Life — October 20, 1904 — page 6: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

-LIFE* Love’s Victory. FPORrEBACT purchased his automobile before he fell in love with Miss Rosyton. Fiddleback was a small man, and having always been a bachelor, considered the auto from his own standpoint. It was a small auto, advertised at five horse- power, and took Fiddleback around beautifully. It seems to be the fate of slender, slight men that they should fall in love with ample ladies. Fiddleback was no exception. Miss Rosyton was not only beautiful, but there was a great deal of her. Arrayed in a filmy white dress, she took up all the view there was. To Fiddleback, however, she was an ideal woman. He rightly argued that if a hundred pounds of Miss Rosyton was good, three hundred was a good deal better. Fiddleback's auto, however, had feelings and prejudices as well as he did. The way it took its owner up hills was fine, but Fiddle- back knew its limitations. He knew that one medium-sized cylinder, even though it be of the best quality, was not | capable of sustaining a downward pressure of three hundred pounds on a twenty per cent. grade. He had tried Miss Rosyton himself on various occasions, and he felt that it would be unfair to do the same thing with his auto. There had been times, however, when he hesitated. He had puffed up to within sight of Miss Rosyton’s house and measured her with his eye in the distance, and then turned around. He had longed to try the experiment, but at the critical moment his courage had failed him. Fiddleback thought his secret was safe. He had carefully avoided telling his love that he had a motor car, but one evening she looked at him reproachfully, “Why didn’t you tell me you had an automobile?" she said. ‘I heard about it yesterday.” “It's only a dinky little affair, darling,” said Fiddleback. “It's hardly worth mentioning. To tell youthe truth, I was hamed of it."* “Well, you needn't be,” said Miss Rosyton. ‘I adore them. You must come around to-morrow and take me out to ride.”” Fiddleback spent the next morning in reinforcing the springs with a new-fangled arrangement that was said to strengthen them, and promptly at four, with a smile on his face and his heart in his throat, appeared on the scene. **T hope, darling, that you are not afraid to trust yourself with me," said Fiddleback, all the time hoping that she would say that she wa : “No, indeed, deare: replied Miss Rosyton. the utmost confidence in you. Where shall I sit? “Oh, as near the center as possible.” She moved in, and as she sank back on the cushion, the auto settled down with a resigned air, as much as to say, “I'm up against it now."” Fiddleback was jammed into one side, where he hardly had room to work the machinery. He started it up, however, and with a slow chug, chug, the auto began to move. “Thave WHAT'S A CONSTITUTION BETWEEN FRIENDS ? “Isn't this h think you were ashamed of it. of it.” Fiddleback had planned a ride that, after the first mile, was mostly down hill. In order to do this, however, there wasa place that they had to go up. He shuddered when he thought of it. They bowled along until they came to a brook. Then they turned sharply to the left. Here was the hill—once over it and all would be well. Fiddleback got a firm hold on everything in sight and let herout. Slowly the machine started up the elevation. Back of them was the stream. Suddenly Fiddleback became conscious that the auto was stopping. Nay, it had stopped. It was going back. He had failed. But he had not made the attempt without previous thought. ‘If,"’ he had reasoned wi’h himself, ‘I cannot venly?"” said Miss Rosyton, ‘‘And to I know I shall never get tired comicbooks.com