Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1921-04-15
~. FLIGHT.

He had placed the chair within a
yard et the door His feet. as lie sat
with legs extended. ankles crossed
were almost on the threshold She
could hardly pass without stepping ov-
er them. He made no offer TO move.
Indeed, he did not stir a finger. His
| hands were clasped before him, his
head rested on the high back of the
chair, his face was masked in deep
shadow, the deeper for the fire di-
| rectly behind him, across the room,
whose dying glow furnished the only
light
1t was long minute before his
measured breathing revived her cour-
age. She sidled out noiselessly in her
Stockinged feet, watching him sus-
piciously. But the sleep that follows
an emotional crisis. always profound,
annulled the precautions he had TAX
en- TO prevent precisely what was hap
pening
At the edge of the veranda she de-
( layed long enough to take her slippers
from the pockets of the motoring
wrap and put them on. Then she
stepped down TO the soft turf and
sped swiftly round the bungalow TO the
| garage
! It's doors were operas she already
knew, for a view Of the garage was
commanded by the side window of
| Leonoras bedchamber. Cold moonlight.
slanting in, picked out the blind lamps
/ of the car and the bright work of bon
net and windshield.
With a humping heart she slipped
into the drivers seat and CROPPED for
! the lighting and ignition controls of
the dash. The luck seemed to be with
her now; the switchboard had not
been locked.
Her foot oppressed the starting
pedal and in the great hush the will
ing drum of the motor reverherated
like a long roll heraldng the Trump
! of Doom. simultaneously meshing the
gears in first speed Priscilla let tn,
clutch in somewhat too suddenly. The
car jumped like startled animal anC
leaped ont of the garage. she heard
or thought she heard, a shout from
within the bungalow. and in her haste
| bungled the shift to second speed SC
that the gears ground and screeched
Internally. Nevertheless the cal
moved down to the road at a swifter
smoother pace.
In passing she saw, out OF the
corner Of her eve, Mario run out onto
| the yeranda, pause then dash madly
| toward the car. She bore heavily on
/ the accelerator and made the third
shift smoothly enough. an instant later
rounding into the road on not more
! than two wheels. Angry shouts In
the rear told her that Mario had failed
/ to oyertake her.
To a moderate store of amateurlSh
| driving ability alone she owed not one
| but dozen breath-taking escapes Tile
| test the ability Of skilled hand al
the wheel, in the first few miles sci
| dom running straight for as much as
two hundred yards. The grade grew
! by degrees less dangerous. however
the road less serpentine; there were
presently stretches of almost level run
ming.
After a time the road forked. and
perhaps two miles farther ON it forked
again. Being utterly ignorant OF the
lay of the tand, but guessing that the
valley was on ner right, Priscilla in
both Instances took the righthan
track. Well beyond the second fork
the car dropped swiftly down a short
but steep declivity, and before she
could see her danger and apply the
brakes, plunged into mud above the
rims. LabOring heavily. it stopped dead
After a few conyulsiye heayes the
engine sighed and stalled.