The Jasper news., 1908-12-31

whizzed rapidly along, taking the
same direction as the previous car
Seigo was not certain, but conjectured
that within 1t were other officials, and.
being man of action, unhesitatingly
dashed after 1t, neared the closed ton
neau, and after breathless run sue
ceeded in swinging himself to the
springs behind, maintaining his place
by clutching the overhang of the fen
ders.
Away through the outskirts he rode,
hearing nothing from within and In
constant danger of falling of his pre-.
carious perch. The car gained speed
until his peril was great, for to be
thrown would be to receive certain in
jury. His fingers were strained con.
vulsively in their effort to hold on,
and once he was almost cast off by a
sharp declivity in the road Now he
could only trust to chance that the
automobile on which he rode was fol.
lowing that of the president; but as
a sight of the other machine on either
hand, he felt assured that the party
was all one. He leaned out across
one of the great rubber tires and
peered ahead to where now and then
he could catch the glow of red back
was not without discomfort, as the
dust of the road whirled upward and
into his nostrils in sitting volume
until he was begrimed and almost
strangled; but he clung on grimly
waiting for the mysterious trip to enc.
The big car stopped so suddenly
that he had scant time to loosen his
hold, fall off into the dirt and rol
hastily into a ditch by the roadsid;
where he might be hidden from sight
To his surprise the vehicle turne.
through gateway into field, wher'
he heard the slow crunching of tn
great wheels over the stubble. II
raised himself to his knees, and the
in a crouching posture essayed to fol,
low it in its wanderings, when he wa
arrested by sharp challenge, be
traying the fact that although the Wis
itors had been expected no chanc
was being taken of entertaining others
Again he threw himself on his face
waiting patiently for other sounds
The great fiat before him showed dim
ly in its yellow baroness, stretchinp
down to where the broad eXpanse OF
river cleaned DULY, and he could dis
Germ other lights than those of the
motor on which he had been an undis
covered passenger. These suddenly
vanished, and he surmised that the
chauffeurs had eXtinguished them pre-
paratory to leaving the cars He could
trace out no other shapes in the gloom
Not even a building raised it's dark
bulk in the night. He felt the neces
sty of advancing farther.
Foot by foot he wriggled forward
the splinters of the field imbeddint
themselves in his flesh unheeded
straining every nerve to avoid making
a noise, and listening at intervals il
the hope of catching some word o.
conversation which might give him {
clew to the cause of this nocturna
mission. From short distance aheat
came the mutterings of low-pitchei
voices, and then period of silence
He was past the machines now, still
crawling carefully. Once more he
paused when he heard suller
muhled crash from the direction of the
water, and in an agony of surprise ant
terror rose to his knees, forgetting
that he might be observed. His hands
interlocked themselves in stress as HI
watched in breathless suspense for ;
moment, and then, almost moaning il
despair he crept rapidly back to thu
road, went cautiously down it for
hundred yards, and took madly to hi
heels with fright.
All caution was thrown aside, ant
as he ran like an insane man through
the night, with his overworked lung
believing in and out until they fel
aflame, he burst into soSs, mutterin
to himself again and again; 'Onl
the gods can save Nippon! The god
help Nippon!"
CHAPTER VI.