The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1901-06-08
having gone lame at the

HoLTAIRE having gone lame at the
hurdles the day before, his mas
ter was taking morning walk instead
of ride, when he met Miss Hearst in
an auto. He raised his hat and eyinced
a disposition to stop, whereupon the
lady gave the steering gear such a
vigorous twist that the machine
seemed determined TO chase Eskridge
off the sidewalk and over the fence.
"Stop mel" she called, but before he
could move she had accomplished the
feat herself with suddenness that
nearly sent her over the dashboard
and into his ready arms.
"The thing seems tender mouthed,"
said he. you're too hard on the BIZ" ;"
ITS my first trip alone" she ex-
planned, turning the auto in ierlxy,
hesitating way, as the power was
neryously applied or shut off, until
she drew up beside the curb in ortho-
dox fashion. "Great fun, though, this
this"
Motoring" suggested Eskridge,
tentatively.
s;'Motoring!" Helen's glance was
pitying, though her accent hinted at
scorn. 'Does it look like street car?
To mobe is now the correct form, SO
Mr.. Crandall says
81 suppose he has put you on to this
new electric fad" said Eslsridge, eye
ing the spick and span automobile as
If it were personal enemy.
"Put me on!" Helen's glance as we'll
as tone were harmoniously contempt
uous now. How slangy you grow"
Then in assumed surprise: "You seem
to be walking. Where is Voltaire?"
Where L suppose Rosamond is, in
the paddock" Rosamond was Miss
Hearst's favorite riding pony. "While
you and Crandall 'mobe' in your horse
less, / suppose l may be allowed to
NOPE on foot"
Helen looked up and down the ay-
enue, at the vacant seat by her, then
at the gloomy young man on the side
walk.
"Mr. Crandall is in the city," she
responded, demurely enough. "He
may be motoring there for what ]
know-George!"
Eskridge, interpreting Helen's man
ner rather than her words, had seated
himself beside her with celerity that
nearly took her breath away.
Hang Crandan," he exclaimed.
briskly. you are not to be trusted
in one of these things alone. Start up,
Nelly"
But Helen had recovered her dignity
as well as composure, and her tone be-
came correspondingly chilly.
Don't crowd, Mr.. Eskridge. One
needs room to work these levers salts
factorily. as you ought 80 know"
81 don't know that / ought to know
anything"
"Yet you presume to advise me, who
have been taking lessons two weeks"
"Under Crandall," George could not
help interpolating.
Under Mr.. Crandall, whom you
seem to wish to see hung"
81 don't want to see him, hung or
unhung; or hear of him, either" and
George was about TO add, "unless he
is hung" but he nipped his underlip
just in time.
By this they were spinning down
the avenue and into road leading to
the wide stretch of ocean beach that
ribbed the seaward side of Loon Is
land, not unlike a section of some
Brobdingnagian race course, with
chorus of summer surges instead of
shouting crowds as the natural en-
yironment. Helen, reading jealousy
under all this anti-Crandall surliness,
grew tenderly self-complacent as she
endeavored to slow down to more
conversational gait. Then a per
turbed look came into her eyes as she
fumbled at the levers.
'.What can be the matter now?" she
began.
What shapely hands you have.
Nelly!" interrupted Eskridge, rather
irrelevantly, and seemingly obliviousof
the fact that they were tearing along
towards the ocean at runaway pace.
"Oh. dearl" she complained. 'Why
won't the odious thing turn?"
They were leaving the road and
ploughing right on over the low sand
dunes that lined the beach.
such footi" continued George,
diverting dreamy eye to where one
of Helen's small, strapped driving
slippers was vainly pressing at some
thing which she supposed would con-
troll the application Of the motive