The Aberdeen weekly., 1922-03-10
The Girl, a Horse and a Doc
By FRAnC1S LunDE

the magic horse and dog should disap-
pear. I tramped off in search of a place
where / could leave my two grips. The
place that offered, and the only one,
/ was the Celestial TIctel." and l Won
dered what sly wag had suggested the
name, which was a double pun upon
| the name of the town and the fact that
| the tavern, half restaurant and half
! lodging house, was kept by a China
man.
But L secured accommodation, and
as l was turning TO leave the restau-
rant-tavern trouble loomed up in the
i shape of the heavy-shouldered des-
peradoish-looking person whom l had
| seen at the station talking with the
| train conductor.
I'm onto you with both feet" he re-
marked, boring me with an eye that
could easily fancy might strike terror
into the heart of the most reckless
criminal I'm givin' you warnin' right
now that no funny business don't go in
this mans town; see?"
I'm quite harmless" l assured him.
"Give me a little information. and I'll
forthwith remove myself from the con-
fines of your charming city. How far
is it by wagOn-road to Placerville-
Atropia, and how can l get there?"
My gosh" he said gloomily; two
of you in the same dog ,oned week :"
Even so. When did the other one
arrive?"
Day before yist.dday. He didn't
look so much bughouse as you do. but
L.
whoop, too, r he wouldn't "a gone to
'Tropia."
Let him rest in peace. Do get my
informatiOn?"
"Shore: we speeds the partin' guest.
You've come apast your place. Twenty
one mile back; and the way-freig ght II
git you there to-morruh mornin'."
I'm going to Atropia-this after
noon," L Dragged.
He let me pass, and 1 tramped up
the street until l found the one livery
stable. Here, again, my fool reputa-
ton had quite evidently Outrun me.
The man had idle horses, plenty of
them, as l couldn't help seeing, but l
couldn't hire one for love or money.
When it came right down to the pinch,
he wouldn't even sell me one.
BY this time l was in a hot sweat
of imDatience to be on my way; to
bridge that twenty-one miles before
the elusive clue-if it were the clue
could once more dodge me and vanish
into thin air. In that frame of mind l
told the cautious iveryman, in gentle
phrase. what l thought of him and his
kind, and hurried down TO the rail
road hoping to be able to catch an
east-bound train of some kind, any
kind. whose crew could be bribed or
cajoled into carrying me to Atropia.
1t was just as l was about to inquire
of the telegraph operator what the
chances were that the great tempta-
tion rose up and slapped me in the
face. Up the grade from the westward
q tiny, three-wheeled car, carrying two
men, came spinning along. l recOg-
niZed it at once as a track-inSpectiOn
car, driven by a small gasoline engine;
an evolution of the old velocipede car,
foot and hand-driven and used by road /
masters and other railroad men for
making quick trips over short dis
tances.
In half minute the little car rat |
tied up to the station and made a |
quick stop, the two men setting the |
brakes and hopping off to dodge into |
the telegraph office. They left the lit !
tie pOp-popping engine running at /
idling speed, and in a flash l saw my I
chance. OF course, if I should steal /
the car, I'd be caught and arrested ana /
hauled off somewhere to be tried and /
fined; but before any of these unto /
ward things could happen, 1 should |
have settled that biting question of |
the ownership of the piebald pony and I
the harlequin-faced dog.
With a quick glance over my shoul-
der to make sure that the coast was
still clear. 1 slipped into the driving
seat, jerked the throttle open and re-
leased the clutch, praying fervently
that the switches might be set right
for me at the upper end of the Angels
yard.