The labor standard., 1910-01-01
RUNNING AWAY FROM BOB
By ETHEL FOWLER

the runabOut into q convenient lane, puttered over it bit, then dropped all useless effort to revitalize it. How many miles she was from her destina- tion or her home she had no idea. It mattered little whether 1t was one or thousand, she was anchored to stay as far as the machine was concerned.
 She had set out with more haste than discretion and had left undone things that should have been done in preparation for so long a run; also she had neglected to take along other things that should have been taken in case of the emergency which was sure to present itself.
 Emergency without recourse is never pleasant. Janet felt it almost tragic. It portended the failure of her under taking, intended to impress and sub- due her family and-some others. Was it to end in this silly little fasco? Never!
 She set her teeth with determination and went down the road to recon hotter. Nothing in sight either way. She climbed a large rock pile at the roadside and gazed long and intently in the direction of her destination, as if to materialize in the near distance the factory village whence she had meant to speed away on the prosaic but reliable railway.
 She finally persuaded herself that she perceived spires and chimneys upon the blank horizon and with more determination returned to the car, gathered up her suit case, lunch box, raincOat and umbrella and set out to finish the journey with her small, fash ionably shod feet.
 Painting upder her load, she evcntu- ally reached the rock pile, rested her remonstrating aching little person half hour and meekly, with great dis gust, ploddcd back to the runabout as to city of refuge.
 When she packed so large part of her personal belongings she had not considered the possibility of trans porting it by main strength, like bod carrier.
 She could abandon the treacherous car, but not her plumage. One cannot make creditable entrance into a strange country without suitable adomment, and she felt that her fu- ture largely depended upon the i'm pression her unknown relatives receiv- ed of her at meeting.
 Therefore she resigned herself to await the passing of a good Samari- tan, hoping devoutly he would be pos sessed of a large touring car and tow her into port.
 This was entirely a matter of chance, though, with the probabilities against it, as she had purposely chosen an unfrequented way to avoid the auto party she had deserted.
 She kicked her heels and reflected upon her position with anger and self pity. Bob would go of course, in his big new machine, and equally, of course, he would go for her-he could not avoid that-in spite of her en- phatic refusal to accompany him.
 Her refusal counted for little, or his reluctance either, with both families continually flinging them at each other in the most barefaced manner.
 Her father had come home beaming the night before and informed her that Bob would be on hand, as he had taken pains to explain that she Janet) was expecting him, as usual, the re- fusal being a mere bit of feminine coquetry, and her mother had laugh ingly added that she had met the young fellow that afternoon looking very Respondent and had cheered him