Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1923-01-05
His Mysterious
Helper
BY FRANK H. WILLIAMS


90 by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.)
Harry Crenshaw glanced up at the
moon, a wlstful, far-away look In his
eyes. Then his jaw suddenly shot out,
his hands clenched and rather fierce
look came into his deep blue eyes.
I'm going to win her or lose her
tonight" Harry said to himself. "She's
been playing with me and all her other
beaus long enough. It's going to be
now or never with me-"
Having come to this sudden deter
mination, Harry ran out to the curb,
where his last years roadster was
/ parked and, jumping into 1t, sent II
humming down the street.
1t was just eleven o'clock. Just about
this time Of the night Alice would be
suggesting to the particular beau who
was favored for the evening that 1t
was time for leaving. Harry smiled u
bit to himself as he thought Of the
scene. Alice, lovely In summer
gown and with the natural roses In
her cheeks and the brightness Of her
brown eyes making the man of the
evening feel like gathering her in his
arms and making away with her
would be saying something like this
"You know my father doesn't like to
have my friends stay later than eleven
o'clock. silly, isn't it2 But you know
father-he's pretty stern at times"
And the young man, knowing Mr..
Richards by reputation If not In per-
son, would hesitate moment and then
reluctantly take his departure.
All the spring and summer this sort
Of thing had been going on, and now 1t
was going to stop, SO far as Harry
was concerned. His participation in
the comedy was going to come to Its
climax tonight.
He was fairly trembling with ex-
element when he drew up a short
distance from the Richards home and
saw light burning in the window he
knew to be Alices.
Harry whistled-the call which AL
Ice knew from old-time school days
together. After a moment Alice came
to the window.
Come down; l want to talk to
you" whispered Harry.
For a moment Alice hesitated, then
she nodded Apparently she, too, was
enamored Of the night and felt more
like excitement than retiring to Stun.
Der.
Harry felt like rushing to Alice and
catching her tightly In his arms when
she came out upon the porch. But he
restrained himself.
Alice" he said. rather hating, nov
that 1t had come to the point to Gu
himself off, perhaps, from oil furthe
friendship with her, you know In
crazy about you. / suppose YOU
father would turn you out of house
and home and cut you off without Q
cent IL you married me, but-won't
you? l simply can't stand 1t to have
things keep on the way they've beer
going. | won't keep on being merely
one Of the crowd. Tonight is going
to settle things for me. VIII you
-Y
II seemed to Hurry that an answer
Ing glow lighted Alice's eyes at this.
But he had no opportunity to find out
just then what the glow In Alice's
eyes meant, for there came sudden
interruption.
From the shrubbery near the point
where Alice and Harry were stand
ing there came sudden rush of three
young men. Harry recognized them
at once. They were three OF Alice's
most vigorous suitors. They ranged
themselves around Harry belllgerent-
ly.
"Are we going to stand for this, fell
lows2" demanded one Of the three
Here we come to serenade the pref
test girl in town and we find this
fellow buttlng in. What1l we do with
hlmr
At this Harry noticed that the three
young men carried mandollns and gui-
tars.
Throw him under freight train"
suggested one Of the number
Throw him out In the street." said
another.
OF course there was laughter dur
Ing all of this, but Harry knew that
under the Kidding" there was a tone
of seriousness. He wasn't, therefore,
surprised when a moment later the
three made concerted rush at him.
Harry knew how to handle himself,
but three were too much for him. lie
struck out yallantly and had the sat
isfactiOn Of knowing that at least one
Of the number would carry a black
eye for a while In remembrance of
the evening, but he realized that It
would be only a moment or so until
the three bore him down.
Then, surprisingly, there came an
interruption. A husky figure, wear
Ing black mask over the upper part
Of his face, hurled himself upon the
three. With the helf Of this stranger
the tide Of battle turned. In a few
moments the three turned tail and
ran.
Immensely startled by this unex-
pected help and by the sudden turn
in affairs, Harry turned, breathing
heavily. to the point where his mys-
FERROUS helper had last been. But the
stranger was gone Only Alice was
there, her eyes shining like stars,
her hands clasped excltedly In front
of her.
"Oh, 1t was Onderful-wonderful {"
she cried. II never knew you could
fight like that w
At the light In Allce's eyes all
thought Of the three assailants and Of
hla r,nualnrInIla hnInnr loft him rhn