Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-10-09
Evening Star
Daily Story
ON THE ROADSIDE
BY MOLLY McMAsTER.


Twilight was drawing to an omin-
Gus close amidst threatening rain
clouds yet Martha still struggled
with the spark plug of her motor
cycle She was far from shelter and
the road through the country was
long and lonely. Never before, since
she had learned to run her cycle had
she found herself in so helpless a
plight. She had always considered
herself master of her engine, and yet
she was stranded on a lone country
road for sheer inability to spark that
engine.
After an hours struggle eXaspera-
ton gave place to tears and Martha
crumpled up on the roadside in
paroxysm of weeping. Had Martha
been less feminine she would UNI
doubtedly have given her cycle a
fling across the street and marched
home by the nearest meadows
In that case, the young man in the
great touring car which swerved
around the corner could not have
gone to her assistance
Anything | can do?' he called out
as he slowed down.
Martha raised a face on which
tears had made little crooked roads
of white, and her glance was hostile
She had been surprised i'll a weak
moment and by a chauffeur. Mar
tha's attitude was decidedly superior
when she made answer to the man
who had offered her assistance She
realized also that she was looking
anything but attractive with her
dusty, tear-stained face and angry
eyes.
"oh, hol" laughed the man not
whit put out by her manner Il
thought you were man." He
glanced down at her masculine cycle
costume and tardily removed his cap.
My clothes are no different from
any one else'si" said Martha wrath
fully.
.'Whewl / am sorry l stopped
said Calvin Sutcliffe with laughing
politeness. He turned to start his
machine then as suddenly jumpea
down and examined Martha's cycle.
There is no reason why | should
permit you to sit here on the road
side all night even if you are foolish
enough to want to. 1t is going to
rain shortly" He paid no more at
tention to Martha than if she had
been an obstreperous child. A second
later he returned to his car. 1T is
all right now" he said.
You are a most detestable per-
son.. Martha informed him coolly,
"but | thank you for helping me"
Don't mention it,, called Sutcliffe,
and whirled off down the dusty road
Martha was far too angry to watch
him GO A moment later she, too,
was spinning in the same direction
The cool air revived her spirits and
she found time to laugh at the pre-
dicament which had made of her
most quarrelsome person. She even
regretted her rudeness to the chauf-
feur Notwithstanding his brusque
treatment of her. She wondered
where he was employed and what he
must be thinking of her. Certainly
her disposition would not have rec
commended her to him, and she hoped
he would not circulate the story.
Sutcliffe did not circulate the tale.
He did, however, go about trying his
best to find out who the girl was
whom he had helped. He had taken
the number of her license and it was
not difficult. after that to find out
that her name was Martha Glover,
and that she was resident of Doug
las Manor Sutcliffe spent his sum-
mers usually at Port Washington,
and it was easy to make guarded in
quiry about the name of Glover.
Since he was not chauffeur, as
Martha had supposed, but the owner
of two cars and a number of boats,
Sutcliffe realized that it was quite an
easy matter to make his way into
the social circle in which Martha re-
yolyed.
1t was at the quaint little club
house at the manor that a mutual
friend presented Sutcliffe to Miss
Glover. There was not glimmer of
recognition in the mans eyes as he
oh Il In 1aa n1 IN h inn ne
did he seem in the least overcome by
the pleasure afforded him. He was,
as a matter of fact, frigidly polite
and did not ask for even a foX-trot
with her.
Martha had flushed brilliantly
when, looking up at the stalwart
white fianneled man whom Mrs.
Goope was introducing to her, she
met the eyes of the most detestable
person." Instantly in her mind she
was flung back to the roadside with
disabled motorcycle and tears and
dust mingling freely on her face. She
was not surprised that Sutcliffe had
not recognized her, yet somehow
Martha felt hurt.
She watched him during the eve
mink dance with every attractive girl
in the room and she, in turn, f1irted
outrageously with each of her part
ners. If he observed her Martha was
not aware of the fact. Sutcliffe to
all appearances was oblivious of her
presence in the clubrooms. Toward
the end of the evening he made his
way homeward without having said
goodnight to her. The dancing, the
men and flirting lost all charm for
Martha, and she, too, went home.
During the days following Martha
rode her motorcycle from morning
until twilight. Perhaps she was de-
sirous of fleeing from constant
thought of Sutcliffe, or she may have
hoped to meet him in his big car.
The most courageous thing Martha
ever did in her life was to swerve
suddenly across the road precipitat-
ing herself and her motorcycle into a
ditch. The idea had suggested itself
with desperate swiftness the moment
she had seen Sutcliffe whirling
toward her in his racing car on that
same part of the road where the pre-
vious encounter had taken place. She
had felt perfectly sane and rational
until he had appeared in the distance;
then she had taken her courage in
both hands fully determined to fling
herself across his path.
Sutcliffe jerked his machine to a
stop and jumped quickly out and
over to the PROSTATE figure by the
roadside. Picking her up and recog-
niZing her his face went white and
Martha opened wide her eyes. She
was bruised and trembling, but did
not regret her daring maneuver when
she saw the expression in Sutcliffe's
eyes.
She smiled, and in her smile CAL
vim Sutcliffe read the story of her
T. t.@1 70 hall !, nd