Evening star., 1925-11-29

| est duIOllODIeS, the racers dIu no
! tor cycles were left behind. The lob
ster careered gallantly onward. Tea
| was taken 60 miles from home; and
| then, with the sky 80 inviting, the air
! so brilliant, Nicholas daringly went
| farther. He went so far that he lost
| his way came out upon bare stretch
| of country, stopped, could find nothing
| upon the map. raced along, found his
| way again, lost it Il second time, be-
| came anxious, accelerated more and
| more-crash. The lobster suddenly
| lost all control over his own move
| ments. Smash. He skidded vio
| lently, sidelong off the road, on. to
| the grass. seemed to tWirl round and
round like IA fly half stunned, and
| at last came to stand, pointing back
! toward the place from which he had
| come. Edna, quite white, sat abso
| lutely still, paralyzcd with surprise
| and fright. Nicholas, with a very
red face, looked at her in shame.
| Without a word he clambered out of
! the lobster and walked round and
| round him. He tested the tires, the
| steering wheel; looked out into the
| road and came back again; shook his
| head, felt the hubs of the four
| wheels, and opened up the bonnet.
| For the next 10 minutes he was ex-
| perimenting with various parts of
| the engine. For the following half
| HOuI he tOlllnueu Ills experiments.
| The engine would run, but the car
| would not. Back came Nicholas to
| his original search. He was hot and
| angry and crestfallen. He tapped
and twisted and explored. His hands
| and clothes and face were smudged
| with black grease. When Edna
asked him what was wrong he
| snapped at her. She became silent.
| \ wind began to flicker upon them
| The suns warmth chilled slightly.
| Al last, in desperation. Nicholas
| looked along the road they had some
and along the road that lay before
| them. No vehicle or human being
was in sight. The road was deserted.
| The lobster was the one bright spot
| in the landscape. The accident had
| occurred an hour before, and no
single person had curiously ap
preached Darkness was not far off
the electric light switches would not
| work; they We're a hundred miles
| from home, and Nicholas did not
| know where they We're.
I'm going to walk on" said Nicho-
| las. .'over that hill in front. Road
| must lead somewhere. | may find a
house or a telephone. You just stay
| there"
Hours passed-it seemed to Edna.
Hours and hours. She was bewildered
| and outraged by the impossible cal
| louSneSS of Nicholas. He had gone,
| leaving her alone in this deserted
| place. He should have taken her with
| him. That was what he ought to have
done. But no; he preferred to leave
| her here as a policeman, TO guard the
| lobster and the tools and spares. 1t
wasn't fair, 1t wasn't right. 1t
| couldn't be right. once she actually
stepped out of the lobster and onto
the road But a few steps drove her
| back to the lobster. to the rug and
| warmth.
| SUDDENLY Edna pricked up her
ears. She had caught in the dis
tance the noise of a faint humming
| Far away. 1t meant help. She knew
| it meant help. She fixed her eyes
upon that point in the darkness from
| which Nicholas might be expected to
| return. There was nothing to be seen.
| The humming came nearer. Turning
| back, Edna could discern. in the oppo-
! site direction to the one Nicholas had
| taken, two fine specks of light. They
| grew. The humming intensified 1t
| came nearer and nearer. The specks
| became globes of light. They waxed
| Now she could see the beams upon
| the roadway. A car was coming at
| great speed.
| Hi shouted Edna, standing erect
in the lobster and raising her arm
| wildly in the air. Help"
| The car drew up. 1t had one occu-
| pant only, the driver
| In trouble?" he called
| "Awfully," cried Edna. She told in a
| GREATNESS way all that had happened.
| looking appealingly at the driver
| Hes been gone hours" she exclaim-
ed. She had no notion of how alarm
| ed and Woebegone she looked in the
| mercfless light of those headlamps.
| Il say, that is bad"' sympathetically
said the stranger. Are your lights
wrong?' He stepped out upon the
road and lowered over her-an i'm
| menseiy tall young man. too far above
the range of the light for his face to
| be visible.
| Look here, you'd better come in
| my car until we meet your friend. III
20 slowly, and You can shout If we
| meet him. Where is it YOU want TO
go! Well, that's not far out of
| my way. | could drop you there
| That's the best way. Wen look out
for him. The trouble is, I'm in a
hurry. Come along"
| The tone was kind, was command.
Ing. Edna thankfully did as she was
| told. She pressed back in her corner,
| the stranger manipulated his gears
| and they were once more away upon
the road. AS they sped along she kept
| q sharp eye upon the road and the
| distance. expecting that the head
| lights would pick up another automo-
| bile or the solitary figure of Nicholas.
| Neither old they see. The road wound
several times, and at last 1t branched
| Ihe stranger took the right hand road
| Edna was sure Nichoias must have
| taken the left. She did not know why
| she felt sure, but she looked there
| after with less attention at the road
t. side. Presently they came to a town
and passed through it, and again We're
In the darkness, strangers, with this
| pulsfng engine at their feet and the
| wide night before them
And all the time Edna was having
| an unexpected treat. The stranger
was talking to her. He could drive
and talk simultaneously. AS if the
| darkness made her bold. Edna talked
also She did more than talk-she
! chartered. She told the stranger all
| about her life and something about
Nicholas and about the lobster. and
| the stranger told her his name-Mau-
rice Jefferson-and described the day
| he had had alone in his car, which he
| called Daisy, and made her laugh by
| tales of his cheeky sister. Edna could
not see him, but his voice was beauti.
fully warm and full of laughter, and
she felt a glow of liking for him in
her heart and admired the way he sat
beside her driving, and was full of
gratitude for his kindness to herself
And in this way Edna forgot all about
Nicholas and the lobster and thought
of her long wait in the lobster as a
sort of miserable nightmare, from
which this happy journey in Daisy
was the dawn's awakening.
! X X X x