OCR Text |
Show Suddenly Tony began to dance. Trio girl gave a peculiar little twist to the Hue it was an old trick they had played with a rope in the field. Something's Some-thing's frightened him," the girl cried breathlessly, "but I guess I can hold him." Dance, kick, snort. Tony seemed seem-ed possessed of a veritable evil spirit. When she had quieted him a bit, the girl suddenly clapped one hand to the besom - of her jacket. "I've lost it!" she cried exci.edly "the money pa's money it was a hundred and seventy-live dollars." . "1 had it a minute ago. Can't you see it back there?" The figure by her side turned its . head: Yes, there in the gleam-of the light on the snow w as a small dark packet. "I oan't leave . Tony," "cried the girl. , ''Oan't you won't -"you,. . please, get it for me?". v . : v v .. . : Depositing the precious satchel, the figure climbed reluctantly down from "the sleigh and started back toward the object. It was almost reached. "S s sss, Tony!" Alice cried Under her breath and instantly Tony was off at great leaps, quieting gradually gradu-ally to long, even strides as he neared the forest road. The girl never moved; all she said was "S-s sss!" at intervals. The trees shot by. Was it an hour, two hours, a week? The light of the Perry farmhouse showed through the thinning trees. Tony slowed down and turned the curve of the home drive with sides foaming, nostrils dilating and eyes fairly bursting from their sockets. The father was waiting at the gate, the mother on the stoop, Sarah and Wallie Burch at the window. It was nine o'clock. "What in the world!" ejaculated the farmer.- Alice thrust the money into her father's hand and flung her arms about her mother's neck. "I've had my experience," she cried, and fainted dead away. The next morning when the satchel was brought in, it was found to contain con-tain a revolver, an ugly-looking knife and a small dark lantern. "I hope he enjoyed the peanut candy," drawled Alice languidly. Grace Adele Pierce in Los Angeles Times. T Her Wish "Realized. by half-past three," the mother called after her. "That long stretch of woods beyond the foller is awful dangerous dan-gerous at night. - Come home early and bring some peanut candy for the children." "Y e s," called the girl back. Tony was at his best speed and on Ms best behavior. Alice was delighted delight-ed to fiud that he obeyed her least sign. At half-past one o'clock they had reached the Junction. Mr. Leavett She was sitting by the Kitchen table paring apples for mincemeat. She was a tall, languid girl of sixteen ' or thereabout, and spoke with a soft, indolent drawl. She was talking now, as much to herself as to anybody, any-body, for no one seemed to have time "1 to answer. Her sister was churning in the- little entry, and her mother was bustling in and out from the pantry, pan-try, screening pumpkin and making cakes. It lacked only three days to Christmas. "I wish I could have some experiences," experi-ences," she was saying. "Aunt Alice will have a lot of new experiences to tell when she comes here for Christmas. Christ-mas. She's always having experiences, experi-ences, and so is Dora, and so is Allan. I wish I could have just one experience myself." Her mother sniffed and took time to say: "Oh, you'll have experiences enough if you live, cnild." But the sister laughed. "You'll have to wake up, Alice, if you ever have any experiences," experi-ences," she said. "Oh, you needn't laugh," the girl said, still in her even drawl. "You don't want any experiences. All you want is to have Wallie Burch come to see you every Saturday night and every Sunday night that's all the experiences ex-periences you want." The older sister sis-ter flushed and would have answered sharply, but their father came in just at that moment. "Are you busy, Sarah?" he asked hurriedly. "Busy! I should think so," Sarah answered shortly. "After I finish this churning, I've got to' help ma, with the pies, and " "And this afternoon Wallie Burch is coming to take her-to get evergreens ever-greens for the schoolhouse," Alice put in. "Busy! she's always busy." "Well, I don't know. I must have that money. Silas Perry's been here and says that payment on the foller was due last week, and he's got to have the money. I don't know how I ever did forget it I never let the time go by before. Somebody will have to go out to the Junction to Leavett's, and get a hundred and seventy-five dollars. He hasn't paid me my share of the company lumber money yet." "Let me go, pa," Alice said. "Whoever goes will have to drive The wind caught the veil and disarranged disar-ranged it. was not at home. His wife saic he would be in on the four o'clock train. The four o'clock train was late ouarter past, half past, five o'clock. Tony was tired of standing, but the whistle sounded at last. Mr. Leavett and another man got off the train. He caught sight of Alice. "Hello, girl! I thought your father would be sending for that money. Come up to the house and have a cup of tea the money's up there." v When Alice started out from Mr. Leavett's house it was half-past five. When she and Tony were still two miles from the woods, at a lonely turn in the road, the horse suddenly shied, then stood stock still. A woman wo-man was standing directly before them a tall woman dressed in black, with a big mourning veil over her face. "Oh, miss," she whined in a feeble tooice, "can you tell me where I will find Silas Perry's house? I'm his mother, and I wrote him to meet me at the Junction. But he couldn't-a-got the letter he was always a good son, Silas was. Is it a long walk to his house?" "Walk! You can't walk it. You must be real old,'" said Alice hospitably. hospit-ably. "Get In 'with-me. I go right by Silas Perry's house." With a muttered "Thank you," the woman climbed awkwardly into the sleigh. "Let me take yqur satchel," said Alice, making room at her feet; but the woman clung to it. "It's got all I own in the world in it," she said. So she sat prim and severe, with her precious satchel in her lap, while Alice tucked the warm robes about her. The moon came up and shone with little scuds of cloud across it. They were very silent. All at once Tony's quick pace and the wind together caught the black veil and tossed it out of place. It was quickly snatched back, but Alice had seen whiskers! Her blood ran cold. It was the man' at the station. He was after the money. What should she do. It would do no good "to shriek. She must think quickly. Paring apples for mincemeat. ' Tony. - I can't let either Gyp or Bess go to-day," said the farmer. "But I can drive Tony." "You never did drive him." "No but didn't I bring him up. He'll do anything I tell him." So at half-past eleven Alice started out on the crisp winter road to the Junction, with Tony, high-lived but obedient. .. "Be sure to start from the Junction |