Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-05-01
CHAPTER I.

1t was early afternoon and down in
he hollow which shielded the scrambling
title town OF Dominion the air was
warm and lazy with the friendliness of
lay.
4 long, sleek, yellow racer came to a
top beside the gas tank and wheezed
ITO silence. A young man rose from his
-imost nat position in the low-slung
rivers seat, stretched himself and
Jared upward toward the glazing white
Mount Taluchen, the highest peak OF
le continental backbone, frOwning in
e GOODNESS Of SHOWS that never departed.
"Gas?"
Yep" The young man stretched
gain. Fiji up the tank-and better
i've me half a gallon Of oil"
Young he was, almost boyish; yet
.Ounterbalancing this was a seriousness
If expression that almost approached
. s0mherness. The eyes were dark with
something that approached sorrow, the
lips had a r1ghtness about them which
gave evidence Of the pressure OF suffer
ing, a I forming an expression which
seemed to come upon him unaware. But
IN q flash 1t was gone. and boyish again,
he had turned, laughing, 20 survey the
gas tender.
Barry Houston, huh? Must be a new
make. L"
"Camoufage," laughed the young man
again. That's my name"
"Oh, is IT." and the yillager chuckled
with him. You've got tn plate right
where tn name O. car is plastered
usually, and it plum fooled me. Where
you headed forf"
over Hazard"
Amt daft, are you;"
Il hope not It's May. isn't it?'
Look up there" The old man
pointed to the splotches Of white,
thousands OF feet above 1T may be
spring down here. boy. but it's Janu-
airy up there They's only been two cars
over Hazard since November and they
come through last week. Both of 'em
came through here lookin' like icicles an
swearing L beat four o a kind"
A thrill shot through Barry Houston.
His life had been that Of the smooth
spaces, Of the easy ascent Of well paved
grades. OF streets and comforts and of
Injuries. The very raggedness OF the
thing before him lured him and drew
him on.
They've got me-" came quietly. I'm
I'm going 70 make the try"
The gears meshed. A stream Of smoke
from the new oil spat out for q second.
Then. roaring and ehortling with the
beginning Of battle. the machine swept
away toward the slight turn that indi-
Gated the scraggIy end OF the little
town Of Dominion, and the beginning Of
the first grade.
"a 6 per cent grade II its an inch 20
he murmured. And this Is only the be
ginning"
He settled more firmly in his seat and
gripped hard at the steering wheel.
Gradually. the severity of the grade had
increased TO ten. TO twelve and in short
pitches to even eighteen and twenty per
cent.
A stop. while the r,i, h,ssing water
splattered from the radiator cock, and
the lifted hood gave the machine .
chance TO cool before repIenishment
came from the murky. discolored stream
Of melted snow water Painting and
iight-headed from the altitude. Barry
leaned against the machine for a no
ment; something touched his face and
melted there-suow!
AZ. holland three more after that
i last final. gathering journey, and
Barry leaped from the seat with some
thing akin 10 enthusiasm.
Through the swirling snow which
sifted past the glare of his headlights.
ne could discern a sign which told him
Is
stood at the literal top OF the world
from now on be could progress with
the knowledge that his engine at least
need labor no longer. But the dangers
Barry knew that they had only begun.
The descent would be as steep as the
climb he had Just made.
Again he started. the brake bands
squeaking and protesting, the machine
sioughing dangerously as now and
sgain its sheer weight forced Ii forward
st dangerous speeds.
He grasped desperately for the emer-
geney brake For FIVE minutes there had
come the strong od0r of burning rubber
the foot brake Innings were gone; every
thing depended upon the emergency now
And almost with the first strain
Careening, the car seemed to leap be
meath him. The brakes we're gone the
emergency had not even lasted through
the first hill. Barry Houston was now G
prison Of predetermined in the seat Of :
runaway car, clutchlng tight at tbs
wheel, leaning, white. tense-faced out into
the snow, as he struggled to negotiate
the turns, to hold the great piece of run.
away machinery to the road and checl
its speed from time 10 time In the snow
banks
One chance was left. and Barry tool
1.-THE burning Of the gears in lien of q
brake. If the buried gears could onl,
hold the car for a mile or so more
But a sudden. swapping crackIe ended
his hope. The gears had meshed and
meshiug, had broken. Again a wild
careening thing, the car was speeding
down the steepest of grades like a hu