Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-17
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By
C.N'& A.M'WMLlANfSON

|
up to its full value. SO your mind may be
| at ease on his account
With this ell-deserved, but none the less
crushing snub she brought the car to a
| standstili and inadvertently stopped the
| motor. After virtually agreeing the night
| before to let Payne drive, ! ought to have
| Kept my mouth shut: but you will admit
| that the temptation strong. | de-
| scended. like well-conducted chauffeur.
| TO help my mistress change places with
my hated rival and of course IL was my
duty to start the motor again. which I did.
| Before L could get out of the way. Payne
started-on the third speed, like the duff
| fer he is, changing quickly to the
second that / had to race after the car
| ana hurl myself into the tonneau to
avoid being left behind. In doing this
unfortunately trod on Aunt Mary's
| toes; She groaned, glared and NUT
/ creaturer Thoroughly Inundated, and no
longer in a mood to care whether their
Jimmy wrecked the car and killed us (all
but onel. took my seat do believe that
| Aunt Mary secretly thinks me capable Of
having misjudged and il-treated Eyela shes,
| who laid himself out to be nice" to her.
Hardly had we started when heard Miss
| Randolph telling Payne that this car be-
longed to the Honorable John Winston.
| Lord Bright helms tons son. and asking him
If he had ever met Mr. Winston | suppose
that. In the excitement of managing a big
| machine which he knew little or nothing
| about. Payne forgot that. since | went
with the car" the owner must have been
| one of those Ito him) fatal old masters of
| mine. He can't bear to DENY the soft i'm
peachment of knowing any one whom he
thinks may be a swell. and in the hurry OF
the moment habit got the better of pru-
| dence.
| "Oh, yes. I know Jack very wellr' he ex-
| claimed; then drew in his breath with a
| little gasp which he turned into cough.
| IN that moment he had probably remem-
| bered me.
| Il suppose you know his mother. then?''
| said Miss Randolph. Il met her i'm Paris
she at Cannes now. and you will see
"Ye-es," returned Jimmy ..ob VOC
| I shali certainly see her I know Lord
Brightheimston better than l do her: but 1
shall call. of course"
What with his fear of having committed
himself anew, and the chill in his marrow
produced by my critical eye on his YER
| teprae. ne grew more and more nervous,
Wobpilng whenever there was delicate
piece of steering to he done ar Il FESTIVE
| horse to be passed. He changed speeds so
| clumsliy that the pnions went together
with Il crash each time, and shiyers ran
| up and down my spine when | heard the
| noise and thought OF the damage this con-
celted idiot might do to my poor gears.
Could you stand by like Patience on the
| lee cathead. smiling at wet swab, while
some duffer with whip and spurs be-
STROBE your favorite stallion, Roland? Per-
haps that simile will help you to under
| sta nd how I've been feeling all day.
Payne is rank amateur. | doubt IL he
| ever drove a Napier before. and would bet
| something he depended for his success to-
day tsuch as II was) on keen observation or
everything Miss Randolph did before he
| took the helm He knows how to steer
moderately straight course and to change
speeds-thats about all. and ! wouldn't
| trust his nerve i'm an emergency. However.
we bowled along without incident through
Tarbes and Tourney. thanks more to the
| fine car than the driver; but when mount
| ing a long stretch of steep road beyond g.
place called Lanespede, where great rail-
| way viaduct crosses the valley, Payne
missed his change. and then completely lost
| his head, failing to put on the brakes 10
prevent us running down the hill back
| wards. Luckily was sitting on the brake
| side. and reaching out of the tonneau !
| seized the lever of the hand brake ana
TANNED it on. Next instant to make
| quite sure) / jumped out. ran to the
| front and lowered the sprag. don't
| think any of them knew what q,
narrow escape we'd had. and Payne COW
cred himself by abusing the car. We start
ed up again on the second. and came out
on an undula ting plain overlooking httie
watering place called Capvern-les Rains "
ing far below in dimple of the Pyrenean
foot hills.
There was no other incident till We came
to Montrejeau, where nv road book showed
that there was an uncommonly steep hllI-
So | ventured to say over Paynes shouloer,
Better look out here. sir; bad NIL Inc
cad had not the civility to notice my warn
ing but charged through the long street OF
the town till he came to the verge OF
dangerous descent dipping steeply ana snh-
denly for little way, then turning abrupt
ly to the left He was taking the hill at
reckless pace. not because he was plucky,
but because he knew no better: and hair
way down, seeing a numbering station-om-
nibus climbing slowly up. not leaving much
room, he began to get wild in his steering.
Again | hung out and gently but firmly
put on the mandrake, steadying the car
The idiot didn't even see how l had saved
him. for when we got smelly Gown he said
to Miss Randolph. "Took that hill flying.
didn't -" l can tell you l was glad when
we pulled up for luncheon At st. Gaudens.
knowing that the road here turns away
from the Pyrenees to cross The great plain
of Languedoc.
Blessed plain of Languedoc, which has
been abused by some travellers for its mo-
notony! Sitting silently in the tonneau
straight level of wide. poplar :ringed road
that stretched as far as the eye could
reach, running up to point In the distant
perspective. Here, at any rate" reflect
ed. "the duffer at the wheel can't do us
much harm" 1t a beautiful scene,
had l been in tune to entov 1t, FOR the
Pyrenees showed their blue outlines on the
far horizon. and the Garonne gave las many
pictures at hand. There was In par
ticular one sweet sylvan bit at place
called ST Martory, which, though II was
but fleeing glimpse. framed itself In my
mind with all the precision of a stereo-
scopic view.
| 1t was a relief to me, when this evening.
we ran into Toulouse: its many buildings OF
brick lying along the bank of the broad and
peaceful Garonne, looking curiously rose
hued in the level rays of the declining sun.
But poor car! When i set to work at
cleaning 1t after its ill-treatment il seemed
to reproach me for disloyalty. Its very
lamps were like mournful. misunderstood
eyes. And this is only the first day OF
many. How long, O friend, how long, L
don't quite see what is to become of your
unfortunate JACK WINSTON.
CTo be continued tomorrow.