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Newspaper Page Text
mmsmmwssm LIZZIE'S AUTOMOBILE By George Elmer Cobb. ' (Copyright by W- G. Chapman.) Z "You're not afraid, Lizzie?'1 5 "Not a bit of it, father." v "All this talk about maraudin' f bands and the like over in the next township ia probably a scare. I'll have f mother and the girls back home by ten o'clock. And say, Lizzie, that c . Fired a Shot in the Air. e thing you've set your heart on an automobile." '"Yes, father," murmured Lizzie, a c faint little pucker at her lips, f "I'm going to look at one up at f Norwich tonight. If it's reasonable, I may think it over." i Old Daniel Bangs drove off in the viicketty family surrey with a slow, c patient Dobbin attached. Lizzie waved r her hand after him in a forlorn sort of a way. That word "automobile" e had touched a sore spot in Lizzie's i heart. There was only one young man inf the district whom Lizzie loved and an automobile had parted them. Nc" Darrow had been keeping compan-" with her for a year. His folks livet on the next farm one-half a mile di tant and he worked in a garage t Norwich. The charm of Lizzie's con -pany brought him home regulail every evening. There was a con stant companionship and consequent happiness. Then the Bellows family did wlat nearly all the progressive farmers in the district were doing bought an automobile. And then for three even ings Ned dd not put in an appear ance at the Bangs home. A gossipy neighbor dropped m in to tell Mrs. Bangs of "the scand'lous doings ddwn at the Bellows farm." Three afternoons in succession "that young Darrow had come there to take out Miss Olive in the new automobile!" "If it was anybody but Olive Bel lows!" Lizzie had said to herself re sentfully, as she recalled that a year previous Ned had been very friendly with the young lady in question. The fourth evening Ned came to the Bangs home. Mrs. Bangs treated him arther coldly and Lizzie went up to her room wthout seeing him, re porting a sick headache. The next day Tvhen Miss Bellows drove by alone proudly exhibiting her skill as an expert chauffeur, Liz zie went straight to her father. "We must get an auto, papa," she insisted. Everybody Ise is and we don't want to be back numbers." Mr. Bangs was indulgent and the result was that several salesmen from the town brought up their machines. Lizzie had several rides. The prices charged staggered the 'thrifty, care ful farmer, however, and no bargain was consummated. So that evening, left alone to wait for the return of the family from a relative's, Lizzie had some rather bit ter reflections. She was really spite ful because Miss Bellows could pa rade -around in a new shiny f our-cyl- m su&il.