Norwich bulletin., 1913-10-16
THE RUNABOUT

| There was no question about John Denison, the banker in the suburban l village of Clyde. being @ good father 1 When his 19 year old daughter Clara l first got the idea into her head she 1 figured that she would only have to ask 1 papa and the thing was as good as l done. When the asking took place she
 met with a Surprise party. l Buy you 8 runabout2" he answered. l Certainly noti You cannot be trusted l with such a thing. In a month I should ! have three or four suits for damages and the house would be turned into a l hospital to boot"
 "But there are three girls in Clyde who have them." his daughter urged.
 That doesn't help the case any. | Business is not good at the bank and 1 then you are 8 girl that takes risks. l You skated into an airhole on the lake 1 last winter while showing off to the crowd; your pony ran away with you 1 last spring because you would drive him up to band; in sliding down hill last Christmas you were carried through a barbed wire fence; with your pony and cart you ran over-'' But I want to buy runabout with my own money" protested the daugh- ter T shall be very careful. I shall not meet with the smallest accident. If l should happen to run over any one-'
 Then I may be called upon to pay 900 damages finished the father.
 NO, not cent! You know grandpa put $500 in your bank for me. That will buy the runabout and pay for any damages l may do. If l run over any body, it won't hurt them more than $50 worth. Think of three other girls rid ing about in their own machines and sticking up their noses at mel"
 Still the father was obdurate.
 And don't you see, daddy, that we must do it from a business point of view? If I don't have runabout folks will wonder why not. They will guess this and that and finally somebody will guess that you are hard up Then fol- lows a feeling of uneasiness and after that run on the bank and the doors must be closed. You see, I haven't studied finance for nothing"
 The father did not smile. He was thinking of a line of excited men and women pushing to get into the bank and get their money.
 Whereas, if I get the runabout, bus mess goes right on and public confi dence is unshaken. No panic-no runs
 "But you must settle all damage suits," he said at last.
 If there are any to settle, which there won't be. Now you are my dear father again. Now you are once more the born fnancier. Here is a kiss for you"
 The runabout was purchased and arrived. Percy Markham also arrived. He had an aunt in the village and he arrived to see her. It was said of him that he was well-to-do financially about 25 years old, reasonably good looking and that he had some great trouble on his mind.
 When he walked abroad he held his head down. That Is always a, sign in 8 young man that he has trouble gnaW ing at his heart Tn an old man it sim ply signifies that he is looking to find a quarter in the road.
 Miss Clara Denison had been running that runabout exactly 8 week when she turned 6 bend in the village street one afternoon at a gait of 20 miles an hour. Her instructor had cautioned her that 1t was easier to dodge things at that gait than it was standing still
 As the machine turned from one di- rection MT. Markham turned from the other Miss Clara was looking at a hat in shop window and MT Markham's eyes were on the ground at his feet.
 The victim of the head-on collision was conveyed to the house of his aunt and a doctor attended his contusions. At the bank MT. Denison heard that there would be a $5.000 suit for dam ages. When he reached home that evening he waited a while for the in- cident to be referred to, but as it was not he casually asked:
 When does the suit come off?"
 "Oh, it was all Mir Markham's fault" was the reply. The law allows you to run over person who is look ing down. His lawyer will tell him so. He has no case"
 But MT. Markham's lawyer didn't happen to tell him so. On the contra ry, he told him he had a good case and a suit was begun. It wasn't against the father, but against the daughter, and he refused her any sympathy eX- cept T told you so."
 In eight days MT. Markham limped out. He was crossing the street to get to the postoffice and his eyes were on the gravel when that runabout turned