Adventure Magazine, Mid-September 1917 — page 154: what you’re looking at

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

152 speed after the leader. Old Danny fidgeted on the rough board seat and looked at the girl questioningly, for Bud and Pop Hurley _ were with the last four cars. Ruth shook her head at Danny disap- provingly. “Plenty of time yet,’’ she smiled at him. ‘“‘They have started too early. By all the rules of the game the winner is in that last four. They are speeding up gradually, and will be in at the finish fast enough to make you love them.” “Tt sounds all right,”’ said Danny, a little doubtfully, ‘‘and I guess you know. Butin a boat race a length at the start is a length on the end, just the same.” “*You’ll see,” encouraged the girl. ‘Here comes Number 6 now with a cylinder miss- ing. Look how she is dropping back.”’ “Put on too much sail and sprung some- thing,’ muttered Danny. ‘Yet I kinder like it.” ‘“‘They are due for the pit, and will lose all they have gained. Here comes Harding! It does thrill you to see him go. But look at the tatters on his rear tires. He will loose one or both of them pretty soon.” Almost as she spoke one of the tires blew up, and the big racing car slued from side to side in a frantic endeavor to crash into the curb on one side or the other. Danny realized that the girl’s strong fingers were gripping into his arm and that her face had suddenly turned white. ‘‘What is it?” he asked. © “Nothing,” she said, “but if that had happened while he was passing the others it might have meant trouble. As it is, everything is safe, and he will lose half a lap changing titres. I’m always a little nervous at the first blowout.” “‘’m beginnin’ to get the fine points of this thing,” asserted Danny more cheer- fully. ‘Here comes Bud and your dad, still pluggin’ along, a little faster every round, which reminds me that I lost a boat race once on account of a big Swede usin’ too much muscle and’ bustin’ an oar in the middle of a race.” In the next few minutes, Number 6 who had spurted too early dropped out with engine trouble, and one of the cars which had played a waiting game could stand the excitement no longer, or else thought the time was right, and spurted ahead for two Japs, only to crack a cylinder and with- draw; Harding burned up another tire but Adventure still led by more than a lap, while Bud and Pop Hurley had drawn very slightly ahead of the trailers. “*They will race from now on,’”’ announced the girl, her cheeks glowing and her eyes alight with excitement. ‘‘Budand dad will go after the leaders. Not allat once, but little by little, a few hundred yards each lap.” VERY carefully under the guidance of Pop Hurley, Bud commenced to speed up hiscar. Dutroin the Merz who so far had been content to play back with the trailers, took up the challenge and followed. Hewitt in the Sunbeam was half a lap ahead of them when they started, and Harding a full lap ahead of him. Up to this time Hewitt had driven a careful race with his long-bodied Sunbeam, except for the one spurt which put him half a lap ahead, easing her up on the turns and crowd- ing on everything in the straightaways. When Dutro and Bud started after him and began to gain, he realized that to hold his position he must give his car more speed all the time. For two rounds he made the turns safely at top speed, then as he came roaring up the stretch and began to turn, his long-bodied car skidded across the course, struck the curb and smashed the right rear ‘wheel. ae Hewitt and his mechanician were thrown clear and struck the drooping branches of a small tree, but the car turned over and over and went out of the race for good. The girl turned her face away as the smash came, and her hand caught Danny’s arm again. “T think it’s all right now,” he said re- assuringly. ‘They’re signalling something.” “Nobody hurt,’” read Ruth from the racing code signals. ‘But that was a close one, wasn’t it? Dad says that big car is built too long except for a straight course.” “Tf the race was a little longer,” said Danny, “there -wouldn’t be anybody left. I wonder who’s due next?” : ‘““Nobody knows,” answered Ruth, tuck- ing up a wisp of hair under her small hat and trying to steady her voice,“‘but Harding has been driving the most recklessly. With him out the race would lie between our car and Dutro in the Merz, who is hanging to their wheels like a shadow.” With five more laps to go the two pursuing cars had cut down Harding’s lead half a lap, and as Bud and Pop Hurley shot by COmicloo ©