Evening star., 1938-10-16

AIRY CLAYTON in conference with Supel-
intendent of Traffic Gus McHugh,
- shifted awkwardly from foot to foot and
tried to think of practical explanation for
his wholly impractical decision.
do you mean to say that you're turning
down the Chicago run, with chance to ride
the new streamlined equipment, water level
route and twenty percent more on your pay
check! McHugh demanded incredulously.
I'm afraid that's about it" said Larry
sheepishly. He found that he felt less uncom-
Portable if he avoided Macs beady eyes and
concentrated on scale model of one of the
Gulf and Great Lakes cream and maroon
buses on Macs desk. He was a tall young
man with an angular serious face and an
angular. well-muscled figure which showed
to advantage in his gray drivers uniform.
Il suppose you like pushing feeder line
wrecks over country that's mostly straight
up and down. Or maybe it's the scenery
around Paris Mountain" suggested Mac
acidly
At mention of Paris Mountain, Larry's
glance snapped to McHugh's face. But the
traffic superintendent wasn't smiling. Just
: Shot in the dark, Larry decided.
I've got some unfinished business on this
run, he said.
DRIVERS aren't supposed to have any busi-
ness but getting these hacks through on
schedule" snapped McHugh. Among the
drivers he was known as hard lot "On Time
Ntzhugh, they called him. and intimated
that the Angel Gabriel arriving behind sched-
ule would not escape Macs ire.
But he was shrewd too. He shifted his cigar
to the opposite corner of his mouth and looked
trifle less murderous.
"Okay, kid" he said. Il don't have to make
a recommendation for week yet"
Thanks, Mac" Larry gathered his trip
sheets from the desk. He tried to grin and
felt his face 20 hot at Mac S knowing look.
Remember, said week, he repeated.
Sure" said Larry, and went out into the
hustle of the terminal He wondered how he
was going to do in week what he hadn't
been able to do in three months.
A loudspeaker blared departures: Bus for
Memphis, Little Rock and Texarkana. Bus
for Paris Mountain and Elliott"
The last was Larrys run. He left Andalia,
the terminal, at eight fifteen, got to Paris
Mountain about eleven, and Elliott an hour
later He left Elliott. returning at one thirty.
These were mining towns and throughout the
= winter, passenger traffic was heavy but the
mines shut down in March, and by May he
was generally driving an empty coach, simply
maintaining the company's franchise. That
was why he wanted the Chicago run. You
couldn't make any money on feeder line
where you rode empty half the time.
This morning he had two fares, young
couple, who, obviously, had been down to
Andala on their honeymoon. They took a
seat at the rear of the bus and left him strictly
alone The road to Paris Mountain lay across
series of ridges. You went up in second gear
and down in second. Driving here had long
since become mechanical, so he had plenty of
time to think.
He wondered whether word that he had
turned down promotion would get up to
Paris Mountain. He didn't want Neva Miller
to hear about it. Neva was different from any
girl he had ever known That was why he
had turned it down.
How different she was, he had learned the
night he had gone to her house. She lived
with her mother in little white bungalow
with green shutters. There was a fagstone
walk with rose trellis arching over it. and in
Lo e;Jo ,,,rd Gch y,rol hanEed with rocks