The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-16


 the fact that Miss Norman was
 riding alone in her automobile
 at 10 o'clock at night. Stran- gers might have commented upon it's @angularity, but they would indeed have been strangers. If an outsider haa taken the trouble to inform one or Miss Norman's acquaintances of this proceeding, the latter might have shrugged a shoulder and exclaimed. fnexplicable;" or, perhaps, go further sthl-"Really. she is such an unusual 8iri l do not understand her at all None of us does" the "us' referring to other members of the set to which Mas Norman's wealth and position en- titled her to belong.
 If the person commenting upon Miss Norman's vagaries were inclined to gossip. she might hint vaguely at some connection between that young wo- mans pecuIiarities and that unfortu- nate affair of Jack Ashton's" But no one would have dared to more than thint for no one knew, notwithstanding at the time young Ashton left sud- denly for one one knew where, several had tried solicitous1y to find out. Sym pathy, however, was indifferently re- csived by Miss Norman, and if there had been anything between her and Ashton. she ably concealed the fact. So, Gossip was silent perforce, or at any rate subdued, and when, a few months later, Miss Norman took up nutoing and gradually relinquished in- ferest in teas and repcentions for the more exhilarating pleas1re of the whirring machine, she dropped out of society so quietly that her absence was scarcely noted until she was gone Ihe death of her father, the wealthy head of A. V. Norman and Company stockholders. a short time afterward gave further excuse for avoiding the socia1 gatherings of those people who were formerly her constant associates
 Whether or not, then, the Ashton af- fair had given Miss Norman a dis taste for the set to which both she and Ashton had belonged, was a mat ter entirely conJectural, and as con lecture without substance is seldom profitable. acquaintances, busted with the round of the social season, soon ceased to puzzle. and apparently agreed 10 let Miss Norman go her way in peace. She had merely dropped out" and her name was rapidly being written in the dusty roll of the social Iy forgotten.
 When Mise Norman did anything, it was thoroughly done. If it was a hunt she rode with the leaders She had been acknowledged the best player in tile woman's tennis club of which she was a member. When she adopted the auto, therefore. it was to be expected she would enter into the sport whole Nl. the morning and afternoon spins were never omitted, while often whole days were spent in the speeding car. On these trips the automobile covered mile after mile of the smooth Illinois roads, returning late in the evening, covered with dust, or spotted with the flying mud. It was at night, however, that this sinexplicable" young woman derived the greatest pleasure from her fad. There was something glorious in the sensation of spinning through the parks, or along country roads after dark. Away from the brilliantly lighted boulevards. the soft velvet Nof the night seemed to envelope her. | shutting out the city world and leav- | ing her alone in a universe bounded | only by the glinting stars above, the | road ahead. and the shadows of trees | ana hedges on either side.
 When Miss Norman first ventured upon an evening ride. there had been ! a sharp remonstrance from her step- i mother. the young Mrs. Norman, wid- | ow, and heir to half the Norman for tune It was unconventional and un- safe, that lady protested, and if Miss Norman persisted in riding by moon light, she should at least take one of | the servants with her. A somewhat spirited discussion followed in which ! the matron was badly worsted, and |
 
 ming spins was increased. *-.r:@ T
 Whatever might have been said of the propriety of Miss Norman's course there could be no doubt as to its phy- Eical benefit. From a somewhat tim 5d amateur satisfied with a lawful eight-hour rate of speed she soon be- came known a chauffeur who com bined fearIessness and daring. and who cared little for the dangers of the pas time Exposure to wind and sun lent ! rich brown to her cheeks, and the exhIlaratiOn of high speed gave a spar 1 kle to her eyes which had been lack l ing in the days of the pink tea social 1 life. Constant handling of levers brought physical strength, and the ne- cessity for quick decisions developed @ hitherto latent quality of firmness and courage which the straight lines of the mouth and chin in no way denied | In short. autoing had brought about | the eclipse of the timidity and hesi- | tancy of her feminine nature Miss Norman had become strong and mas terful, almost masculine, and she had ! learned the independence of self-reli- l ance As stated. then. it was not a mat ter worthy of comment that Miss Nor man should be riding alone at 10 | o'clock in the evening. Shortly af- fer dinner she had stepped into the | library for a moment to pull on her k&hnAAGNs. MI B. 4NOA Ald4s III d large arm chair, had looked up from her book and taken in her step daughters ! appearance with d glance of disappro- val.
 Another night trip?" she asked re- proachfully. The girl nodded carelessly, fixing her . attention on the fastening of her glove. | The silence encouraged Mrs Norman.
 T wish you would give up that habit" she said petulantly.
 Haven't we discussed that matter before?' replied the girl cheerfully. | but with ever so little acid back of the seIf-contained smile.
 But think of the risks youi run" persisted Mrs Norman. feeling bOlder at the lack of opposition. With hold up men and burglars. and the danger of accident, it is hardly safe for wo- man to venture out at night even with an escort, to say nothing of going alone as you do"
 .'Risks?" laughed Miss Norman. szs0thinG more than the inconvenience