ourse that made his heart stand still.

They had blown out a tire!

Like a drunken comet, suddenly robbed of all its own crazy laws, the
red demon see-sawed the highway. The man at the wheel, shutting off
his power, crowding on his brakes, and clinging to his wheel with the
skill and coolness of a master, had all he could do to keep the machine
anywhere near the proper highway.

Unaware of what had occurred at the rear the driver in charge of
Garrison's car had once more adjusted the buzzer, and now with such
splendid results that his motor seemed madder than before to run itself
to shreds.

Like a vanishing blot on the landscape, the red car behind, when it
came to a halt, was deserted by its rival in the race. Two minutes
later, with the city ahead fast looming like a barrier before them,
Garrison leaned to the tube.

"Slow down!" he called. "Our friend has quit--a blow-out. Get down to
lawful speed."

Even then they ran fully half a mile before the excited creature of
wheels and fire could be tamed to calmer behavior.

CHAPTER XIX

FRIGHT AND A DISAPPEARANCE

With the almost disappointed thing of might purring tamely along
through the far-spread town, and then on through level ways of beauty,
leading the way to Gotham, Dorothy found that she was still clinging
fast to Jerold's arm, after nearly ten minutes of peace.

Then she waked, as it were, and shyly withdrew her hand.

Garrison had felt himself transported literally, more by the ecstasy of
having her thus put dependence upon him than by any mere flight of the
car. He underwent a sense of loss when the strain subsided, and her
trembling hold relaxed and fell from his arm.

Nevertheless, she clung to the roses. His heart had taken time to beat
a stroke in joy during that moment of stress at the house, when she had
caused a few seconds' added delay to gather up the crushed and faded
flowers.

Since speaking to the driver last Garrison had been content to sit
beside the girl in silence. There was much he must ask, and much she
must tell, but for this little time of calm and delight he could not
break the spell. Once more, however, his abounding confidence in her
goodness, her innocence, and deep-lying beauty of character rose
triumphant over fears. Once more the spell of a mighty love was laid
upon his heart. He did not know and could not know that Dorothy, too,
was Cupid's victim--that she loved him with a strange and joyous
intens