, 1923-01-24

Luddy Erinned briefly but frater-
nally saluted, and declined I o COM
NIT himself. as an officer of the law.
by turning to observe her as she
swept past him and mounted the
next hfl-at a rate. DO it recorded.
not strictly in accordance with traf.
fc regulations.
i covering how brief and deluding
can be the sense OF release born of
four flying wheels with nowhere in
partidular TO fly to- She almost
wished that she might rear the put
put Of Luddy's motorcycle IS It rode
her down.
She almost wished that Luddy
would arrest her and have her com.
mitted to a jailyard with high walls
where she couldn't possibly get out
ana where she could spend what
remained Of her blIEhted life break
ing limestone rocks with a big ham
mer. breaking them by humping
them until they went to pieces, the
same as she'd like to thump a few
heads.
Then her thoughts wen back to
her car. From the crest OF the hill
which It had mounted like a swallow.
Teddie could see tho familiar gray
ribbon OF the road where It twined
through the woodlanded valley be-
low her.
1t WIS a very inviting road. It was
more than inviting. in TeddIe's pres
ent mood-it was challenging. AM
she breathed deeper as she saw that
she couldn't even afford to keep an
y on her speedometer dial.
She WINS moro than halfway down
the long slope when she first caught
sight OF the motor-trucS loaded with
a double tier Of cement blocks. That
failed to trouble her, however. for she
had ample room to sllther ny.
What did trouble her, for a mo.
ment, was something coming down
the opposing slope. 1t was n pigeon,
gray roadster. stripped of Its top. a
homely and heavy-bodie6 roadster
which trailed rolling cumuli OF road.
lust in It's wake.
Teddie's quick eye told her that as
the different factors now revealed
themselves the pigeon-gray roadster
would pay the motor rue before she
could. This meant that would have
to give waJ and slow down and
humbly wait for the autocrat plotting
the p.geon-gray roadster.
And this Teddte had neither the
/ desire nor the intention OF doing.
Because she knew who owned that
roadster. She knew It even before
i IT. A. I Ado. H..
in the hiCh-backed seat. the tanned
and GoEgled face with the on.stalned
old ~putty-colored motor.coat but.
toned close W under the bony young
Caesar-Augustln chin.
1t was Gerry Vests car. Anc
Gerry West was in It. imperiaily de.
mandjnG his rIght.of.way as he
pounded man-like down a road which
he regarded as entirely and altogeth.
er his own.
But 1t was not Teddie's intention.
hal afternoon. to play second fiddle
10 any n
Teddie's heart frightened a little.
for she knew 1t would take prompt
ness to swing out to tho loft and
back to the right again before the
lordly ROADSTER pounded opposite the
motor-lorry.
II he had to slow up. at the last
moment, so much the better. for he
seemed, at the moment, to stand typ
ioaI of those steam-rollers of life
which she had always SO actively re.
scented.
1t was a bigger car than hers, a
distinctly male car. and as UGH It
- - -@,.lIA-.Nl@ TNAA htNNIA -
# courtesy naturally must rest up
on It.
OUBLIMINALLY her practised eye
- was measuring the distances,
app-aising the speed OF the rival car.
evaluating tho advance of the mo-
tortruck.
Her palm punched the horn at the
same time that her foot pushed down
on the accelcrator. Then she ca
roened ahead, claiming her fairway
by right of conquest!
She punched the horn nEain, for
the dust was troubling her than
she had expected. She swung out to
the left TO clear the laundering motor
truck, rocked IN to Il, was abreast
Of It, and saw tho ~pigeon-gray road
ster opposing her, dancing down on
her, with no visible decrease of speed.
He was not giving way an inch
and she knew what It meant. The
truck stl hemmed her in on the
right. cluttering brLskly forward, i'm
perturbablea nd Indifferent. 1t was
too late to swing ahead and over;
1t was too late to hlow down and
crop back.
Gerald Rhine,ander West was re
fusing to give in to her.
But Gerry, at that moment, must
have seen her.
He must have seen her for the first
time, tust as he saw for tho first time
what Was going to happen II they
thundered together.
And he gave way,
He gave way IN the only manner
possible By throwing over his wheel
and taking the ditch. There was q
thump and scrape Of mud.Fuards, q
shout from the startled truck-drivor
and an involuntary soprano ncream
from Teddie as she stiffened at her
wheel. with a grinding OF rubber
and gravel she brought her a to a
stop.
Copyright. 1922. Bell Syndicate. mo
Concluded IN tomOrrow'Hi nsthllment,
~