Evening journal., 1922-04-24
CHAPTER I

scrambling little town OF Dominion
the air was warm and lazy with the
friendliness OF May.
A long. sleek. yellow racer came
TO a stop beside the gas tank and
wheezed into silence. A young man
rose from his almost fiat position
IN the low-slung drivers seat
stretched himself and started up
ward toward the glaring white
OF Mount Taluchen, the highest peak
OF the continental backbone. frown-
Ing in the coldness OF SHOWS that
never departed
Gas"
yep" The young man stretch
ed again. Fill up the tank-and
better give me half a gallon OF oil"
Young he was, almost boyish;
yet counterbalancing this was a SER
iousness Of expression that almost
approached sombreness. The eyes
were dark with something that ap-
preached sorrow. the lips had
tirhtness about them which gave
evidence of the pressure Of suffering
all forming an expression which
seemed to come upon him unaware.
But in a fash It was gone. and boy
ish again. he had turned. laughing
to survey the gas tender.
Barry Houston. huh? Must be
new make. I"
"Camouhage." laughed the young
man again. That's my name"
"Oh. is it7" and the villaser
chuokled with him. you've got
IN plate right where tn name O.
car is plastered usually. and It plum
fooled me. Where are you headed
for2"
"Over Hazard"
Amt daft. are your"
Il hope not. It's May. isn't IT,
Look up there" The old man
polnted 10 the splotches OF white
thousands OF feet above. 1T may be
spring down here. boy. but It's jan
nary IN there. They's only been two
cars over Hazard since November
and they come through last week
Both of 'em was old stagers. Both
OF 'em came through here lookin'
like icicles an swearin' { beat four
o. a kind"
A thrill shot through Harry Hous-
ton. His life had been that OF the
smooth spaces, OF the easy ascent OF
well paved grades. OF streets and
comforts and OF luxuries. The very
rarredness OF the thing before him
lurod him and drew him on.
They've got me-" came quietly.
"rm-Tm going 10 make the try J.
The gears meshed. A stream OF
smoke from the new oil spat out for
o., second. Then. roaring and chort-
ling with the beginning OF battle
tho machine swept away toward the
.lrht turn that indicated the scrag-
civ end OF the little town OF Domin-
ION and the beginning OF the hrst
grade.
"A six per cent. grade II rs an
inch!" he muttered. Ana thls is
only the beginning"
lie settled more firmly in his seat
and gripped hard at the steering
wheel Gradually. the severity OF
tho grade had increased TO ten, TO
twelve and IN short pitches 10 even
eighteen and twenty per cent!
a stop. while the red. kissing
water splattered from the radiator
cock and the lifted hood gave the
machine a chance to cool before re-
nlenishment came from the murky
discolored stream OF melted snow
water. Painting and light-headed
from the altitude. Barry leaned
AGAINST the machine for a moment
sometbinR touched his face and
melted there-snow!
An hour-and three more atter
that-a last final. clattering Jour
new. and Barry leaped from tho seat
with something akin to enthusiasm
Through tho swirling snow when
sifted past the glare OF his head
lights he could discern a sign which
told him he had reached the sum-
rnit. that he now stood at the literal
top Of the world.
From now on he could progress
with the knowledge that his engine
al least need labor no longer. But
the dangersl Barry knew that they
had only begun. The descent would
he as steep as the climb he had just
made.
Again he started. the brake bands
souaking and protesting, the ma
chine sloughing dangerously as now
and again its sheer weight forced
II forward at dangerous speeds.
He grasped desperately for the
emergency brake. For five minutes
there had come the strong odor o.
burning rubber; the foot-brake lin
ings we're gone; everything depend.
cd upon the emergency now! Anc
almost with the first strain
Careening, the car seemed to lear
beneath him. The brakes were gone
the emergency had not even LASTED
through the first hill. Barry Hous
ton was now a prisoner OF speed
cramped IN the seat OF runaway
car clutching tight at the wheel
leaning, white. tense-faced out int
the snow, as he struggled TO nego
tiate the turns. 20 hold the grea
piece OF runaway machinery to tn
road and check its speed from tim'
TO time in the snowbanks.
one chance was left, and Barr!
took 1.-THE 'burring" OF the gear
I'm lieu Of a brake. II the blurred
gears could only hold the car for
mile or so more
But a sudden, swapping crackl'
ended his hope. The gears hat
meshed. and meshing. had broken
Again a wild, careening thing, IN
car was speeding down the steepes
OF grades Ike a human thing de
termined upon self-destruction.
a skidding curve. then a straight
away. while Barry clung TO the whee
with fingers that were white Will