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Show jHjrKHKBKHerOOSKHJ g Fair Exchange Is g No Robbery By CHARLES SLOAN REID ((c) by McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) (WNU Service.) HOWARD MOULTOX sat on a bowlder overlooking a series of shoals iu the river. .Near him sat Mobile Mob-ile Ilarkins. Howard was staring toward the white spray which arose from the rolling waters, watching the little rainbows forming and disappear-ing, disappear-ing, as the sunlight fell upon the mist. Two weeks before, Moulton had been dragged more dead than nlive from the waters of the lower tier of these shoals, where the long low bridge spanned the stream. An overturned automobile which, for some unaccountable unaccount-able reason had decided to mount the railing, had flung him there. The girl who now sat only a few feet away, studying his expression through big brown eyes, had dragged him from the waters; and she and her mother had nursed him back to life In the little cottage home which nestled against the cliffs Just above the east end of the bridge. The wreck of the automobile still lay among the rocks in the stream. As Howard's gaze wandered wan-dered to the wreck, he spoke: "It was a narrow escape for me, Mollie," he said. "But for your strong arms 1 should have passed from the tilings of this life pretty quickly, I Imagine." 'Tub did mos' drown afore I could git yuh out," agreed Mollie; "an' I reckon it's a good thing I stayed there at the toll station, wntebin' after yuhr car as it went on the bridge." "Yes; a few minutes more might have meant eternity for me. I shall always be grateful, Mollie." Mollie and her mother kept the toll bridge on the Ravenall highway. Mollie Mol-lie could see from the cottage anyone coming down the road, or crossing from the west side. Promptly she would skip down to the little booth, and collect the toll, allowing the traveler trav-eler to proceed on his way without loss of time. Usually she did not tarry tar-ry after malting her collection. But there was something about Howard Moulton which had strangely Interested Interest-ed her. He had smiled, and had been very civil. She had liked his voice, too, and his blue eyes which seemed to have such . friendly gleam. So she had watched after the car, wondering if he would return that way. As she had been about to turn away, she had : en the little roadster, to -r horror, mount the railing of the bridge. Mollie Mol-lie now was going over in her mind the exciting period of the rescue, when Moulton's words broke in upon her thoughts. "Mollie," he began, "the letter which came this morning was from Dad. He is coming for me today.' Mollie's large eyes sent forth a startled look. "Why why " she stammered; "ain't it a lor.j trip? Hadn't yuh better wait a spell longer?" long-er?" "No ; I have given you and your mother trouble enough. But, Mollie, there Is something I wanted to ask you about. Perhaps I shouldn't, after all your kindness to me?" Mollie became deeply puzzled, and she looked toward Moulton flth a large question In her eyes. "I hope you will understand," continued con-tinued Howard. "It Is this : There was something I had when I came here even after you had pulled me from the water I was conscious of having It. It was my most cherished possession posses-sion ; and I I have lost it while here In the house of your mother." Mollie Harkins came to her feet. She was deeply troubled. "Lord, Mr. Howard," she exclaimed; "youve got me plain scared. We didn't take anything any-thing o' yours we surely didi.'t I" "You were to call me just 'Howard,' you know, Mollie?" "Oh yeah ; I know. But r.ow you're accusin' me o' somethin', an' an' I can't talk to yuh no more thet way." "You are the thief yourself, Mollie!" Mol-lie!" Moulton's words came clearly. The girl wheeled about. Through her tears her eyes flashed fire. "It ain't so!" she cried. "It is so. Mollie!" Howard had risen. ris-en. "The thing I have lost Is is my heart, Mollie and you have It !" There was a moment during which strange amaze: lent held the girl speechless. Then she smiled, and the tear drops seemed to throw off little rainbows like the spray down the river. "Well," she acknowledged presently, present-ly, "you got mine; an' I've hyeard that a fair exchange ain't no robbery." She fled to Howard's rrms. At the same time a voice came from the shrubbery near-by. "Well," said the voice, "I expected to find you In the most romantic sprit on the river after the letter I had from you. telling nothing but of the charms of Mollie Harkins." Moulton .facet", about, but did not release the girl. "Dad," he cried, "this Is she." "That was not hard to guess. And I can understand now. Mi. Mollie, why the young scamp drove his car off the bridge. He was willing o play with death to have a girl like you pull him out of the water. Well, I am sure It was worth the chance." |