The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1922-02-09
CHAPTER v.
The Magic Triad.
from last week J

three-wheeled dinky all the gas IT
could use, keeping a sharp lookout
ahead. and meaning to pull up q little
way short OF the graveyard city, abun-
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
minutes. :.
pushed the small motor to its limit
and was getting along beautifully until
suddenly, on a grade that was a bit
sleeper than usual the popping ex-
haust quit short Off, the engine slowed
down, and the car, squeaking and
grinding, came to a stand on a low
,embankment between two of the hIll
cuttings.
There wasn't anything very compli.
Gated about the little motor, and I soon
discovered that broken ignition, wire
was what had killed it. Happily.
there was small tOolbox under tho
seat, and In the kit there was mir
of pliers. But sometimes-and this
was nnc OF them-a bit of material is
as Important as the tools to work with.
The broken wire was tOo short to con.
pic Up again, and there -,,asiIt An Inch:
or spire wire to be found in: the
kit. .--...a.:...
They say that necessity sthe moth
er OF inventions but I'll defy anybody
to invent piece of wire in the middle
OF the Great Sahara desert Every
minute was expecting to hear the
rumble and roar of train.
In this extremity 1t was q little
desert zephyr that gave me the great
Idea A gentle breeze came signing AIN
me nraw from some overheated area
out beyond, and finding no trees on
the barren hills. 1t sang Its little song
In the thickly clustering telegraph
wires on the poles. Why, sure! l.
SAID to myself; here was my wire
miles and miles Of it All had to. do
was to o,elimb up and gel. 1t. 49,.
Gentle reader, l wonder IL you've
ever tried to climb telegraph pole
without the contrivances that a line
man buckles upon his feet? II you
haven't the advice Of this amateur is
""nr. Half dozen times l shinnied
up TO perhaps the height of a mans
mead, only to come sliding down again
on run. At last, by a series of inch
mes l contrived to get within arms
.each OF the lowest crosspiece. Pliers
In hand, / strained for the nearest
wHe, progged 1t, and began to twist it
Dack and forth to break It.
Not to let me miss any of the thrills
III was at the precise instant of the
"ire.Dreaking that my strainlng ears
caught the sound they had been lis
aehing for; far-away, drumming rum
Die that seemed to come from nowhere
in particular. Then, out of the same
ihdehhite circumambience came
warning that was still more unmistak
aDle-the long-drawn blast OF a loco
motive whistle.
didn't climb down that pole: I
came down like the time-ball on the
nagstan In Washington at high noon.
moreover. l struck the ground run
ming. as one might say. All thoughts
or tinkering that cOnfounded motor
had vanished and my one great object
III life was to get the car off the track
before worse thing should happen.
1 was doing fairly well with the lifting
and tugging when the enemy hove I'm
sight less than five hundred Yards
away. And that wasn't all, either. At
precisely the same instant, as IL Il had
Deen timed by the same mechanism
that mad brought the freight train,
here came wild engine around the
curve I'm the opposite direction. with
Its whistle valve held open and making
a racket to wake the dead. The be-
reft motor-car riders had found a To-
comotive somewhere anu were chasing
me.
one mad heave at the stranded gas
oline car, mighty boost that got all
Dut one wheel of II I'm the clear, and
1 was gone-streaking 1t like Jack
rabbit for the tall timber-only there
wasn't a stick of timber nearer than
'he slopes or the backgrounding noun
tnins. -. ..
one glance over my shoulder as I
fled showed me what | was I'm for:
that the story was to be Immediately
continued In our next. Both engineers
tried 20 stop; did stop I'm time to avert
the greater catastrophe. Three or four
: men jumped from the. freight and two
from the wild engine to come tearing
.after me. fancied could give them
their moneys worth at that game
being in pretty fair training-so l.
lpitched out to try to, turn the hypo-
ithetical theory into condition.
1t was great race. Through one
zap and into another we went, max
Ing figure eights around the hills and
back again, dodging into new taSines'
and out OF them into others, clrcling
among great sandstone boulders that
took all sorts Of weird shapes I'm the
passing glimpse.
don't know just how long the chase
hrtf