The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1902-12-04
About, about. in reel and rout,
The death-fres danced at night!
The water. like a witch's oils.
Burnt green, and blue, and white.
Last Run Of the Green
Pea Desperate.

prov after trips. Bits Of little things
he'd hit, you know. He admitted that
he was sentimental cuss, did Bug
giles.
We went up the West Drive like an
express making up time and with
about as much noise. Around the
corner I saw the Van Doutzers coming
in a victoria. They are enc Of the
families that 1 really like to bow to,
land so abolishing as much Of my fear
for my life as l could, got ready to
take of my hat, hoping, I must con-
fess, that they'd take ME for the owner
Of the Desperate, instead Of Buggies.
10 carry out the idea / just rested
my hand OH the wheel thing that YOU
steer by. I bowed, but 1 discovered.
to my horror, that was bowling to a
park policeman-the Van Doutzers
must have been whisked by about
three blocks back BY the time I got
my hatsof. .: :
All at once there was a frightful
rush of profanity from Buggies, and I
noticed that We were richottinG Oh a
wonderful angle up an incline covered
With tulip beds. I peered wildly be-
hind me-the road was just disappear
ing in the distance between trees and
the. tracks OF the automobile among
the flowers looked like the first dig
gings for a canal. Suddenly We divcd
into a shady grove on the summit.
There was tremendous. shivering jar,
and I shot head first into q prickly
sort Of bush. The Pea Green Desrer-
ado was trembling and gurgling, head
On, against a tree trunk. AS for Bug
giles. he had travelled some feet further
than had, and landed in q sort Of rus
tic summer house through the window,
cn the laps of two persons already
there. They were very angry, both of
them, and vanished down the hill
threatening to have the law on us.
I told Buggles that I didn't blame
them, either-that I had been young
myself. He got mad at that and said
it was all because I'd put my bally
hand on the steering gear and switched
the machine off the road, and that
he'd like to have been killed" in con-
sequence. He wanted to know why
the deuce I should switch him up on
this Lill-did I like the scenery SO
much, and would I pay the fine?
What's the use of arguing with a fcl-
low like Buggles when he's mad, any
way? I just kept quiet and got into
the machine and sat still, while he
climbed in and backed her up and
turned her around and tried to start
her. But she wouldn't start He pulled
all OF the levers and things in sight,
but she just stood still and shook. Then
he got out and crawled in underneath
among the works, to see what was the
matter. I sat in the waist effect, that
was all red and oily.
Presently I heard him say from the
bowels Of the machine, as it were:
care you touchin' anything?" I said,
mo" Buggles said: ''There's chunk
Of wood in the chain-I'm a-goin' to
pull it out"
Pull away" said I, and heard him
give grant. Gee whiz! The Desper-
ado leaped like the arrow from the
bow; I heard q vail of horror from
Buggles, and the next thing I knew,
he and the hill were gone, and was
ripping across the sheepfold like the
front of cavalry charge.
I: don't remember rightly the rest
of the trip I made through the Iark
in the Desperate; it's more of a bad
dream than anything else. TheSo We're
crowds that dashed up on walls. yell
ing, and mounted police that galloped
after, yelling, and horses that sat down
on carriage shafts or tried to climb
up with the coachman on the box-the
coachmen yelling, too. pulled all
the movable bits Of brassware that
saw, but there was no stopping her
Then I grabbed the wheel and fiddled
about trying to get the hang of how to
steer the blooming thing-piunging for
ward all the while, mind you, like a
runaway engine. Finally, after q
couple of wild runs onto walks and one
complete circle, I got that straight, and
started on, with a splintered park
bench hanging over the Prov, but
happy. for at least I could put it to
right and left. By this time it was
dusk. =
AS the Desperate thundered around
another curve, the lake unfolded away
down below, on my left. Suddenly
got an idea. twisted the wheels, put
the machines nose down the dusty
slope and scrambled from my seat
! Ficuratiyely, 1 had washed my hands
of all works. 1 slid over the back of
the machine on my waistcoat. and
dropped. My lapel caught on hook.
I was jerked in the air, sailed like 4
| bird for twenty feet, broke loose sud-
denly. and struck the ground hard, but
happily. Down below, in the growing
twilight, I saw the Pea Green Desper-
ado swaying toward the water at light
ming speed. A splash, a muffled con-
| cussion-and a column Of water shot
into the air. -.
Silence fell.
After dinner I got on my hand
painted smoking coat that Miss Guinnes
gave me last Christmas-I always put
il on when I'm in a chastened mood
and smoked a pipe by the fire, waiting
for Buggles. knew he would come if
he was air.