Smyrna times., 1907-01-30
How the Auto
Did 1t
By IRVING CRANE
Copyright, 1906. by P. c. Eastment

the c3Dman OVefcudrSeu lneln ana be.
cause Maize turned indignant and sale
she would go to police station before
she would submit to be swindled
crowd began to gather.
Harry Finchly was in the crowd. He
promptly espcused the cause of the
women and was struck by cabby's
whip. In return he pulled cabby Oft
the box and flung him about in the
dust until the man looked like a bundle
of lost rags. Then, no policeman hav-
ing appeared to interfere with the nat
ural course of events. the women were
escorted to a hotel.
Cards were exchanged and thanks
returned, and "alls we'll that ends
well' would have been the finish had
not young Mr.. Finchly decided that
Miss Maize was an extremely fine look
ing girl. 1t had been at least a year
since he had met her equal Within
two hours he was longing for another
look into her brown eyes and recalling
with satisfaction what a.wealth of hair
she had, how white and even were her
mented her chin. At the end of twen-
ty-four hours romance and love were
at work.
Of course Harry had been invited to
call if he ever found himself in West
chester county. Miss Maize, who did
most of the talking to him as we'll as
to the cabman, couldn't do less than
issue this invitation. but she hadn't
the least idea that her rescuer would
ever take the trouble to travel their
way. a surprise was, in store for her
He made call within a week. and he
took pains to thoroughly identify him
self.
His trip into the country was made
in his automobile, and it soon became a
regular thing for him to be seen skim
ming over the roads once a week. Mr..
Jefferson liked him. Mrs. Jefferson
thought he was very proper man in
deed, and Mazie-well, she wasn't tell
ing her thoughts, but if they hadn't
favored the young man in a general
way he would have found her confined
to her room with convenient head
ache.
An acquaintance begun in April had
progressed to September without a
thing to mar it. 1t had ripened into
friendship at least, and there were
signs that it was nearing the critical
point. Then one day Harry Finchly
did an unwise thing. In his guileless
and innocent way he mentioned that
he had given little dinner to a little
actress the night before. In an instant
the brown eyes that had been full of
laughter began to harden.
He saw that he had made mistake
and he began to hedge-that is, he
explained that the mother of the little
actress was at the dinner The point of
Miss Mazie's nose seemed to turn up
Mr.. Finchly further explained that
two aunts and two uncles of the ac
tress were also at dinner Half a min
ute later he was protesting that ht
would never have given the dinner bu
for the fact that the little actres:
seemed to be hungry and he felt sorr,
| for her. 1t had not been much Of
dinner anyhow He had sat at one
end of the dining room and the actress
at the other and they had chewet
olives and drunk poor claret and con
| fined their conversation to the weather
In fact, Mr.. Finchly did all possible
in the next few minutes to repair hi
blunder. He even went the length O
saying that the little actress had
cast in one eye and was probabl.
twenty years older than she elaine,
to be, but when he had finished an,
could protest no more Miss Mazi
asked to be excused for a moment
and he felt a chill around his heart
The mother came into the parlor t
entertain him. and, although bot
made a great effort, conversatio
dragged.
When Miss Maize walked out Of til
parlor she simply wanted to be alon
for ten minutes to recover her sci
possession. She was furious at the Ii
tie actress, at Mr.. Finchly and at he'
self, but she didn't want the secon
person mentioned to even suspect sue
state of affairs. She would smoot
the lines out of her face, coax back
smile and return to him and say ths
she always had admired little a,
treSsesi
Her intentions were good and politi
and diplomatic, but her temper got til
best of her. Under the big walnut tire
at the gate stood Mr. Finchly's aut
He always acted as his own chauffeu
Twenty times over he had taken IL
Jefersons out for spin, and Mis-
Maize had entertained an idea fl
some time that she kneW-all about IL
running Of the machine
As she walked about to calm he
self she caught sight of the auto, an
there was mischief in her eyes as 81
ran toward it and climbed in. 81
actually did know enough to start Il
thing and get headed down the bros
turnpike. Perhaps she knew enoue
to stop and turn, but the sensation
being alone gave her a helpless fee
, ing She put on speed instead of {
miniShing IT. and in tha courca of A.