The Washington times., 1916-12-23
Final Episode
The Car and the Girl


you call Il 'nothingr"
Nothing against Mr.. Herbert or his
Invention, and would not have dream.
ed OF doing so II you can recall what
! did say believe you would have 10
admit that, as you proclaim yourself
friend OF Justice. But don't ask you
TO admit anything. apologize Tor my
indiscretion." Christopher eyes
twinkied a little, though his face was
perfectly grave and expressive OF re.
greet. The girl gave him an indignan,
look from her great eyes, and turned
n well-shaped and slender back upon
him.
The great freak race war 20 start
from Regents Park, and FIN IN, after
a roundabout thousand.mile run, n,
Edinburgh. 1t was not TO be speed
| test, nevertheless elaborate preSta
tions had been taken to protect the
public,
scarlet Runner looked strictly con
yentIonai among all her aueeriy'
shaped rivals, as all arrangements Tor
the oil-drive were, OF course, u"oor
her body, and TO the ordinary eye
lChristopher Races car proclaimed no
special feature emitting her to rank
among the freaks. ..
The place Immediately In 'front.' OF
/ Scarlet Runner was vacant.
CHRISTOPHER was sitting In his car
| r, ady TO move up when his turn
should come, when an "o-o-o-h!' from
the crowd made him turn his mead 10
glance curIously about for the cause
OF the excitement.
An amazing yehicle--if vehicle IL
could be caiIed--was gliding. silent
| and snakeiike, toward the enemy
place In front OF Scarlet Runner. In
shape Il suggested . gigantic cigar
| In color IL was black. and It's JOINT
less metal casing glittered IN the win
try sunlight Halfway down Hs
length the great cigar was cut out
into a nick, and In the nick sat. very
upright and alert. the slender hgure
OF n woman.
| TIL. car had no side wheels; nut
| from under the metal casing two cen
| tral wheels could he seen reNolvins'
one placed behind the other In
1 STRAIGHT line, Running as II did upon
| these two central wheels alone the
marvel was that the vehicle could
| Le.p upright. Only white IL was NOV
ing could Il possibly do so SUI
when the gyroscopic car had sllh INTO
its place directly In front OF Seat'et
Runner. and had come silently 70
| .t.ndstIlI. II rtili remained upright
on It. two central wheels. chris
,onhrr. who had read with Intelligent
In,sr.st OF the machine which was ne
Ing made understood more az less
what was happening. lie knew ina,
IN. cigar. shaped vehicle was Kept on
10. feet. 40 To speak. by the Two
small horoscopes spinning In sealed
ehambers, one ON each side or the car
4 and driven BY the current from
small electric battery,
| 4 shout OF applause arose, In re
Spouse TO which the trim ohsuneus.
nodded Esyly, as v she TOOK pat, %,
touched A hidden spring. and a step
had dropped oom the side of the car
| rIase. enabling her to hlight win
ease. A new burst Of applause arose,
| This time the young woman dld not
how. for she was talking earnestly TO
the old man who had come 10 her
with one OF the officials.
! "Ye.." she said. laughing. I'VE are
the frsakIest freak OF all, Ana I'm
glad; for this II n race for new IN
| MENTIONS, and the newest oughl 'u
win, really don't see what that
poor. old. uninteresting red thing is
doing In this galere. do you'
| IL was the voice OF the girl VINO
had attacked Christopher In the res
taurant yesterday.
| Abuse of Scarlet Runner was Ia
chrIstopher what a red rag IL 10
bull, or a sneer at her nrst baby 10
young mother.
~ can beat her. and all the rest
| NJ th.m. and 1 will. Women shouldn't
come into this sort OF thing. i cen
stand mannish girls" he thought
"This one shall see what the poor
old, uninteresting red thing can do
anyhow"
The girl had hoped up into the sy.
roscopic car once more, an ofncial
observer from the club by her side
and then, with scarcely a sound from
the engines, the black, cigar shaped
car shot ahead like shark ehas
ing its prey. Two minutes later came
| ChrIstopher's turn. his own observer
having by this time mounted 90 the
seat beside him. They were off "a
cover the first mile OF the thousand
| Christopher had but too many on
portunities for observing the big car
and its chsuffeuse, OF seeing the ease
with which the car wormed In and
out among big vehicles, etc.
| Whatever the result OF the race
might be, Il began to look as II the
| gyroscopic car was a success anu
had como to stay
| Soon the gyroscope, with Scarlet
| Runner close behind, gained upon the
other cars that had started before
them. And always the cigar'shaped
car gained upon those that had start
ed in advanced, passing them one by
one. Always, too, Scarlet Runnoi
gave chase. never outdistancing the
gyroscope, but never getting far out
distanced herself.
The Cigar Gas Christopher began ia
call the Herbert invention) and Scar
let Runner had started In the race
fifteenth and sixteenth, respectively
at the end of the first day the former
was already ninth. tho latter tenth.
The first night halt was In an i'm
portant Midland town, where all the
automobiles were driven to garages
and locked up. so that the driver
could not touch his car without the
knowledge OF his own official ohserv'
err. Most OF the competitors stopped
at the largest hotel in the place, and
Christopher had the doubtful pleasure
of seeing the fair chauffeuse beins
congratulated stn the dining room by
a number OF her chivairous rivals.
The race was TO last Ave days, the
competitors zigzagging about Eng
land to MI up the allotted distanc,
before finishing at Edinburgh; anc
for the Cigar and Scarlet Runner the