The Springfield herald., 1913-06-13
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But Mr.. Hand had alreaoy tnouSut
what was best to be done.
Come on, here's another machine.
Well chase him!" he cried. as he went
for the white motor-car. standing farth-
er back under the trees. 1t had to be
cranked, which required some sec
onds, but presently they were of
Hand and the sheriff, in hot pursuit
after Straker's car.
Chamberlain and Aleck, triumphant
ly leading the horse, came back in
time to see the settling cloud of dust.
''Mr Chamberlain-Mr. Van Camp!"
cried Agatha. They've gone! They've
gone! They've got away!"
Who's got away" demanded Cham
berlain.
"All of them!" groaned Agatha. as
she sank down on the piazza steps.
"Jimminy Christmas" calculated
Mr.. Straker. This beats any ten
twenty-thirty I ever saw. Regular
Dick Deadwood gamet And he's run
on with my new racer!"
What" yelled Chamberlain. "Did
that bloomin' sheriff let that bloomin'
rascal get away?"
He isn't anybody I'd care to keep!"
chuckled Straker. But you know the
new racers worth something"
Did Chatelard go OF in that ma
chine?" again inquired Chamberlain
slowly and distinctly of the two wom-
en-.
Precisely" said Melanie. while Aga
tha's bowed head nodded.
by Jove, that sheriff's dufrer!
Here, Van, give me the horse" And
with the words Chamberlain grabbed
Little Simon's best ROADSTER mounted
him bareback, and turned his head up
the road.
"Fll catch him yeti" he yelled back
But he didn't. Three miles farther
along he came upon the wreck The
racer was lying on its side in ditch
to a substantial volume of mire and
mud. The white machine was drawn
costly up under spreading hemlock
farther on, but Mr.. Hand and the sher-
III were nowhere in sight.
AS Chamberlain stopped to gaze on
the overturned car. he heard the
crashing Of underbrush in the woods
near by. The steps came nearer. 1t
was evident the chase was up; they
were of the scent and obliged to re-
turn.
"Humph!" grunted Chamberlain. and
for once the clear springs Of his dis
position were made turbid with satire
We're all a pack Of bloomin' asses
that's what we are. What in hells
the matter with us?"
While he was tying the horse to a
tree. Hand appeared. silent, with an
unfathomable disgust written on his
countenance. AS usual, he who was
the least to blame came in for the
hottest of the censure; and yet, there
was sort Of fellowship indicated by
Chamberlain's extraordinary arraign-
ment of them both. He was scarcely
known ever to have been profane, but
at this moment he searched for wicked
words and interspersed his speech with
them recklessly, IL not with skill. 1t
is the duty of the historian to expur-
gate.
II don't know just how you happen
to be In this game" pronounced Cham
berlain hotly, but all I've got to say
is you're an assam Internal ass"
Hand. rolling up his sleeves, remain
ed silent.
II suppose If you'd had a perfectly
good million-dollar bank note, you'd
have let 1t blow away-piff! right out
Of your Lands!" he fumed. "Or the
title deed of Mount Olympus-or a
ticket to a front seat in the New Jeru-
salem. That's all 1t amounts to- Catch
an eel, only to let him slip through
your flngers-eh. you!"
Mr.. Hand made no answer. Instead,
he waded into the ditch-stream and
placed shoulder under the racing
car Chamberlain's instinct for doing
his share Of work caused him to roll
up his trousers and wade in, shoulder
to shoulder with Hand, even while he
was lecturing on the feebleness of
mans wits.
Good horse running loose into barb
wire fences had to be caught, but 1t
didn't need a squadron of men and a
forty-acre lot to do 1t in. Might have
known he'd give US the slip If he
could-biggest rascal in Europe!" And
80 on. Chamberlain, usually rather a
silent man, blew himself empty for
once, conscious all the time that he,
himself, was quite as much to blame
as Hand could possibly have been.
kept his counsel. Hand ought to be
prime minister by this time
When the racing car was righted; he
went swiftly and skilfully to work in