Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1912-02-01

TO herself. Emily turned. to see Dick
French coming toward them.
Remembering how the three had
last met. the situation suggested
strain. But to Emily's establishment
the young men exchanged friendly
mods. although Dick flushed pink.
Good morning, Lestrange," he
greeted. I've just come up from the
city, Emily. and there wasn't any car
riage at the station, 80 when one OF
the testers told me you were here I
came over to get ride"
i've been to see Mr.. Bailey" she
responded. Get IN"
AS Dick climbed In beside her. she
bent her head to Lestrange; II she
had regretted her impulsive conf
dence, again the clear sanity and
calm of the gray eyes she encountered
established self-content.
When they were trotting down the
road toward home. In the crisp air.
Emily glanced at her cousin.
IT did not know you and Mr.. Le-
strange were so well acquainted" she
remarked.
'T see him now and then" Dick an
swered uneasily. Hes too busy to
want me bothering around him much.
You-remembered him2"
Eyes"
He absently took the whip from it's
socket, flecking the horse with It as
he spoke.
at was awfully square of you,
Emily, not to mention that night to
Uncle Ethan. II wasn't like a girl, at
all I made an idiot Of myself. and
you've never said anything to me
about it since. never told you where
Lestrange took me, because I didn't
like to talk of the thing. I'm really
awfully fond OF you. cousin"
Eyes, Dickie," she said patiently.
well, Lestrange rubbed 1t in. Oh,
he didn't say much. But he carried
me down to where they were practic-
ing for road race. Such jolly lot
of fellows, like a bunch of kids; teas
ing and calling jokes back and forth
at one another half the night until
daybreak, everything raw and chilly
Busy, and their mechanics busy, and
one after another swinging into his
car and going off like a rocket. BY
the time Lestrange went off, l was as
much stirred up as anybody. When
he made record circuit at seventy
seven miles an hour average, I was
shouting over the rail like a good one.
And then, while he was off again, a
big blue car rolled in and its driver
yelled that Lestrange had gone over
on the Eastbury turn, and to send
around the ambulance. It was like a
nightmare; sat down on a stone and
felt sick"
He"
"He shook me up half an hour later,
and stood laughing at me. 'Upset|
he said. No; we shed tire and went
off into a field, but it didn't hurt the
machine, so we righted her and came
in He was limping and bruised and
scratched, but he was laughing, while
a crowd of people were trying to shake
hands with him and say things.
lGll-lbllLN db II wash l lluNA bOOQs
never felt like that before. This is
only practice he said, when l was
about to go. The race tomorrow will
do better We find it more exciting
than cocktails That was all, but
knew what he meant. all right. I've
been careful ever since. He won the
race next day, too"
'Dick, didn't it ever occur to you
that you as we'll as Mr.. Lestrange
might do real things?" she asked, aft
er a moment.
He turned his round good-humored
face to her in boundless amazement.
81? race cars and break my neck
and call it fun, like iestrange2
You're laughing at me, Emily"
mo, no." in spite Of herself the pic
ture evoked brought her smile. mot
like that. But you might be inter
ested in the factory. You might learn
from Mr. Bailey and take charge of
the business with Uncle Ethan. 1t
would please uncle, how it would
please him, If you did"
Dick stirred unhappily.
'Tt would take a lot of grind" he
objected. 81 haven't the head for 1t,
really. I'm not such an awfully bad
lot, but l hate work. Let's not be Sc
rious, cousin. How pretty the frosty
wind makes you looki"
Emily frightened the reins with a
brief sigh of resignation.
Never mind, Dickie uncle will
find a substitute. Things must go on
somehow. suppose, even IL we do not
like the way"
But the way doomed distasteful that
morning as never before.