| Show W t 1 1 cazas fA ZAS sats ss dolly was dusting cupid in the win flow and to carata rs anything dolls did was of interest especially that major ruthven had declared thai there should be no communication be tween these two young people such an ed ct is d ot enforce ment v lien the young people lived busl appos te each other but the major found a moot efficient ally in his sis ter lydia she had been disappointed in her first and only love affair and was out of patience with lovers generally and with frank carstairs in particular for the elder carstairs lack of ap precia aloi of lydia s charms had sent him elsewhere to look for a life mate and so had confirmed lydia s spinster hood the major s objection to frank s su t took more practical ground frank as campaign manager for his best friend and partner had defeated the major s candidate for the state legislature and incidentally had won control of the party in his district an advantage not to be despised by a ns ng oung lawyer even though he be possessed of independent fortune and the love of dolly ruthven just now frani watched dolly gloomily he had tried in every way to get word to her since on the night of the primar es the major had slammed the door in his face he was certain she did not share her fathers wrath but to gain her side with miss ledta as dragon was a matter beyond h s shrewdness he matched her idly as she fluttered the dainty dister about the plaster cadt and wondered it he might have been m stal en in his bel ef that sh still loved him tor she had been at great pains apparently to call atten tion to the cast and cupid s back waa turned to him suddenly he found that the cance lay in the dusting rather than the white figure first the duster flitted down one shoulder of the luid lu id then tl e other biet there was an other dab down the first side followed by two more and then one it he had been out with the mil tsa signal corps this would have been his call P 0 just tor fun he would water the plants in the window and reply with the tiny watering can he cpr one side 0 a geranium and tl en twice swung the sprinkler on the other side that was D the was three more dots on the same s de and one on the other like a flash came biesh flourishes of the duster and he had dallys dollys twenty minutes later frank went downtown with head erect and when he met major ruthven he added fur ther to his offences by passing that doughty veteran with a broad grin the major s frown was smoothed away only when miss I 1 ydia assured him that dolly 1 ad been in her own room all the morning that evening frank s big red automobile stood panting in front of the houe across the way while dol carefully chaperoned b her father and aunt took the air on the brown stone steps tl e darkness had already fallen and in her hair the red tips of burn ing joss sticks gave signs that she was determined that the mosquitoes should not annoy her the major gae a grunt as frank ran down the steps and dolly bright ened up instead of climbing into the seat and steering off frank stood in front of the machine idl swinging his cap presently one of the big lanterns on the front of the machine win ed at dolly and t shorted winks followed back of the major s sh ny pate the boss sticks danced e fireflies eager nestle bad into the soft coils of hair from which th had just been snatched I 1 m go ng up to corner for a suda announced dolly want to bome fome auntie I 1 guess ha e a vichy grunt a the major distrustful of wall s dolly was dusting cupid carata rs about and the thre strolled gloway toward the corner drug store under the leafy arch of trees halfway up the street the t vo elar ing eyes of an automobile flashed around the corner and ft ath a puff the huge drew up alongside of the curb in another second dolly had jumped into it and with a derisive honk of the horn the powerful car raced off leaving miss lydia breathless and the major mart cu lately profane he must have arranged this with her spluttered the major when at last words came to his relief bu miss lydia was pos tive in her assur ance that thee bad been no commini cation the major lad to content himself with telephoning the police that his daughter had been abducted th s had only the result of bringing two plain clothes men and a dozen re porters to the house it was to these latter that frani and dolly owed their immediate forgiveness bet they ve gone across the river volunteered the yo ingest of the biers they don t need licenses across the state 1 ne nd bet the lave been married by now ma e a great head ne he continued ha to himself automobile lochinvar young couple out vit stern parent he made a note on his pad and the major burst forth gosh hang it you young cub he shouted I 1 m no ding aasted stern par ent you flat headed jaci ass I 1 knew they were going to be married it s just because I 1 bet em a house trat they ran off I 1 told em they coulden couldn t you young cub he shouted elope without my going along and Car won the house now you go and put that in yo ir paper and if you dare call me a ste n parent I 1 shall sue you tor 1 bel the bonk of the auto horn sound ed outside and the major rushed down the stoop and across the road to where frank was helping dorotheaa aj carstairs out of the it s all right puffed the major as the newspaper men came streaming after him don t let em know how ou outwitted me and forgive ou but how did you do it and as the news gatherers raced up to participate in the sensation they found frank and dolly explaining to the major the usefulness of morse transmission by flag and flash terns M H kerner in boston globe |
