The suburban citizen., 1902-11-29


name of the maker, en-
graved on its various inwards. nor yet
the name of Buggles himself, dangling
on patent leather tag just above the
steam. SO you can see that lie was
pretty far gone, as automobilists go. l
think he called it the Pea Green Des-
perado.
The reason L happened to mention
Buggles and his machine at all was
that he came round the other day and
asked me to take n spin in it with
him. 1t seemed to me as though the
account of what followed might be
interesting. l can't hope, Of course.
to stir any one up by plain black and
white story of the spin as l was
stirred up, but If 1 can impart to this
tale a hundredth part of what l felt
shall be well 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 1 have a
rejudice-foolish perhaps-again 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 or 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 a sign Of
lIcre. They all cost pretty high, too.
know how much Buggles's cost, for
One-he must have told me a 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
isnglass eyeshade and Gne large oily
gloves, and he looked just like the
pictures of chauffeurs in the comic
papers, drawn as standing at 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
1 climbed into his machine, standing
outside my house with a 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-but 1 knew they
were there. Because I've done 1t my
self.
1t was pretty instrument-Bug'
gles's automobile. As you might have
guessed from its sobriquet, it was O
fine bright green, except the waist OF
it-as you might say-where you sill
and work it. That was red and oily
There were a number Of shiny Ian
terms and things stuck over the front
slope of it, and down on the PROV was
a shutter that steam came through
You can see that 1t was the bona fidC
article.
We got into 1t and Buggles graspet
some levers firmly and l curled up my
mustache and glanced up at Miss
Guinness window 49, in No. % - ant
wondered If she was home. There
was terrific steamy clatter that near
ly shook my shoes off, d cloud of smoke
dashed into my eyes, and by the tim,
had assured myself that my head haC
not been snapped off we were in /;
strange street.
The rate of speed that Buggles wa
going at was positively sickening.
am willing to swear that when our BIZ
fat wheels hit manhole the who'll
engine jumped a foot. We went aroun'
corners on one wheel, with women fall
ing Imply into policemen's arms on tn
curb and the policemen shouting a
MS until their yells sank to a drune 4
the distance. We ran over a yellow
dog and threw the animal into the al