Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-09-28
Making an
Acquaintance
Method Was Breezy,
But Effective
By F. A. Mitchell

broke down the day before she was to
start, and so busy were the mechanics
that no one was available to make re-
pairs. Miss Atherton therefore reluc-
family decided to take a train, and the
auto went to the shop to wait till some
one could find time to repair 1t.
From the moment Miss Atherton
reached her country home she missed
her auto. She busted herself In her
flower garden and returned %temporari-
ly to the bicycle which she had ridden
as a little girl, but none Of her de-
vices for killing time sufficed.
A week passed and the auto did not
come. To one used to motoring the
peramhulators provided by nature
seem very inefficient. Miss Atherton
fretted at having to walk or to re-
main at home ON a bright afternoon
when she would like to be spinning
along over smooth roads in her car.
One morning she started for a walk.
The weather was balmy and rather
suggestive of a siesta than trudging
along a country road. Miss Atherton's
motions were dangerous. Presently
she passed a spick and span machine
standing beside the road. AT the end
of a long walk was a house. Doubt
less the car belonged to some n in
the house. The lady stopped and sur
veyed the machine GENEROUSLY. 1t was
a ear for two persons. The nickel plate
of the Wheel, the starting and illaminat-
ing devices glistened in the SUI
Miss Anterior was tempted to open
the door and -est herself on the cush-
ions. CHANGING at the house, no one
was In sight. No one was coming up
or down the road. There was a click
and Miss Atherton was in the car.
Another click denoted that she had
closed the door.
Everything about her was quiet.
Only birds sang.
She touched the electric starter
There was a bur-r-r of wheels. Before
she realized what she was doing she
had completed turning On the power,
and the machine moved. How lovely.
How easy! How comfortable! How
restful after walking! She would run
up the road for a short distance, turn
and bring the car back to the place
where she had found it.
AS she moved off Jack Coolidge.
the owner of the captured machine,
came out of the house and from the
porch saw some one running away
with his machine. Instead of follow
ing on his legs, he ran around to u ga
rage, got out another machine and gave
chase.
Quite likely stealing is often at first
unintentional. The thief admires some
thing, perhaps coyets 1t. He takes it
in his hand. Surprised by some one
who enters without seeing his act, he
pockets the object, intending to replace
it when he can do SO unnoticed.
Miss A1berton vas about to turn
with the auto when she heard the
sputter OF a motor engine behind her.
What possessed her to act as she did
was a mystery 20 her. Hearing the
words stop thiefi' it occurred to her
that if she obeyed the order she would
be taken to a police station, tried for
larceny and sent to state prison. Her
first impulse was to put on speed; her
second was to put on more speed, Il
the third was to use all the power of
which the machine was capable.
Then followed a mad race. Coolidge
got near enough to see that a woman
was at the wheel, but he could not see
what she was like. But presently,
when she turned a short distance
ahead of him, he got a better view and
was astonished to see one who wore the
apparel OF a lady. The mystery deep
ened Women don't steal auto cars.
Such thefts are usually made by men,
and very rough men at that. He could
not conceive OF a lady stealing his car.
She was speeding along at such break
neck speed that he began to fear she
would come to grief. What to do, he
could not decide. He followed on as he
had begun.
An auto coming from the opposite
direction met the fleeing girl, and tie
driver saw by the expression and the
speed at which she vas travelling that
she was under some great excitement.
She flashed by him, and when in a
few moments her pursuer did the same
~ was 6NlQEDI LIdN "a NAV Nv VUo 81
between a woman and a man. Was it
a real chase or material for a moving
picture show? The observer did not
know, but having an old fashioned ma
chine he decided not to interfere and
passed on, wondering. Other machines
were met, and the drivers of most of
them, seeing two cars coming like the
wind, drew up beside the road to give
them a safe passage.
Coolidge was driving a machine not
capable of making the speed of the one
being run away with, but for a time he
gained on it, since he dare use his pow
err to a greater extent. The fugitive
for a time maintained some degree of
caution, but as her pursuer gained on
her she took risks without being fully
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