Ft / of ¥ MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1919. " A Gasoline Road Agent w By Mary Roberts Rinehart (Copyright) "I don't know what possessed you to take the river road anyhow." Gar. retson's voice was distinctly aggrieved. | "This Is the fourth time we've been Buck in the mud, and it's getting worse every minute. Besides, we're going to be late." Jimmy Garretson stooped and care | , fully turned up his dress trousers to a safe height. . "It's the deuce of a place to have a dance, anyhow. If people will enter tain fool English noblemen, they might at least have the semse to do it in | town." into the "I can't see anything wrong. Awful reek of gasoline, though. You'd bet- ter get out yourself." Arbuthnot threw off his big leather coat and crawled cautiously down. "Don't you know why I want to meet | this English lord?" "Not the least idea--cross my | breast." "It's not funny" --witheringty. "Don't you know Marjorie Lane is going to marry him? i "Phew, you don't mean it! Why, 1 thought--that is, you know--" "Yeu, I know. I thought it, too. But it seems a title carries a good bit of weight. And there were other reasons. Arbuthnot and Garretson peered | Let's have a look at this thing now." : "Engine nothing" he sald wrath. ! "If only it wasn't the river road . we'd run a good chance of another car any we could hold them up. I saw in | strainedly, "I owe you both a service. the paper where some fellow did that mot 80 very long ago." "We might try it" As the extent of the damage done retson he became more emphatic. "Stop swearing," sald Arbuthnot, "and listen to me.--Do you remember with passion. "I tow you to step." "Remove your hand, sir! What de ou mean by detaining me?" ; mfernal litde puppy!" He ely on the stranger, and y his ulster collar, tossed him ix the mud. "Now walk" } Then Arbuthnot proceeded delider i ately to empty the gaseline tank of e automobile, * Arbuthnot raised up in Smay re you golug to sit there quietly and allow an outrage like this?' "A woman, by Jove!" in his astonishment, Jimmy Garrétson almost fell again | "What can I de?" came weakly from | i the embankment. "Aren't there two { of them? Do you think I'm a fool?" gust from the tonneau. *I'm afraid I do. You brought this There was a very audible sniff of dis- | whele affair on yourself by being any- | | thing but a gentleman. It's a charming | i situation for me." | In hand. But Arbuthnot stepped forward, cap | "I assure you, madam," he said, ad- | dressing the voice, "we had not the | slightest idea that the gentleman was | would never have happened. The least | we can do now Is take you te your destination, If you will allow us that | privilege." voice stiffly. to storm soon, too." The girl shuddered a little. | not alone or this disgraceful affair | i "I much prefer to walk," sald the | "But it's damp here, and the roads | are ankle deep with mud. It's geolag i { "I'm afraid it is going to sterm, and | Pm growing hoarser every minute. I | suppose 1 am forced to accept your of. | fer, although your conduet was been | outrageous. I hepe you do met thimk I countenance it by going with you?" "Not at all," said Arbuthnet grave i | ly, and Garretson chuckled. 'fully. "We've been leaking gasoline." | "Good night, ah, Edward," he called, | as they moved away in the darkness. | "Have a pleasant walk, and don't hur. {coming along. We might borrow some | gasoline, or If they wouldn't give us { ry." "In ohe way," began the girl econ- | I didn't quite realize before what an | awful cad that fellow was. And worse than that, he's a coward. I am pleased { to find him out." to his clothing revealed itself to Gar- | "Don't be too hard on him." Ar | | buthaot joined in the conversation--if the night you were to take Edith Arm- | strong to Adams theater party? And do you remember that that was the night of Graham's bachelor din. ner? "I don't remember much about that night. Remember the nest day, though unr "Well, when it was time for you to go for Edith, you wouldn't go. Said You were having a good time where Jou were." *I did?" Jimmy Garretson groaned. "You did. So like a fool I made up & little story about your not feeling well, and took Edith myself. She may such it could be called--for the first | time. "Some people are comstitution- ! ally averse to playing the goed | Samaritan." "Don't altogether blame him my- | BIL" Garretson was trylog to put the { girl at her ease, "There's never much | In it for the good Samaritan. Fellow i i } have understood, but Edith's a trump, | j.carried through the mire to the gate you know. Never asked questions." Why don't yeu talk about some | thing cheerful? This Is the devil of a : place to bring up a fellow's past gins | to him. It's going to rain, too." "Well, you wanted to know why Marjorie Lane has turned me down for this English fellow. I had an en- gagement to meet her at the club ball that night, and when I got there at midnight some lunatic had evidently told ber, for she cut me dead, and 1 haven't seen her since." [ "I'm awfully sorry, old man. I wish pW had told we sooner--it was really up to me to fix things. My reputation is top far gone to be hurt, anyhow." "Listen." Arbuthnot beld up a wara- ing hand. In the distance could be heard the chug-chug of an auto, growing | d a8 it approached. "Hello! Walt a minute," called Gar- retson. "We've had an accident and need a little help" "Haven't time" came sarily back. "Fix it yourselves," "You don't seem to understand what I said" Arbuthuet's voice was thick disappear "of this well-known Teoma nington, Oct. 31. -- Quarterly | ~had an awful head. What about | once took a girl to the theater for me { ~--I had a headache, you know, and | couldn't go--and, by Jove, Aldn't the | girl he was in love with hear about it ! and give him the cut direct!" } "Indeed," sald the girl languidly, "it | must have been a bad headache." i "It was," sald Jimmy untruthfully; | "fearful, and the next morning--" YThere's the gate." i She had been gently lifted down and before she could remonstrate. | Arbuthnot bowed and turned batk. | "Now make it go like the devil" | i Mr. Garretson was plainly ill at ease. { I thodise Moore | of many voices; but they wore alone. | With a little contented sigh she slipped | {'her hand into h's and leaned over to him, 3 i "Never, as long as I live, will I for | A few minutes later Arbuthnot, | clothed in evening garb, left Garretson | to the tender mercies of Charile | Courtenay's man and started down the | broad staircase. Just at the curve he met a 'rather i | flushed, very pretty girl, still in her | | Wraps, who was coming breathlessly | { up: "She bowed, to Arbuthnot's delight, i and hurried on. i Whereupon that young gentieman | Eat down on a windew sest and | watched for the girl's reappearance. | She came soon. As she reached the | . | landing Arbuthnot rose, and she was ¥ consci of his p i "Marjorie" --his voice was very gen- | tle, but even in the half light his face Was pale and drawn" won't keep you | | long; and If you tell me that you really care for that--that English fellow, I'l let you go at once. But Marjorie, if it's only the glitter of the title--I don't want to hurt you dear, but such things do happen--and I've bees breaking my ! | heart for you these last days--De yen love him, Marjorie?" i The girl looked up and down the | stairs; There was no ome in sight. From the lower floor came the seft strains of a waltz and the low murmur "I detest him," she said softly. | "You may. kiss me if you like--you | look as though you sre going to amy- | how" naively. "I am," he said promptly, and did. A moment later she raised her head and laughed a little, Jottings. r¥ice is to be held 5 THE DAILY BRITISH WHIC EIR Daughters of Canada The mother, the nurse, the women with the needle, the am- bulance driver, the canteen worker, - the "farmerette" and the daughters of industry in factory, office and store--all--inspired the manhood and ennobled the womanhood of Canada by their labours of love and sacrifice in the days of the nation's anguish--now happily past. And their response, to give and to lend of their money time and time again--was beyond all praise. And--Canada--being mindful of their past example--and con- scious of their all-pervading in- fluence again asks her Country- women to bly Victory Bonds. Yes, she asks them to buy them, even at the sacrifice of some cherished longed-for purchase. It is self denial to do without something that will lend back- ground to ones charm, but the time is not long and the debts of honour must be paid, There is another thought, too, that wives and mothers will appreciate. The success of the - Victory Loan makes for Prosperity. Steady employment is dependent upon prosperity. Without pros- _perity uncertainty will follow. Hence Canada sounds a clarion call to her daughters for their aid in making an abundant success of the Victory Loan 19109, : : Foe urer woman 10 receive a de- university gree from wers Queen