The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1927-08-05
That Very Queer
Passenger
By CLARISSA MACkIE
tCopyright.)

1Nl back door of her small house,
| and went out to the tumble-down old
| barn which had become shelter for
| the ancient automobile that she vain
! gloriously called "the car" She had
busted and washed 1t that very morn
ing. There was a minute or two of
hesitation on the part of the car. after
Ann had stepped on the "gas," and
then an exciting thrill shuddered
through the vehicle, and 1t rolled i'm
| portantly through the open door and
down the incline to the grassy yard.
''Now gittapw commanded Ann
Richland imperiously, as they reached
| the road, and soon they were spinning
madly along toward the cross road
that led straight to the railroad sta
tion. Since she had acquired the car
! Ann had made it her business to meet
every important train that stopped at
| Little River. This morning was a
cool, delicious spring one. The big
| "stage" that always met the trains
was already there when Ann reached
4
pointed carrier of mailbags to and
from the trains, and he grinned at
| Ann and touched his cap.
| "How's she goin'?' he wanted to
| know.
Like a bird!" laughed Ann hap
| PLY,
"Humph," grunted old Benjamin
| Brown, who had come to the station
! to meet his new hired man. Like
crow bird-that old rattletrap
humps along. Here comes the train,
| wonder what kind of poor tramp
they're sending me this timer"
AIMS car was filled soon after the
| train stopped and she turned to run
| to the village. But Benjamin Brown
who had just taken on a single pas
| senger, had cut in ahead of AIMS car.
ing herself that the passenger did not
| look Like a regular farm hand. After
! she had left her passenger in the vii
| lage she went slowly homeward. Just
as she was turning into her gate Dan
| Mills came jogging along, his empty
stage stretching behind him.
Wait a minute, Ann" he sang out.
Dan emerged from the stage and
came over to talk to her "Say, Ann,'
| he said in low tone, "did you see
the queer party that went home with
| Ben Brown?"
81 thought that he was too we'll
dressed for farm hand" admitted
Ann. "You act queer, Dan-suspi-
cious, aren't your"
For answer he thrust a hand into
| an inside coat pocket and brought out
paper-it contained pictures and de-
scriptions of several wanted crimi
nails, and issued warnings against
! them.
"Whyl" Ann Richland pointed
toward familiar picture. Benjamin
Browns farm hand?"
"That's what I want to know! You
see the bank has a registered bas
coming along on the evening train
hours to receive it and lock it up il
the vaults-and I'm wondering about
! that queer character that went to Ben
| Browns"
Ann locked her car in the old barn
and walked over to the house. She
was feeling very lonesome, and rather
upset about what Dan Mills had told
her, for Browns land adjoined AIMS
on the south She went around to the
south porch now, and started bach
aghast at the sight of the strange
farm hand"
"The same Ann Richland" he sale
in vibrant voice that thrilled Ann.
'Why-" stammered Ann, 81 do not
remember you-you have made a mis-
takew And all the time she was
wishing that Dan would come along
so that she might appeal to him fol
help. Then sudden shocked ex
preston came to her charming face
ut must be Everett Lewis" she sait
softly.
|
years older than you; but there was
the war, and it rather battered me
up; since then I've been back at my
old 5ob-teaching school-until i was
bitten with longing to come back t.
Little River and see the old place
Then | saw an advertisement of ole
Ben Browns place open for summer
Doarders, so / telegraphed that
would be here on the two-thirty trair
today. Old Ben was there, hustled
me into his wagon and ran me out t.
his place. First thing he said-some
thing about my being too dressed uI
for hired man-brought forth an ex
PLANTATION, and he was so mad because
ne had probably mislaid the real farm
hand at the station that he put me
OFF his place-Im on the way to the
village hotel. I stopped hero, Ann
for the sake of old times-you know
what / mean?"
Ann blushed beautifully and nodded
and offered to drive him to the vii
lage hotel In five minutes the old cal
mad become a wonderful chariot Ii
which two persons rode once more
through the scenes of happy youth ant
reliyed an old love story Leaving
Everett at the village hotel, Ann drove
happily back home again.
That all happened years ago-anc
the Little River bank has never ye
been robbed; while Ann Richland ha
married Everett Lewis, and they liv,
very happy, almost idyllic life in th,
old house. Everett teaches in the vii