The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-08-16
CHAPTER vl-Contlnued.


you haven't been here three weeks:
do you think I'd be afraid to go any
where that you'll gof"
"We1l 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 1t
around until 1t was headed fairly for
the upper switch. Then he put the
motor I'm 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
"a 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.
"Youli put us both into the dver..
and smash Colonel-daddy's car, but
guess the Baldwin family can stand 1t
II you oan." 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 skillful bit of juggling put
the roadster over on the ties of the
spur-track. Then he turned to his fell
low risk.
"Slt low and hang on with both
hands," he directed. "Noww and he
opened the throttle.
The trestle was not much above two
hundred feet long. and, happily, the
cross-ties were closely spaced. Steered
to a hair. the big car went humping
across. and in his innermost recesses
Smith was saying to his immediate
ancestor, the well-behaved bank clerk:
you swabl You never saw the day
when you could do n thing like this
d. you thought you had me tied
up In o bunch Of ribbon. didn't you?"
If Miss Baldwin were frightened,
she did not show II. 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. 1 don't know anything about the
roads over here"
She pointed out the way across the
hills, and a four-mile dash followed.
Up hill and down the big roadster
raced, devorsi1g the interspaces, and
at the topping of the last Of the ridges,
In 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 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 tacking 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 on
the Timanyoni Ditch company's land
and you know II. Pile into the wagon
and fade away"
The big mans answer was laugh
pointed, doubtless, by the fact tina,
the order giver was palpably unarmed
Smiths right arm shot out, and when
| the blow landed there were only tive
left to close in on him. In such sud
den hostilities the advantages are al
| with the beginner. Having superior
| reach and good bit more skill thar
! either of the two tacklers. Smith held
his own until he could get In a few
more of the smashing right-handers
but In planting them he took punish
ment enough to make him Berserk
mad and so practically inyincible
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