The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1912-01-12

damp, Emily accepted the peace offer
ing.
YES, please"
You're not angry? You know I'm
stupid chump sometimes; l don't
mean it,"
This time she laughed outright.
mo; l am sorry | was cross. 1t is
l who would like to shirk my work.
Never mind me; let us read"
They did read, seated opposite each
| other in the broad window-seat and
| passing the sheets across as they fin
| ished them. Dick had not exagger-
ated, on the contrary he had not said
enough. Lestrange and his car were
| the focus of the hours attention. The
daring, the reckless courage that risk
ed life for victory. the generosity
which could throw that victory away
| to aid a comrade, and lastly the deter
mination and skill which had won the
conquest after all-the whole formed
a feat too spectacular to escape pub
lie hysteria. 1t was very doubtful in
deed whether LestrakSe liked Lis idol
izing, but there was no escape.
The two who read were young.
at was a splendid fight" sighed
Dick, when they dropped the last
! page.
Yes" Emily assented. when he
comes back, when you see him, give
him my congratulations.
when see him? Why don't you
tell him yourself?"
Something like a white shadow
wiped the scarlet of excitement from
her cheeks, as she averted her face.
81 shall not see him; shall not go
to the factory any more. 1t will be
better am sure"
Vaguely puzzled and dismayed,
Dick sat looking at her, not daring
to question.
Emily kept her word during the
weeks that followed. Through Dick
and Bailey she heard of factory af
fairs; of the sudden increase of orders
for the Mercury automobiles, the add
| ed prestige gained, and the public
favor bestowed on the car. But she
saw nothing of the man who was re-
sponsible for all this. Instead she
went out more than ever before.
| Their social circle was too painfully
exclusive to be large or gay.
Three times a week it was Mr..
| Ffrench's stately custom to visit the
factory and inspect it with Bailey.
At other times Bailey came up to the
house, where affairs were conducted.
But in neither place did Mr.. French
ever come in contact with his man.
ager, during all the months while win
ter waxed and waned again to spring.
That's Bailey's doing" chuckled
Dick, when Emily finally wondered
aloud at the circumstance. 'He isn't
going to risk losing Lestrange because
our high and mighty uncle falls out
with him. And it would be pretty
likely to happen if they met. Le-
strange has a temper, you know, even
if it doesn't stick out all over him
like a hedgehog; and dozen other
companies would give money to get
him."
Emily nodded gravely. 1t was sun
ny morning in the first of March, and
the cousins were at the end of the old
park surrounding Ffrenchwood, where
they had strolled before breakfast.
'Mr. Bailey likes Mr.. Lestrange,
she commented.
Likes him! He loves him. You
know Lestrange lives with him; a
bachelor household, cozy as grigs."
Just past here ran the road, beyond
a high cedar hedge. While he was
speaking, the irregular explosive re-
ports of a motor had sounded down
the valley, unmistakable to those IA
miliar with the testing of the stripped
cars, and rapidly approaching. Now,
assEmily would have answered, the
roar suddenly changed in character,
an appalling series of explosions min
gled with the grind of outraged ma
chinery suddenly braked, and some
one shouted above the din. The next
instant a huge mass shot past the 9th.
er side of the hedge and there followed
a dull crash.
That's one of our men," gasped
Dick, and plunged headlong through
the shrubbery.
Dazed momentarily, Emily stood
then caught up her skirts and ran aft
er him. She knew well enough what
the testers of the cars risked.
"Dick!" she appealed. 'Dick!"
But it was not the wreck she antici-
pated that met her eyes as she came
:, through the hedge. On the opposite
side of the road a long low skeleton
car was standing, one side lurched
drunkenly down with two wheels in
the gutter. Still in his seat, the driver
was leaning over the steering-wheel
out of breath, but laughing greeting
to the astonished Dick,
Z. "A break In the steering-gear.n he