The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-19

, a lap. A roar went up from the grand stand so great that it drowned to Mor- gan's ears the terrific artillery or his flying car, and the roar thundered along the paallel human walls through which he sped. Nineteen had become the favor ite.
 Suddenly as she whzzed on, there was an explosion and the car began to bump A rear tire had burst. Morgan kept her going with hardly and decrease In speed till the first tire station was reached Change em all" he shouted as he drew up on the green space before the tent; an entire new set should last through the race. He and Jack tumbled their stiff bodies out of the car and a dozen men fell upon the wheels like slkilful demons While they ripped off tires and slipped on new ones Morgan and Jack took on gaso- line, fabrication oil and water for the cylinders and each threw glass down his dry throat.
 Five minutes after the car stopped she was dashing on again. It was o'clock now, and appetite, dulled by excitement at their oclock breakfast was beginning to take on a keen edge. Jack broke up a cake of chocolate in his grimy hands and pushed pieces into Morgan's mouth. Mor- , gan munched and swallowed and Jack pushed in more-but Morgans eyes never left the greasy ribbon of road. On, on the car sped, increasing her lead every mile over Eighteen, which still held second place. Near the end of the ninth round they saw Pearson less than mile ahead-a lead of a lap on their nearest rival!
 '"One more roundr Morgan cried exult- antly.
 Jack hugged his left arm.
 When they turned into the straight stretch that passed the grand stand, Pear httt hundred Varda two ahead, and few lengths beyond was No T, hopelessly out of the race from an hours delay, but now running bravely. Pearson, a notorious player to the grand stand saw here a chance for a bit Sf the spectacular. As he and No. drew up to the stand he blew for passageway, and touched his accelerator. His car sprinted forward, but Pearson, always a reckless driver, cut the curve of pass ing too fine; perhaps he had expected more of the road. The hub of his right fore wheel smashed against the left rear wheel of No. :. There was an explosion and a crash. Eighteen skidded to one side from the impact, and rushed on, unharmed. But Seven, a wheel splintered, the end of an axle on the ground, was left lunging wildly about like a wounded beast.
 Between this disaster and the next the crowd had time for only a gasping cry of horror Morgan was gripped by the teror of instant-away death. He jerked out the clutch and threw on the brakes. But there was no stopping this roaring thunderbolt in a hundred yards, and no stering around that crippled, Hopping ma chine ahead. The two cars crashed. A figure shot over the bonnet of Nineteen, like a tumbler from his springboard, and rolled over and over in the road and lay still. The two machines seemed to writhe for an instant. as though in gigantic enmity-their engines bombardng muzzle to muzzle. Then they swung apart-No. to become a wreck against the grand stand-No. i9 to go lurching forward upon one fore wheel and the end of an axle. grazing the prostrate body in the road
 The grand stand breathed. They had expected annihilation. But Morgan in the last thousandth part of q second had swerved his machine so that his left fore wheel had met. and not with direct im- pact, a wheel of No T. The crowd saw that the two men In No. ' were living, and saw that the man at the steering wheel of Nineteen still held his seat.
 Morgan, whose grip on the wheel and supreme bracing of the legs had saved him from being a catapaultic missile, leaped from the car and ran back to where Jack lay. He knelt and jerked off JACK s ROSB1eS. Ille DOy Wtdhiy optHtu his eyes. "All gone to smash?' he asked
 Jack began slowly to rise. Morgan waited for no more. He rushed to Nine teen which officials were frantically pushing from the track for the. an nouncer's megaphone had sounded the cry Car coming!" They lodged her against the grand stand-beneath a box where sat a girl in a tan coat: and the instant the car stopped Morgan wrigged under it, and to the crowd was only q of legs. Jack limped dazedly up. and at the sight of the battered bonnet and radiator, the splintered hub that had been of fore wheel. the race that was lost. the boay leaned his elbows over his old seat and broke into sobs. In this he was not alone, for Just above him a girl in a tan coat was sobbing, too.
 Morgan began to wrlggle out. and Jack. face streaming, caught his ankles and Jagged him forth. He sprang up frantic ally. his grimy face likewise tear-streaked.
 How Is it?" Jack asked.
 Seems solid-front axle bent a little. He pointed quivering hand at the hub. "Get it off-jack up the axle!'
 Hang 1t, Get it off he yelled. And he turned and sprinted in the direction of their garage-why. only his frenzy could have told. for the garage was four miles away. But the sight of one of the motorcycle patrolmen brought him to a stop. Without a word. he snatched the motorcycle from the owners hands and gave run and leaped astride it. It was a high-powered machine. With miie-