The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-06-19
Making an
Acquaintance
Method Was Breezy
But Effective
By F. A. mitchell


try for the summer. She was a de-
voted automobilIst and had intended
to drive herself to the summer home
of the Athertons, but the machine
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 Anterior therefore reluc-
family decided to take train, and the
auto went to the shop to wait till some
one could find time to repair 1t.
From the moment Miss Anterior
reached her country home she missed
her auto. She busted herself in her
flower garden and returned temporari-
" 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
perambulators provided by nature
seem very inefficient Miss Anterior
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 siesta than trudging
along a country road. Miss Atherton's
motions were languorous. Presently
she passed spick and span machine
standing beside the road. At the end
of long walk was house. Doubt
less the car belonged to some one in
the house. The lady stopped and sur
veyed the machine GENEROUSLY. 1t was
car for two persons. The nickel plate
Of the wheel, the starting and illuminat-
ing devices glistened In the sun.
Miss Anterior was tempted to open
the door and rest 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 Anterior 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 q BURR of wheels. Before
she realized what she was doing she
had completed turning on the power,
and the machine moved. How lovely!
How easyl How comfortable! How
restful after walkingl She would run
up the road for short distance, turn
and bring the car back to the place
where she had found it.
As she moved of 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 a ga
rage, got out another machine and gave
chase.
Quite likely stealing is often at first
unintentional The thief admires some
thing, perhaps covets 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 Atherton was about to turn
with the auto when she heard the
sputter OF motor engine behind her.
What possessed her to act as she did
was a mystery to her. Hearing the
words stop thiefp' it occurred to her
that If she obeyed the order she would
be taken to 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, and
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 woman
was at the wheel, but he could not see
what she was like. But presently,
when she turned short distance
ahead of him, he got 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 the
driver saw by the expression and the
speed at which she was travelling that
she was under some great excitement.
She flashed by him, and when in q
few moments her pursuer did the same
it was evident that mad race was on
between a woman and a man. Was 1t
| q 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 machine not
capable of making the speed Of the one
being run away with, but for time he
gained on it, since he dare use his pow
er to a greater extent The fugitive
for time maintained some degree of
caution, but as her pursuer gained on
her she took risks without being fully
conscious of their magnitude Coolidge,
having her before him, could see every
( turn she made and the risks she took,
fearing that he was goading her to
take them, slackened speed himself,
hoping she would do the same.
Unfortunately for this purpose, the
lady had no eyes In the back of her
head and could not see whether her
pursuer was gaining on her or losing
ground However, her ears told her
| that the machine behind her was max
ing less noise, and had she not lost her
head completely she would have re-
duced her speed accordingly. Since she
showed no sign of doing so, Coolidge
pressed his accelerator and soon drew
up to within hailing distance. He
thought Of calling, but, remembering
the result of his first effort, refrained.
Presently he saw the thief turn a
sharp bend In the road. The auto skid
! ded, followed a tortuous course for
some distance and brought up against
a deserted shanty. Before it struck
the chauffeur had succeeded q reduc-
ing its speed, and neither she nor the
machine was much injured, though
both were badly Jared. But Miss Ath-
erton was more ratified at being over
hauled than by the Earring.
Take me to jailv' she cried. "Take
me to jail I'm thief"
Now, there was everything In Miss
Atherton's appearance to belle her con-
fession. Coolidge saw at once that
what appeared on the surface was not
the truth.
Are you hurt" he asked solicit
Ously.
His tone was reassuring. Miss Ath-
erton looked up and saw gentleman
regarding her not only kindly, but ad-