The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-04-23
The Great Bavaria Curve 2
by EdIn Muner)

turned his head. Too late-they we're
moving.
1t was as if the sled had been
snatclIed ahead by some invisible hand.
They were flying down the bottom of
shut out all of the outside world ex-
cept the tops of the pine trees that
flowed past in a rushing river of green.
Jean crouched in her seat, striving
to compress herself into the least pos
sible space. She could feel Georges
concentrating every particle OF himself
on keeping the sled straight in the
groove.
Ahead of them a white wall leaped
up in their path. 1t was the Kilian
Looping, an S curve, left then right.
The sled was climbing the wall, fitting
more and more. They were on the YER
tical slide. the bottom of the trench
straight down below them. Like doing
The sled anne down the slope, flat
tened out in the groove, then shot up
the other wall. This time surely they'd
go right on, over the top. But they
were in the straightaway again, going
faster than ever.
Jeans mind leaped ahead and fixed
itself on the thing that she knew was
coming. It was that place at the Great
Bavaria halfway around the horseshoe
where George always carried the sled
right up within inches Of the top of
the wall. She tried not to think about
1t. 1t was no use-she saw it as vivid
ly as the condemned man pictures the
execution chamber, every detail of the
Snow-plastered ice blocks of which the
wall wa built.
The wind reared through her helmet
as the sled picked up speed on the
s~traightway. She tried to squeeze her
self closer to George. He wouldn't let
her be hurt-nothing could hurt her
while he was there. No good. She knew
the thing that was coming as clearly
as If it had already happened. When
they reached that point at the top
of the wall they would go over. She
could see the sled flying out through
the air with the four of them clinging
to it, hurting down into the tangle
of pine stumpS and boulders-
There it came.
She had meant to close her eyes,
but the wall was there before she had
time. Her fingers ached from her grip
Of the rails.
Now the sled was tilting-was climb
ing up-up-toward that-She mustn't
grab at George-she mustn't
Her arms shot out and locked con-
vulsively around Georges neck.
The sled, thrown out of control, acted
like a crazy thing. 1t Slowed violently
and, for an instant, was riding broad
side along the very top of the wall,
the rear end just overhanging the outer
edge. There was a cracking sound from
below.
Then. as George savagely wrenched
it around, the sled slipped back to the
inner wall and dropped toward the
trough. By the time it had reached
The bottom it had swung the other
broadside on, and almost climbed over
the opposite wall. It was a hundred
yards. down tn" course before it was
1lnaliy und control. BY then its pace
had been cut to almost nothing and
1t finished the rest of the run at an
ingloriouS crawl.
When the sled came to rest at the
finish line the other three stood up
but Jean still sat there launched over
on her seat. George wouldn't look at
her-he stood with his hands in his
pockets staring out across the valley,
his face wooden.
1t was Avis who broke the silence:
Best ride I've had this season, child
rem. Never had a chance to look down
the other side of that wall before"
Nobody answered. Jean stared stonily
at the tip of her mitten. If she could
get it off without anybody seeing and
dig her nails very hard into her palm
would that keep the tears back?
II say, George" said Avis, her eyes
dancing as she looked at Jean. why
don't you run up now and take Jean
down on the two man bob?"
Without saying a word George start
ed down the path. Avis shrugged her
shoulders and followed, humming a
gay little tune. Dicky, his face red,
.-@ ~