Lincoln County leader., October 18, 1912, Image 3

oinwroio.
At the beginning of great automobile
ce tn mechanician of the Mercury.
Stanton's machine, drops dead. Strange
youth, Jesse Floyd, volunteers, and Is ac
cepted. In the rest during the twenty
four hour race Stanton meets a stranger.
Miss Carlisle, who Introduces herself. The
Mercury wins race. Stanton receives
flowers from Miss Carlisle, which he Ig
nores. Stanton meets Miss Carlisle on a
tra n. They alight to take walk, and
train leaves. Stanton and Miss Carlisle
follow In auto. Accident bv which Stan
ton Is hurt Is mysterious. Flovd. at lunch
with Stanton, tells of his hovhood. Stan
ton aealn meets Miss Carlisle and they
olne together. Stanton ro.r.es to track
Jlck, but makes race. Thev have acci
dent Floyd hurt, hujt not seriously. A.t
dinner Flovd tells Stanton of his twin
sister, Jessica. Stanton becomes very ill
and loses consciousness. On recovery, at
his hotel Stanton receives Invitation and
1slts Jessica. They go to theater togeth
er, and meet Miss Carlisle. Stanton and
Floyd meet again and talk , business.
CHAPTER VIM (Continued).
The silence was long. After reading,
Floyd turned his face to the window,
and so remained. But at last he looked
back to Stanton and nodded.
"Yes, It means that I get back my
father's factory," he confirmed quietly.
"I am very glad, although it doesn't do
tne much actual good. I have no capi
tal to run an automobile plant, and I
will not sell unless I am forced to It"
. "You would like to operate It?"
. The blood ran up under Floyd's fine
kin, be met Stanton's eyes with a
glance of fire-ardent passion and de
sire. -
"I'd give all the rest of my life to
operate that factory for one year, as
tny father planned for me I'd give It
for x months to Justify his faith and
training. You do not know, you can
not know!"
"Can I not?" Stanton retorted.
"Floyd, what do you think I am rac
ing for, if I can not understand risk
ing something for an object. I told
you once that I would not live poor
I was not born to that If I win anoth
er prize or two this season, I will have
enough capital to match somewhat
with your factory. We , both under
stand the motor business pretty well;
4o you want. In case all goes right, to
Join with me and revive the famous
Comet motor-cars? Don't answer
now, think the thing over."
"Stanton!"
"Walt; there Is time enough. We
may easily lose everything we put into
the venture, factory and all; or we
may not."
"I'd chance my' part"
' "Why, so would I," agreed Stanton.
"Meanwhile, you had better try me as
a traveling companion before you take
- me as a partner. Remember we would
be team-mates for a long race.
. ."I'm not likely to forget.1' Floyd
made Blow answer. "Remember that
tor yourself, of me. Stanton."
I CHApfERylX. '
i - "
The Chance for Jessica.
When the assistant manager of tbe
.Mercury Company came through the
train, next morning, and saw the two
-who were breakfasting together In the
dining-car, he stopped in the aisle with
.an expression of one brought face to
face With the disagreeable unexpected
"Well!" be ejaculated. Well!'.
"Start It with an H, if 'y'ou like
euggestfd StanCpn coolly amused. -'
Mr. Green's mouth grew thin ffoni
-pressure.
"If you quarrel with Floyd, I shall
.not know where out here I can get
you another mechanician In time," he
, gave sun warnns. . , . , . ..
' "All right," was the answer.
Floyd was engaged In blocking out a
- map with toothpicks, and did not look
up; he appeared even more ridiculous
ly young ana gay-spiritea man usuai.
In the morning sunlight But some
thing In the poise of bis bright head
echoed. that "all right." Mr; Green
- went on, and Interfered no more dur
ing the Journey.
Tbe speed carnival held upon the
superb two-mile track was. to extend
over three days. The contests were of
varied types and classes, but tbe Mer
cury was entered for at least one
. event and frequently several, on each
- day.
"Aren't there any Atalanta cars en
tered, at all?" Floyd wondered, on the
- first morning at the track.
""None," Stanton assured.
"Then I won't need to burn aJoss
stick'
"What for?"
"Luck," said Floyd sweetly; and re-
- fused to explain.
Their luck held good. Tbey had
neither Illness nor serious accident to
.- mar their series of victories and trials
r Stanton drove as if by lnspira-
'AMT9M
S')$JLANOB
I MA
tfuAor cPTie Game and de CooJIq
Viejfajm Mercmv etc.
MS
JL&a&msU FREDERIC THORNRITOGH
tfnn. onrl man V eti
carnival romnlnol witk hi
-kuwui niLU UAU.
You've struck the perfect course.
Stanton," declared a famous rival.
upon offering his congratulations after
suffering a masterly defeat In a five
mile contest. He did not like the oth
er man, but be was obliged to admire
him.
How so?" Queried Stanton as suc
cinctly.
Between recklessness and over-cau
tion."
It was quite true. With Floyd be
side him, Stanton's driving was as
daringly brilliant, but characterized by
some rational consideration of the pos
sibilities of disaster. Why? No one
had time to speculate.
It was commencing to trouble Stan
ton himself, this growing affection for
his mechanician that threatened to be
come an absorbing need. He bad
never needed any one. he had been
self-sufficient and self-centered: and
now,he felt a blank chill at the Idea
of losing the society of this boy-man.
It chafed and fretted him with a
sense of bondage; when be felt the
cords draw most, he turned upon
Floyd and worried blm savagely.
Floyd laughed. And Floyd's laughter
would have disarmed a Cossack. When
he did not laugh, be flashed back,
spark to powder, so that they quar
reled on an average four times a day.
And they spent every available mo
ment together, until their friendship
became patent even to the skeptical
Mr. Green.
We can plan out some of our fac
tory affairs on the way home, on the
train," Stanton arranged, at the close
of the last day, when taking temporary
leave of his mechanician at the Mer
cury camp.
I'm planning a fender for each side
of the Comet racing car, so that when
you feel like knocking In a few
lengths of tbe Infield fence, as you did
this afternoon, we'll be ready for it,"
mocked Floyd, his effervescent youth
heady- as champagne.
"Fence or no fence, we won," Stan
ton retorted indulgently.
"Of course! You kept right on driv
ing the front of your car, so the rear
Just naturally nad to climb back on
the road and follow. I expected that,
you were too busy to stop for a little
thing like side-wiping a fence."
"You seemed to expect It," the oth
er corroborated. He looked with In
terested curiosity at his nonchalant
assistant. "If I am too busy to wor
ry at such times, Floyd; you are not.
Don't you ever think of what Is likely
to happen when we are' on' the verge
of a smash?'
Floyd paused, turning his large clear
eyes on the questioner.
There's Just- one thing I'm asking,"
he gravely returned. "That Is, that
when it comes. 4t will., be a good
smash. ' No one minds lust dying
we're sure to do It some day, anyhow
but to be-mussed, up, and patched to
gether again, no! .No.v,,"bf3 lxrepres-
sinie smiie glanced out again? "that s
why I feel so safe with you; '.there Is
a deadly 'finality about ybu driving
methods
"That Is about enough,", Stanton sig
nified'. "I'll 6ee you on. the train,
then." . . , ' ' .
Th6y did meet on the train, and
passed long hours of travel fn work
and discussion. Tbe other passengers
came to take a decided. If furtive In
terest In the two -who sat opposite
each other In absorbed conversation
or argument, making drawings on en
velopes and time-tables' to' llluptrate
their points and even leaving rows of
figures upon the menu cards in the
dining-car. " '
Incidentally, both men displayed a
thorough- training In mechanical de
sign and construction, Sta'nton'g tar
the more finished and scientific.
"I Bid not know " Floyd marveled,
at last ,
Stanton forestalled the question by
indifferently explaining.
"1 am a mechanical engineer; 1
graduated from college at twenty-one;
that was five years ago. You have
dropped your pencil. What do you say
to staying over half a day at Buffalo
and visiting your factory?"
"Fine, approved Floyd, a trifle
slowly. "A half day, not more. We
have got to make ready for that Cup
race."
"Three weeks off. You're getting as
old-womanish as Green,
'Too bad. Still I have to be at tbe
Mercury plant when you don't.- Half
a day ought to be enough."
Stanton surveyed him. Irritated, yet
without tangible cause for irritation,
There were times when be could have
Imagined that Floyd evaded too ciose
companionship with blm, subtly held
blm at arm's length.
They stayed the half day at Buffalo,
and went out to the huge, silent group
of buildings that had been the Comet
factory.
It gave Stanton a strange sensation
to watch Floyd's assured familiarity
with this place and atmosphere; to
see him so naturally draw from his
pocket the bunch of keys to admit
them and unhesitatingly fit each to its
corresponding door or gate. Yet, this
was where be belonged only there
should have been busy life instead or
this dead emptiness. Their voices ech-
ed loud through the desolation, where
the massive, motionless machinery
stood towering above the visitor and
the slight young master of the domain.
the metal-spotted, roughened factory
floors reverberated under their toot-
steps.
As they made the tour from room to
room and building to building, Floyd
grew slowly whiter, his explanations
more brief. When they finally arrived
at a glass-set door marked office, he
stopped short and laid bis hand upon
tne wall as If to steady himself.
"Go away, for a moment," be re
quest, his voice catching. "I'll come
after you. I haven't been here since
my father "
Stanton swung on his heel and went
out; out to look at the mile track,
where Edgar Floyd used to practice
racing with little Je3 tied In the car
beside him, .and where later the older
Jes played mechanician to his father's
driving. And standing there under
the dull October sky. Stanton thought
of many things.
When Floyd came after him. half an
hour later, Stanton turned from his
position against tbe track railing.
"Floyd, what do you figure Is going
to become of your sister?" he abrupt
ly demanded.
Floyd stopped, gazing at tbe other
with parted lips and startled gray
eyes. A strong wind was blowing off
Lake Erie, tossing his bronze hair
and wrapping his long coat about him.
"My sister?" he repeated. "Why?"
"She is a woman, she must have
some life of her own. You can't keep
her like a nun until she finds herself
grown old without a chance at living."
Floyd continued to gaze at him. say
ing nothing; that half-hour in the of
fice had left him almost wan in the
gray afternoon light
"You know me. Jes Floyd, if any
one does. You know' my vile temper,
my rough tongue, and that I am a
cross-grained brute at best. But I
think there may be enough of the in
herent gentleman left in me to make
me decent to a woman. If, in time,
things fell out so that I'd asked you for
your sister, would you be willing?
Floyd Turned Toward the
Speak frankly, If you do not think me
fit to be trusted with her. say so it
will not break our friendship."
"You have seen her once' Floyd re
called, as if to himself. He lisped, his
surest sign of excitement Stanton
had never heard blm use that soft,
slurring speech except on the race
tracks; heard now In the quiet coun
try surroundings, it Infected the listen
er with a contagious agitation and
emotion.
"I know, I know," he deprecated.
"But, I might see her more, and see
ing no better men she might come to
bear with me. Not that there Is much
In me worth It she probably-never
would look at me. What I am asking
you, now, Is whether you want me to
keep away from her. Say yes, and
! I'l'llHi " ,
we will shake bands and drop the rob
Ject for ever."
Very slowly Floyd held out bis slen
der hand.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Change for the Better.
The care of the African population
In the Belgian Kongo In tbe past has
been so murderously indifferent that
it Is a pleasure to note a change for
the better. An order bas gone Into
effect to .prevent hereafter tbe Impor
tation, manufacture and transporta
tion of saccharine sweets in the Bel
gian African territory. Saccharine
products and products sweetened with
substances other than cane sugar,
beet sugar, milk sugar and glucose
sugar particularly those sweetenid.
with glycerine shall not be imported.
It Is specified in the order that It is
meant to Include In general all syn
thetic chemical sweetening which
does not possess food value. We wish
we could believe that this tariff anx
iety to protect the Kongo population
against deleterious sweets was some
thing more than an exhibition of the
usual protective philanthropy which
bars a competitive product to make
sure the sale of something else.
. Brief Wills.
Probably the briefest document ever
probated as a will was a signed and
dated memorandum, "Everything is
Lou's," written by decedent In a rail
way train record book kept by blm;
his widows' name being Lula. The
Instrument was held to be sufficient
as a holographic will, however. In
Smith v. Smith, 70 Southeastern Re
porter, 491, by the Virginia supreme
court of appeals. A note reading:
"Dear Old Nance: I wish to give you
my watch, two shawls, and also $5,000.
Your old friend, E. A. Gordon" was
sustained as a will in Clark v. Ran
som, 50 California. 505; and a dated
and signed memorandum, "Mrs. Sophie
Loeper is my heiress," was upheld In
Succession of Shrenberg. 21 Louis
iana Annual, 2S0. The Docket
Woman Bootblack.
London is to have tts first woman
bootblack. A woman lias Just com
pleted arrangements to set up a boot-
blacking stand at one of the busiest
corners In tbe West End. She be
lieves herself to be the pioneer woman
bootblack in England and declares
that tbe men In the business need not
fear her competition, since she In
tends to devote berself exclusively to
polishing tbe footwear of women and
children.
A Polyglot Playwright.
M. Dario Niccodemi is a citizen of
the world. , He was born in Italy He
was reared' In the Argentine Republic,
where be was Initiated In Spanish 'cul
ture. Ho f wrote -his first play in the
Window and So Remained.
language of Cervantes. It was pro
duced at Buenos Ayres and was called
"La Duda" (The Doubt).
Soon after that an Italian actress In
South America offered a prize for an
acceptable play in her mother tongue.
M. Niccodemi took the prize with his
play "Per Ja Vita." He soon after
ward wrote "L'Hirondelle" (The Swal
low) in French and it Is played at
Brussels. At Paris he began bis work
by translating and adapting the Eng
lish play of "Raffles." LeCride Paris.
Ideal.
Teacher There Is no glass In tbe
windows ot tbe Eskimos.
Jimmle Ain't tbat great? I'll bet
the kids up there play ball tbe whole
year round.
. my
USEFUL LITTLE POCKET BOOK
Knife, Pins, Needles, Notebook, Pencil
Sharpener and Other Articles
In Combination,
One of the most complete combina
tion articles ever put on the market Is
the pocket box designed by a Pennsyl
vania man. This compact and aston
ishing little device Includes a pen
knife, pencil sharpener, notebook, pin
cushion, nail clip and several other
necessary things. The contrivance Is
abot the size and shape of a large
match box. In a slide alone one side
is a knife blade, which, by means of
a projection extending throueh tha
slot, may be thrust out when needed
and replaced when not In use. Part
of the box Is a lid, on the bottom ol
which Is fastened leaves of blank
paper, forming a writing pad or note
book. Beneath this lid is a Dadded
Handy Pocket Box. 1
surface for pins, needles, etc. At one
end of the box Is an opening large
enough to admit a lead pencil and
equipped with a sharpening knife In
side, while the nail clip Is operated by
the lid of the box, which works on a
spring. With a change of linen and
undergarments and one ot these boxes
a man might travel round the world.
SPRING SWING FOR CHILDREN
Interesting and Amusing Arrangement
for the Little Folks Is Shown In
the Illustration.
An Interesting swing arrangement
for children. Attached to the support
ing frame are four levers plvotally
mounted .- relative to each other, two
levers extending In one direction and
two In tho other. The ropes support
ing the swing-seat pass through the
upper lever ends and are attached to
the lower ones, and the weight ot the
person swinging tends to draw the
Spring Swing. . '
ievip ivgeiuei, luua giving a spnuisy
aotjon and considerably extending (be
swinging period.' ' .;'
Amusing Puzzles.
' A person may, without stirring from
the room, seat himself In a place'
where It will be impossible for anoth
er person to do so. Explain this.-, ,-
Answer: The first person ., seats
b'tmself in the othor's lap.
Place a candle in such a manner,
that every person shall see it except
one, although he shall not be blind
folded, or prevented from examining
every part of tho room, neither shall
the candle bo hidden.
"Answer: Place the candle on hla
head, taking care that no mirror is
In tho room.
Make one word of the letters ot
words. Vnow door."
Answer: One word.
Source of Buttermilk.
"See all those lovely cows," eaid the
farmer to Johnny; "they gave you the
rich white milk you drank today."
"Did those goats give tbe 'butter
milk Aunt Susan drank?" asked the
boy.
'