The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-03-16

lawn TO window. When they were
not singing they were talking in
| four-part chonds, or in dialogue in
which each spoke high or low, or
middling, as his voice required. II
was great fun for the Quartet, who
had the long distance enthusiasm o.
collegians for new game. But their
host longed for a puddled cell.
Fearing that the neighbors would
invoke the Board Of Health, he de-
termined to make an early start for
the town of Dover, which had two
| attractions for him; first, that it
would relieve him of the Quarte,.
and second, that it would enable
him, he trusted, to meet certain
person. who he hoped. would find
the new car vastly becoming to him
and to her.
The automobile made a slow and
uncertain Anabasis, for, in the first
place. Newton's bump of locality
was dimple, and he kept taking
the wrong road in the second place,
the incessant choiring of the Quar-.
tet got on his nerves so that he
was forever putting on the brake
or shutting off the power when he
meant " change his speed. And in
the third place, he was suffering an
acute attack of motor fright. He
never threw on the third speed eX.
cept by accident, when he meant to
turn corner or coast hill.
His embarrassment was not long
kept secret from the Qunine Quar-
tet, and he was soon christened
Young Man Afraid of His Car" by
the huge fat hippopotamus from
whose bulk issued that stnange
mock-soprano known as a counter
tenor. This overgrown Cupid was
called "Billikin," for reasons that
were evident on the face of him as
well as the rest of him.
1t had pleased the Quininers TO
babel the tenor Highbawl, and the
first bass Grin and Baritone, or the
Growler for short. The second bass
was dubbed the Old Sexton.
They had an undergraduate sense Of
humor, in which boisterousness stood
for an inspiration and violence for
finesse.
With such a cargo and one gen.
tleman chauffeur the automobile
moved like a whooping calliope along
an enratic course towards Dover, un-
til it reached the Nook in the Woods.
And then something happened.
The Quartet had ceased to render
the hatsong for the time being and
was hilariously chanting, 'Merrily
We roll along, roll along, roll along,
Merrily we roll along"
There was startling report as
Of pistol shot. Something told New
ton that a tire was punctured and
he set THE brakes without troubling
to shut off the power There was a
ragged clatter, and in a panic he
began TO turn and pull everything |
he could lay hands on.
The car came to a tremulous stop
and the song petered out in a mis-
cradle.
"Merrily we don't roll along"
Then another and a louder explo- |
sion shivered the outraged machin-
cry and the Quartet swarmed over
board in four different scrambles, |
all awkward. While Newton sat in
spasm of that bewildered rage which
only the drivers of balky car can
understand, the Quartet stood off
at safe distance and chanted
Take me back to home and moth
er"
Newton, with a bad attack of
chauffeur's chagrin. kept trying all
the things he could remember from
his course of lessons. Nothing work
ed.
The Quartet reassembled, brushed
the dust off its various parts, and
then led by Biliken as at foot |
ball game began rooters chorus:
What's the matter? What's the
matter? Mister. tell us what's tine
matter?'
The situation was so dismal to
Newton that he simply answered:
The blamed thing has stopped.
The Quartet looked from one to an.
other and exclaimed:
Not really"
Il want to know
DO tell" and
Quit your Kidding
Newton wormed out of his sea-
and got to the ground.
Yes, she's stopped" he said, with