Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-08

| The motor car coIlapses before reaching AM
sns se the ns sy fs ssfus in 80
| Amboise on foot and secure his own car. In.
tending rent ws to Miss ha th and ,es
continue the journey in his automobile.
| Molly Randolph to Her Father.
| AMBOISE,
| November Something other.
Dear old Lamb
| Did you know that you were the papa OF
chameleon? An eccentric combination.
| But Aunt Mary says she has found out
that 1 am one-a chameleon. T mean; but
| I don't doubt she thinks me an eccentric
| combination" too. And, anyway. I don't
| see how can help being changeable Cir
| cumstances and motor-cars rule DISPOSE
| tions I wrote you long letter from
Rlois. but little did I think then-no, that
| isn't the way to begin. I believe my start
| ing handle must have gone wrong. to say
nothing of my valves-I mean nerves
| Last night we broke down at the other
| end Of nowhere, and rather than desert Mr..
| Mica wber. alias the automobile, I decided
| to stop till next morning at wayside
| farm house-the sort Of place, as Aunt
Mary said. where anything might nap
| PEN.
| OF course, I needn't have stayed. The
Frenchman told you about in my last let
| ter offered to take US and some or our lug
| rage on to Amboise on his little car; but
| didn't feel like saying yes" to that propo-
! sal, and 1 was sorry for poor Brown, who
/ had worked like Trojan Besides. to stay
was an adventure Monsieur Iaileyrano
| stonned TOO and we had quite a nice sup
| per in a big farm kitchen, but not as Dig
as the room which the people gave Aunt
Mary and me-aiNeEy decent room. with
| two funny high beds IN it. couldn't steep
much because Of remDrse about something
| had done I'm ashamed to tell you what,
| but you needn't worry. for 1t only concerns
| the car And then l. didn't know in the
! least how We were to get on again next
| day.as this time the automobile had taken
| measures to secure Itself a good long rest.
I'd dropped off to g1eep after several hours
Of staring into the DIRK and wondering If
Brown by some Inspiration would get us
out of our scrape, when a hand, trying to
find my face. woke me up. ITS Gomez
thought. They re going to murder u.s..
| And was just Ionh tse1 point of shrieking
with all my might; 10 Brown to save me,
| when realized that the hand was. Aunt
| Mary's: it was Aushs Mary's voice also say
| ing. in sharp whisper Whats that?
What's that?"! - ,-p.az 49,.
| sound which l suppose had reused Aunt
! Mary, and sent her bounding out Of bed
| like base ball, in her old age forgot to
| tell you that in one corner Of our room, be-
| hind a calico curtain. was a queer, low
| green door, which we had wondered at and
tried to open. but found locked. Now the
| sound was coming from behind that door.
| 1t was scuffling and stumbling of feet,
and creepy. snorting noise.
Even I was frightened, but 1t wouldn't
do. account of discipline, to let Aunt
| Mary guess. I just sort of formed a hol
| low square. told myself that my country
| expected me to do my duty jumped up
| found matches lighted our one candle and
! with it the lamp of my own courage. That
| burned SO brightly. | had presence of mind
! to take the key out Of the other door and
in fhn tarIn
| didn't fit. but 1t opened the door; and
| what do you think was the other side?
! Why. ladder-like stairway, leading down
into darkness. But 1t was only the dark
ness or the family stable. and instead of
beholding our landlord and landlady dig
| glng grave for us in a business-like man
| ner as Aunt Mary fully expected, We saw
Two cows and horse. and three Of those
| SHY surprised-looking French chickens
| which are always running across roads
! under out automobiles nose.
This was distinctly a relief We locked
| the door. and laid ourselves down to sleep
| once more But-for me-that was easier
| SAID than done. l lay staring into black
| ness. thinking of many things until the
| olackness seemed to grow family pale the
| way Old Nanny Luke's face used to turn
| ash9 "hen she was frightened at her own
| slave stories. which she was telling me-
| 1 ne TWO windows took form, like gray
ghosts hoating in the dark and l knew
! Dawn must be coming; but as l watched
| me squares growing more distinct, so that
| i ~aS sure saw and didn't imagine them
| nsht sprang up. 1t wasn't the dawn
| iIsnt' put something vivid and sudden.
was DeWlldered, for I'd been in dozv
| mood. flew up. all dazed and stunid r.
| patter across the cold painted floor ON nv
| poor little bare feet
! ., Cui room overlooked the courtyard and
| .Iere' almost opposite the window where |
| stooh' great column of intense yellow
| ianie was rising like a fountain of fire
stlaisht as poplar. and almost as high l
| ha,,,i sa~ awning so strange. and could
Laiuiy oeiieve that II wasn't a dream, until
voice seemed to say inside of me- why
| It's your car that's on fret
IN nan second I was sure the voice
Mas rtght. and at once / was quite calm.
NV 'he car could have got on fire of It's
own accord was a mystery. unless it had
spontaneous combustion, like that awful
oio man OF Dickens. who burnt up and left
| time to think, and I only kept saving to
| myself. as hurried to slip on few clothes
l,ne sketchlest toiIetII ever made just a
nieie outlhe), how lucky it was that my
auto'hopiie stood in the courtyard where
there was no roof instead of being in the
barn. like Monsieur sTalleyrand's. And I
knew that Brown; Slept lin the barn. SO that.
been burnt to death lin his sleep, which
maze me feel If 1 should have to faint
away way, even to ir,isgne;
nut dian't fSirft::!f tore out of the
room. as soon ASH vas dressed with my
| iong; fur-lined ~rnutoringF coat over my
| mighty. and yelled '.fire!" at the top of
my lungs. But + forget to yell In French.
so OF course the karmg people couldn't have
| understood what,ivt7fs 1.-THE matter. unless
they d seen the Light from their windows
IL was still dark 'ih tRs shut-up house, but
somehow found iiy'svay downstairs and
| 10 the door by when we'd all come troop
| ing IN the evenins'before. Nobody had APP
| peared yet Though fancied / heard Aunt
Marys frantic voice). so / concluded that
the farmer and his wife must be outside in
the nelds about their days work, for these
french peasants rise with the dawn, or
| before it,
l. pulled open the door, and the light of
the hre struck right at my eyes. which had
got USED TO the darkness in the passage
Ihere was the piIiag of fire, as bright and
stfalght and amazingly high as ever, not a
trace OF the car to be seen IN the mast
put sifhouetted against the yellow screen or
name was a tall black figure which recog-
nlzed as B1owns. 2 He was standing stiil
LOOKING calmly on. actually with his hands
! IN his pockets instead of trying to put out
the fire. and was dumfounded, for al
ways Deicre he had shown himself SO re-
souroeful.
l. STOOD stilis too a=Ininute, forsL was sur
pfised Aunt Mary was having mysteries
| In one ~of our windows which shed thrown
open; and Monsieur Talleyrand. had come