The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1915-01-15
CHAPTER XXI.
AntIcIimax.

Alan came to himself supported by
Barcus-his senses still Keeling from
the conclusion Of that thunderbolt
which he had so unwittingly loosed-
the cloud of sulphurous smoke and yet
dissipated by the wind.
Judith lay at his feet. stunned; and
round about other figures Of men in
sensible, if not, for all he could say.
dead
And then Barcus was hustling him
unceremoniously down the wharf.
Come! Comet" he rallied Alan.
Pull yourself together and keep a
stiff upper lip. Rose is waiting in
the car, and if you don't want to be
arrested you'll stir your stumps, my
son! That explosion is going to bring
the worthy burghers Of New Bedford
buzzing round our ears like a swarm
Of hornetS!'
His prediction was justified even
before it was made; already the near
by dwellings were vomiting half
clothed humanity; already a score OF
people were galloping down toward
the head of the wharf; and In their
number a policeman appeared as if by
magic.
And while the man hesitated Alan
grabbed him by the shoulder, threw
him bodily from the car, dropped into
his seat, cried a warning to Rose, and
threw in the clutch. The machine re,
sponded without jar; they were a
hundred feet distant from the scene
of the accident before Alan was fairly
settled in his place.
AS he grew more and more calm, he
congratulated himself on having drawn
an excellent car in the lottery OF
chance. 1t was light, but the motor
| ran famously, and IL not capable OF
a racing pace 1t would serve his ends
| as speedily as was consistent with
reasonable care for the life OF the
| woman he loved.
Yet his congratulations were prema
ture; they were not ten minutes out
of the environs of the city when Rose
left her seat and knelt behind his, tC
communicate the intelligence that
they were already being pursued.
A heavy touring car, she said it was
driven by a man, a woman In the
seat by his side-Judith the latter. the
man an old employee of her fathers
| by the name of Marrophat.
| Marrophat!
Alan remembered that one.
He could only trust in his skill a:
a driver, and skill is the lesser factor
| in such a race.
They could overtake the fugitive:
practically when they would.
But for some weird, Incompetent
sible reason they chose to hang Ger
tain distance in the rear, distance
that could readily be bridged by TIVE
minutes of furious driving.
| Why?
In the succeeding quarter-hour thu
calmness Of fatalism became Alan's
They were biding their time for somt
secret and fatal purpose. The blow
was predestined to fall, but cruelty de
ferred.
For his own part, he drove like al
exceptionally cunning mailman.
And then, quite clearly. he recog
nized the time and the place and tn,
character of the road that lay befor
him as the car sped like a dragon-i.
down a slight grade.
From the bottom Of the grade /
swung away in wide, graceful curve
bordered for some distance by railroa
tracks on slightly lower level.
He had guessed the fiendish plan o
the other driver only too truly.
AS they approached at expires
speed the stretch where the road pal
alleled the tracks Alan sought to hui
the left-hand side of the road, but i
vain.
| Roaring, with it's muff1er cut out, tn
pursuing car swept up and baffied hin
bringing its right forward wheel u
beside the left rear wheel of his Cal
then more slowly forging up unit
with its weight, bulk and superio
power. it forced him inch by inch t
the right, toward the tracks, until hi
right-hand wheels left the road an
ran on uneven turf, until the left-han
wheels as we'll lost grip on the roa
metal, until the car began to dip o.
the slope to the tracks.