over: SO
soft and pleasing had been tbs
touch OF Miles fingers, SO close
her tempting lips had come to his
las she searched for overlooked
abfasions. ef--
franklin had long looked long
lngiy at Mile Merriweather and
had not been mistaken in think.
lng that Mile was not entirely In
different to- him. But between
Franklin and Mile was an inter.
yening obstacle In the person OF
I,arnffna Efpahv n anriphtI,y and