Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1909-10-21

- tor car rolled, with resonant
humming of the engine, down the
Cromwell road, swerved into Warwick
road and swung northward through
Kensington to Shepherds Bush. Be
hind it Calendars car chung as if tow
ed by an invisible cable, lever gain
ing, never losing.
To some extent he reckoned without
his motor car. AS long as they trav-
eled within the metropolitan limits,
constrained to observe a decorous pace
in view of the %prejudices of the oun
ty council, it was a matter of III diff
Guilty whatever to maintain his dis
lance. But once they had won through
Shepherds Bush and, paced by huge
double deck trolley trans, were flying
through Hammersmith on the Ux-
bridge road-once they had u through
Acton and knew beyond dispute that
now they were without the city bound-
aries-then the complexion of the bust
ness was suddenly changed.
Not too soon for honest sport. Cal
endar was to have GNirkwood would
have said in lurid American idiom a
Iuu IOI Ills IlOl1cS. Liz SCdllCISO
lights of Southall were winking out
behind them before Brentwick chose
20 give the word to the m~echanician.
Quietly the latter threw i'll the clutch
for the third spced-and the fourth.
The car leaped forward like Il startled
race horse. The motor lifted merrily
into it's deep throated song of the open
roo1 Sic nnpt,p+oI ci11-o,, h,,,,n,i,,r
passing into Il SonorouS and sustained
pur.
Kirkwood and the girl We're first
Jared violently forward, then thrown
together. She caught his arm to
steady herself. 1t seemed the most
natural thing imaginable that he
= should take her hand and pass it be-
meath his arm, holding her so, his fin
gers closed above her own. Before
they had recovered or had time to
catch their breath a mile of MiddleseX
had dropped to the rear.
Not quite so far had they distanced
Calendars trailing Nemesis of the four
glaring eyes. The pursuers put forth
a gallant effort to hold their place. At
intervals during the first few minute
a heavy roaring and crashing could be
heard behind them. Gradually it SUBJ
sided, dying on the wings of the free
rushing wind that buffeted their faces
as mile after mile was reeled off and
the wide, darkling English countryside
opened out before them, sweet and
wonderful.
Once Kirkwood looked back. In the
winking Of all eye he saw four faded
disks Of light, pallid with despair, top
a distant rise and glide down into
was ~interrogating him with eyes whose
melting, Swallowed loneliness, revealed
to him in the light Of the far, still
stars, seemed to incite him to that
madness which he had babe himself
resist with all his strength.
He shook his head as if to say,
'"They cannot catch us"
His hour was not yet. Time enough
to think of love and marriage (as if
he We're capable of consecutive thought
on any other subject-time enough to
think Of them when he had gone back
to his place, or, rather, when he should
have found it, in the ranks of bread
winners and so have proved his right
to mortal happiness; time enough
then to lay whatever he might have
to offer at her feet. Now he could
conceive of no baser treachery to his
souls desire than to advantage himself
Of her gratitude.
Perhaps she guessed a little OF the
$50,
fortunes of the battle that was being
waged within hin perhaps not.
Whatever the trend of her thoughts,
she did not draw away from him.
Presently the silken laslnes dropped,
futtering Upon her cheeks. The tired
and happy smile lowered about her lips.
In something less than half an hour
of this wild driving Kirkwood reused
out of his reyerie sufficiently to be-
come sensible that the speed was
slackening. Incoherent snatches Of
sentences, fragments Of words and
phrases spoken by Brentwick and the
Nnechanician, were flung back past his
ears by the rushing wind. Shielding
his eyes, he could see dimly that the
mechanician was tinkering apparent
ly) with the driving gear. Then, their
pace continuing steadily to abate, he
heard Brentwick fling at the man a
sharp toned and ENORMOUSLY impatient
question, >"What is the trouble?" His
reply came in a single word, not dis
tinguishable.
The girl sat up, opening her eyes,,
disengaging her arm.
Kirkwood bent forward and touched
Brentwick on the shoulder. The latter
turned to hin a face lined with deep
concern.
Trouble" he announced superflu-
Ously. 81 fear we have blundered."
"What is it," asked Dorothy in a
troubled voice.
Petrol seems to be running low.
Charles here'-he referred t. the
mechanician-"says the tank must be
leaking. Well go on as best we can
and try to find an inn, Fortunately