The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-01-05

uttered q shout.
Il thought we were going right over
that street carr he whispered.
"Oh, that was all right. | saw that
1 could clear the front of the a with
half an inch to spare, and so / went
ahead. Now, there is a lame man
crossing the street 200 feet away. It
probably seems to you that we are
headed right for him and that in ten
seconds more we shall pick him up and
toss him sky high, but you'll observe
that 1 just shave his coat tails and give
him a bit of a jump. There's no need
of your hanging Oh to the seat in the
way you do"
"Are we headed toward home?"
"Why Of course not. This is only
the beginning Of a ten or fifteen mile
spin. You see that peanut cart on the
corner? Well, its owner is always TAX
ing up more Of the street than belongs
to him, and l am going to give him a
bit Of a lesson"
"But II
you are all right, Mr.. Bowser,
though l wish you'd had your eyes
open when we struck the cart. 1t went
ten feet high. and the look on the Ital-
fans face was something to remember.
Peanut carts are good things to prac-
tice on. This is ~exhilarating, isn't it:'
"Y-yes, but I'd like to get home early,
you know. I think Mrs. Bowser wants
to play cards tonight"
"She said that 1 was to take you
from fifteen to twenty miles so that
you could thoroughly post yourself on
the running Of a machine. The first
thing to get used to is the sensation Of
speed. We are now going at the rate
of ten miles an hour, but it seems twice
that to you, l suppose?"
1T seems Il thousand"
"But you'll get used to it. Now we
are coming to a crossing Of street car
tracks and just in time to meet four
different street cars. If you were out
in your machine what would you do?"
stop it and yell for the police!"
groaned Mr.. Bowser.
ooh, no, you wouldn't. You'd do
just as l am doing-let those four mo-
tormen look out for themselves and
drive right ahead. If they are not a
mind to stop, them
One car ran me down within an inch,
but l escaped the other two by more
than a foot, and for two minutes l am
sure that Mr.. BOwser didn't breathe.
When / had the time to glance at him
he was as pale as a dead man, and had
his eyes hard shut.
NOW we are out of town and there's
a good road before US, and l can show
you some speed" l said.
"Say, Blank" he whispered in reply,
Il am sure that Mrs. Bowser wants
me and will be mad if I don't come
home"
Wen head for home after our little
spin"
"But-but-how much will you take,
cash down, to head for homer"
why, Mr.. Bowser, 1 thought you
wanted to be an autoist."
II do, but, you see, if Mrs. Bow
night
l ran the machine into a shallow
ditch and let it brush against the
bushes, and Mr.. Bowser went still
whittier. 1 then ran over a stick of
cord wood dropped from some farmers
wagon, and the poor man groaned like
an OK in his last agony. Then I in.
creased the speed to twenty-five miles
an hour, and he slid off the seat and
chung to my leg. Having carried out
my promises to the letter, / ran the
auto off the road and stopped it and
said:
"NIr. Bowser, shall we put in anoth.
.er ten .miles?'
For heavens sake, no." he replied
as he came to life.
"Nice moonlight evening, you know,
and | am willing to stay out until mid
night" r.
l got out to oil up a little and he
followed. The next thing | knew be
had slipped away into the bushes. I
called to him again and again. but he
did not answer. | went up the road for
d mile. but no one had seen such q
ma as | described. / made many in
quiries on my return and kept my eyes
open for the man l wanted, but in vain.
When i reported to Mrs. Bowser she
| smiled and said:
You have my warmest thanks. II
may take him two or three days. but
be Will get home at last. He may
turn to fire escapes, burglar alarms,
/ hair dyes and the dew cure, but 1 don't
think he will buy an auto.'
And neither 90 I.
BOWSER'S FRIEND BLANK,
Per NJ. Quad.
History Repeats Itsell