Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, July 5, 1922, Page 2

(Confilm!g fion last fsspe) " "“You know that wasn't the reason. You did it because—" She stopped in the midst of the sentence. ‘It had oo <urred to her that this subject wae ‘more dangerous even than silence. -“I.did it because he was the man Jou were goin’ to marry,” he sald. They moyed side by side through the: shadows. In the faint light he could make out the fine line of her exduliite throat. After a moment she spoke: “You're a. good friend, Clay. It'was a big thing to do. I don't know ybody else except Dad that would l!:l'l done it for me.” .“You' don’t know .anybody -else that lmuvynu as much as.I do.” It was:out at last, quletly and with- ow. .any .dramatics. A flash of soft @yeéy ‘darted at him, then velled the shining. tendernes beneath long lashes. ;“I've had 'an attack of common ‘mense,” he went on, and in his volce was. a_strength both audacious and patient. “I thought at first I couldn't hppe to. win you because of your for. spne.and what it had done for you. Even when I knew you liked me I t’!t 1t wouldn't be.fair for me to ask ¥you. ' I couldn't offer you the. ad- wantages-you'd had. But I've changed my. mind. I've been ‘watching what money does to yore friends. It makes them soft. They flutter around like butterfiles.. They're paupers—a good many of them—because they don't pay their way. A man's a tramp If he dpaln't saw wood for i;ls breakfast. ) & don't want you fo get like that, and i 'you stay-here long enough you sure 1. ‘It's In' my heart that it you'll come with me, we'll live.” In the darkness she made a rustling piovement ‘toward him. A little sob ‘qallad up:in her throat as her hands fitted to him, “Oh, Clay! I've fought it. " I didn’t want to, but—I «Oh, I do love you!" He'todk ‘Her lissom young body in ni;:rm . Her lips lifted to his. ly they walked forward slow- 13. Clay ‘had never seen her more love- nd radiant, though tears still clung. to the outskirts of her joy: “We're:'going ‘to- live—oh, every ‘hour!”. she :cried ‘to the stars, her Tover's tmnd ln hers. t‘ - . . xJohnnle lelt that Kitty's farewell dinner had gone very well. It was her firat essay ‘as a hostess, and all of aem had enjoyed themselves. But, #0 far as he could see, it bad not achleved the results for which they !Ild been - hoplng. Olu came home late and next morn- hf was full of plans about leaving. “Two more days and we'll hit the 1::!1 for. good old Tucson,” he sald durllllly. L “Ybetcha, by jollles,” agreed his hlnfly-leued shadow. 'None the less Johnnle was dis- tressed. He belleved that his frlend was: concealing an .aching heart be- ; neath’ all this attention to Impending dfltlfll As a Benedict he considered it his duty to help the rest of the wor]d get married too. A bachelor was A:boob. He didn't know what was hest for him. Same way with a girl, ! Glny: wus fond of Miss Beatrice, and slie ‘thought a heap of him. You fool Johnnie. No, sirree! fien A, he s plight of thesa vie were ton coy or too fneywtat was best for £ 'a, ‘whack on the thigh. A bril- Jant idea. had flashed Into his cranl- M. It proceeded to grow until he ke to burst with it. 2 en Lindsay rose from breakfast : WA mysterlously beckoned into another ‘room. '~ Johnnle outlined ehily.and with a good deal of hes- ikatlon:svhat he had In mind. Clay's danded with that spark of mis- W his‘friends had learned to recog- a danger: signal. some sure-enough wizard, je.” ‘'he admitted. - “I expect right . about girls not knowin' n minds. - You've had more Ience with women than I have. say the. proper thing to do Is Whitford and take her t i a while you got to play like ginna treat 'em rough,” sald ks Green sagely, blushing a trifle theless. I right. T'll let you engineer this 1f ' T'can make up my mind to it after T'te -milled it over. I can see you ‘¥nbw.what you're doin’." The conspirators arranged detalls, Jolihnle was the brains of the kidnap- :Clay bought the tickets and was 1o’ take charge of the prisoner after /fhe;train was reached. They decided 1t would be best to get a stateroom for the gitl, . “We wantta make it as easy as we ‘cap for her,” sald Johnnie. O’ course * {'g'all for her own good, but we don’t figure to treat her noways but like the .princess sfie is.” " \Yes” agreed Clay humhly. R 0 R .| Kitty bogged down. ohiinfe flained to the roots of his ‘hair. ' “Now, a'am, if you're gonna || bellgve’ that—' || ttie ‘tent - awakened Beatrice, 1Beatrice repented and offered him her hand. “We'll not bnlleve anything of you that 1sn’t 'good, even if you dld want |\ to kldnap me,” she sald; CHA"ER xxi §i The Nm Day. Thl slapping of the wind against She could hear it soughing 'gently through the branches of the live oaks.:An out. §: flung arm discovered Clay missing. iBer questing glance = found ~him 8y - over 'the . mesquite . fire - upon which he was cooking breakfast. She- watched him' move abont, supple and .| light" and strong, 'and her heart lifted According f6 program, caréfully ar- ranged by Johnnie, Bentrlce rode down to the train with him &nd Kitty in their taxicab. She wention board for the final good-by ! and chatted with them in their section. The chief conspirator was as easy as a toad in a hot: skillet. w that it had come down do the actual busl ness of taking this young woman wnz them against her will, he began to. weaken. His heart acted very, strange- 1y, but he had to go ¢hrough with, it. “C-can 1 see you a minute!in the next car, Miss Beatrice?”. he .naked. his volce quavering. Miss Whitford lifted her‘eyehrows‘ but. otherwise expressed no'surprise. “Certainly, Johnnie.” He led the way down the alsle into the next sleeper and stophed .at one of the staterooms. ‘Shakily he.apened the ‘door and stood aside for ber to pass first, “You want me to go 1n here?” she/ asked. » “Yes'm.” _t Beatrice stepped in. Johnnle fok lowed. ; Clay rose from the lounge and sald, “Glad to see you, Miss: Whitford” “DId you bring me hexe to say/good- by, Johnnie?” asked Besmtrice. The Runt's tongue stuck to the roof ot his_mouth. His eyes appealed dutnb- ly to Clay. “Better explain to Miss Whitford,” said Clay, passing the budk. “It's for yore good, Mlig Beatrice,” stammered the villain who’hnd brought her. “We—we—I—I donegbrought you here to travel home withjus.” “¥ou—what?” Before her slender, outiraged dignity Johnnle wilted, “Klitty, ‘she—she can chaperoon you. It's alliright, ma’am. I—we—1I'didn’t go for {to do nothin’ that wasn't proper. We\thought—' “You mean, that you \brought. me here expecting me to goialeng with you—without my conuent——wlthont a trunk—wlithout—" Clay took charge of tlle pkldnaplng. “Johnnle, iIf I were you Ifd’lght a $huck back to the other car. I see I'll have to treat this lady muzh as you advised.” Johnnie wanted to expo*ulute, to deny that he had ever ghven such counsel, to advise an abandonment of the whole project. But his/nerve un- expectedly failed him. He glanced at Clay and fled. He was called upon the carpet im- mediately on jofning Kitty. “What are you up to, Johnnie? I'm not going to have you make a goose of yourself if I can help it, And where's Mr. Lindsay? You said he'd meet. us here.” “Clay, he's in the nextf car.” “You took Miss Beatrice in there to say good-by to him?" “No—she—she's goin® us.” “Golng along with us? What do you menn, Johnnle Green?" He told her his story, nct at all cheertully: His bold plan looked very different now from what it had two days before. Kitty rose with decision. “Well, of all the foolishnees I ever heard, John- nle, this is the limit. I'm going right to that poor girl. You've spolled every- thing, between you. She'll hate Mr. Lindsay for the rest of her life. How could he be so stupld?” Her husband followed her, crestfal- len. ‘He wanted to weep with chagrin, Beatrice opened the door of the stateroom. She had taken off her hat and Clay was hanging it on a hook. “Come In," she sald cordially, but faintly. Kitty did not quit@ nmderstand. The atmosphere was less electric than she had expected. She stopped, taken aback at certain impressions that be- gan to rcgister themselves on her brain, “Johnnle was tellln’ me—" “About how he abducted me. Wasn't lt dear ot him?" “But—' “I've declded to meke the best of lt and go along.” “I—your (father, /. along with Yes. Mr. Whitford—" . Beatrice blushed. Little dimples came out with heer smile. “I think I'd better, let ct-y explain.” “We 'were maitied two days' ‘ago, Kitty."” “What!" shouted the Runt, “We intended to ask you both to the wedding, but when Johnnie proposed to abduct Miss Whitford, I thought it a pity not to let him.' So we—" Johnnie fell on him and beat him with both' fists. “You daw-goned ol’ scalawag! 1 never will help you git marrled again!” he shouted gleefully. “Oh, Johnnie—Johnnie—you'll be the death of me!”. crled Ciay. “It’ll never be a dull old world so lonvg as you stay a bandit.” “Did you really advise him to beat me, Johnnie?” asked Beatrice sweetly. “I never would have guessed you were such a cave man,” g Avith sheer joy of the mate she had chosen. He was such a man among men, this clear-eyed, bronzed ' hus- band of a week. He was so clean and simple and satisfying. As she closed :he flaps she gave a deep sigh of con: ent. Every minute till she jolned him was begrudged. - For Beatrice .had learned the message of her heart, She knew that she was wholly and com- pletely in love with what life had brought her. And she was. lmnlngly, radiantly happy. What 'did motor cars or wine suppers or Paris'gowns matter? They were' the trappings ‘that stressed her slavery.’ Here she moved beside her mate without fear or-doubt in a world wonderful. ‘Eye to eye, they spoke the truth .to each other after the fashion of brave, simple souls. Glowing "from the ice-cold' bath of ‘water from a mountain stream, she stepped down the slope into a slant of sudshine to join Clay. He looked up #rom the fire and waved a spoon gayly. at her. .For he too was as jocund as the day which stood tiptoe on the mis- ty mountain tops, They had come into +| the hills to spend their honeymoon alone together, and life spoke to him in accents wholly joyous. The wind and sun caressed her. As she moved toward him,.a breath of the morning flung the gown about her g0 that each step modeled anew the slender limbs. Her husband, watched' ' the - girl streaming down the slope. Love swift as old wine flooded his veins, He rose, caught her to him, and looked -down into the deep, still eyes that were pools of happiness, “Are you - glad—glad" all through, sweetheart?” he demanded. ! A little laugh welled from her throat. She gave him a tender, mocking smile. “I hope heaven's -like . this,” she whispered. ! “You don’t regret New.York—not & “ l(opn anon"- leu This,” She Whis| single, hidden longing for it 'way down deep In yore heart?” She shook her head. “I always wanted to be rescued from the en- vironment that was stifing me, but 1 didn't know a way of escape till you came,” she sald. “Then you knew it?" “From the moment I saw you tle the janitor to the hitching-post. You remémber I was waiting to go riding with Mr. Bromfleld. Well, I was bored to death with correct clothes ana man- ners and thinking. I-knew just what he would say to me and how he would say it and what 1 would answer. I'hen you walked Into the plcture and took me back to nature.” “It was the hitching-post that did it, then?" “The hitching-post: began it, any- how.” She slipped her arms around his'neck and held him fast. “Oh,.COlay, isn't 1t Just too good'to be true?” A ball of fire pushed up Into the crotch between 'two -mountain peaks and found them like a searchlight, fill- Ing thelr iittle valley with a golden glow. LONG AND SHORT OF IT. “I. wonder why it takes pay day 80 lopg to come around?” “It only seems long when you're short, and the shorter you are the Jonger it seema” Nk ‘cunnectlon with my ch\u'cb To Save the Young Folks From Modern Dance [/l ' ol i —‘I . Hall and Sex Problem Play ' New T] re Prices LR S D : “CANTON and “BLACKSTONE” The South: Congregational church of Springfield, Mass., holds semi- TIRES and TUBES /monthly darices. It is’t the old-fashioned. quadrille or even the: waltz, y 1 ip and materials—, 'but ‘the modérn' dances, mc!udlng the toddle. And even the descendln | "of John Alden seem to. enjoy it as much as the young people. It was the only way to save the young folks from the dance'hall and ‘the eéx proh}ém pl.y of ‘the local theaters. If the young people want to \dance they are going to dance, and if you won’t let them dance in: the-} church youth will be served and they will go some: place elsej probably the _cheap dance hall. That accounts for many of the depraved tendencies of our “nice” boys and girls today. T convinced elders of my church that if they allowed their children /to dance at all it shonld be where dancing could be made right, and if it i was right for them it was right for'us, so we all join in. It has incredsed the attendance of my church from 300 to 1,"{00 and .the young people, who would not come to the regular evening service, now {flock to the church Sunday nights, where they have supper and ‘clean mo- ition pictures. Girls and boys who took no interest in church work before are among the best workers in the Olivet community house, which is a defunct church ‘building turned over to the work of social’ hetterment in Matland’s Vulcanizing Shop Mail Orders filled same day as received—or drive up te our door—no extra charge for putting new tires on. If your tires go bad on the rnnd, phone 17-J and ‘we will bring new tires and put them on at prices quoted above, - Phone 17-J It is not truc fhat clean motion pictures will not pay. The thuter Next Door to Clty H-ll . which ‘we run in connection with our church and at which sex plays are taboo, clears over $175 a month and'is increasing every day. DAILY PIONEER WANT ADS BRING RESULTS IG; [ or low ‘makes no dlfference.' It’s only a sales argument and a weak one at best. - Useful only as an excuse for high s prices. .It's a twin brother to old man “high-gravity”, and fl‘: .sclence has relegated thém to the discard long ago. Nelther has " ‘anything to do with the quality or efficiency of gasoline. There is only one way to measure the efficiency of gasolmc and that is by the chain of boiling pomt fractions. By Red Crown The High-Grade Gasoline It contains an unbroken chain of boiling point fractions, carefully and scientifically adjusted so that you may get the maximum of efficient performance from your car. I Instant starting, quick get-away, smooth acceleration, an abun- dance of speed, and tremendous power — all of these essential elements without waste. : Red Crown vaporizes as a good gasoline should—evenly and to the last drop. That’'s why Red Crown gives such wonderful mileage per gallon and accounts in a measure for its mcreasmg popularity. 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