Not a Kidnapping Case

By Dick Perue

Thus reads an article in the Aug. 16, 1913 issue of the little-known Jireh Record listed as from Jireh, which was evidently in Niobrara County close to the town of Lusk.

Last week a dashing, daring, young blood, whose initials are G.F.R., took two of Lusk’s fairest damsels for a buggy ride – a rare thing in these days of automobilism.

You know in driving a team of gentle horses, the adept driver can always have one arm free, so as to protect the young lady in his charge, but with two young ladies and still only one free arm, it is a puzzle to know how he could distribute the arm-protection. He must have had his arm full, that is, his hands full.

However, the buggy ride continued on and on, and although the dainty damsels implored the designing driver to turn around and take them home, he still kept on until he reached his father’s ranch; it began to rain.

Now, if there is one thing this young man is afraid of, it is rain, so he prevailed on the young ladies to send word to their anxious mothers; it was not an elopement but just a lark. Their mothers’ anxiety having been delayed; the fair young debutantes proceeded to enjoy themselves.  

Their romantic situation did not seem to have any effect on their appetites, so with the aid of the dashing, daring, young man aforesaid, they set to work and prepared a tempting meal of fried chicken and the usual accessories.

After dinner – it is still raining remember – they had a jolly time with music and song, for the young Lothario is also a tenor robusto, so you can imagine the fine time they all had.  

With motherly care, the bad young man’s mother tucked the kidnapped kids in bed and he, the weather having in the meantime become fair to middling, next day returned them to the arms of their ecstatic mothers. Both damsels declare they had a “perfectly lovely time.”