Raymond S. Spears

“ Haney stepped to one side to avoid the rush.
“Oh, it’s all right, Columbiana!” a deep voice exclaimed. “I fixed it. We’re all clear, and anybody’ll marry us and never say a word——”
Columbiana’s lips parted and fire appeared in her eyes, but just then she remembered how a few hasty words and a tart remark had disturbed the Ohio River soft-paw—as regards some things—and sent him away into the dark river-night when she didn’t mean anything at all. Accordingly, she curbed her tongue and turned her lips to the stalwart who had come to claim her—now that they were no longer fugitives from justice. ”

“ COLUMBIANA parted from James Caroost for appearances’ sake, with regret. It was bad enough to be caught with him and taken to Mendova on the charge of burglary, and, no doubt, her escape with him—and even handcuffed to him—would make an awful lot of talk down the Mississippi River, where everybody does talk so much—often not having anything else to do for days and weeks at a time but talk. ”

“ Haney said it was lucky Columbiana never had had any use for Memphis, and, if she would put on some other clothes, longer skirts and so on, no policeman up-town would ever recognize her. The newspapers said that Columbiana’s boat was up at Mendova, waiting to be claimed, and if it wasn’t claimed soon somebody would buy it and the money would be put in the hospital and police-pension funds. ”