Licking Valley courier., 1921-12-15

BILE that seemed to come from nowhere
In particular. Then out of the same
indefinite circumambience came q
warning that was still more uhmiStak-
able-the long-drawn blast Of a loco.
motive whistle.
didn't climb down that pole;
came down like the time.ball on the
fagstaff in Washington at high noon.
Moreover, l struck the ground run
ming, as one might say. All thoughts
OF tinkering that confounded motor
had vanished and my one great object
In life was to get the car of the track
before q worse thing should happen.
l was doing fairly well with the lifting
and tugging when the enemy hove In
sight less than Ave hundred yards
away. And that wasn't all. either. At
precisely the same instant, as II It had
been timed by the same mechanism
that had brought the freight train,
here came a wild engine around the
curve In the opposite direction, with
Its whistle valve held open and making
a racket to wake the dead. The be-
reft. mOtor-car riders had found a To-
connective somewhere and were chasing
me. 80
One mad heaye at the stranded gas
olineScar. a mighty boost that got all
but one wheel Of 1t in the clear, and
l was gone- -streaking 1t like a 1ack-
rabbit for the tall timber-only there
wasn't a stick Of timber nearer than
the slopes Of the backgrounding noun
tairs. 1:''I ..'i'' go
b.. One glance over my shoulder as I
fled showed me what was In for. |.
that the story was to be Immediately
continued in our next. Both engineers
tried to stop; did stop In time to avert
the, greater catastrophe. Three or four
men jumped from the freight and two
from the wild engine to come tearing
after me-. fancled l could give them
their moneys worth at that game
being In pretty fair training--so l
pitched out to try to turn the hypo-
thetical theory into q condition.
1t was a great race. Through one
gap and into another we went, max
ing figure eights around the hills and
back again, lodging into new ravines
and out Of them into others, circlIng
among great sandstone boulders that
took all sorts Of weird shapes In the
passing glimpse.
l don't know just how long the chase
lasted, but 1t was long enough to give
me a very considerable degree Of re.
spect for the nerve and persistence OF
those highly indignant railroad men.
We must have been miles away from
the scene Of the disaster when final.
ly left them behind and lost them
When l looked back and found myself
alone with the solltudes sat down up.
on fiat rock to gasp and laugh. II
had all been. so supremely ridiculous
and so beautifully In keeping with the
reputation l had left behind me al
Angels, that felt sure that now moth
ing less than verdict Of expert alien
lists would ever serve to convince thes,
Red Desert folk that l. was anythin,
but an escaped lunatlc.
After the breathing spell l kept OF
up the valley, heading away from tn,
setting sun, and feeling certain that
sooner or later, must come out some
where in the neighborhood Of Atropia
Two hours later came Into sor
of an excuse for q road. Being prett,
well wlnded by the stlff climb out O
the canyon ravine, l sat down at tn,
roadside to rest 4 bit and to decid,
which way / should 20, to, the righ
or to the left. Just as was makinl
up my mind / heard q patter Of fee
and a dog barked. q;
A moment 'later could see tn
beast, lndlstlnctly. He had been com
ing up the road and had stopped a
the sight-or scentHof me. Since
dog argued the proximity Of dog
owning human being, l called coaxine
ly: Here, Towser-here-come OF
old fellow-that's boy |" and the cuI
ious thing about II Is that he did Il
running up little way and stoppin,
and finally coming ito squat befor
me and to lift paw for me to shak,
jollied him a bit and let him nos
me to his hearts content Then M,
denly, as II he hadtdiscoyered q lonI
lost master, he broke away and bega
/ to leap and dance around me. barkin
a furious and hilarious welcome, ]
{. the midst OF. this hubbpb heard hoo
: heats and the squeaking Of sadd
leather, and the, dogs owner rode u
At first l thought the dlmly outline
Stetson-hatted figure In the saddle VIZ
that of boy, But II was q woman
/ voice, and mighty pleasant one, thu
t called to the.i dog; Down, Barne
: md behave yourself--Shat's the mat
ter with you, sirl
vt u stood up and pulled on my cap.
sSs sfStTm chiefly -the natter ] !. sait
! Your dog Seems n think he. know
# me, and I'm awfplly sorry that nj
; memory is so much better than mine,
& 8 You'd thlnk--anybody would thin
a1 that a woman, riding, alone in III
Z dark On, a solitary, mountain. rQa
Q would be haniiSeileIy startled to rsa
T the least, at seeing d inhPrlse'up fal
> W under her horses noses But II IN
sI little lady were Scared, she ,ceFtalnl
6 didht parade, her fright, ..NSSltf I!
- barney is such q foolish dos, SOM
h times" she said aholsSetisallS ..H
8 has q double. bthIn, YOU know; ha
OF Il Is good.natured and silly an
!. tho other half ls-wenSits-"
v The dog had come around agal
e wagging his tail and at that mag
y word half stopped to let him site
g his cold nose Into my palm, The a
brought me near enough to enable n
e TO see him better and ]. had to'clap
Il hand over my mouth to keep fro
n shouting out and soaring the entl