The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1914-02-26
Motlonless, the Opened Letter In
His Hand, Staring at Nothing.

Curled worm-like In the drivers
seat, with his chin on his knees, John
Valiant sat with his eyes upon the
distance For an hour he had whirred
through that wondrous simmer of
color with a fiippant lettering breeze
in his face, sweet from the crimson
clover that poured and rooted over tho
roadside
"Chum, old man." said Valiant, with
his arm about the bulldogs neck, III
those colorphotograph chaps had
5aye believed It, would we? Such
scenery beats the roads we're used to,
what?" He wound his strong fingers
in a choking grip in the scruff of the
white neck. as a chipmunk chartered
by on the low stone wall mo, you
don't you cannibal! He's a jolly lit
tie beggar. and he doesn't deserve be-
ing eatenl"
He filed his briar.wood pipe and
drew In great breaths of the fragrant
incense. What pity you don't
smoke. Chum; you miss such lott"
After time he shook himself and
Knocked the red core from the pipe
bowl against his boot-heel. Il hate to
start" he confessed, half to the dog
and half to himself ITO leave any
thing so sheerly beautiful as this!
However. on with the dancei BY the
road map the village can't be far now.
So long. Mr. BULL"
He olutched the self-starter. But
there was only a protestant wheeZe;
the car declined to bulge Climbing
down, he cranked vigorously. The
motor turned over with surly grunt
OF remonstrance and after tentative
throb-throb. coughed and stopped dead.
Something was wrong. With a sigh
he flung of his tweed jacket, donned a
smudgy Jumper" opened his tool-box.
and, with a glance at his wrist-watch
which told him 1t was three o'clock.
threw up the monsters hood and went
bitterly to work.
AT half past three the investigation
had got as far as the lubricator. At
four o'clock the bulldog had given it
up and gone nosing afield. At half
kceN AbuA dNAA aAAdnN nat OA Hlo
back. like some disreputable stevadore,
alternately tinkering with refractory
valves and cursing the obdurate !
mechanism. A sharp stone gnawed |
frenziedly into the small of his back |
and just as he made a final vicious |
lunge, something gave way and a |
prickling red-hot stab OF pain shot zig
vrxT ~
through every tortured creyice of his
impatient frame. Like steel from flint
II struck out a crisp oath that brought /
an answering bovine snort from the
Worming like a lizard to freedom,
his eyes puckered shut with the
wratched pang, John Valiant sat up
and shook his grimy fist in the air.
: You silly loahng idiot" he cried.
Trump your own crazy-bone and see
how You like it, You--oh, lord!'
his arm dropped, and a flush spread
over his face to the brow. For his
eyes had opened. He was gesturing
not at the bull but at a girl, who
fronted him beside the road, haughti-
ness in the very hue of her gray-blue
linen walking suit and, in the clear
cut cameo face under her felt cavalry
hat, myrtle-blue eyes that held a
smolder Of mingled establishment and
Indignation. An instant he gazed. all
the muscles of his face frightened with
chagrin.
II beg your pardon" he stam-
meled- Il didn't see you. / really
didn't I was--I was talking to the
bull"
The girl had been glancing from the !
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