Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1924-03-14
Romance of the
Otter Trap
By MARTHA WILLIAMS

A~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
20. 1874. by Mcclure Newspaper syndioats)
1t was all the merest chance. Ber-
nice had no prompting In her choice
Of path. Exploring the countryside
was distraction rather than a Joy.
She was In truth desperately bored
perhaps because she was desperately
unhappy. Reason enough for it. To
have grown up In luxury, wrapped in
rainbow expectations, spoiled, pam
pered, a curled darling of fate, then
at the'very threshold of larger life to
have all vanish like a mirage, Is GER
tainly upsetting. She felt she could
live through this present trouble If
there were even a prospect beyond
Nothing offered-save dependence or
work. And she did not know how to
do anything well enough to save her
self from starvation.
So much Fate by the mouth of her
step-aunt had impressed upon her be-
yond peradventure. you've clothes
enough for quite while. Aunt Susan
will give you board and keep II you
behave right. will say 1t for you,
trifln' as you are about real work,
you've got right nice way with you
and then you read plain and pleas
ant.
so. II you please her, you'll not
suffer for anything, and maybe when
she goes-she can't last always-she
may leave you bit In her will" Mrs.
Fallon had said:
You'll be kept close-she never
goes anywhere-but people drop in on
her every little while; the ministers
and the doctor and her lawyer; he's
the one you must look out for. They
say he aims to edge out all the rest
and have her leave him all she's got
but you never can tell. She's always
been mighty notionate."
Bernlce had stopped her ears, shud-
dering. She had hardly slept. Up
with the sun, she had rushed outside
and away, bent on escaping all rasp-
Ing human contacts in this her last
day Of freedom.
She could do 1t. The paltry bits of
silver In her fat purse would some
how find her food enough. She had
hated the name Of breakfast with the
family looking on. For ten minutes
she had followed the main-traveled
road; then, after the briefest pause,
plunged through roadside thicket
into the family dipping path toward
the meadow land. 1t was filed with
morning fragrance. Sun fiecks turned
heavy dewdrops to diamonds, and high
and clear overhead birds sang the Joy
Of June. But all of it could not quite
Danish the murk Of the girls mood.
She went half-running, her ears but
family alert. Yet they caught hoarse
crying as she neared the waterslde--
the mill-pond was smooth as glass, but
made low tapping gurgle as It
stealthily climbed the bank. The sluice-
gate was closed to get head Of water
for the days grinding. The path bent
down stream between banks Of ragged
sod-following II the hoarse crying
came louder Bernice stopped short,
then, noting the path at an end, bent
above the slowly rising water and saw
nnoat upon It a human countenance
drawn with agony and fear.
A mans face-he was crying,
weakly now:
Help He-elpp
Bernice ran closer, crying: How
can helpr her voice so shaken she
doubted II he heard 1t, but II carried
TO his ear.
Still weakly, he cried: 1.-THE sluice-
gate Get 1t Open-else shall drown.
am fast In an otter trap"
Bernice staggered pace backward,
then set her teeth, and called steadily:
Keep your head up You shall not
drown" her fingers the while flying
over the fastenings of her garments.
she knew help must come quickly to
avail-run as she might, she could not
summon it-but thank God, she could
swim. In trice she was in the wa
ter, a slim beautiful shape, flashing In
the low sunshine. A stroke brought
her to the prisoner--she thrust a rope
Of garments In his clutching hands,
made an end fast to a dropping bougf,
crying: Hold fast" then struck out !
CALAMITY across the silver, treacher-
Ously swelling flood. She knew enough
to 90 easily the first twenty yards
then ever quickenlng stroke she Glove
water like nereld.
The pond was nearly half q mile
across. She must hit the gatehOuse.
A boat lay ready there; men we're
perhaps waiting to lift the gate. She
dared not call to them-breath was
too precious. On, on, still on, she
drove herself, her white arms flashing
rhythmically In the waxing sunshine.
Her heart beat like a triphamrner.
Once or twice she had to pause for
breath, but at last she won to halllng
distance and heard herself call: "Open
the gate-and follow me--in the boat.
A man Is drowning yonder In the otter
trap"
A stir In the gatehOuse--twO husky
figures surged upward against some
dropped into the boat and
sent It forward with long strokes. But
II did not overtake her until mid
the nearest rover gath
cred her In his arms and drew her
safe within the boat In the mockery
Of her single filmy sllken garment, she
was like tinted statue. The men
we're rough--but their eyes were
turned away as they huddled her
within the heavy coats they had flung
m. One Of them said very low:
'Mlssy--thar's err bottle o. summat
In my coat pocket" His