The San Francisco call., 1910-04-10

The rain roared and guttered about them Chill riv-
ulets wandered down their sheltered slope The close
grown spruces, saturated, proved leaky thatch
Pale flashes across the sky from time to time made
the ensuing darkness almost tangible The child had
fallen asleep
It'll be worse if we let the fire go out said Van
Ness. Get some rest while you can I'll stand first
watch Carter nodded, pillowed his head on his arm
and gradually sank into heavy breathing.
Van Ness, crouched the opposite side of the FIRE.
fed branches to the upeaping fame that snapped and
hissed above the grumble OF the storm. Often he
glanced at the two sleepers Once he felt socitous
against tree and fell into a doze.
1t was past midnight when he raised himself. Car
ter had not moved. Van Ness, with eyes alert
crawed slowly backward OF the circle of light
the black, dripping curtain beyond, still occa-
sionally by gmmer on the sky. Carter twisted in
OF the gusts and the thunder hollow, mufed clank
of metal from beyond if the little of the
mountains at their anyils.
The night gave up the figure of Van Ness again
about two hours later. He drenched and shiver-
ing and his face, washed of its stains, showed white
that the yellow freight could not warm or quicken.
The bandage was loose and displaced AS he came
forward he thrust something that glttercd into his
hip pocket with awkward left hand, He limped
ing, deep and even, did not check faer Van Ness
did not him, but heaped the fire high and lay
down quietly in his fur coat.
The first dull gray of morning had appeared along
the strip of sky above the lowlands when Carter
stirred The thunder had receded. but still growed
at times. lie sat up cautiously and threw his
ing aside watching the recumbent form of his
panion. In the road he could make out the ragged
outline OF the overturned red car. 1t almost con-
cealed the chassis of his own racer He got to his
knees and them with stiff movements, to his feet.
Hating racked with pain at every STEP he descended
the bank. using stout branch
Passing the red he examined the remains of his
machine closely. He assured himself, first of ALL
that the tires had survived without injury The front
wheel resting its side against the ground was
slightly buckled under. The hood was gone and the
engines were pile of umbed scraps From here
back to the tail light the chassis had been swept
clean of its body and superstructure. 1t hope
less spectacle.
Carter climbed around inside the heap He found
the crumpled bar that had once been the steering
post still in place. Nothing lett of the steering
wheel but two bent nubs. The gear rod and emer1
gency brake handles snapped short Turning
his attention to the set of the wreck itself he gained
confirmation OF something he had quite dared TO
expect though he had half guessed it. Standing on
its left side, the machines balance was not stable
The dip of the road toward the ditch threw much of
the weight outward ~.
With another glance at Van Ness he crawled under
the chassis, braced himself and waited. A wan
flicker of lightning shot the gray of morning with
sckly green for instant. and when the first rum
bling crash echoed through the hills he flung his
strength forward. The machine gave tottered and
came down heavily, the live tires of the right side
wheels taking the shock The crippled racer was ON
its feet once He tried the buekled left wheel
and made certain that it would revolve Then he
found the extra tren the ditch and unlaced the cord
this. he returned to his coat and resumed his doze
The hrst rays of rising sparkling along
the road when the two sat up to face their
situation again. The child was still Sleeping The
passing OF the storm had left cold, clear sky Van
Ness yawncd and stretched.