The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-11-27

sake make the machine jump that
fence, for here comes a drove of cat
tie in the road moren Il hundred
horned steers, and we never can pass
them alive.
Gee, but when [ saw those cattle
ahead and the machine running away.
/ tried to pray. and then I steered her
towards an old rail fence that looked
as though it was rotten, and then
there was a crash. the air was full
of rails, and dad said: This is no
hurdle race, and We landed i'm a field
where there was an old hard snow
bank. She went up on the side. hit
the frozen snow turned a summer,
sault, the gasoline tank exploded and
didh't remember anything till some
farmers that were spreading manure
in the field TUNED me over with a
pitchfork, and asked me who the old
dead man was standing on his head
in the snow bank with his plug hat
around his neck. AS soon as | came
to / went to dad, and he was inst COM
ing out of a trance, and asked him If
he didn't think a little excitement
sort of made the sluggish blood circu-
late, and he looked at the blood on
the snow. and said he thought there
was no doubt about the circulation of
his blood.
"He got up, got his hat untangled,
told the farmers he was obliged to
them for their courtesy and then he
called me one side and said:
'Hennery. this attempt on your
part TO murder me was not the sue
cess that you expected, but you keep
on and you will get me all right.
Now, as business man, ] want to say
we have got to get out of this town
tonight or we will be arrested and
sent to the penitentiary; besides, I
will have TO pay a thousand dollars
damage at the least calculation. Get
me a carriage for home, ana you stay
and set this machine on fire and skip
back to town in time for the evening
train south. and we will go where the
climate is more genial
Just then the steers we saw i'm the
road came into the field through the
fence we had broken, and when they
smelled the blood they began To paw
and heller, and look like they would
run at dad, SO the farmers got dad into
milk wagon that was going to town,
and when the wagon started dad was
pouring a cup of milk on him where
the gasoline had seorched him when
it exploded, and / walked to town
helping the fellows drive the steers,
and here | am, alive and ready to
travel at 8 p. m.
IF my chum comes around tell him
will write him from Hot Springs and
give him the news"
IF that don't beat anything 1 ever
heard Of" said the groceryman. Il
have always been afraid of those au-
tomobiles, and when one of the horns
blow / go in the first gate. say my
prayers and wait for it to go by and
run over some one farther down the
block. Did your dad say anything
about buying an automobile after he
came tor
yes, as / remember it, he said he
would see me in h first. or some
thing like that. He remarked, as he
got in the milk wagon, that every man
that owned an automobile ought to be
examined by an insanity expert and
sent to the penitentiary for letting
concealed, weapons carry him.
We'll. gOod-by old man." and the
bad boy went limping out of the
grocery to go home and tell his moth
er that he and dad had been scoring
up for the good time they were going
to have when they got out on the road
for dads health.