OCR Text |
Show j That Roadster I of Lucy's i By H. LOUIS RAYBOLD ! - n j (Copyright.) I T UCY KXOWI.ES was the first girl ' in our village to drive her own car and when her father gave It to her on her nineteenth birthday there were plenty of people to say Carleton Knowles was a fool. For surely it was j rank folly to entrust such a high-i high-i priced toy to a mere child and also to j endanger the lives of others by permitting permit-ting her to run it. Lucy was practically engaged to Chester Ballou at the time and her acquisition of the pretty little roadster caused considerable ruction between j them. Chester had managed to master the intricacies of his small delivery truck, but evidently believed a similar performance quite beyond his fiancee and begged her to desist from learning learn-ing to drive. "I have quite a feeling about It," declared de-clared Chester earnestly, "that the car will be the cause of my losing you. I wake up nights after nightmares of finding you smashed in some terrible wreck." "What nonsense!" declared Lucy shortly. "I never have any such nightmares night-mares about you !" "That's "different," said Chester. But Lucy remained obdurate, took lessons in driving, and then proceeded to bankrupt her father according to him for gasoline, oil and tires. No back country road was too rutty or remote re-mote for Lucy to try out when spring was in the air or autumn painting colorfully col-orfully the foliage. No hill was too steep or town too distant for the girl to attempt if the spirit moved her. Oh, she got ditched and had to be towed out. She ran out of gas and had to walk five miles on an isolated country road after more. She repaired a punctured tube after dark fifty miles from home. But all the time she gathered gath-ered experience and cared not if she were a source of fascinated gossip to the neighbors or apprehension to Chester. That obstinate young man refused to go driving with her, although his chum, young Steve Taylor, assured him she was most competent at the wheel. And he was in a position to know as Lucy frequently picked him up on his way to and from his office. When Chester's two weeks of vacation vaca-tion began he and Steve set out for their anmial camping expedition up in the hills beside Big Trout brook. The boys had been gone three days when Lucy was awakened by the jangling of the telephone. Responding sleepily,' she was aroused to instant alarmed wakefulness by the voice of Chester at the other end. "Lucy? Lucy? Steve has met with any accident with his gun. Get Doctor Doc-tor Leonard and have him get Luke Daniels to drive him up in his buggy. I'm at a farm calling, but have got to get back to Steve. Speed is important." impor-tant." Five minutes after Lucy had hung up the receiver, she had called the doctor, doc-tor, and dressed, and started her car. Picking up Doctor Leonard and his bag, she disregarded all speed laws and even those of common safety. "I know just where the boys are," she said briefly, "and I'll be there by the time Luke would have gotten hitched up." Out of the village, through thinning ranks of houses, flying swiftly along the black ribbon of turnpike, then swinging abruptly into a gravel road which in turn gave place to a narrow dirt lane, Lucy guided the car unswervingly. un-swervingly. Mile succeeded mile until suddenly they began to climb and for a while plunged along a rocky slope that had little semblance to even a trail. Finally, dipping down Into a sheltered shel-tered hollow, Lucy saw the white gleam of the tent and drew up shortly beside it. Even in the tenseness of the moment . Chester had a gasp for Lucy and the conveyance she had come In. Then all was forgotten as Doctor Leonard helped him move Steve carefully out where the lights of the roadster could help the doctor in his examination. A few tense seconds passed and then he straightened. "You're some damaged, young man, but I am thankful to say not seriously. Now, this young lady can drive you home, while Chester and I walk behind. be-hind. The going will be as slow as she can make it that the jar may be as little as possible." Chester looked worried. "Do you think hadn't I better Lucy being only a woman " Doctor Leonard threw him an odd look, but made no reply, and presently the little procession was on its way. The following morning Lucy, who had done considerable thinking during the tedious homeward drive, sat down at her desk and penned a little note to Chester, which ran as follows: "My dear Chester, I have been thinking think-ing for some time now that, If you married me, you'd be making yourself miserable for the rest of your life. And now I am sure of it. Incidentally, my dear boy, this 'only a woman' business busi-ness went out with hoop skirts. "Lucy." The last news our village has had of Chester Is that he Is engaged to a little milliner In Upper High Falls. But we feel sure that Lucy won't feel sorry. Not at nil. She's married herself. her-self. To Steve Taylor? Oh, my no! To that nice Doctor Leonard. Seems he made the remark that he couldn't afford a chauffeur so he'd have to marry one. Anyhow, you see tliein to- j getlier everywhere and always his wife at the wheel ! ! |