Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1921-04-15
PART ~.
The Ascent to Mars.

vehicle dIsastrOusly to the curb In
front of the Poppy club and, as re-
suit of his criminal negligence, In con-
junction with Miss Imogene Pamela
Thornton's reprehensble peeking &C.
eupation, hurled that young lady to the
middle of the sidewalk ON her hands
and knees, he leaped from his seat on
Il spontaneous impulse TO help her TO
her feet and administer every kind of
first comfort that the occasion seemed
TO demand.
Two considerations, however, shot
from the double-barreled blunderbuss
of Ridicule and Honor, caught him on
the wing, as Ii were, and detected
his flight from west to east with Il
sharp turn due south at the corner of
Fifty-seventh street and Sixth avenue.
In the first place, out of the corner of
his eye he had seen his one-time
friends Mr. Nearton. Mr.. Verries and
Mr.. Berry descending the shallow club
front steps In an avalanche; in the
second place, he suddenly recollected
that Miss Thornton was an helress
high above his present station and
intent, as he had gathered from be-
tween the lines In various advertise
ments in the local press referring TO
the location of his person, on thank
ing and otherwise recompenslng him
for turning to the right In n matter
of ten thousand dollars n year, UNI
earned increment.
As he gazed for one too brief second
down into the pleading eyes and ador-
ably eager face of this lovable vision
on her hands and knees, which 1t
seemed unbelievable he had once held
In his arms, only the oft-repeated
favorite poem of his nurse:
could not love thee. dear. 30 much
Loved I not honor more
kept him from facing the avalanche
of ridicule and giving the eternally
searching Diogenes with his lantern
u run for his money. AS previously
stated, Ii was not to be. Mr.. RAN
dolph turned from the waiting arms
of the sweetest temptation ever re-
niged by man and made his swift way
to the sanctum of Mr.. Tourke
O'Shaughnessy, foreman-manager of
the Village Cab company.
.Tourke," said Mr.. Randolph, I'm
through. Smashed up the two off
wheels of my wagon on the curb In
front of the Poppy club. Dock me
thirty, please, and make out my pay
check"
Through, Slim? Whadda ya mean?"
said Mr.. o'Shaughnessy. think I'm
goin' to sack you for n skid ON day
like this? Pay for your fun, kid, but
take another wagon"
Robert Randolph, alias Slim Her.
vey, shook his head.
"You don't understand" he said.
"I-rve lost my nerve"
Lost your nerve!' gasped Mr..
O'Shaughnessy. "Whadda VA mean by
tellin' me lie like that? Come on.
now draw mapl Did ye kill the
inside?"
"Oh, no." said Slim: "that's just It.
/ mean, the young lady is very much
all right"
II begin TO get you" murmured
Tourke. skirt on your track, eh?"
A look of pity followed by one of
loyalty crept into his eyes. Look
here, SLIM" he continued: II know
that tryin' to trick n female Is like
payin' hockey with a stick o dyna-
mite, but we got a lot o high cards 10
draw to. First shot out o the box,
all the boys here is for you. Then
there's your frien's, the Force. want
to tell you, Slim, you're the first driver
ever had that could flatten out cop
ON busy day an make him think 1t
was u joke"
Thanks" said Mr.. Randolph, but
shook his head sadly.
Now, llsten,' resumed Mr.
O'Shaughnessy: I'm goin' to have
the boys up here as they come in an
put 'em on. In the enteract, you sin
out for makeup. Get Sally Painter
round the corner TO tone your face
down to the color of your freckles, dc
a little job on yer eyebrows, an fiS
a deep scar in the upper lip of yeI
speakin' tube. Get mel"
Mr.. kand0lphs widely placed blue
eyes narrowed in an effort to examin,
the proposition shrewdly from al
angles and the light of hope was JUS
beginning to dawn across the troubl,
in his honest face when there came
: sharp knock on the door, followed
promptly by the rattle of the loos,
knob and the unceremonlous entry
of one birdlike, bald-headed, dappeI
corporation lawyer and two corpulen
gum-shOe plain-clothes men.
"Yerel Wot the" exclaimed IN,
outraged Mr.. O'ShaHghnessy.
The legal light paid him no heed ant
advanced on the fast-wiltng Slim Her
Ney with outstretched hand.