Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-12-29

A Sentry Stepped Into the Road.
two sets of guards. Long before they
reached 1t, sentry stepped into the
road and waved his lantern.
Milky burrowed lower into the car,
and attempted to look like rug. In
the silence, while the sentry evidently
examined a passport and flashed
lantern over the chauffeur, Milky
cursed the ticking of his watch, the
beating of his own heart.
Then came a clanking as the chain
dropped in the road. The car bumped
over 1t, and halted again. The same
formalities, this time by Karniap
sentries. Then the jerk following a
hasty letting-in of the clutch. and they
were off again.
For some time they climbed steadily.
But Milky, who knew the road, bided
his time. Then at last, at two o'clock,
came the steep ascent to the very
crest of the mountain, and a falling
back, gear by gear until they climbed
Slowly IN the lowest.
Milky unfolded his length quietly.
The gears were grinding, the driver
bent low over his wheel. Very de-
liberately, now that he knew what he
was going to do Milky unbuttoned his
tunic and slipped it off. 1t was rash
thing, this plan he had In mind, rash
under any circumstances, in a moving
ar-particularly rash here, where be-
tween the cliff and a precipice that
fell far away below, was only wind
ing ribbon of uneven road.
Milky, he waited his moment, and
then, with one singularly efficient ges-
ture, he flung his tunic over the
chauffeur's head He drove a car
himself, did Nikky-not his own, of
course; he was far too poor-and he
counted on one thing-an automobile
driver acts from the spinal cord, and
not from the brain. Therefore his
brain may be seething with a thousand
frenzies, but he will shove. out clutch
and brake feet In an emergency, and
hold them out.
So it happened. The mans hands
left the wheel, but he stopped his car.
Not too soon. Not before 1t had struck
the cliff, and then taken sickening
curve out toward the edge of the
precipice. But stop 1t did, on the very
edge of eternity, and the chauffeur
held it there.
"Set the hand brake!" Milky said.
The lamps were near enough the edge
to make him dizzy.
The chauffeur ceased struggling, and
set the hand brake. His head was stiff
covered. But having done that, he
commenced O struggle more furious
than fOrcefuI, for both of them were
handicapped.
And now Milky was forced to an
unsoldlerlike thing that he afterward
tried to forget. For the driver de.
veloped unexpected strength, refused
to submit, got the tunic off his head,
and, seeing himself attacked by one
man only. took courage and fell to.
he picked up wrench from the seat
beside him, and made furious pass
at Nikky's head. Milky ducked and,
after a struggle secured the weapon.
All this in the car, over the seat back,
it was then that Milky raised the
wrench and stunned his man with 1t.
1t was hateful. The very dull thuo
Of 1t was sickening. And there was o
bad minute or two when he thought
he had killed his opponent. The mar
had sunk down In his seat, solder
lump of inanimate human flesh. Anc
Milky, whose business, in a way, was
killing. was Mortified.
The chauffeur Weakened. ten minutes
later, to find himself securely tied with
his own towing rope, and lying ex'
tremely close to the edge of death
Beside him on the ground sat steady
eyed young man with cut lip. The
young man had lighted cigarette, and
was placing 1t carefully In the unin
jured side of his mouth.
"Just as soon as you are up to it.
said Milky, 1--WE shall have a little
talk"
The chauffeur muttered something II
the peasant patois of Karnia.
"Come, comet" Milky observed
Speak up. No hiding behind strangS
tongues. But first, have the letter