Lightnin'

The clerk in the store smiled at the old man as he pocketed the monstrosity and went happily out of the store.

How to get to Calivada from Reno had not entered his mind. It was a good seventy-five miles, but he knew that some way or other he would get home that night. With his mind made up to that issue, he wandered up the street and joined Zeb, who had been waiting for him all afternoon. The two old men, arm in arm, stood on the street corner and looked about. And just then Rodney Harper and his wife, who were interested spectators in the court-room during the afternoon trial, turned the corner in their machine and stopped to say a good word to Bill.

"What you going to do, Lightnin'?" asked Harper, while his wife beamed at the two odd old souls.

"What you going to do?" was Bill's evasive answer.

"Why, we are motoring back to Calivada, where we have a room at the hotel," said Mrs. Harper.

"Well, then, I guess," said Bill, putting his foot on the step of the automobile, "that's just what me and Zeb is goin' to do."

The Harpers laughed and looked at each other. They were both agreed. Bill and Zeb climbed in and made a strange couple on the back seat of the car as it whirled through the streets of Reno and on up into the hills.

In the mean time the hotel at Calivada, true to its nature, was the scene of a new sensation.

After court that afternoon Margaret Davis and Judge Townsend, leaving Mrs. Jones and Millie to take the train home, went their own way. About eight o'clock that evening they arrived at the hotel, going to the desk where the sleek and dapper new clerk awaited them and came forward to welcome them. "Hello, Mrs. Davis!" he said, extending his hand.

"Good evening," Margaret replied, giggling and looking coyly back at the judge. "Will you give me my key, Mr. Peters?" she asked.

"Sure," he said, taking the key from the rack and handing it to her with a smirk.

"I didn't expect you back to-night." He smiled.

"Well, I wasn't expecting it myself." The annoyance evidenced by the frown on Lemuel Townsend's face immediately changed her tone. With a "Thank you" she turned to go, but the clerk had other plans.

"This has been a wonderful day, Mrs. Davis," he said, as he cast languishing glances at her. Townsend was not at all pleased with the attention Peters was showing her and he turned, asking, unctuously, "See here, have you got a suite?"

Peters stepped back and looked in surprise from one to the other.

"Got what?"

"Got a – ?" repeated Townsend, but his question was broken into by Margaret, who exclaimed:

"Oh, Mr. Peters, we would like to see Miss Buckley and Mrs. Jones."

"All right," he said; "I will go up and tell them you are here," and he disappeared up the Nevada stairs.

"But, young man," Townsend was insisting as he put his foot on the first stair, "I want to get a – " he reiterated, but Margaret again placed a restraining hand on his arm. "Wait until he comes down," she simpered.

As the clerk disappeared behind the portières at the top of the stairs, Townsend turned to Margaret, putting his arm about her waist. "What's the matter, dear? Don't you want the clerk to know we are married?" he asked, in injured tones.

"I didn't want you to tell him right before me."

He looked into her eyes. "You are not ashamed of it, are you?"

"No," she drawled, in her usual giggle, "but it is embarrassing to leave here this morning to get rid of number one and come back this evening with number two." Townsend started, removing his arm from her waist. Putting it back, she pouted, "You are not angry, are you, dear?"

Indulgently, but not enthusiastically, he answered, "It is a little jarring to be referred to as number two."

"Oh, I didn't mean that!" she exclaimed, leaning coquettishly on his shoulder. "But I can't bear to have every one staring at us."

"But this isn't a secret marriage, Maggie," said the judge.

At this Margaret drew herself away from him, horror in her opened mouth and widening eyes. "Oh, don't say that!" she protested. "My name is Margaret," adding, sweetly, "I don't mind if they find out about it after we are gone, dear, but let's try to keep them from finding it out to-night."

"All right, my darling, just as you say," and he drew her to him again. Peters reappeared at the stairs.

"Mrs. Jones will be down in a minute," he announced, and was going to say more, but the sight of Margaret locked close in Lemuel Townsend's dignified arms permitted him no further expression than a prolonged and astonished "Oh!" which wrought a quick parting of the loving couple, while Margaret, blushing furiously, hastened to explain: "Judge Townsend is my husband, Mr. Peters. We were married this afternoon."

Peters had been having much of his own way since Mrs. Jones and Millie had retired from the actual management of the hotel, and his authority ran away with him at times, thrusting him into situations in which his assumption brought him quick rebuke. This was one of them. Obsequiously and with an easy laugh he extended a congratulatory hand to Townsend, while he remarked, "Quick work, eh, judge?"

Townsend stood back and withered Peters with a glance that did its full duty from head to foot.

Margaret, kind-hearted, and seeing Peters's embarrassment, hastened to be friendly. "We don't want you to say a word about it to anybody!"

"Oh, I can keep a secret. My congratulations. I hope this one turns out better than the other one did," Peters effused.

Margaret sighed. The judge shuddered. It was the fourth time since they were married that he had been reminded that he was number two.

"If you don't mind," he ordered, severely, "we won't discuss that question."

Margaret, anxious to prevent further repartee on the subject, went up-stairs, calling back, "When Mrs. Jones comes down, will you tell her I will be back in five minutes?"

When she had disappeared Townsend ordered Peters to get up a special supper for four, suggesting that the champagne he had brought with him, and which was in the basket on the floor, be put on ice. Peters disappeared to do his duty, but Townsend followed close behind him, desirous of directing the spreading of a good wedding supper for Mrs. Townsend, Mrs. Jones, and Millie.

He had been gone but a few minutes when Mrs. Jones came down the stairs. She looked around, expecting to find Margaret Davis awaiting her. Not seeing her, she returned to the floor above, when Mr. and Mrs. Harper came bursting in.

"How do you do? Don't you remember us?" Harper called out, as he held forth a welcoming hand.

"Surely!" cried Mrs. Jones. She came quickly down the stairs and shook hands with Harper, kissing his pretty wife.

"We just brought your husband and a friend of his over from Reno," said Harper.

"Oh, where are they?" Mrs. Jones asked, excitedly. She had been waiting all afternoon for Bill and was beginning to fear lest he had decided not to return home.

"Oh, Bill's out there telling his experiences as a lawyer," Harper laughed, and Mrs. Jones joined him, happy to know that Bill was back, the same lovable old boaster as before.

Margaret Townsend, hearing the voices, hurried to join the group, throwing her arms wildly around Mrs. Jones's neck and giggling like a school-girl.

"Who do you think drove me over?" she asked Mrs. Jones, answering herself. "Judge Townsend."

"My, but that was romantic!" exclaimed Mrs. Jones.

"Why, what do you know about it?" Margaret simpered, putting Mrs. Jones from her and looking into her eyes.

The dining-room door opened and Townsend burst in, going to his wife and exercising his new proprietorship by putting his arm about her. She drew away, blushing, and hastened to introduce the Harpers.

Townsend acknowledged the introduction; then he turned to Mrs. Jones. "I'm very glad to see you under more pleasant circumstances, mother," he said.