Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1922-01-26
CHAPTER v.
The Maoic Triad.

| The Magic Triad.
To be stopped before could reach
my goal was no part of my plan. so
opened things up and gave the little
three-wheeled dinky all the gas it
could use, keeping sharp lookout
ahead, and meaning to pull up little
way short of the graveyard city, aban-
doning the car and making the actual
approach on foot.
Judging from the way the scenery
was racing backward. estimated that
the little car must be doing at least
thirty miles to the hour; which meant
forty minutes or such matter. to
cover the twenty-one miles. If oppOs-
ing train. or trains. whatever they
might be, would only keep out of my
way for those precious forty min
pushed the small motor to its limit
and was getting along beautifully until
suddenly. on a grade that was bit
sleeper than usual. the popping ex-
haust quit short off, the engine slowed
down. and the car, squeaking and
grinding, came to q stand on q low
embankment between two OF the hill
cuttings.
There wasn't anything very complt-
cate'l about the!little motor. and soon
discovered that a broken ignition wire
was what had killed it. Happily,
there was a small toolbox under the
seat, and in the kit there was a pair
of pliers. But sometimes-and this
was ono Of theiE-a bit of material is
as Important as the tools to work with.
The broken wire was too short to con-
PIE up again, and there wasn't an inch
ut spare wire to be found in tine
kit.
'hey say that necessity Is the moth.
er OF Invention; but Ill defy anybody
10 invent piece of wire in the middle
OF the Great Sahara desert. Every
minute was expecting to hear the
rumble and roar Of u train.
In this extremity it was a little
desert zephyr that gave me the great
Idea A gentle breeze came signing up
the draw from some Overheated area
out beyond. and finding no trees on
the barren hills, it sang its, little song
IN the thickly clustering telegraph
wires on the poles. Why, sure! I
said to myself; here was my wire
miles and miles of it. All had to do
was to climb up and get 1t.
Gentle reader, wonder If you've
ever tried to climb a telegraph pole
without the contrivances that line
man buckles upon his feet? If You
haven't. the advice Of this amateur is
don't. Half dozen times l shinnled
up to perhaps the. height of mans
mead, only to come sliding down again
on run. At last, by series of inch
lnes contrived to get within arms
reach OF the lowest crOsspiece. Pliers
IN hand; strained for the nearest
wire, progged it, and began to twist 1t
back and forth to break it.
Not to let me miss any of the thrills.
II was at the Drecise instant of tile
Wlre-breaking that my straining ears
; caught the sound they had been lis.
tenlng for; far-away, drumming rum
Ole That seemed to come from nowhere
In particular. Then, out of the same
Indefinite circumambience came
warning that was still more unmistak-
able-the rong-drawn blast, Of a loco
motive whistle.
+ didn't climb down that pole; I
came down like the tine.ball on the
hagstaf In Washington at high noon.
Moreover, struck the ground run
ming, as one might say. All thoughts
Of tinkering that COMPOUNDED motor
.hadsyanished and. my one great object
N life was to get the car of the track
before worse thing should happen.
was doing fairly well with the lifting
and Juggling when the enemy hove In
sight less than five hundred yards
away. And that wasn't all, either, At
precisely the same instant. as IL 1t had
been timed by the same mechanism
that had brought the freight train,
/ here came 9 wild engine around the
curve In. the opposite direction. with
its. whistle valve held open and making
2, racket to; wake the dead. The be.
reft mOtor-car riders had found "a To-
connective somewhere and were chasing
me. &. /. e y; ~. Il. & n
Il Vic Hull AtdVe aL#Cne stranded gas
oiine car; almighty. boost that got all
but one. wheel of it in the clear, and
i was gone streaking it like jack
rabbit for the tall timbeg only there
wasn't q stick Of timber nearer ne arc than
the slopes Of the backgrounding noun
taihs. ,.,. e # VI
i One glance over my shoulder as /
fled showed me whathI was: Ia for !:
that the story was to be Immediately
continued In DIR next. Both engineers
tried to stop ibid stop In time IS avert
1 1.-THE greater catastrophe. Three or four
men Jumped from the freight and two
from the Wild engkie to. come tearing
after me. fanclsl ] could give them
i their moneys worth IL. thai. game
i being e pretty fair training 30 Il
4 pitched out TO try TO turn the hypo.,
sthetfcais Theory INTO condition.