Evening star., 1932-12-12

the best cooking in Paris. it's on the
rue something. Florence's or ZelliS?
Well, we've time for both; come on
folks, the nights young YETI
Well if her mother wanted to show
them the town, that YVES her head
ache! Alacia shrugged her shoulders,
brushed the picture from her mind and
ran lightly down the stairs.
The garage at the back of the gar
den was filled with expensive motors in
long line. Ordinarily there were six
of them In the row. cars Of every shape
and form imaginable, alike only in their
superlative elegance and costliness. Now
one was missing, to wit, the great black
and silver limousine in which Jean, the
head chauffeur, was doubtless at this
moment sleeping outside some late night
club or early awakening bistrot. But the
expert mechanic who kept the cleaning
fleet in order was already on the floor
when Alacia entered and went at once
to the new car, low. racing Europa,
silver gray as Zeppelin, and almost
as powerful
Morning, Scott!" said Alacia How
do you like her?"
Shes a sweet thing, Miss" the
little red-headed cockney replied en-
Enthusiastically. II bin a-tuning Of 'er,
not that she really needed 1t. But
she's 'ardly wot yer might call lady's
car. MISS"
Il should hope not!" Alacia purred
happily Il told them at the factory
to make me up an exact duplicate of
the car we are officially entering in
the Prlx de Monaco. In other words,
Scott, the fastest most powerful model
the Europa has produced to date. Roll
her out, please, I'm going to give her a
run while the roads are clear!"
Silently the silver monster sub
mitted to being pushed out into the
courtyard, where Scott filled the tank
while Alacia walked around her new
toy, fecking away invisible bits Of dust
with scrap of waste, and patting the
long body in loving admiration. And
as always, in connection with the
Europa, Alacia thought of her father.
If only he could see this strange, beau
tiful product which had grown out of
his enterprise, how proud he would be-
how interested! Not as his widow was
interested, for the dollars and cents
which the car represented, but in the
car itself as an entity almost human
in its response and initiative in its per
formance. Alacia was conscious of an
inner conviction that motors were liv-
ing things, capable OF sympathy, re-
pulsion, stubbornneSs and loyalty. She
would have been ashamed. perhaps, to
| voice such a notion, but in her secret
heart she believed it, and her feeling
/ toward the car she drove was very
similar to that experienced by q rider
| toward a favorite horse. Moreover. it
! was a fact that she regarded her
/ Europas as a sort of living link be-
! tween herself and the dead father
whom she had adored.
At last Scott stood aside with an ex-
! pressive gesture which said the car
was ready Alacia slid into the low
seat behind the wheel, and diSmissing
/ the mechanic with a nod, drove out
/ into the cobbled by-sJreet. narrowly
! missing a milk-woman with a char
| rette. AT the corner she swung up
! into the Avenue du Bois, sliding pre-
/ cariously through a world washed by
| earlier rains which had left the treach-
| erous Paris pavementS as slippery as
/ ice. The BoiS at this hour was de-
/ serted gave fer an occasional shivering
| gendarme pacing along in blue cape,
and the commits, who, with reluctant
vigor. swept the graveled terraces of
! the woodland restaurants. Alacia felt
| she was holding the great car in rein
with difficulty, as though her own i'm
patience to test out its power was COM
municated from the softly running en-
! CINE which only waited her command
I to prove it's strength. A sharp turn
carried her through the least trouble
some gate Of Paris, the Porte Dauphine,
and few minutes later the thin facade
Of the Longchamps race course loomed
suddenly on her left. Then the river
cleaned ahead and in another mo-
ment she was crossing a bridge, the
gayly decorated inns Of the village or
the bank opposite as colorful as a coun-
try fair. Up the long, twisting road
the st. German hill melted under the
Europa without change of gear, un-
til. gaining in speed at every yard, they
mounted to point where Paris and
the silver ribbon of the Seine lay far
below, decked in gauze veil of new
green leaves, the Spring sunshine pick
ing out flashing jewels from window
and spire. Then abruptly the road
straightened and narrowed into a ca
thedral archway leading toward Yer
sailles, and with little shout Of de-
light Alacia stepped on the accelera-
tor.
Nov. show me what you can dor
she cried to the car. ''Everything you've