Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-06-07

out impatiently. MIR. Martin said
the three men left town a little after
daybreak and crossed on the Brewster
bridge to go up on the other side of
the Timanyoni."
The young woman had taken her
place again behind the big tiIIer wheel
and Smith calmly motioned her out
of it.
''Take the other seat and let me get
in here" he said; and when she had
| changed over. he swung in behind the
wheel and put a foot on the clutch
pedal.
what are you going to do?" she
asked.
I'm going to take you on up to the
camp, and then, if you'll lend me this
car, I'll go and do what you hoped to
persuade Williams to do-r4n these
mining-claim jOkers into the tall tim.
! ber."
"But you can't!' she protested; "you
can't do it aIoneI And, besides, they
are on the other side of the river and
you can't get anywhere with the car.
You'll have TO go all the way back to
Brewster to get across the river"
| It was just here that he stole an.
| other glance at the -much-alive
! little face behind the motor veil: at
! the firm, round chin end the resolute
slaty-gray eyes.
! Il suppose I ought to take you to
| the camp" he said. "But you may go
along with me, if you want to-and
! are not afraid"
She laughed in his face.
Il was born here in Timanyoni, and
| you haven't been here three weeks:
do you think I'd be afraid to go any.
| where that you'll go?"
"We'u see about that" he chuckled
matching the laugh; and with that he
! let the clutch take hold, sent the car
rolling gently up to the level of the
| railroad embankment and across the
rails of the main track, and pulled it
around until 1t was headed fairly for
| the upper switch. Then he put the
motor in the reverse and began to
back the car on the siding, steering
so that the wheels on one side Rugged
the inside of one rail.
What in the world are YOU TRYING
to do?' questioned the young woman
who had said she was not afraid.
wait" he temporized; "just wait
q minute and get ready to hang on
like grim death. We're going across
on that trestle.''
He fully expected her to shrek and
grab for the steering wheel. That, he
told himself, was what the normal
| young woman would do. But Miss Co
roma disappointed him.
you'll put us both into the river,
and smash Colonel-daddys car, but /
guess the Baldwin family can stand it
If you can, she remarked quite calmly
Smith kept on backing until the car
| had passed the switch from which the
spur branched off to cross to the mate
rial yard on the opposite side of the
river. A sklllful bit of juggling put
the roadster over On the ties of the
| spur-track. Then he turned to his fel.
| low risk.
''Sit low and hang on with both
hands" he directed. "NOw!" and he
| opened the throttle.
The trestle was not much above two
hundred feet long, and, happily, the
| 'Cr0SS-tieS were closely spaced. Steered
to hair, the big car went humping
across, and in his innermost recesses
Smith was saying to his immediate
ancestor, the welI-behaved bank clerk !:
You sWab! You never saw the day
When you could do a thing like this
you thought you had me tied
up in bunch Of ribbon, didn't your"
If Miss Baldwin were frightened,
she did not show it. Smith jerked the
roadster out of the ENHANCEMENT of
the railroad track and said: "You may
sit up now and tell me which way to
go. I don't know anything about the
| roads over here"
She pointed out the way across the
hills, and q fOur-rnile dash followed
| Up hill and down the big roadster
raced, devourIng the interspaces, and
at the topping of the last of the ridges,
in a small, lOW-lying swale which was
well hidden from any point Of view in
the vicinity Of the distant dam, they
came upon the interlOpers. There
were three men and two horses and a
covered wagon, as Martins telephone
message had catalOgued them. The
| horses were still in the traces, and Just
! beyond the wagon a legal mining
claim had been marked out by freshly
| driven stakes. At one end two Of the
men were digging perfunctorily, while
| the third was lacking the legal notice
on bit Of board nailed to one of the
| stakes.
Smith sent the gray car rocketing
down into the swale, brought it to a
stand with a thrust of the brakes and
| jumped out. Once more the primitive
Stone Age man in him, which had slept
so long and so quietly under the Law
renceVille cOnventionalities, was JOY
ously pitching the barriers aside.
ITS moving day for you fellows" he
announced cheerfully, picking the big
gest Of the three as the proper sub
ject for the order giving you're Oh
| the TimanyOni Ditch company's land,
and you know it. Pile into the wagon
| ard fade aWay!"
The big mans answer was laugh,