The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-03-06
CHAPTER XII

with you. Ray?" he asked in his most
fatherly manner. you've been splen-
did and bucked me up tremendously,
but I'm not hog. Now that the girls
have come, take an hour or so off,
and leave the old man to his pipe and
his book. You have earned a rest"
Thanks very much for the leave of
absence, Boss, but I'm not taking any.
The only girl that I'd care to spend an
hour or so with has just gone up the
river road. hell-for-leather. with a
strange young man."
well, take your car and go after
her." advised Robert Macbeth. smiling
Where's your adventurous spirit?"
Ray looked at him little thought
fully before he spoke. "It's Roberta"
he said finally. IF Roberta showed
you that she didn't want you hanging
around, don't think you'd run
after her."
NO." her father answered thought
fully. 81 should say not" Then, after
a little pause. he asked: "Who's the
man with her|
81 don't know" and in spite of him.
self Brownies voice sounded a little
employer. Another reason why I'm
not following is that Sir George Is
chasing them. going for all he is worth,
In my car"
Robert Macbeth laughed. "Took
your car, did he? Well, who'd have
thought it. | would have gambled on
you as the first to follow"
Ray again regarded Macbeth SOL
EMMY. How much did the old man
know, he wondered? Well, anyway, 1t
was not his place to alarm or en-
tighten him. Roberta had made that
plain to him a day or so ago. She had
told him with the feeling that truth
was the kindest thing, that she was
not for him. But he must reassure the
Boss. 81 don't know. When it comes
to being the actual, reckless Johnny
on-the-spot did you ever see the beat
of Beauty SandisonY
Robert Macbeth nodded with en-
thusiasm. Its the way with the old
Scots stock. Can't turn them away,
ouSC thCS VIC UP thCli Alihu ~
anything. Roberta's been hitting Sir
George over the head every time his
hat showed above the long grass. Yet.
see how he comes back" He paused
abruptly and as abruptly said to
Browne: think l can leave him to
handle it. Ray?"
Ray started. Handle what?"
.The situation and the strange young
MANI" Robert Macbeth asked it a
little anxiously.
'Oh, surely" Ray told him with
more confidence than he felt. 1t
looked to him very black that Roberta
had gone off this way without consult
ing her father.
"Hellol Let me get you indoors, sir.
1t looks as though one of the best
little thunderstorms in the history of
the country was about to break"
The young people, driven indoors by
the coming storm, at once missed
Roberta and as promptly discovered
that Sir George was also absent.
"Gone out with Sir George" Ray
heard Robert Macbeth explain.
Lduy OdHuiSOb was SIlll tCIilucu ny
the sudden storms that swept devas-
tatingly up over the river and the
island. 81 do hope the lad will not
get wet"
'How about Roberta?" one of the
girls asked mischievously. "Aren't you
anxious about her?'
"Not me- Fine Roberta knows how
to look after herself"
But that was just what Roberta was
discovering she did not know. With
all her boosted independence she could
have cried aloud for the safety of her
fathers house, as she sped up the river
with Jack and without her bag. Jack
had refused to wait until she went
back for it.
"You have enough money, haven't
your" he asked. "We can buy what
you need when we get to town. You
ought not to have left the bag behind"
1t was not very diplomatic. but he
was tremendously irritated. and he
had been so accustomed to laying down
the law to elderly widows and
spinsters, who admired his masculine
thdt hC LoiSot ltODCitd was
not used to such q tone from him.
you're not making yourself particu-
larry agreeable" she told aim shortly.
"Whats to hinder my getting out and
going back if want to?"
"ThiS," said Jack, and he put his
arm about her, his cheek against hers
and shot the car ahead at sixty miles
an hour.
Sir George, far behind them, saw
their car disappearing from his view
Rays little machine would never out
distance 1t, and he must stop for
petrol at the next station. He put on
as much speed as was safe on the
narrow road and with this storm COM
ing. and watched the car ahead of his
slowly draw away. He must stop them
this side of the next bridge, If pos
sible. before they crossed over to Jer-
sey. 1t would be too easy for Jack to
leave him far behind once he had
crossed the state line and the bridge.
Sir George wondered. even as he
jockeyed his car and gained little
more Roadway, whether Jack would
take the next bridge Ii was an old
fashioned wooden covered bridge one
of the few left in the countryside.
He also wondered If Roberta had
any suspicion that he was following
her Sweat broke out on his brow
as he thought of that possibility An
open and public clash between
Roberta and himself was something
he quite frankly dreaded. and yet if