SYNOPSIS. C-HA.mC* I-AT ttftr tapcN* of p«T (MMMHb face (be macnaatrtaa of tbe M ~m*r» SMbki mdtHL drop* <*— * Srupr m(L Jom Floyd, rdutan. aad la ecsgaad. ii nru a • •upr. Miao OariW. who Introduce* b-wif TV sssrtiaairisii aaraa marhta* from wrseS race i Car ___ ___i Miss Car bale aa a train They alight to tab* ■ . and train leave* atactic and Mias aad opeaid to emit Its passenger. “Staatoo" balled hi* asuger, chok ing with exasperation aad relief. what—'* “Sick." tbe driver flung At him. springing actoaa to his car. from which Fiord add oat to giro him en trmw. “Mask, glows, yon others." “Sick"" echoed tbe an believing Nr. Green, amid the terry of preparation. Tea. yea Nek?" Stanton, la hie seat, turned a color laaa face toward him before clasping an the merit “Sick." he irimte Hi explicitly. ‘Arm rwn reedy. Floyd?- * The Mercery drew up to her line on aaect tinea. Aad lb the mam sou while -be cam la from were being seat away, •a opportunity to pot a i i been mr he coldly ; Tve been ta a laoa also o'clock loK Steatna "Did yon think 1 waa lylag u- yoa?" "No Am ran St ta drtva?" "V yoa'ra afraid f*m not, gat oat aad r ” ' i thro# hundred tho ten mlie era • and ateep kiOa. aad waa expected to take some otx beam of cwtlnaaaa driving Tbe etrmla wee not light far tbe pilot et Par the flrat hoar them was bo ln rideet am af the newel. Floyd attend ed strictly to hie worh and Stanton drove rather mam mariy than uauai Mot al tho hastening af the second boar, tha mar af the Aminats car rams la now through the fog of dust ahead; the Atalonta. which had start ed tear otlaatee la advance of theta. Stanton sighed with grim satisfaction, end mended la paraail. Tara ahead." warned Floyd, at his Hla eyes on Stanton round it a pace which are’ the shrieking crowd of spectators mcollteg from the danger-line and sprayed yellow soli high into Ike sir. Aa the Mercery lurched Into tbe straight stretch beyond, as Floyd was m the act of turning to examine the rear Grew, them came a sharp explo sion aad a reeling stagger of tbe car aa a resr casing blew out, wrenched itself bodily from the wheel and rolled Mho a heap late a field a hundred yards away. The machine tottered to the edge of the read, stopping under tbe power fat brakes. Floyd sprang oat, drag gteg learn one of tbe extra tires car rtod. while Staatoa reached for the tori hex. They had no need or time for conversation. aa they worked, poo pie from ell directions hocking around hi a pushing eaosr circle to watch tbe The tme worked well together, Floyd's deft swiftness balanced by i's strength. When the task tbe driver first regained te." he ordered crisply. "Are to Lake all day. or am 1 go tag u> catch that Atalaata?" Floyd okayed first aad retorted see oad; on to vales bis habit. s' te catch anything suggest a slow-down he countered, la tha m softly deceptive • to stick on a 1 •> shot s glance askant out al (bo iwwf af a stormy Mae-black eye Me waa irritated by the tom time, be ill then he could have bees m admit, and interference him Uke a spur. TV give yea a kroon to driving.” he cast , sad beat over the U wee beet who mode the next two circuits al the tobg course. Other racers, warned by their mec hanicians at the thunder down a poo them, drew to eoo aide, preferring the of later regaining the ad van rum ovary eagle and curve tbs tod. at sight of the gray cat fritowad by he whirlwind of duet and carry lag the bogs oa Its hood. Twice the Merc ary rushed past tbs te a t smalt of cheers by tha car’s own roar. Tha men glimpsed u its hand, aad ttly gerased that they had mads . circuit of the day. had received the prom , tor Staatoa had safely as geos tod the turn that before coat them a tire, at a pace equally faei. (Safety, ogee; bat. hot content, hs rams around tha second time driving as furiously, with unalackrsted speed. Dows spaa the turn they swept aga.n, ■juisTie feat of Still and twisting the Mercury around on the two inside wheels: then the predicted happened. The crack of an exploding tire came while they were on the bend, instantly echoed by the bursting of its mate from the opposite wheel; the car tore Itself from control under the double shock snd shot off the course into the field beyond, plowing deep furrows in the eoft earth until It overturned wi h a final crash. Partly held by his steering-wheel, Stanton was flung out on the meadow grass aa the car upset, its speed then so much checked that he escaped scarcely bruised. Floyd, unprotected, hod been hurled from his seat by the first shock and lay half-stunned near the edge of the course. From far and near came the people's cries of horrer and shouts for aid. Hu: before the first man reached them. Stanton was up and at the side o‘ bis mechanician. “Floyd!" he panted. “Floyd!" Floyd was already rising to one knee; gasping for breath, soiled vi'h dus* and grass-stains, and with th< blood welling from a jagged rent ir. his left arm. but with his attention only fixed on Stanton. “You're—all right?” he articulated. "I? Yes. A fool always is. You—” But he could see for himself that the mechanician was not seriously in jured. without Floyd's reassuring nod. “Cal! me what you like.” Stanton permitted, between clenched teeth, as he dragged out his handkerchief to bandage the skr.der arm. The appalied crowd was upon them. \\ irb a sputtering roar the Duplex ma chine rounded the turn and sped down the straight stretch, its mechanician staring back over bla shoulder at the wreck. But Floyd brushed the girlish curls off his forehead and staggered srect. helpless laughter shaking him. “Call you? 1 think you’ve got the best disposition an' the worst temper I ever saw! Tie this up an’ we’ll right the car. We’ve got to be movin' There were piecty of sympathetic helpers. Incredible to the witnesres. hut as Floyd had foreseen, the Mer cury bad not materially suffered. The big car was righted by fifty hands: s'.acton and Floyd—unaided, accord ing to racing rules—put on the new 'ires, and took their seats amid hearty -dmlrmticn and good wishes. Twenty minutes after she left the •ourse. the Mercury shot down it once more. By the time the grand stand -rs fully aware that "Stan-on had ■ot his again." and the ambulance had been hurried clanging to the cece of the possible tragedy, the Mer -ury whirled past the judges, running xore comet-like than ever. But Stanton took the turns conser vatively; for him. The race was lost. Even Stanton ould not regain the half-hour lead People From All Direction* Flocking Around. given his competitors. Late in the fourth hour he signaled Floyd to lean (loser, and when be was obeyed: " Where's the Duplex t" he ques tioned eagerly. “At iu repair pit for the last hour," Floyd made hopeful answer. “An* there’s only the Atalanta ahead of us." Stanton shook his head, but let out his car a little faster. The Mercury came across the line, at the finish, just five minutes behind the Atalanta: to receive fully as great an ovation as the winning car. The rijectacular driving, the record of the fastest Up and highest speed ever made on that course, the second place won In spite of the accident, almost •cllpaed the Atalanta’s victory. In the midst of the joyous tumult, Floyd descended, stiff and weary onpogh after the continuous run of five hours and fifty-eight minutes. But Btmnton did not follow; leaning upon hU steering-wheel, the focus of snap ping cameras, curious crowds, and j Madid congratulations and sympa thy. Only when one of the judges ! *ae* over to shake hands, was the ex planation made evident. "If I am to get out, some one will | have to help me,” announced Stanton | Impassively, and unclasped his mask, baring n face gray with exhaustion under iu coating of caked dust. And. in tact. It was necessary to aid the cramped, overtaxed driver to dis mount from his car; to the wonder of all tbooe familiar with his usual su perb endurance. _^ little later Floyd, some of the grime removed, somewhat rested, and Issuing from the ambulance sur geon's care with his arm bandaged in eivfltaed fashion, felt a touch on his *Tm going to get out of this up roar," Stanton briefly imparted. “Come bia.V iL\. fflV IlUl/CI lUUlfiUl. Floyd drew back, hesitating oddly. 'Tm sorry,” he began. Stanton’s straight dark brows con traded. “You mean that you don’t want any thing personal to do with your brute cf a driver? Oh, say so.” "No, no! Only—I—” The steel-keen eyes sent one direct glance into the troubled gray ones. "Good-by,” pronounced Stanton defi nitely, and turned on his heel. “Stanton!” cried Floyd, in distress. The other kept on, unheeding. “Stanton!” Floyd appealed, overtak ing him. “Please—I give you my word I never meant that. I’ve got to be back at my own hotel, tonight, that was all. I’ll do anything you say.” Stanton slowly halted. “Will you come with me now, to dinner? Suit yourself.” “I’d like to,” was the humble sur render. Like a woman, Floyd yielded to a superior will; like a man, there were no small reservations in his yielding. There was a taxicab waiting; to it Stanton led the way. The destination was one of the large hotels of the city, and neither of the companions were dressed for the public dining-room. In the guest-crowded lobby Stanton paused to order dinner sent to his own apart ment, perfectly indifferent to the sen sation caused by their entrance. ‘‘You are unwell, sir?" the clerk ventured, regarding him wide-eyed. “No,” he denied laconically. But he looked far more fatigued than his comparatively frail mechaa lcian. nevertheless. Fatigued, and ill. “You didn’t hurt yourself in our up set, I hope,” Floyd said with anxiety, when they were alone in the stiff, im personal hotel room. “No. I had a bad night of it,” Stan ton explained. He sat down in an arm-chair, resting his head against the cushioned back. "Make yourself com fortable as you can, Floyd. There is nothing the matter with me—there can't be, I never was sick a day since I can remember. Probably I need feeding; I've eaten nothing since that confounded dinner last evening, and It is nearly six o’clock now.” But, after all, when the food was brought, Stanton could eat none of It; although maintaining a pretense of doing so, which forbade his com panion to comment upon the fact. “Were you feeling 111 yesterda; ?” Floyd Inquired, when the last course was removed and they were left to themselves. His own bearing was loss assured than usual, his gaiety subdued to quietness almost savoring of tim idity. “Not until evening, after dinner.” The mechanician looked at him, started to speak, checked himself, and at last impulsively put the indiscreet question: “Do you mind telling me where you dined?” “Of course not,” Stanton returned, without a trace of hesitation. “With Mr. Carlisle of the tire Company, and his daughter. They are here for the races. He wanted to talk tires to me, Heaven knows why. We didn't get very far; after Miss Carlisle left us I began to feel so sick that I ex cused myself and got away to the nearest doctor.” Floyd turned his head, and caught hiB breath in a brief, quick sigh. When he looked back at his host, his candid eyes were clearer and more gentle than they had been since the assist ant manager had given the account of Stanton's amazing disappearance. “Acute indigestion, your doctor called your attack?” “Something like It.” “Miss Carlisle doesn't seem to be a lucky companion," Floyd observed dryly. “She made you miss your train here, you came near breaking your wrist with her car, and her dinner seems to have poisoned you. What did she give you, lobster and ice cream?” “No—I hardly know. I never care what I eat.” He passed his hand im patiently across his forehead, sudden ly giddy. Floyd leaned nearer. "Stanton, how did you feel? What? Tell me; I’m not just curious.” “Nausea, violent successive attacks of seasickness that left me too weak to stand. I’ve got the headache yet.” Ilis voice died out; he had a vague Impression of Floyd starting up and coming toward him. “I had to make the do