Judsonia weekly advance., 1919-10-23

and set up two more bottles. This time he broke four and was better pleased with himself As he rode back his soliloquy was broken by strange sound from beyond the belt of trees. The horse pricked up his ears and the boy turned in the saddle to listen "Jumpin' crickets! Whats loose?" he ejaculated. He knew every sound of the foothill country, but this was strange to him. A kind of snort. n sort of hiss, mechanical in it's regu- larity, startling in its strangeness, it came across the valley with the un- broken rhythm of watch tick.
 Well, l guess it won't eat us." he ventured at last. Well just run if down and perhaps poke hole in it." So saying, he cantered along the road crossed the little stream, and swung up the hill on the farther side.
 He was half way up when turn in the road brought him into sudden sight of the strange visitor. Ii was the first he had seen, but he knew it at once, for the fame of the automo-
 
 had already spread into the farthest ranching country. The horse was less well informed. He bucked and kicked in rage and terror. But the boy was conscious not so much of the horse as of two bright eyes turned on him in frank and surprised admiration.
 What horsemanship! she ex- claimed But the words had scarce left her lips when they were followed by cry of alarm. For the car had taken sudden turn from the road and plunged into growth of young poplars that fringed the hillside. It half slid, half plowed its way into semi-vertica position among the young trees. The two occupants were thrown from their seat; the girl fell clear but her father was less fortu- nate.
 In an instant the boy had flung him self from his horse, dropping the reins to the ground, and the animal, al- though snorting and shivering, had no thought of disgracing his training by breaking his parole. With quick, un- gainly strides the boy brought himself to the upturned machine It was cu- rious that he should appear to such disadvantage on his feet In the saddle he was grace personified.
 For a moment he looked somewhat stupidly upon the wreck. Had it been horse or steer he would have known the procedure, but this experi- ence was new to his iife Besides there were strangers here. He had no fear of strangers when they wore chaps and colored handkerchiefs, but girl in a brown sweater and an oldish man with white collar were creatures to be approached with eau tion. The oldish man was lying on the car, and Brown Sweater raised his head against her knee and pressed his cheeks with small white fingers, and looked at the boy with bright gray eyes and said:
 Aren't you going to do anything?"
 That brought him back. Sure" he said, springlng to her side. "Whada ye WanC lne 10 uO!
 q am afraid my leg is broken" said the man, speaking calmly notwith- standing his pain. Gan you get the jack out of the toolboX and raise the car?"
 The girl pointed to the box, and in moment he had the jack in his hand. But 1t was a new tool to him and he fumbled with it stupidly. The handle would not fit, and when it did fit it operated the wrong way.
 "Oh, let me have it." she cried i'm patiently.
 In a moment she had it set under the frame of the car and was plying the handle up and down with rapid strokes. The boy looked on, helpless and mortified. He was beginning to realize that there were more things in the world than riding horse and shooting bottles. He felt a sudden desire to be of great service And just now he could be of no service whatever.
 But the foot of the jack began to sink in the soft earth, and the girl looked up helplessly.
 'It won't lift it." she said. "What shall we do?"
 It was his chance. He was eighteen, and his wild, open life had given him muscles of steel. "Here," he said move his leg when I get 1t clear" He turned his back to the machine and crouched down until he could get his hands under the steel frame. Then he lifted. The car was in a somewhat poised position, and he was able to swing 1t up far enough to raloaca tba piuro1 Iop