Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-12-23
sNo. haven't anything to offer hin

| tnOughtfully, as he went on. Il don't
know that I would myself. Well, well
probably see his name in the papers
some day if he stays with that job!"
However, the nitro-glycerin
expert of whom they spoke did not get
into the papers as a consequence of
being blown up, although his daily life
was certainly continuous exposure to-
that risk. Destiny has constant pas
sion for the fncongruous, and it was
Georges lot to manipulate wholesale
| quantities Of terrific and volatile ex-
plOsives in safety, and to be laid low
by an accident so commonplace and in
consequent that it was a comedy.
Fate had reserved for him the final in
suit of riding linn down under the
| wheels of one of those juggernauts at
which he had once shouted cit a
hossi" Nevertheless, Fate's ironic
choice for Georges undoing was not a
big and swift and momentous car, such
as Eugene manufactured; it was spe-
cimen of the hustling little type that
was flooding the country, the cheapest,
commonest, hardest little car ever
made
The accident took place upon Sun
day morning, on a downtown crossing,
| with the streets almost empty, and no
reason in the world for such thing
to happen. He had gone out for his
Sunday morning walk, and he was
| thinking of an automobile at the very
moment when the little car struck
him; he was thinking of shiny Ian
daulet and a charming figure stepping
| into 1t, and of the quick gesture of
white glove toward the chauffeur, mo-
| tioning him to go on. George heard q
shout, but did not look up, for he could
not imagine anybody's shouting at him,
and he was too engrossed In the ques-
ton "Was 1t Lucy?" He could not de-
eide, and his lack of decision in this
matter probably superinduced lack
of decision in another, more pressingly
vital. At the second and louder shout
he did look up; and the car was almost
on him; but he could not make up his
mind IL the charming little figure he
had seen was Lucy's and he could not
make up his mind whether to go back
ward or forward; these questions be-
came entangled in his mind. Then,
still not being able to decide which of
two ways to go. he tried to go both
and the little car ran him down. 1t
was not moving very rapidly. but 1t
went all the way over George.
He was conscious of gigantic vio-
lence; of roaring and j0lting and con-
cussion; of choking clouds of dust,
shot with lightning, about his head;
he heard swapping sounds as loud as
shots from small pistol, and was
stabbed by excruciating pains in his
legs. Then he became aware that the
machine was being lifted off. of him.
People were gathering in a circle
round him, Cabling.
His forehead was believed with the
sweat of anguish, and he tried to wipe
off this dampness. but failed. He could
not get his arm that far.
"Nev' mind" policeman said; and
George could see above his eyes the
skirts of the blue coat, covered with
dust and sunshine. Ambulance here in
a minute. New mind tryin' to move
| any. You want 'em to send for some
special dOctorw
NO" Georges lips formed the word.
"0r to take you to some private
hospital?"
''Tell them to take me-" he said
family, ito the City hospital"
"a right"
\ smallish young man in a buster
fidgeted among the crowd, explaining
and protesting and strident-voiced
girl, his companion, supported his ar
gument declaring to everyone her
willingness TO offer testimony in any
court of law that every blessed word
he said was the Gods truth.
sits the fella that hit you," the po-
liceman said, looking down on George.
Il guess he's right; you must of b'en
thinkin' about somep'n' or other. It's
wunnerful the damage them little ma
chimes can do-you'd never think tt
but guess they amt much case ag'in
this fel,a that was drivin' it"
you bet your life they amt noscase
on mep the young man in the buster
agreed, with great bitterness. He came
and stood at Georges feet, addressing
him heatedly: "Pm sorry fer you all
right, and don't say / amt. / hold
nothin' against you, but it wasn't any
more my fault than the statehouse
Wasn't goin' a step over eight miles
an houri I'm perfectly willing to say
I'm sorry for you though, and SOS the
lady with me. We're both willing to
say that much, but that's all. under
Stand!"
Georges drawn eyelids twitched;
his misted glance rested fleetingly up-
on the two protesting motorists, and
the old imperiouS spirit within him
fiickered up In a single word. Lying
on his back in the middle of the streer.
where he was regarded by an increas-
ing public as an unpleasant curiosity,
he spoke this word clearly from a
mouth filed with dust, and from lips
smeared with blood.
-. II was a word which inter-
ested the policeman. When the ambu-
lance changed away. he turned TO a
fellow patrolman who had Joined him.
Funny what ne says to the little cuss
that done the damage That's all he
did call him-nothin' else at all-and
the cuss had broke both his legs fer
him and God-knows-what-alll"
Il wasn't here then. What was it?"
'Riffraff T."
CHAPTER XIII.
Eugene's feeling about George had
not been altered by his talk with Kin