The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-09-15
CHAPTER II.
A Quick Romance.

My name is Briton Ravens, and
TIL tell you right at the start. that
called down all these things that hap
pened to me through my evil temper
and my headstrong will. I was quite
a young fellow then, though, and
perhaps that may let me out. Our
family had once been among the
richest in our part of western Mis-
souri,, but we'd grown what's called
Iand-poor, my mother and ], although
our property was still pretty big.
with a couple of tenant houses and a
paying farm.
Anyhow, guess it was because I'd
once been rich mans son and lived
in the country and met few people,
that I'd got sort of naughty and over
bearing in my attitude to others.
On the day I'm going tell you about
was riding through the woods near
our home on favorite horse of
mine. We called them the winding
woods, because they were crisscross-
ed with narrow paths made by small
game hunters. .FF@ o4 en-
Well, I was cantering along one of
these paths when I saw a man a short
way ahead, standing in the middle
of the road taking a shot at rab-
bit.
"Hello!" I cried to warn him out
of my path, but he wouldn't pay
attention, and I didn't check my
speed until I was SO close that my
horses hoofs had sent a shower OF
sand on top of him.
He jumped aside quick enough then
you can bet, and turned around and
faced me angri1y.
'why don't you look out where
Don't you know how to ride a
horse?"
Now this line of talk, and the tone
in which he gave it, didn't suit me a
little bit, for after all these woods
were my mothers land, and this fell
low was only a -trespasser. So I
gave it back to him hot enough:
Before you try to call man down
you'd better get off his property"
The man laughed in a quiet way
| and gave a look round at the waste
| woods, so much as if to say he didn't
| take much stock either in me or in
my property.
Well, I guess he had a black tenn
per like my own. We had it out
| there and then, one sore word leading
to another. He said:
II don't see you getting fat on
| your land"
the woods. It was sort Of foolish
| quarrel about nothing in particular
| that often leads to bad trouble.
| A minute later I touched up my
horse and rode away like mad. Td
| recognized the man as Mr.. Morehard
a recent tenant of our house on the
| B1uebrook Road. He'd made ms
| wild with rage, for felt that some
| how the man had mastered me. an6
wouldn't stand that from anybody
went home and hadl my supper
| alone, for my poor mother at tina
| time was a bed-ridden invalid.
Later I left the house without say.
| ing a word to my mother, and walked
| in the direction where Morehard liv-
| ed. Now, I was OF age, and the
house on Bluebrook Road was my
personal property. In my angry state
of mind 1 was going to show More
| hard who was master by ordering
| him to pack up and be off at once
| I'd never heard any good of the man
anyhow.
| 1t was a fine fall evening, and al
| the trees and bushes about the place
were still lighted by the sun. I turn
| ed into the open gate and started
to walk up the path toward the house
At that minute 1 heard a voice
which sort of went through me, and
| turned my head.
A girl was walking around the big
! garden, where all the flowers had
already been killed by the fall winds
She was going with queer mechan-
icaI step that gave a little poise to
| her supple shape.
| 1 noticed, hanging from her should
er by a leather sling, a. little case OF
| box, at which she looked closely from
| time to time. And then she'd give q
sort of laugh, girls do when they
re all by their lonesome and there's
| nobody else to keep them company
| I watched her in a puzzled way
| for the sun was lighting up her hal,
and everything about her, and I Won
| dered what she was doing with that
little box. God help me. I was GO
| ing to learn the meaning of 1t later
| Then this girl suddenly saw me
| and she came At once walking in my
direction, self-possessed as you please
| do you want to see somebody %
she asked.
/ To Be Continued Tomorrow.
Copyright 1922, Thompson Feature
Service.