The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-12-18
Ey GRANT OWEN.

she finished.
II see," he said. you wanted me to
disprove thcse stories that are going
the rounds about my lack of nerve. Is
that it?'
YES" she said again.
He drew himself up. His shoulders
were squared. His attitude was that
Of a man summoning to his aid all his
moral courage.
1.-The stories they have told you are
quite correct" he said. somewhat
huskily.
"Ohw she said. and in her voice
there was something of pain and some
thing, too, of WEAKNESS, as If she had
been expecting this very thing and
yet was unwilling, even in her pre-
paredness to hear 1t.
"They are perfectly right in what
they say Of me-" he went on calmly.
81 have lost my nerve. There's moth:
ing would tempt me to take up road
racing again."
"NothingE' she questioned.
Nothing" he repeated inexorably.
IT am not in the habit of offering an
explanation nor any excuses for my
position in the matter. But l would
like you to know the circumstances.
Would you care to listen to them?"
"If you choose to tell me-" she said
duly.
"You remember that race three years
ago over the Meadow island courseW
said he. "Well, 1t was then 1t hap
pened. Stanley was with me. He and
l hSd good lead. We were tearing
past the curve at the old church, let
ting out the car for all there was in
her. AS we swung that turn l saw
child just in front of us not twenty
feet away, it seemed.
How she got past the ropes that
there she was right in the course and
not ghost Of a show apparently Of
escaping us. l don't know to this day
what saved her. I only know there
was a great gasping sigh from Stanley
and groan from the crowd. tried to
swing out for her, but there was so
little time. Anyway, it wasssome sort
Of special Providence that saved her.
We shot past her, so close that shut
my eyes,"
The girl saw q nervous tremor shake
the big shoulders. Her eyes narrowed.
"But the child wasn't hurt, you sayT"
she asked.
onds were enough for me. couldn't
stand them again. That is why I am
out Of the game-a gutter. If you
choose to put it that way"
The girl said nothing. She sat look
ing out at the sparkling lake with trou-
bled eyes.
At length Graham arose.
II don't blame you in the least for
thinking Of me as you do" said he,
NOR for being disappointed. Goodby."
He slid from the rail and went down
the steps to the big road car standing
In the driveway. He had pulled on his
gauntlets and was just climbing into
the car when around the corner of the
boathouse came wild eyed, DISNEY
eled gardener from one Of the houses
down the street.
"Mr. Graham, sir" he painted, will
you be gettin' the doctor, quick! Tim
Comley's fell from the stagin' on the
stables where they're paintin' an he's
burted bad, sir. IT'S dead he'll be in
ten minutes IL the doctors not fetched
before that. Hurry! For Gods sake,
hurry
I'LL have him here in flve," Graham
called, and opened up the big car.
1t sprang forward like thing alive
and went tearing down the driveway
In great cloud of dust
Margaret, who had run to the edge
Of the veranda, saw him swing into
the roadway beyond, and the drifting
dust which rose high above the poplars
told Of the terrific pace he was setting
1t was four minutes later, after a
nervous pacing OF the veranda, that
she heard the whir Of the approaching
car again. She ran down the steps
and hurried along the drive to the
roadway. Up the hill, with honking
horn, came dull, black streak. She
could see Graham bending low over