The Washington herald., 1909-05-16
WHEN MY LADY GOES A-MOTORING AT NIGHT

Potomac and the softer whisper OF the
less turbulent Shenandoah are drowned
BY the loose planks Of the bridge as the
heavy automobile pursues its onward
way. Through the dusty roadway OF
Sandy Hook, black with railroad CRIME
and cinders. then beside the audible but
Invisible river for a couple OF miles.
then a swing across the railroad tracks,
with eve and ear alert for passing trains.
and then the trip 70 Frederick, which IS
the first objective point. IS fairly begun.
One charm OF travelling b. night is the
fact that the roads are almost absolute
y free from teams. There Is no necsssi-
" OF hating while sturdy farmers hold
their timOrOUs animals and even the
streets Of the occasional villages are IN
oOStructed BY a single vehicle II is a
curious fact. too, that horses are not as
frightened by the glare Of the lamps al
night as they are by the machine itself
during the day. They seem 10 recognize
something familiar IN the light and as a
matter OF fact, the machine IS not visi-
bic behind the brilliant beams. Once tn
g while, when some country swain has
been 10 whisper words u love 70 his
rural sweetheart. there win be a spec
tral vision Of a man standing by a
horses head as the car glides By. but.
generally speaking. the road for miles
and miles win be absolutely deserted
Il was the Real Chauffeur whose we'll
trained eyes first discovered an upright
object standing by the roadside II was
a human being Where vas he going
and would he Ike 20 ride2 He was
tTudging slowly 10 his home in the next
village and he would be delighted II We
4 -
the tonneau and sank. half-frightened.
into the cushioned seat Ceside the Lady
with the Dark Brown Hair. The Real
Chauffeur slyly pushed the throttle for
ward and the car whizzed gayly over the
road. The nan clutched his hat with
desperate energy and then. when nothing
happened. found opportunity 70 speak
Whence had We come and whittier gOing2
oh" answered the Real Chauffeur.
with 2 nonChslsnt laugh, we are just
running over TO Baltimore and may be to
Philadelphia"
Wei. III be"
The ejaculation died unspoken upon HIS
lips The Girl in White. sitting beside
the Real Chauffeur. turned around and
the darkness hid the smile that was in
her voice. "Oh. don't mind me- she
said.
But he never uttered another word
until he bade Us good night
Red lights along the road al night are
toll-gate warnings. Some thrifty toll
takers bar the highway with q long
wooden pole and are willing TO be dis
turbed in their slumber for the sake OF
a few pennies. but there are also places
where the gate-keeper's house Is as quiet
as the grave The automobile files past
these places with a derisive "honk."
which. il the toll-taker dimly hears,
must mar his sleep with uncomfortable
dreams. TO say nothing. as the LAZY with
the Dark Brown Hair Indignantly re-
marks, OF waking all the babies When
the toll-gates are lifted, however. there
is nothing 10 interfere with the progress
Of the nocturnal travellers. Up hill and
down hill. around sharp corners and long
curves. the car speeds on Il is the one
lone. living, moving thing in the whole
wide world No saUcy chipmunk or
bushy-tailed squirrels scurry across the
road nor DO the frightened rabbits lump
with undignifed haste into the nearby
thicket II the owls are awake they
must view with Open-eyed astonishment
the mysterious thing which comes out Of
the darkness and disappears again Once
In while a COW asleep IN the neigh |
boring field viii awaken with a start
and there is also possibility that horses |
may be straying IN the roadway, but
these incidents are infrequent and are so
spectacular when they occur that they
furnish a topic OF conversation over |
many miles. To the autOnobilist at |
Fc ~1-e 4r-,s
may happen II is for this reason that /
the man who sits behind the steering |
wheel is intently peering ahead TO pene- /
trate, II possible, the darkness beyond /
the headlights. while his foot is in con /
slant readiness TO press heavily against 1
the hfe-saving brake. There IS no telling /,
what lies beyond that fringe OF light. /
Even II you know the road-and never !
IS knowledge more desirable than when /
you are taking an automobile trip at 1
1ight-theTe IS always some uncertainty +
as TO what may be encountered in the 4
mysterious blackness a hundred yards I
ahead.
While the Lady with the Dark Brown 1
Hair n1editated anG the Girl in White 4
sang softly TO herself. the Man from Bal 4
timore recited Kipling He knew all \
about the road 20 MandaIay. where the 4
fly fishes play, and he was relating 4
how the coloners lady and Judy O'Grady 1
were sisters under their skins when he /
ceased.
I shall quote no more poetry" he re- I
marked My mouth Is full Of bugs"
So it is not exactly true that there is 4
nothing apparently alive along the road /
Al night II the car halts for a moment +
the atmosphere fairly f1utters with a l
myriad Of flying insects. In front Of the 1
acetyiene lamps the brOsd-winged moths I
gather in family reunion and a swarm 4
IF flying things suddenly appears. If the +
sar Is running at the rste OF twenty-five /
Dr. thirty miles an hour. the tiny insects I
VIII strike against your face with so
much force IN the impact as to give the 4
impression Of pelting with small shot. i
Protected by his goggles, the Real /