The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-01-24
El'ening Story
A License to Drive.
BY r. RAY BAKER.


hand, and thru the window of the club
admired his new eight-cylinder tocr-
ing car.
In this world there were two per-
sons and one thing that Al really
cared about. The persons were his
mother and Leona Lowell. The things
was speed. as personified by the new
car.
His mother he loved as any regular
| son loves his mother. Leona he loved
lat least. he was under strong i'm
, preston that he loved her-as a pros
pective wife. The speed-well, it was
the only thrill that thrilled him.
And yet AL could not drive that
automobile, or any other automobile.
He was one of those strangely con-
stituted persons who cannot master
the art of managing a gasoline-pro-
tpelled vehicle.
He knew that in order to shift gears
1t was necessary to throw out the
clutch; heSunderstood that in climb
| ing a steep hill a retarded spark is of
great assistance; in fact, he was fairly
well informed as to the principle of
hind that wheel and felt the response
biIity of guiding the car thru the fit
ting, dashing turmoil of traffic, he
| began to shake. 1T was some pecu-
. DdI1IY
people like to drive, but AL detested it.
| But let somebody else take the
wheel, with Al as passenger. and
he could not travel too fast. He said
| that speed helped to solve his business
problems; that it really was necessary
to the successful management of his
big furniture factory Whether 1t was
speed or common sense that was re-
sponsible, Al had a neat little for
| tune that was expanding rapidly. He
was not so timid about business ven
lures as he was about driving a ma
chine.
| AL sat at the window and admired
the big blue car and dreaded the
hour, which was fast approaching.
when he must pilot it to the office.
Why did he not have chauffeur!
| Well, during the last year he had EN-
| ployed just six chauffeurs, each OF
them resigning after a brief term of
service, complaining of nervous
! breakdown or something of the kind.
I Al kept them going at such terrific
speed that they could not stand the
strain, veterans tho they were. open
the throttle a little wider; give her
more gas; I've almost solved this
problem was the song he sang.
AL started to sigh, but before 1t
was fully materialized it turned to a
gasp, for he had seen his new car
start up suddenly from its place at
the curb and roll gently down the
street, there being considerable of a
grade in front of the club. He had
| forgotten to set the emergency brake
properly or else had not damned the
front wheels sufficiently tight against
| the curb.
Al sprang> to the door and looked
| out in time to see the auto vanish
| round the corner. He knew the grade
continued for several blocks on the
| intersecting street and he feared the
consequences He started in pursuit,
but when he arrived at the corner the
car was not to be seen.
| He stood there, undecided and
Worried his black locks blowing from
| his bare head
| Hey, mister. is this your buggy? %
called a shrin little voice. and Al
the curb from the direction opposite to
that in which it was going when he
caught his last glimpse OF 1t. The car
came to a stop and a young woman.
clad in a brown tailored suit. crawled
from behind the wheel and stepped to
| the walk.
Al advanced to her.
| ''Why-yes-yes, to be sure. it's my
car. Did-did you rescue it? Well,
! thanks, ever so much obliged
We'll. all 1 got to say" the girl OBJ
served with enthusiasm, 'is that it's
some buss. I've driven about every
kind there is. but this has them all
| beat. let her out on that side street
while going round the block; and she
travels well. I'd say"
Rather than jarfing on him, the
slang, with its mixed pronouns, was
rather refreshing. 1t was mot much
like Leona Lewell's well-rnodulated,
perfect English.
| Well, how-how did you catch
I z II -
he felt abashed before this active
young woman.
"Oh, Just saw it ambling along by
| itself. 1t looked lonesome, so 1 hoped
in and took charge. If 1 hadn't it
would have smashed up couple of
1 must be going. So long. Better
watch your boss, more closely"
She started to walk away. but AL
called:
wait a minute. Can't I do some
| thing to show my appreciation ?'
Not unless you give me a Job
And there was something rather visit
| full in her voice and facial expression
I'm on my way to hook this suit. oh.
I don't want charity. Only 1 job.
where earn what I get"
II haven't any JOB to offer" he
said.>regretfully. 1.-The only person 1
need is a chauffeur. but of course
he broke off. laughing.
| I've INC lie JODs l1e girl
| .Id love iti''
Al started to laugh, but caught him
| self The girl was in earnest: but who
ever heard of a girl-still. why should
| she be barred? Somehow. the idea
| struck him favorably. perhaps because
| of its uHiqueness. Al liked innovations;
he was constantly employing them in
his business. Certainly this would be
an innovation.
"Fll take you up on that" he said
| abruptly. Drive me to the club
And SO Beatrice Fenton became AL
Winton's cflauffeur-and many busy
| tongues started to wag.
The club boys joshed him until he
gave them to understand that it was
his own business who drove his ma
chine, and if he chose to hire an
| orang-outang for the job he would do
| il for all of them.
| When his social set got hold of it,
| however, there was no rest for AL.
The men laughed and the women