I glanced up and down the street, but not a car was in
sight, and I knew I could not afford to wait long if I wished to
catch that train. There was but one thing to do, and that was to
take a cab, and, as luck would have it, at that moment an
automobile cab came rapidly around the corner. I raised my voice
and my arm, and the driver saw or heard me, for he made a quick
turn in the street and drew up at the curb beside me. I hastily
gave him the directions, jumped in and slammed the door shut, and
the auto-cab immediately started forward at what seemed to me
unsafe speed.
We had not gone far when something in the fore part of the
automobile began to thump in a most alarming manner, and the
driver slackened his speed, drew up to the curb and stopped. He
opened the door and put his head in.
"Something's gone wrong," he said, "but don't you worry. I'll
have it fixed in no time, and then I can put on more speed and
I'll get you there in just the same time as if nothing had
happened."
When he said this I was perfectly satisfied, for he was a nice-
looking man, and I lay back, for I was quite tired out, it was so
long past my usual bedtime; and the driver went to work, doing
things I could not understand to the fore part of the automobile,
where the machinery is.
Pages:
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72