The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-10-01
The Reign of the Automobile
By Myra Nye

Jerry stood at the corral gaze Win cars
pricked forward, and Jane, with femin-
inc inquisitiveness, thrust her nose
through the bars They regarded the
intruder and usurper with an air Of re-
serve
When throbs and sputters and jerk
ing sounds subdued sufficiently, George
managed to say flurriedly:
elizabeth, let me present Mr. Mas
ters."
"Pleased to meet you, Mr.. Masters. -
Elizabeth provincial reply had at
least feminine composure under exciting
circumstances. Neither she nor Beth
was going to be indecently jubilant be-
fore q stranger when it was matter
of trade. They had been in California
real estate business too long for that.
Not that they were going to lead this
fashionable easterner to suppose this
was the first car that ever came into
their yard. Even Beth could have told
him that Los Robles had moro auto
mobiles for its size than any town in
the state. This was one Of her fathers
stock pieces of information IN selling
real estate, and he was truthful man
Notwithstanding his calling and the
place Of his calling. Beth Glennen
could sing Los Robles' praise In tune
with her father.
Later, when tho two men turned to-
ward the corral gate and George low
cred tho bars, mother and daughter
with one accord walked slowly to the
house, not once glancing at tho now
possession that monopolized the drive
way.
"I just can't bear 10 see dear old
Jane and Jerry 60, mothert"
"Neither can ], dear" In the in
stant Elizabeth regretted her sympa-
thy; for sensitive little Beth broke
away and ran sobbing into the house.
When Mr.. Masters drove out of the
yard, a sound suspiciously Like a sob
came from the screen porch. Elizabeth
turned to her husband.
"Beth is broken-hearted, George.
What shall we dot"
"Poor little girl, she did love Jane
and Jerry So"
$50 do l."
eyes, and so do ]" George smiled
ruefully, then he called out to Beth:
"Come her, little girl, and III tell you
how it happened" "
With Georges arms around both
"his girls" they walked through the
cooler pergola, he talked to them, nm
til Elizabeth said:
"The best medicine for the dumps if
ride. Let the figs go to the bees, let
my ironing go. It's too hot to iron
anyway. My sprenger is all pot-bound
Never mind, let it 60. We can afford
to let anything go. We are rich. VIZ
own an automobile"
George had already mastered thu
steering wheel, the gear-shifting lever
and the brakes. The three vantured to-
their first ride. It was JOY! Thii
devouring of space made them greed!
for more. So each night for q weei
found them on the road. No lampligh
shone through the windows Of the littl
country bungalow to cheer tho old peo
pie in the big house on the hin. oftel
| the whole day was spent tn riding.
One day George came homo IN tn
t middle Of the forenoon, an unusua
, thing with him. He was white and hi
. hands were trembling. Elizabeth hui
ried to him.
"What is it, What b the matter
Q Are you sick, deari"
"No, no, I'm all right; but Eliza
BETH met Mr.. Masters with Jan
b and Jerry-the brakes wouldn't wor
a and"
"You didn't hurt Jane and Jerry
? Oh George, you couldn 3"
d "No, but I just missed them. Thin
what might have happened"
s "I can't bear to think Of it, Georg'
}. and the worst Of it is, 1t may happe
e any time"
"No, not me, never again. Besides
r Mr.. Masters told me that they begi
h cultivating tomorrow in dear earnest.
g "That isn't any consolation. The
oro royar rneant tn cultiyataV ~