Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-12-16
The Daily Story
MECHANICAL CHAUFFEUR-BY WILLARD MALTB1E.


| who the day before had got her license
to run an automobile, I'm going out
in the car"
sides. there's ice on the road. and your
! machine is liable TO skid"
"Oh. l shall drive very carefully
around corners and keep my speed
| down to a dozen miles an hour
Wipifred. who was used TO doing
pretty mich rs she pleased. called for
her car. BY the time it was brought up
! TO the door she was arrGyed in a fur
coat, cap and goggles and. getting into
! the drivers seat, was soon whirllnS
/ along at what she considered nothing
/ more than n fair pace. She stopped at
! the house OF friend and invited her
! 10 drive, but the young lady had other
J matters on hand. She tried another
/ and another. but they were either out
| or busy. and ut last she made up her
! mind that she must spin alone.
The air was crisp. with plenty of
/ ozone in il. and. since Winifred was
/ we'll protected. she was not cold. As
| soon as she got out of the city, coming
! TO a straight wide road. she put on more
speed. 1t was delightful bowling along
with her hands on the steering gear
and her foot on the brake, ready to re
duce speed at the slightest sign of dan
ger. She had been impatiently waiting
for a birthday which would give her
the age required to obtain a license.
and this being the first time she had
been out without some one TO act as
instructor, she was very proud OF her
self. besides being much eXhilarated.
She put on n little more speed and still
a little more till she was going at a
pretty good gait.
Auto drivers seldom realize how fast
they are going. Winifred certainly did
not Coming to q turn in the road. she
slowed down. as she thought, quite
enough to so around the curve safely,
but did not count on ice. TO weather
that turn she would have needed to
move no faster than a person would
walk. Instead of that she was going at
the rate of five or six miles an hour.
The consequence was that she skidded
into ditch beside the road and re-
manned at an angle not quite sufficient
to throw her car over.
What was to be done? Nothing but
machine might turn turtle. after all.
This she did and stood looking at it
ruefully. She dare not try to run it by
its own power up on to the road. and
there was no other way to get it there.
She cast an inquiring glance mp the
road and was relieved to see a car
coming. When it reached her the
driver. who occupied it alone came to
n stop and took in the situation.
He was evidently either a mechanic
or chauffeur. for, throwing Off ar
overcoat. he displayed a suit of over
alls. Jumping out OF his car. he stood
looking at Winifred's as If deliberating
on the best plan to get it up on to the
road.
Il could pull it up with my ma
chine" he said but / have no tackle ,,
| see no way for me to proceed except
by going for n rope. Will you go with
me or wait here till return"
Winifred concluded to remain with
her machine. The wind was blowing
cold. but she could walk to and fro. The |
man thought he could get back with |
some sort of tackle without going very
far and. promising to hurry. left her. /
She sauntered back and forth. remain /
ing near her car. in order TO keep .
warm. Now and again teams or cars
passed her, and she received offers OF |
help. but declined them all. stating
that she was being served already. IL
was not long before the man in over
alls returned with a chain and some
rope. besides stout piece of wood 10
place under the wheels on the lower
side OF the car to prevent 1t from go
ing over Having got the wood under
by means OF lacking up the forward
wheel. he connected the auto with his
own and succeeded in dra wing it up
on the road
But on examining its machinery he
found that certain parts had been bent
or broken. and the car could not be
moved by its own power. He told
Winifred that he would drag it to his
shop and fix it for her.
Il haven't any money with me to pay
for all this" she said. but ! can send
it to you."
"Oh. that's all right" said the man.
Don't worry about that think you
would better get into your auto to steer
Il and put Oh the brake when neces-
sary."
Winifred did as she was hidden. and
the two autos made their way slowly ,
I'LL the mechanic turned into the
grounds of country place and
brought up at what was evidently a
private garage
Have You the tools here TO enable
ron 10 do the work." asked Winifred.
Yes" was the reply. Il do most OF
he repairing on the cars in this
garage"
Il see." said Winifred. lyon are n U
mechanic and chauffeur i'm one. | wish
'apa would employ snch a man: IL {
would be 50 nice to have the repairing
One without sending the car some
where else. ! should think 1t would
y less expensive too" =
The young uIan ~ TINS time was On
aged in putting Winifreds car int
he garage and over "a Dit from which