Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-09-28

SoDps- Naetrins SosoPs"s I, ~ ~ 445
/, on the race morning, was the assist.
ant manager OF the Mercury company.
And there was q maddening irony in
This situation At a quarter after ten,
fifteen minutes before the first car was
to start. the Mercury stood ready,
with, in his place, the trim, khaki-clad
mechanician, concerning whose posi-
HE desertion Mr.. Green had spent
much worry. But the driver, Stan.
| ton the unfailing, was missing In
| the midst Of the gay hubbub of the
scene, the Mercury camp was on the
verge Of frenzy.
you've telephoned to his hotel?"
| inquired Floyd, no less troubled be-
cause quiet, as Mr.. Green came up
wiping his brows. .
every hotel in the town, to the police,
| to-to every one. He went to his
! hotel and dressed for the evening, at
] ter he left here yesterday, and went
off in an Atalanta automobile with
| some COMPOUNDED woman; that's all
| L can learn. He never came back to
the hotel, at all"
Floyd's slender brown hand shut
-, hard on the edge of the seat, his lip
curled slightly.
| "A woman?" he repeated, his mer-
CHESS young voice singing.
"They say so--and I'd as soon have
thought of Ralph Stanton getting
| drunk"
you'd better phone to the insane
! asylum," advised the mechanician, and
| turned his back to the whole affair.
4, 4 = +, 1iov S1.o hafOrA
him with scornful gray eyes.
Five minutes passed, ten. The hrst
car was called to it's station. The
| Mercury had drawn fifth In the lottery
| for place. Just four minutes before
J the starting hour, taxicab BOWED
furiously across the crowds, came to q
| jerky stop at the edge of the course,
and opened to emit it's passenger
| "Stanton!" hailed his manager,
choking with evaporation and relief
Stanton, for heavens sake-where-
what
Sick" the driver flung at him.
springing across to his car, from
which Floyd slid out to give him en-
trance. Mask, gloves, you others.
"Sick?" echoed the unbelieving Mr.
! Green, amid the furry of preparation
you, you sick ?"
! Stanton, in his seat, turned color
less face toward him before claspine
on the mask
Sick" he reiterated explicitly. "Are
you ready, Floyd 2"
The Mercury drew up to her line on
| exact time. And in the moments
while the cars in front were being sent
away, Floyd found an opportunity ia
put question.
you have been ill?" he co'ldly ask
ed. @
| acute Indigestion; I've been in 9
Doctors Office since nine o'clock las,
| night" snapped Stanton. Did you
think was lying to you?"
mo. Are you fit to driver"
IF you're afraid I'm not, get out and
leave me-
The signal was given. When the
Mercury flashed across the line
Floyd was almost as pale from anger
as Stanton from recent illness.
The race was for three hundred
miles, thirty times over the ten mile
course with it's sharp elbows and steer
hills, and was expected to take some
six hours of continuous driving. The
strain was not light for the pilot at the
| wheel.
For the first hour there was no Incl
dent out of the usual. Floyd attended
strictly to his work and Stanton drove
| rather more sanely than usual. But
at the beginning Of the second hour,
| the rear of the Atlanta car came In
view through the fog of dust ahead !;
| the ATLANTA, which had started four
minutes in advance Of them. Stanton
sighed with grim satisfaction, and
| speeded in pursuit.
Turn ahead" warned Floyd, at his
ear.
There was, bad turn. His eyes on
| the machine in front, Stanton rounded
| the banked curve at pace which sent
the shrieking crowd of spectators
recoiling from he danger line and
sprayed yellow soil high into the air
| AS the Mercury lurched into the
straight stretch beyond, as Floyd was
! in the act of turning to examine the
rear tires, there came sharp explos
| ion and Keeling stagger CT the car as
| a rearing casing blew out, wrenched IT.
| self bodily from the wheel and rolled
| like hoop into field hundred
yards away.
| The machine tottered to the edge OF
the road, stopping under the powerful
brakes. Floyd sprang out, dragging
loose one of the extra tires carried
| while Stanton reached for the tool
| box They had no need or time fol
conversation, as they worked, people
from all directions f1ocking around In
pushing. eager circle to watch the
! proceedings.
The two worked well together
| Floyd's def swiftness balanced by
Stanton's strength. When the task
| was finished, the driver first regained
| his place.
Get in he ordered crisply. 'Are
! you going to take all day. or am go
| ing to catch that Atalanta?"
| Floyd obeyed first and retorted sec
| ond; an invaluable habit.
IF you're going to catch anything
but smash, I'd suggest a Showdown
| for that turn" he countered, in the
| blurred accent so softly deceptive
! mo tire built is goin' to stick on q
| wheel under such roughin'."
Stanton shot glance askant out OF
| the corner of stormy blue-black eye,
1 r. r,a. ;,,;+,tod nv, tho Loot f{,,,o no