Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1902-12-24


name of the maker, en-
graved on its various inwards, Eor yet
the name Of Buggles himself, dangling
on patent leather tag just above the
steam. So YOU can see that he was
pretty far gone, as automobilists so. 1
think he called it the Pea Green Des-
perado.
The reason I happened to mention
Buggles and his machine at all was
that he came round the other day and
asked me to take spin in it with
him. 1t seemed to me Gs though the
account Of what followed might be
interesting. 1 can't hope, Of course,
to stir any one up by q plain black and
white story of the spin" as I was
stirred up, but if can impart to this
tale hundredth part Of what I felt
I shall be we'll repaid.
Understand, in the first oplace, that
I'm not an automobile man and not
used to the machines any way, and
that my heart is weak and I have 4
prejudice-foolish perhaps--against get
ting arrested.
But Buggles came around and asked
me to come along with him, and. as
you may have found yourself, there's
a good deal in the idea of Gathering
about the drives in one Of the things,
whether You own it OF not. with every
one marking you down for having
money. If you're careful not to make
up too much like professional chauf-
feur, you know. they're bound to think
you're worth something-an automobile
is vulgarly supposed to be sign Of
lucre. They all cost pretty high, too.
I know how much Buggles's cost, for
one-hc must have told me dozen
times.
Well, he came around and caught
me just as 1 was feeling particularly
perky and daring, any way. He had
on a shiny automobile cap and an
isinglass eyeshade and fine large oily
gloves, and he looked just like the
pictures Of chauffeurs in the comic
papers, drawn as standing ut the pris-
oners' dock in court. by preference.
"Come along with me, old hoss," said
Buggles, '.I'll take you rafting up the
Drive in the Pea Green Desperate and
we'll scare all the old ladies out of
their wits from here to the MOnu-
ment."
The long and the short of it was that
I climbed into his machine, standing
outside my house with crowd around
it, watching it gurgle and tremble, and
all the neighbors hiding behind their
lace curtains and wondering who my
expensive friend was. didn't see
them-the neighbors- knew they
were there. Because I've done it my
self.
1t was pretty instrument-Bug-
gles's automobile. AS you might have
guessed from its sobriquet, it was
fine bright green, except the waist Of
it-as you might say-where you sit
and work it. That was red and oily.
There we've number Of shiny Ian
terms and things stuck over the front
slope of it, and down OH the PROV was
a shutter that steam came through.
You can see that it was the bona fide
article.
We got into it and Buggles grasped
some levers firmly and I curled up my
mustache and glanced up at Miss
Guinness window in No. 27-and
wondered If she was home. There
was terrific steamy clatter that near
.ly shook my shoes off, cloud of smoke
dashed into my eyes, and by the time
I had assured myself that my head had
not been snapped off we were in 4
strange street.
The rate Of speed that Buggles was
going at was positively sickening.
am willing to swear that when our big
fat wheels hit a manhole the whole
engine jumped foot. We went around
corners on one wheel, with women fall
ing Imply into policemen's arms on the
curb, and the policemen shouting at
US until their yells sank, to drone in
the distance. We ran over yellow
dog and threw the animal into the air
behind us in the most talented fash
ion. 1t landed on the top of brougham
"a rather stylish position for yellow
dog. I noticed these things then, but
they didn't appeal to me as interest
ing. The most interesting thing just
then was the preservation Of my life.
1t was in Buggles's hand-I felt that
and Buggles was about as careless of
it as though it was the life Of j Rock
away oyster.
We dashed into the Park on q curve
that shot a fan of gravel off Of the
near wheel and all over a belated May
party, which Immediately looked to me
like coterie Of landslide victims being
dug out. A mounted policeman put
his horse at us, but he got in
the trail Of our gasolenc gas, from the
exhaust thing in the back, and his
horse baked. An old lady. trying to
cross the drive ahead, just escaped be.
| ing rolled out by such close margin
that her silk boa was whisked into the
near fore wheel and twisted about the
spokes while she could have said knife
Try it on an electric fan with hand
kerchief, from behind, and you get the
same effect. Later on, Buggles said
he would get the boa out and put it uI
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