The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-04-06

, the Interval OF wsi,ing for the cry, "A
aboard ber eyes wandered frtq acnily
the door or searched the fsecs Of the crow
on the platform.
i! really did not sem possible that Bari
lett could let bis mother 20 so far ava
aud for so long q time without giving som
small slgn that he loved her. Bu, the trsi
pulled out 4 ally, ard no Bartlett had AZ
peard
Nov amors Bartlett's friends was ma
named Johnson, who had owned IN auto
mobile, the 4 ct to appear 10 the town.
Whether II was the owners inexperiene
or whether the machine itself WAS dtfee
tive no one had ever bsen able 10 discover
but the runsbout had ntver worked will
any degree OF satisfaction to its rather sen
sitive owner, whose fsds, at bst, wer,
short.lived. He had soon abandoned II apt
bought horse.
From the first Bart lett had hovered sbou
this misbehsylng automobile Ike a be,
about clover. His devotion both Unused
and t,u uched johnson, Who, In the dsyI
when his filth 10 gasoline WAS strong, had
often invited Bartlett to ride With him, and
who tsd frql'ntly found the boys skill
with tools OF service when thirgs went
wrong. Af.erwsrd, unable to cell Il now
somewhat damaged mschine TO anybody
who knew Of ite ysSsries, std TOO honest to
sell II to any one who did not, Mr.. Jobr.
son permitted Bartlett to experiment. with
Il.
Afttr months OF lsbo-, and The clever
subs,itu lon Of parts v hich he had himself
mauu'ac;ul I'd, It began to lock as II the
boy were sctuslly going to restore Il Q au-
tomobile to something Ike usefune Sew
eral times before the day Of Mrs. Morgan's
departure the machine had i)urneyed two
blocks and home again without a break.
down.
Immediately after luncheon the day Il
Mrs. Morgsn's departure, Bartlett, with
his hands In his poekets, stood In the door
way OF the Johnson carriage house, 90 zlng
at The rtpudiatod automobile. The llght
Of strong purpose shone ia his gray eyes
moment later when he glanced at his wa'ch
hastily flltd the automobile tank with gas
oline, Il ing the doors wide, and started his
unwieldly pet to ward the entrsrce.
The driveway was rough and triG, up.
hill, but the by trundled the vehicle to the
road, work away at the crank un.iI the
engine was started, and got ir, while short,
e eiiculatory sounds issued from the notion
less machine. Then he pushed the lever,
and with a sudden sibilant explosion the
automt bile was spinning down the street,
leaving the atmosphere 10 Its wake redole Mt
Of gasoline.
Bartlett knew exactly where be wanted
10 20, but be real ID that 1t was one thing
TO possess this knowledge and quite arother
10 impart 1t to notorlously erratic auto.
tile. The spot he had In mind was sixteen
miles distf Mt, for he had something to do
Ind he meant to do IT, la the came cir
any o.her boy would have
hough Of far simpler plan OF carry Ing
,ut the idea but Bartlett wa, no one but
limi elf, and the workings OF Is mind we're
IS ncomprehensible at times as were the
inner workings Of the John
on automobile.
Sixteen miles are not many for a first.
lass machine, on good, level read, to &C.
ompllsh In two hours and half, but eix.
cen mileR, when half OF them are up hill
nd much Of the road Is sandy, are a great
nany.
The country roads we're worse than Bart
1T had expected to fad them. On the
ther hand the renovat, d machine ran even
etter than he had dared to hope. He had
cared the long stretch Of deep mud always
0 be found at the foot tf Collinsburg Hill,
ut the automobile dashed through 1t with
n almost appalling disregard for Its own
bining exterior, only to lose, later, several
recious moments from sheer contrariness
n the only stretch CT good road the boy
ould hope to fiod.
But having started, Bartlett had no in-
,ntion Of failing He had to reach GER
ain point by half past tive, and he meant
D do Ii.
A good part OF the road. winding among
ne hills, was unsheltered by trees, and was
rposed TO the full glare Of the afternoon
IN. Riding WAS not so restful as Bartlett
I'D hoped 10 find II, for he had not count
on the n'ivous strain Of guiding the ve-
lcle and be grew increasingly weary,
Is hand lost its sureness. Oace he had to
ork carefully round a load Of hsy stand
* motto nless In the road while Its driver
on top. Once be accidently
ithered into ditch, from which he could
ever have dragged bis vehicle without the {
mely assistance ofa passing farmer.
Twenty minutes after this disaster, and
early two miles from his destination, a
sep and unseen hole In the road was the
suse Of a sudden al d disastrt US Cverturn.
nd the overturn was the cause Of tuch 3
,rious break In the steering mechanism q
lat Bartlett pushed The automobile into
lick cump Of bushes near the roadside, to
} left until called for.
At bali pstt two Mr.. kfrgal's train
opped at i rIest,ille, sixteen miles from
u home, 70 take on passengers. The lit
e woman, siill rather tremulous, surveyed ,
om her wlldox, tlIbougb with very lit !
e interest, the crowd on the platform.
rom this occ, pation her glance ttrsyed !
ly to the road tbs! led TO the station.
Down this dusty thoroushisre & broad.
'ouldered. long ''Rged lad was running.
here was something tbout bis gait that
snsytd t1ttaiye wesriness, combined
ih cerlsln cir q dogg,d determination.
here was also scme hing about this oyr. h
ssiec, muc.itr ased flure that sll a, h
zoe tft Mrs Mo.gat.fs hesrf fhrabttnv