Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-12-28
The
Old Auto
-
By Gilbert Webster

den vas to possess an automobile. He
began saving money to that end, but
the process was q slow one. He was
a bright, rubicund young man of TWEEN
ty-two, earned sixty dollars a month
as a clerk, and was too good-natured
and satisfied with life to quarrel or
complain. He was ~free-hearted, in
genious, but simple and credulous, and
as he had never done anything to set
the world on fire, was set down as
mediocre, and contented with being
classed in that category.
AS said, Neil longed for an automo-
bile, and had saved up something to-
wards it, and then a queer freak of
fate, or rather m~isadventure, brought
the coveted object of his desire direct
to his doorstep.
A bird of evil omen, ad~venturer,
swindler and soldier Of fortune named
Boyden, looking for a place to light,
swooped down upon Fairview to in
terest those having money in a gold
mine promotion. They had been bit
ten before, however, and Boyden met
with little success. He kept his auto
mobile in an old shed, all that was left
of structural evidence on a lot where
the house had burned down. He sent
for a partner in crime, one Davlin, to
join him and select some other terri
tory containing gullible investors.
Davlin arrived at Fairview, many
seas over, took it upon himself to APP
propriate the auto out for a spin, and
about midnight, at his hotel, Boyden
phone.
Its me-" was announced in maud
lin tones.
"Who is me?" demanded Boyden.
"Joe Davlin, of course. Say, Boy
den, I'm all In, and I've run the ma
chine into a telegraph pole and pretty
nigh smashed it to flinders. You'll
have to get some garage machine to
haul us into town."
'Boyden's keen eyes s%parkled. He
was never at a loss to turn an incl
dent to his own advantage.
"You get right to the hotel here"
he ordered his befuddled friend man.
datorily. "Leave the machine where
it is. Don't say a word to anybody
about the accident. Do just as I say,
or I'll throw you over for good"
In the course of an hour Davlin ar
rived at the hotel. Boyden got him to
bed. Then he used the phone liberal
ky. He sent word to the Office Of the
city company insuring his automobile
against theft, that it had been stolen.
Placidly chuckling, he went to bed
himself, feeling that he had done a
good hours work.
Next day the insurance adjuster ar
rived. The local Waterman had found
the wrecked machine, minus its tires,
which someone had stolen. There
could be no doubt that 1t had been
stolen and wrecked. Boyden received
three times what he would have taken
for the machine and left for new fields
of adventure and speculation.
Tt happened that Neil came upon the
adjuster, anxious to settle the affair
and get back to the city. The wreck
was offered to the local garage for
$780,"
ST wouldn't give $50" remarked the
garage man contemptuously.
"Take it for $50" pressed the in
surance adjuster eagerly.
"Don't want 1t at any price,"
"Forty?"
mo"
"I1I give forty" spoke up Neil, and
the bargain was clinched on the spot.
Ned had a friend who operated a
small machine shop, and to his place
he had the wrecked auto taken. The
latter was friendly and clever. He
patched up the disjointed machine,
happened to have a set of solid rubber
tires that had been once used on a
truck, and, clumsy, grinding, missing
fire regularly, but going just the same,
the machine tore proudly about the
village. Neil was too pleased to hear
the jeers of those who criticized the
old ~rattletrap. He was proud as Luci-
fer when, coming down a steep hill,
he was arrested for speeding.
"That wasn't power" enlightened a
friend. "It was momentum"
"What does 1t matter, so she goesF"
chirped Neil.
Now, destiny was preparing a new
surprise for Neil, which linked in with
the incident Of the wreck. One day a
handsome young man and a lovely girl
of seventeen, Gabrielle North, left the
train at Fairview with some trepida-
ton.
They fastened to reach the outskirts
of the town. On a bench outside OF
the shed where Neil kept his beloved
automobile and was tinkering over 1t
inside at that moment, they sat down
to rest.
"The telegram from our mutual
friend which we received here, says
that your uncle has wired to have us
stopped when we reach R~osebury,"
spoke the young man In al anxious
ond CariO1C tOnn