The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-04-21

the road" Mr.. Gregory replleu
morosely.
Presently the boy at the wheel
bent forward, jiggled a few lev
ers, and waited expectantly.
There was quick response to his
efforts; the tune of the motor
changed from a rumble to a deep
threatening roar, accented by
staccato, back firing. But the car
leaned forward to a new lightning
pace of about so miles an hour
The driver bent forward to
catch the eye of his doubling as
socjate. His words were unintel-
igible, but his tone said distinctly:
"There! What did Istell you"
The car shook under the tire
mendous pressure, and in the back
seat the customers were jolted
about until their. teeth chartered.
"Hey! cried Mr.. Gregory. wait
a minuter' .....
The driver turned and smiled,
MISLEADING the order for a compll-
ment.
"Stop, say! Stop"
1t was the motor which obeyed
his command. 1t gave one deep
spaSmodic choke, followed by sew
eral puny put-put-put gasps; then,
with long whispering sigh, it
died out altogether. The three
boys looked at each other in con-
stcrration. Mr. Gregory groaned.
sounds like we're out of gas"
Joyce remarked woefully.
Their driver quickly disproved
that theory by the old expedicnt
Of poking a stick down into the
tank to measure. 1t was half full.
The other boys peered uncertain
ly beneath the hood, their black
faces long in distress. Their magic
wagon had stopped!
Mr.. Gregory loaned his super
ior intelligence to a study OF the
situation. but his knowledge of
mechanics was quite obviously
limited. They cranked the engine;
they shook the car; they crawled
under the chassis and looked up;
they iiggled wires. But nothing
brought response from the ex-
hausted motor. Minutes passed
quickly, and now seven o'clock
was not long off, and down in the
harbor the Empress was blowing
last-warninC calls to come aboard.
"We'n have to get another
carr Mr.. Gregory cried eXcitedly.
where" -
He moppcd his brow nervously;
on all the road there was no sign
of any other vehicle.
"But what will we do?" There
was a tremor in his voice. 49, .
Now that darkness was almost
upon them, the country was sud-
denly stripped Of the glamour
with which the sunshine had en-
bowed it. The black depths of the
Jungle forest doomed before them,
forbidding and oppress ive.
Strange EYES seemed to peer
through the brush; vague figures
darted through it silently. 80
All at once, in strange and ter
rifySing comprehension, j oyc,e
heard the sound which had haunt
ed her imagination. Slowly it
came through the air, as if echoed
from some PARKWAY hillside: :. then
quickly it was unbelievably near,
as if she herself were the center
of it. The dull, primitive tom
tom of the Haitian drums. She
listened, straining her ears to To-
cate the source of it, and as she
stood there, shuddering in vague,
unreasoning fear, she saw fires
spring to life within the jungle,
like signals in answer to the
drums.
Mr.. Gregory was walking about
the car frantically, wringing his
hands. "We've got to get awayw
he cried. 81 won't be marooned
on this island"
There was a rustling in the
bushes behind her, and Joyce
turned quickly. A little grill
stepped out babbling in excited
French. Not until she held up her
wrist, upon which the golden
bracelet still tangled, did Joyce
recognize her. She stopped down,
to catch an idea of what the child
was saying.
"Papa. - She caught that
word; then something about "le
navire," the ship.
And suddenly she was gone,
back into the woods, as quickly
as she had come.