The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-14
THE EVENING STORY
The Girl Who Dared.
tBy Amelie Delaney

tBy Amelie Delancey)
For six months the Widow-Penrose
had been planning an addition to her
country residence. but absence and a
rush of orders had prevented her 1
nephew, Gordon Gordon. from run
ming down and taking the work in
hand.
Finally he appeared in his auto.
driven by himself, and the machine
was left at the gate. It had rested
there less than half an hour, when
along came three young ladies with
fishpoleS on their shoulders and one
poor little fish to show that they had
not visited the lake in vain that fore
noon.
The sight of an auto was more ia
| miliar to them than that of a car
riage. They were residents of the city
| and were summering at good Aunt
Mary's boarding house, a quarter of a
mile away.
IAN autoi" they cried in chorus as
| they came to a halt.
And the owner is in the housed"
And we can take a ride without
| his knowing it!''
Yes but none of us can run it,
| Girls said. Miss Dorothy Flint,
i with whom this story has mostly to
| do, 81 have ridden in autos so many
times that I believe 1 could run one.
Yes, I know L could. It's just like
steering boat after you get started.
4
first. That ignites the spark or some
thing Then. after you get in, you pull
| this lever back and away she goes. 1
| think the auto belongs to a doctor.
Doctors are always good-hearted men,
| and I'm sure this one won't begrudge
| us a little spin. Get in
| But the command was in vain. They
| hadn't confidence in her experience
and skill as chauffeur. If she could
| run an auto, why not drive the ma
| chine to the lake and back? She hes
itated and was jeered at. She made as
if to turn away and was dared
Perhaps Miss Dorothy's grandfath-
err was one of those who fell at Lex
| ington or lay wounded on the field of
i Bunker Hill. At any rate, the dare"
had hardly been dared when she was
at the crank, and as soon as the whiz-
| zing noise came to prove that the dead
machine had come to life she climbed
| in and gave it a start.
i She went off with whew, and had
not covered a hundred feet when she
wished she had not gone at all. But
1t was too late. There were a dozen
"Oh mys!'' behind her and she for
got everything but holding the wheel
with a grip Of death.
If she had ever heard that an auto
J. could be stopped she forgot it. now.
: 1t was hard, wide road, and she was
out of sight in three minutes.
81 The two other girls stood there
with mouths and eyes wide open and
!, feeling helpless even to scream out,
!, when young man came down from
the house, raised his hat, looked
!; around, ana inquired somewhat anx-
: iously:
here -
"It's run away!" answered one after
| q moment.
with a g-gurl," added the other
as the tears came to her eyes.
What! Do you mean that some
girl is driving my auto up or down the
highway without my pern1ission?"
'Y-yesl''
r ssAnd who is she, may inquirer"
"a Miss Flint
well, Miss Flint has nerve. Is she
used to driving autos?'"
'sWe-we guess so, but she SCENE
: scared when she started off Won
2 you run after her, sir? You see, We
{ dared her to-
/ And she wouldn't take dare
Well, there's a $4,000 auto gone to
wreck, and a girl lying somewhere be-
3 side the road with broken neck. Rur
? after heri Why, she may be fifteer
miles away by this time! How coulc
she be so foolish!'
r But if she is d-dead, sir some one
| must bring home her-her mangleo
remainsi'' said one of the girls as
! both broke down and wept
'twell, I believe there's a saddle
2 horse in the stable, and I'll set out
| q solemn warning to you-yery sol
emn.''
He was a young man of two or
three and twenty, and did not look q
bit like doctor Besides, ne was no1
. a stranger to the house from which
!, he had emerged. He tried to look very
,, | dignified and serious as he uttered his
|. warning, but it was failure. ANY
. young man of that age would nave
| made a failure of it.
| Even though the Girls were tear1Ol
and anxious as they walked along
home they agreed titteringly that he
. didn't look a bit solemn.
He brought out the horse as soon
.. as possible and galloped away. but
, at the lake the highway forked. There
! | were three diverging roads, and ne
,, must and did take his chance OF hit
| ting the right one. He had gaitopeo
: | down the left hand one for three
miles before a farmer replied to MS
hail:
mo. Haven't seen no gal scootin'
, by here in an auto at fifty miles an
a rock after her Beats all how differ
emit the gals of this age are from
those of forty years ago. Why, when
my wife was a GAL
But the pursuer waited to hear no
more. He returned to the lake, and
7 finding the right-hand road little
| better than the middle one. took 1t
{ and ga1loped ahead. When he had
| gone a distance of two miles ne drew
. rein to speak to a farmers wife weed
: ing a flower-bed in the front yard.
"a gal and an auto. eh?'' she quer-
: led mo. I don't think I've seen 'em.
Might have seen ,'em, but if SO. it has
slipped my mind. What was the color
]. of the gals hair ?"
j s'But you have either seen them
t or not.'' exclaimed the young man
{ petulantly.
t "That's so-thats SO. Wall, I guess
| thew took the other road. That is. they
I did if they didn't take to the FIELDS
+ Think it's. .goin' to ram TINS W., week e.
: turned to the lake his horse was in a
: lather. and he decided to go back to
D III. a,1nf's in fhe homes that the auto