Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-01-06

color with flippant lettering breeze
in his face, sweet from the crimson
clover that poured and rooted over the
roadside.
"Chum, old man." said Valiant, with
his arm about the bulldogs neck, IF
those color-photograph chaps had
shown us this, we simply wouldn't
have 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 lii
tie beggar, and he doeso't deserve be-
ing eaten!"
He filed his briar-wood pipe and
drew in great breaths of the fragrant
incense. What a pity you don't
smoke, Chum; you miss such lott"
After a time he shook himself and
knocked the red core from the pipe
bowl against his boot-heel. 81 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 dance! By the
road map the village can't be far now.
So long, Mr.. BULL"
He clutched the self-starter. But
there was only protestant wheeze;
the car declined to bulge. Climbing
| down, he cranked vigorously. The
motor turned over with a surly grunt
| of remonstrance and after a tentative
| throb-throb, coughed and stopped dead.
Something was wrong. With sigh
he flung off his tweed jacket, dCnned a
! smudgy Jumper" opened his tool-boX,
ard, with glance at his wrist-watch
which told him it was three o'clock,
bitterly to work.
At half past three The investigation
had got as far as the iubricator. At
four o'clock the bulldog had given it
up and gone nosing aleld. At halI
past four John Valiant lay fat on his
back, like some disrepatahle 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 final vicious
Iunge, something gave way and a
/ prickling red-hot stab of pain shot zig
| tagging from his smitten craZy-bOne
| through every tortured crevice OF his
| impatient frame. Like steel from flint
it struck out crisp cath that brought
an answering bovine snort from the
fence-corner.
Worming like lizard to freedom,
! his eyes puckered shut with the
| wretched pang, John Valiant sat up
and shook his grin2y fist in the air.
You silly loafng idiot" he cried.
'''Thump your own craZy-b0ne and see
! how you ike it! Ycu--oh, lord!"
/ His arm dropped, and a flush spread
over his face 10 the brow. For Lis
/ eyes had opened. He was gesturing
not at the bull but at a girl, who
! frcnted 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 q
! smolder of mingled establishment and
I indignation. An instant he gazed, all
the muscles of his face frightened with
chagrin.
II beg your pardon" he STAN
mered. Il didn't see you. really
| didn't. l was-I was talking to the
j bull
The girl had been glancing from the
flushed face to the thistly fence-corner,
-: while the startled dignity Of her feat
ures warred with an unmistakable ten
| dency to mirth. He had struggled to
his feet, nursing his bruised elbow.
! irritably conscious of his resemblance
/ to an emerging chimney-sweep. u
! don't habitually swear" he said, but
! I'd got to the point when something
had to explode"
| oh" she said, don't mind mel"
! Then mirth conquered and she broke
! forth suddenly into a laugh that
I seemed to set the whole place aquiver
with a musical contagion. They both
! laughed in concert, while the bull
paved the ground and sent forth a
rumbling below OF affront and chal-
lenge.
] She was the first to recover. You
! did look SO funny!" she gasped.
: Il can believe it." he agreed, max
| ing vicious dab at his smudged ell
| bow. The possibilities of motor for
| comedy are simply stupendous.'
She came closer and looked curious
| ly at the quiescent monster-at the
! steamertrun strapped on the carrier
and the bullying portmanteau peeping
over the side Of the tonneau. rs it
broken?'
Merely on strike, I imagine. Are
we far from the village?"
About mile and half"
I'll have to have it towed after me-
The immediate point is my traps. l
wonder if there is likely 10 be a team
passing
I'm afraid it's not too certain" an
swered the girl, and now he noted the
LIQUID meditation, with its slightly