Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1937-05-07
CHAPTER II

liceman foolishly tried to block their
furious career and barely escaped an
Inhalation when the girl wrenched the
car to the left. Ian never forgot an
= impression he got of her lovely fea-
lures set, coat open and the soft lace
of her tea gown fluttering like gos-
samer pennonS.
Cali right" he said. "We can
change now"
With mighty grooming of brakes
she brought the car to a shuddering
halt which dug deep burrows in the
road and filled the air with the stencil
of scorched rubber.
Barely an instant was wasted in en-
changing positions, then Ian threw
the car into~gear and, driving as he
had never driven before, dashed off
into the night with the wind blast
ing through that ragged hole in the
windshield. Trees flickered past like
fence palings and the road, lit by the
ACcAPlilS Lay o"0S w w
fore him like an uncertain white rib
bon.
The two-seater shot through one
sleeping village after another lorna
do like, leaving behind wildly yelping
dogs and an enormous pail of dust.
Lolita! Lolita! To have her in
peace and happiness, unafraid of all
men-he must win. Like a racing
driver gone crazy he roared along
straight stretches and skidded around
corners. Ye gods, let him get to Hat
van in time!
Once in the wide flat countryside
he pressed the accelerator to the floor,
urging the great palpitating machine
to it's splendid best and strained his
eyes to watch the road ahead. Sud-
denly there appeared a fork in the
road, he slammed on the brakes. All,
Nagy-Kulm already. He swung to
the right, racing ever EDWARDS to-
wards Scent and distant Hatvan.
Beside him the girl ignored her
wildly fluttering skirts, to clutch the
door and the handle of the cutout,
in an effort to brace her slight body
against the mad lurching of the road
ster. Shadowy objects like ambushed
monsters seemed to spring at the
carlow a kilometer post, now a
wayside shrine. A dozen times Ian
thought they were lost and all the
while the kissing warm night wind
tore at his hair with unseen fingers,
filled his eyes with tears. All at once
he got a queer impression that the
car was remaining still while the
earth revolved under it.
On a straight stretch, he shot a
swift glance at Lolita. Utterly UNI
afraid she crouched there, blue eyes
wide and staring fiXedly at the road
ahead. The wind he noted, had pull
ed her hair back to reveal ears which
were small and well-shaped, like the
rest of her.
One hundred kilometers an hour,
the indicator said, and Ian became
confident that Bobskine's fifteen min
ute lead was being cut to ribbons,
when suddenly the road blurred. Damn
it! He had forgotten all about his
wound. He must have bled lot
his whole side felt wet and cold. He
blinked and the careening landscape
came in focus again.
"Get the name of the next town."
he yelled above the tumult of the
wind.
Ahead shone the lights of a car
He'll! This country road was narrow
as an old maids mind-and then to
his horror he beheld just ahead a
small stone bridge. If the cars met
on that bridge all involved would per-
ish horribly.
His drivers instinct warned him it
was too late to stop; hundred kilo-
meters an hour is not an easy speed
to handle. Then, forking to the left,
he saw track descending the low
banks of stream. It must be one
of those fords arranged to allow peas
ants to water their thirsty horses.
How deep the water was nor how
rough the bottom, Ian could not know,
but risk it he must, so, as the fork
flashed near, he braked furiously and
turned the wheel to the left.