The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-03-12

no JSIhSo OuI IN0 SAoIA esoN s1AS !"
on the brakes. But there was no
stopping this roaring thunderbolt in
a hundred yards, and no steering
around that crippled, Topping ma
chine ahead. The two cars crashed.
A figure shot over the bonnet of
Nineteen, like tumbler from his
springboard, and rolled over and ov-
er in the road and lay very still.
The two machines seemed to writhe
for an instant, as though in gigan-
tbs enmity-ther engines bombarding
muzzle to muzzle. They were swung
apart-No. { to become a wreck
against the grand stand-No. 1S to
90 lurching forward upon one fore
wheel and the end of an axle, grazing
the PROSTATE body in the road.
The grand stand breathed. They
had expected annihilation. But Nor
gan in the last thousandth Of Sec
ond had swerved his machine so that
his left fore wheel had met, and not
with direct impact, wheel Of No. Z.
The crowd saw that the two men in
No. Z were living, and saw that the
man at the steering wheel of Nine
teen still held his seat.
Morgan, whose grip on the wheel
and supreme bracing Of the legs had
saved him from being catapultic
missile, leaped from the car and ran
back to where Jack lay. He knelt
ard jerked off Jacks goggles. The
boy weakly opened his eyes. "All
gone to smash?" he asked.
How are you?" Morgan cried.
Jack began slowly to rise. Nor
gan waited for no more. He rushed
tc Nineteen, which officials were
frantically pushing from the track,
for the announcer's megaphone had
sounded the cry: ''Car coming!"
They lodged her against the grand
stand-beneath a box where sat a
girl in a tan coat; and the instant the
car stopped Morgan wriggled under
it, and to the crowd was only a V OF
legs. Jack limped dazedly up, and
at the sight of the battered bonnet
and radiator, the splintered hub that
had been fore wheel, the race that
was lost, the boy leaned his elbows
over his old seat and broke into sobs.
lin this ne was not alone, for just
above him a girl in tan coat was
sobbing, too.
Morgan began to wriggle out, and
Jack, face streaming, caught his an
kles and dragged him forth. He
sprang up frantically. his grimy face
likewise tear-streaked.
How is it?"Jack asked.
Seems solid-front axle bent a
little" He pointed a quiT ering hand
at the hub. "Get it oit!-jack up
the axle!"
"why-what for?" Jack asked
blankly.
Hang it! Get it off," he yelled,
And he turned and sprinted in the d.
rection Of their garage-why, only
his frenzy could have told, for the
garage was four miles away. But
the sight Of one of the motorcycle
patrolmen brought him to a stop
Without a word, he snatched the mo-
torcycle from the owners hands, and
gave a run and leaped astride it. It
was high-powered machine, with a
mile-a-minute reputation. Whatever
it's best was, it showed that best now.
In a dozen seconds Morgan was a
whizzing speck down the roadway,
the tails of his yellow dustcoat whip
ping the air. The crowd, oblivious
of the cars racing past, stood on It's
feet and watched him disappear, and
then counted the minutes till he
should come again. They guessed
what he was going to try to do
Could he make it in time?-and
would the car run?
Presently the speck reappeared far
down the roadway-grew larger as il
skinned toward then-an1 then
they saw great hump on Morgan 8
back-and then, as he dashed up 10
the grand stand, they saw that the
hump was wheel, its tire ln!!ated.
He sprang from the motorcycle, gave
it a push toward its owner, aud in
stantlyl Jack was unstrapping the
wheel from his back. The mex in
slant the two of them were fitting it
to its place.
But before the task was done the
announcer's shout went up, "Car
coming!'-and two minutes later
No. IS tore by and began its tenth
round. More than another two min
utes were gone ere the last thing was
finished. Then Morgan leaped to his
seat, and Jack began to crank the
engine. Would the engine run? the
grand stand dasked itself. The en-
CINE answered with a mighty boom
ing.
A hand fell on Morgan's shoulder
"a hand in a soiled glove. He look
ed up at figure that leaned out ov-
er the box railing. you're going to
win!" said choking voice.
His face was tightened-that was
all.
Jack bounded to his seat Morgan
let in the clutch. The car moved!
A great cry of relief rose from the
grand stand, and changed to a cheer
as the car fairly sprang into a leap
ing speed. Theirs was brave try
but could man born Of woman, and
machine made Of man, overcome the
three minutes lead of Eighteen?
Could they? If man and machine
could, Morgan and Nineteen would.
For the first minute he was full Of
fear that the spirit had been knocked
out Of her. But her cylinders fired
with their old regularity; all her
parts ran with their old ease. He
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