The Washington times., 1938-05-05

Rugged her closer. Toni gripped
the wheel of the car with firmer
fingers as the clammy gray wall
enveloped her, left her crawling in
an opaque world, on either side
of the narrow road, a sheer de-
scent Of 1000 feet. And snug
safety IA miles ahead.
TONI, FUZZY AND FOG
I'm glad we finished our days
work-or almost finished it-be-
fore the fog came down." Toni
told Fuzzy. And whoever's try
ing to get over the pass on night
like this is going to be even
gladden., because here it is hardly
past sunset and this mist is thick
enough to make a sandwich
Toni and Fuzzy had a complete
understanding. That morning
Fuzzy had leaped joyfully into the
coupe, eager for the duty Of
accompanying and comforting her
mistress. Bert had a long and
arduous foray into the mountains
on patrol duty. The detour in
the main highway had just been
completed and the superintendent
of the highway patrol suggested
that Toni could earn days pay
easily enough by hopping up"
after the bodybuilding gang-re-
moving those signs that are the
bane of every motoriSt-"Detour
300 feet ahead"
Toni looked at Bert, and Bert
said: Sure, go ahead, it's a
change from the routine of house
work"
Toni flashed him a grateful
smile. Not that the routine of
washing up breakfast dishes for
two, making bed, and vacuum
ing a tWo-room cabin was such
chore.
Desert flowers were in bloom.
Pink sand lilies, gorgeous yellow
striped tiger lilies, ocatilla cactus,
purple lupins, shy little primroses,
Indian pinkS, oceans of daisies
carpeting the floor of the Mojave
with a dazzling blaze of color.
Toni drank her fill of beauty
that day while Fuzzy chased lazy
lizards and barked furiouSly at a
sluggish ella monster that doomed
suddenly in front of her. Toni
lunched shamelesSly ON root beer
and tamaleS, detoured once around
noon to a desert ranger station
and telephoned to Bert miles away
iT1 tIn YOoAI1ntoinc
THE FOG THICKENS
It was dusk when she headed up
the grade toward Cajon Pass, and,
with the vanishing of the sun, the
galloping gray murk of fog sped
over the SUBMITS to clothe the
world in its mystic, wraithlike gar
ment.
Toni cut down her speed. The
fog thickened until her lights
made no more than a feeble stab
that pushed few feet in front of
the car. She throttled down to
second and gave the motor only a
pinch of gas.
There were places in this road
where the least Swerve off the
highway might mean hurting
death at the foot of a jagged preci-
pice.
These things Toni knew as if by
second nature. For she was des-
ert-born and mountain-bred, 1.-the
and brown, Sinewy and resilient as
one of the young pines that sent
their slender spires Skyward high
on the slopes of Old Badly. She
turned on the radio for company
Toni shivered. A headlight
glared directly in front of her. On
the wrong side of the road. She
slammed a foot on the brake.
Fuzzy bristled and growled. Darn
fools! Why couldn't people stay
on their own side Of the road?
Worst luck of all-her own road.
She saw a darker shadow. Some
thing cleaned. The door of her
car opened and a man said:
"Come out of that! Step lively,
now!"
Toni said, whats the idea?"
Her voice was cool as the icy edge
Of the fog.
1.-THE idea? Oh, a dame, huh?
That's break. I want your car
and right now. get me"
She said. why, you must be
going somewhere in a hurry"
Shed started to say, You must
be the bank robber from San
Tomas. But stopped herself in
time. Fuzzy, pipe down, be
quiet" The fox terrier was yap-
ping shrilly, sensing something
wrong.
Never mind where I'm going,
Just get out"
She got out. you can't very
well drive backwards in this fog, I"
she said, "and the roads too mar
row to turn around. There's a
three thousand-foot drop on both
sides"
whats the idea, you tryin' to
kid somebody" he demanded.
"Here's another road right here"
SWALLOWS A "WASHOUT"
IT hope you're we'll acquainted
with these mountain roads," she
said. because if you're not it's
going to be just too bad until the
fog lifts"
II amt never been around here
before now" he told her bruskly.
Then you hadn't heard about
the washout ahead?"
"Washout! And this here detour
will take me around it?"
(He'll never swallow it-but he
DIDO
eyes, directly around it."
He came close and his flaShlight