Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-23

1AOlly ES0uOoApA 10 def rather ICON.
tinued).
There was a splendid sunset after the
| rain. with q wonderful effect Of heavy
violet cloud-curtains with 3assed rold
edges. drawn up to show a clear sky OF
paae neryl-sreen: and sharp against tho
white villages that looked like fiocks OF
resting gulls. We were in wild and beau-
tiful country by the time the thickening
| two oil lamps and the huge acetyiene
| Bleriot - ~o
There was good deal of wind, and Aunt
mar mary began ., to shiver o as we started on
claimed Grossly. we shall never get any
| where tonight if we crawl like this. surely
there's no danger now?"
That was enough for Jimmy. He said
| that certainly there was no danger now
and never had been. Opening the throttle,
he began to tell me anecdotes OF a trip he
had made with his Panhard over the SteI-
VIC with snow on the ground. If weren't
Into Toulon in no time.
I do hate to have people think
I'm afraid, SO OF course de-
MED MED 1t sharply, and we began to fly down
night down closely all around us. We
didn't see much except the road with the
light flying along it; but suddenly, circling
round curve, there appeared-dark within
| the brilliant circle of our Bleriot-a great.
unlighted wagon numbering up the hill we
were descending. and on the wrong side of
the road.
We were close on to it. and oh. Dad, that
was a bad moment! It was made up of
lightning-quick impressions and feelings no
reasoning at all. Jimmy was frantically
be Of much good had a vision of a star
tied Jack-in-the-box man appearing from
the bottom of the wagon to snatch wildly
at the reins; the next instant our car
w fZpd inc hoI IN NJ
twisted off the road, and, with loud Shrek
from Aunt Mary, who had clutched me by
the arm, we all pitched headlong into dark
ness.
1t felt as if we were falling for ever SO
long. just as it does in dream before you
wake up with a great start; but l suppose
1T really wasn't more than second. The
next thing knew, was on my hands and
knees among some stones; and evidently
I'm vainer than I fancied. for among other
thoughts coming one on top of the other, I
was glad my face wasn't hurt I've always
imagined that it must be terrible for girl
to come to herself after an accident and
find she had no face.
l scrambled to my feet and began calling
to the others. l think | called Brown first,
because, you see. he is SO quick in emergen-
cies, and he would be ready to look after
the others. But he didn't speak, and the
most awful cold, sick feeling settled down
on my heart. "Oh, Brown, Brown" 1
heard myself crying, just as you hear your
self in a nightmare, and it hardly seemed
more real than that. Into the midst OF my
was thankful. for it didn't sound as if she
were much hurt.
Our lamps had gone out and 1t was al
most pitch dark now, for clouds covered
the moon. But there came a glimmer.
which kept growing brighter; and looking
up saw a man standing with a lantern
held over his head. peering down a steep
bank with a look of horror The same glim-
mer showed me something else-Brown's
face OF the ground, white as a stone, his
eyes wide open with an unseeing stare. l
ran to him and found that was pushing
Aunt Mary back, as she was trying to get
up from somewhere close at hand. She
caught at me, and wouldn't let me go by.
1 begged her to tell me If she were hurt.
mo, thank Heaven! I fell on Brown"
she said, land that saved me-
1 could have boxed her ears one would
have thought, to hear her, that he was
sort of fire-escape. I snatched my dress
out of her hands, and knelt down beside
poor Brown, who was perhaps dead, all
through my fault-for l saw now that 1
ought never to have let Jimmy Payne drive
the car By this time the man with the Ian
tern lit was the carter who had made the
trouble for us) had slid down the steep pank
and come straight to where l was kneeling.
"Ah mademoiselle. il est mort! he ex-
claimed How l did hate him! l screamed
out. He isn't, he isn't"' but 1t was only
| to make myself believe II WASH true, ana
| couldn't help crying-big hot tears that
splashed right down into Browns eyes.
And l suppose 1t was their being so hot
that woke him up. for he did wake up, and
looked straight at me, dazed at hrst, men 1i
sensibly-such a queer effect the inteili-
gence and brightness taking the place OF
that frightened stare. The first thing ne
said was, Are you hurt? And l said
NO" and then l discovered that l was
holding his hand as fast as ever 1 could
only think, holding your chauneur's hand!
but such brave, faithful chauffeur. never
thinking of his own face, as had OF
n inc, but of me.
That made me laugh and draw back, and
we both said something about being glad.
And 1 wanted to help him. but ne didn't
need any help, and was up IKE an arrow
the next second. And then, for the first
time l saw the car, standing upright with
Jimmy Payne, sitting in it. hanging on like
grim death to the steering post, which he
was embracing as If he were monkey on
a stick.
l did laugh at that-one does laugh more
when something dreadful has nearly hap
pened, but not quite than at any other
time. I think-though into the midst OF
my laugh came a sudden little PAIN. 1t
was in my left wrist, and IL acned hard,
one quick throb after another, as II they
were in hurry to get their chance 10
hurt. But l didn't say anything, for 1t
seemed such a trife. Brown assured me
that he was right as rain, that ne only
been dazed and perhaps unconscious Tor a
minute through falling on his head.
wondered If he knew about Aunt Mary.
But it was too delicate subject to raise.
Anyway, she hadn't a bruise Ana WASH
it extraordinary about Jimmy! Inc car
had fallen on its feet" so to speak, ana
he had hung on to the steering-post SO
| hard that not only had he Kept his seat
but he had wrenched the steering gear
Brown discovered this in peering into the
works by the light of one of our own OIL
lamps, relit from the carriers lantern. II
the Napier hadn't been magnificent car
| it would have been frightfully damaged, al
though, finding itself compelled to take
a twelve-foot jump off the road. 1t had
cleverly chosen comparatively smooth,
| meadow-like ground to descend upon NOT
even tire was punctured; no harm what
ever appeared to have been done except
that, as l said. owing to Jimmys savage
contortions in search of safety, the steer
ing gear was wrenched
There's a thing called worm In steer
ing gear it seems, also rod; ana new
ones would have to be fitted In ours before
we could go on again. When heard this
felt rather qualmish, for my wrist was
aching good deal, and had begun to
swell. Brown and the carter were talking
together and according to them the pest
thing seemed to be to carry luggage ana
rugs to the nearest village. lie Beausset
and try to get accommodation there Tor the
night. Brown would go on to Touion, ne
said, and try to get new parts for the car.
with which he's come back early In the