Show 74 UD A I 1 0 r T HE 1 al ss 01 T A ion BY I 1 i copyright by the dobbs merrall company A PAINFUL ACCIDENT BRINGS BRING TRUE ROMANCE TO T THE H E PARSONAGE GIRLS MAYBE REAL LOVE 00 mr starr stair widower methodist methodia minister Js is assigned to the congregation gre gation it dt mount mark la ia he 1 lias five charming daughters prudence the ahe eldest keeps house tor or him fairy is a college fresh freshman iman carol and lark twins are in high school constance Is the baoy baby F the activities of the Pru dences work faires school affairs the pranks of the youn youngsters and the family perplexities make the story afis simply a rectal recital of glo glorified rifled homely incidents the preceding installment described the capture of a notorious bur burglar glar in t the he parsonage and tha the reward promised the girls CHAPTER VII I 1 I continued 10 mr starr on thursday morning had taken the early eastbound train to burlington he alte attended the evange listle services at the tabernacle ln in the afternoon and evening and then went 0 to o bed at the hotel ile he slept sleet late the next nest morning when he finally appeared api I 1 the clerk came at once from behind the th desk to speak to him two or three other guests who had been 10 lounging ngang about drew near weve just been reading about your girls sir 11 said the clerk respectfully its a retty pretty nervy little bunch I 1 you must be proud phoud of them ill my girls I 1 ejaculated mr starr stair avent II you seen the th 0 ru morning paper youre mr starr the methodist minister at mount mark arent you 1 I arol but what has happened to my girls Is anything wrong give me the paper I 1 five minutes later mr starr and his suitcase were in a taxicab speeding toward union station and within eight minutes lie he wis en route for mount mark white in the face shaky I 1 in the n knees but tremendously proud brou prou 1 I in n spirit arriving at mount mark he was instantly surrounded by an exclamatory crowd of station loungers the name of pru prudence d en ce was upon every tongue e and her father filtzer heard beard it with satisfaction on in the parsonage he found at least two thirds of the ladles aid society the trustees trusi trustees ees and th the sunday school superintendent along alone with a miscellaneous assortment of ordinary members mixed up with presbyterians pres y er rians baptists and a few unclassified outsiders ou si and prudence was the center of 0 attraction she was telling the whole hole story for perhaps the fifteenth time that morning but she broke off when her father hurried in and flung lier her arms about him oh papa she cried they praise roe rad I 1 hadj no idea there was a burglar in the house when I 1 ran down the stairs and I 1 honi estly cant see that much credit Is due me but mount mark did not take it so calmly and as for the methodist church well the presbyterian people used to fo say there was no living with those methodists since the gills caught a burg burglar larin in the parsonage of course it atias as important from the methodist point pint of view pictures of the par son ageland the church were in all the papers for miles around and at their very next meeting the trustees tr de ceded to get the piano the sunday school had been needing for the last hundred years 1 when the five hundred dollars arrived rived from chicago prudence felt that personally she hid had no real right to the money we must divide it she insisted for I 1 earn it a bit more than ariy any of the others but it Is perfectly glorious to have five hundred dollars iff it did you ever have five hundred dollars before just take it father and use it for far whatever we need ats its family money neither the younger girls nor their father would consent to this but pleaded with them earnestly they decided to divide it IL q 1 I will wilf deposit two hundred and fifty dollars for the four younger ones he said and that will leave you as i much ro bo it was settled and prudence was ii a happy girl when she saw it safely put away in the bank CHAPTER vill romance comes sometimes methodists or riling rians or her heretics atles whatever we may be weare we are irresistibly im impelled paled to the conclusion that things were simply bound to happen I 1 however slight the he cause still that cause was predestined from the beginning of time A girl may by the sheerest shee she resti erest accident step from the street car a block ahead of h her er destination nn an irritating accident but as she walks that block she may meet nn an old time friend and a stranger and that stranger ah you can never never convince the girl that her stepping from the car too soo soon n was wa s not ordered when v ell the foundations of the world wari wd laid after all it was very simple across the street eh bot from the parsonage lived a girl named mattle moore a common unlovely girl who taught i coit country s school five miles out from town and rode to and from her school morning and evening on a bicycle one evening early in june when the world atas as fair to look upon it was foreordained fore ordained that prudence should be in at the parsonage gate just as mattle moore whirled up opposite on her dusty wheel prudence stopped to interchange polite inanities with her neighbor and mattle wheeling the bf bicycle lightly besida beside he her came across the kite street and stood beneath beneat h the parsonage itin maples ples with prudence they talked of the weather of the coming summer of battles Matt les school i rejoicing that one more week would bring freedom from books for mattle and the younger parsonage girls then said prudence it great fun to ride a bicycle I 1 love it som sometime e ti ale will ill you let me ride your wheel why certainly you may ride now if you like no said prudence slowly 1 I used to ride but am afraid it would not do now some of the members might see fee me and well I 1 am very grownup 1 you know of course 1 slie she adder adde hastily it Is different with you you ride for business but it would bo nothing but a frolic with me I 1 want to go early in the morning when the world I 1 Is fast asleep let me take it tomorrow morning will you yes of course you may was wa the hearty answer you may stay out as long as you like il always sleep late on saturdays so prudence Piu dence delightedly tripped up the parsonage board walk wheeling tile the bicycle by her side she hid it carefully in the woodshed for the twins were rash and and venturesome but after she had gone to bed she confided her plan to fairy im going at six and fairy if I 1 am a little late get breakfast for papa aud and the girls like a dear wont you fairy promised and early the next morning pi Piu dence in red sweater jacket and cap set out upon her secret ride it was a magnificent bior morning ing and prudence sang for pure delig delight as she rode swiftly along the cou countey roads guided only by her own cap caprice she knew it was growing late but Fal Pal ryll get breakfast she thought comfortably finally she turned in a byroad by road lending leading between two rich hickory groves dismounting at the top of a long hill she gazed anxiously around her no one was in sight the nearest house bouse was two miles behind and tile the road was and smooth and inviting and the hill was steep prudence yearned for a good soul stirring coast with her feet high on the framework of the wheel and the pedals flying around beneath her skirts shirts it seemed safe the only living thing in sight was a sober eyed serious mule peacefully grazing near the bottom of the hill prudence laughed gleefully like a child she never laughed again in exactly that way here gocal she cried and leaping nimbly into the saddle she pedaled swiftly a few times and then lifted her feet to the coveted position the pedals flew around beneath her and the wind whistled about her in a most exhilarating way but as she neared the bottom the placid mule suddenly stalked into the middle of the road prudence screamed jerked the handlebar to the right fight to the left leff and then with a sickening thud she bhe struck the mule tend bead first and bounced on doroto the ground with a little cry of pain the bicycle crashed beside her and the mule slightly startled looked around at her with ears raised in silent questioning then he ambled slowly across the road and deliberately continued his grazing graal ng prudence tried to raise herself but she felt sharp pain she heard someone leaping over the fence near her and wondered without moving her head if it could be a a tramp bent on highway robbery the next instant a man was leaning over her its not a tramp she thought before he had time to speak vare you hurt he be cried you poor child I 1 prudence smiled pluckily pluck lly my ankle Is hurt a little but I 1 iam am riot a child th e young man in great relief laughed aloud and prudence joined him rather faintly im afraid I 1 cannot walk she ho said 1 I believe ive broken my ankle maybe my whole leg for all 1 I know it h jtb r pretty badly lie down lik ako ethis this he said heti herto A a more comfortable conff po aLlon do not abi move may T Y examine your toot she shoo kjier hea dibut b ut he be removed the shoe regardless dofher 1 I believe it to Is I 1 nm am sure bura the lone bone Is not broken but bow la im the world will you get home how far Is it to mount mark Is that you live yes considering yes I 1 llva liver there and it must be four miles anyhow what shall I 1 do in answer lie he pulled off his coat and arranged it carefully by the side of the road on the grass tiled thed jerking open tile the bag lie he had carried can led lie he took exit a few towels and three soft shirts hasti hastily ly rolling them together for a pillow lie added it to the be lied d pro tern tem then he turned again to prudence ill carry you over liere here and fix you as comfortably as I 1 can then ill go to tile the nearest house and gut get a wo wagon gon to take yo you u home prudence wits was not shy and realizing that his plan was the wise one she ninde made no objections when he came caine to he help lp her across the road 1 I think can walk if you lift me up but tho the first ali fet movement sent such a twinge of pain through the wounded tinkle ankle that he clutched him frantically rind and burst into tears it hurts she cried dont touch me without speaking lie he lifted her as aa gently as he be could rind and carried her to the place lie he had prepared for her will you be warm warin enough he asked liftee lie had stood looking awkwardly iown upon the sobbing girl as long us is lie he could endure it yes nodded prudence gulping down the big sob so rising in her throat ill run this confounded crosscut cross cut is 1 g so out af the way that no one will pass hore here for hours I 1 suppose now lie as comfortably as you can and do not worry im going to run off lie he started but prudence left atone was suddenly frightened please oh please site called after him and when lie he came back she burled buried her ier face in shame deep in the linen towel im afraid she whispered crying again 1 I do not wish to bo be left alone liere here A snake might come or a tramp he sat down beside her youre nervo nervous us ill stay with you until you feel better someone may come this way nay but it isn t likely I 1 cut through the hickory grove to save aavo a mile r 3 e sometime will you let me ride hide your wheel how I 1 happened to find you he smiled a little and prudence remembering the nature of her accident flushed then being prudence she laughed it was my own fault I 1 had no business to go coasting down like that but the mule was so stationary it never occurred to me that he contemplated moving for the next century at least he was a hitter bitter disappointment she looked down the roadside where the mule was contentedly grazing with never so much as a sympathetic glance at his big victim im afraid your bicycle Is rather badly done up do you believe that prudence bould could be made to believe there was such a thing as love at first sight bight TO BE CONTINUED |