Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-04-19

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the signpoSt. 1t is a house, not a vii
lage. Thank you for your kindness.
And ! am not at all frightened" she
added, raising her voice slightly.
"But you are" he cried. you're
scared half out OF your wits. You
can't fool me. I'd be scared myself
at the thought Of venturing into those
woods up yOnder."
swell, then. I am frightened" she
confessed ~plaintively. almost out of
my boots"
'sThat settles It," he said fatty. you
shall not undertake it,"
"Oh. but l must. l am expected. 1t
is import"
III you are expected why didn't
someone meet you at the station?
Seems to me-"
"Harkl Do you hear-doesn't that
sound like m autOmobile-ahl" The
hOarse honk of an automobile horn
rose above the bowling wind, and an
instant later two faint lights came
rushing toward them around a bend in
the mountain road. "Better late than
never" she cried, her voice vibrant
once more.
He grasped her arm and jerked her
out Of the path Of the oncoming ma
chine, whose driver was sending it
along at a mad rate, regardless of ruts
and stones and curves. The car Gu
reened as it swung into the pike. skid
ded alarmingly, and then the brakes
were damned down. Attended by a
vast grinding of gears and wheels, the
rafting old a came to a stop fifty
feet Or more beyond them.
"Fd sooner walk than take my
chances in an a%ntediluvian rattletrap
like that" said the tall wayfarer,
bending quite close to her ear. at will
fall to pieces before you"
But she was running down the road
toward the car, calling out sharply to
the driver. He stopped over and took
up the travelling bag she had dropped
in her haste and excitement. 1t was
heavy, amazingly heavy.
II shouldn't like to carry that q mile
and a half" he said to himself.
The voice of the belated driver came
to his ears on the swift wind. 1t was
h~igh-pitched and Enthusiastically apollo
getic. He could not hear what she
was saying to him, but there wasn't
much doubt as to the nature of her
remarks. She was rOundly upbraidlng
him.
Urged to action by thoughts Of his
own plight he hurried to her side and
said:
Excuse me, please. You dropped
something. Shall l put it up in front
or in the t0nneau2"
The whimsical note in his voice
brought a quick, responsive laugh from
her lips.
"Thank you so much. / am fright
fully careless with my valuables.
Would you mind putting 1t in behind?
Thanksp' Her tone altered complete
ly as she ordered the man to turn
the car around-"And be quick about
It," she added.
The first drops Of rain pelted down
from the now thoroughly black dome
above them, striking in the road with
the sharpness Of pebbles.
Lucky it's a limousine" said the
tall traveller. "Better hop in. Wen
be getting 1t hard in a second or two"
"You must let me take you on to the
Tavern in the car" she said. "Turn
about is fair play. / cannot allow you
to-"
Never mind about me-" he broke In
cheerily. He had been wondering IL
she would make the offer, and he felt
better now that she had done so. SIN
accustomed to roughlng 1t. / don't
mind a soaking. I've had hundred of
.'em."
"Just the same You shall not have
one tonight" she announced firmly.
get in behind. / shall sit with the
driver"
If anyone had told him that this
rafting, d~ilapidated automobile-ten
years old, at the very least, he would
have sworn-was capable of covering
the mile in less than two minutes he
would have laughed in his face. Al
most before he realized that they were
on the way up the straight, dark road
the lights in the windows Of Harris
Tavern came into view. Once more
the bounding, swaying car came to a
stop under brakes, and he was relax
ing after the strain of the most hair
raising ride he had ever experienced.
Not a word had been spoken dur
ing the trip. The front windows were
lowered. The driver-an old, Ratchet
faced man-had uttered q single word
just before throwing In the clutch at
the crossroads in response to the
young woman's crisp command to
drive to Harris Tavern. That word
was uttered under his breath and it
is not necessary to repeat 1t here.
The wayfarer lost no time in climb
ing out Of the car. As he leaped t. the
ground and raised his green hat he took
a second look at the automobiles look
Of mingled wonder and respect. It
was an old~-fashioned. high-powered
car, capable, despite its antiquity, Of
astonishing speed In any sort of go
ing.