Margaret Cameron

“ Marjorie stopped short, realizing that they might not care to be told what she herself had just consciously recognized, that theirs was the manner of well-trained servants. "I should have said that you came from the city," she finished, lamely.
"So we do, madam, in a way of speaking," the young woman explained. "We've mostly worked in cities, but the country's always best, isn't it? So we saved up—my brother Tim, here, and me—and got this bit of a farm."
"Poultry farm," interpolated Tim. "That's the reason we've the car, you see." ”

“ If ye can't frame up a better one than that ye'd better quit. Now, you dry up and come along—Hullo!" he interrupted himself, as the sound of the motor-cycle was heard from the direction of the station. "That must be Ed Rawson now. I wondered where he was. This is his job, by rights. He's a bicycle policeman. I'm the constable. Hey, there! Ed!" He waved his arm and shouted to the approaching policeman, who had already swerved in toward the halted automobile, however.
Two or three men, attracted by the sound of voices, came out of the garage and stood near the car. ”

“ Again Page's laughter rang out, interrupting her indignant speech.
"It shows very clearly that he'd been worked a good many times and had grown wary," he told her. "But you may remember that we've been worked a few times ourselves, until we've got so we know every avenue—or pretty nearly every avenue of approach by the petty grafter who wants the free use of a car for a while, and there are certain things that even we no longer do. There's our dear friend Mrs. Cheever, for example—one of 'the snows of yesteryear.'"
"Poor Mrs. Cheever!" Marjorie laughed a little herself at that memory. ”

“ Sometimes we've thought it got us into trouble, but as you look back all those things add to the flavor of life, don't they? Like curry and paprika—a little biting in themselves, but appetizing, on the whole. ”

“ They seemed to be in great distress, and naturally, with only six minutes in which to make the train, we didn't stop to question their story. We picked them up and rushed them through, as anybody else would have done under the circumstances."
"That's right, too," commented a man from the garage. "Sounds straight enough."
"Yes, it sounds straight," conceded Rawson, "but it ain't no alibi. The fact remains that they did help them two thieves get away."
"How do you know we did?" Dolliver decided to carry the war into Africa. "How do you know they were thieves? ”

“ Ain't got no consideration at all for other folks, have ye? Well, we'll learn ye that ye don't own quite ,all the earth yet, even if ye do run an automobile! Why didn't ye stop when I yelled at ye?"
"Oh, was it you who called to us?" Dolliver's tone was pleasantly conversational, and he still smiled.
"Yes, it was, and mebbe ye won't find it so darned funny by the time I'm done with ye! Why didn't ye stop?"
"Why should we? Are you an officer?"
"Well, what d'ye s'pose I been chasin' ye seven blocks fer, if 'twa'n't to arrest ye? Think I run all that ways jest to make yer acquaintance?" ”

“ Haven't we been arrested?"
"No, dear, there hasn't been any formal arrest yet, and I hope—"
"There hain't? Well, there is now!" the constable cried, shrilly. "Ye' re under arrest, both o' ye! Understand? I place ye both under arrest— an' I guess that 'll hold ye for a while, Ed Rawson!" he added, vindictively. "Comin' an' snatchin' a man's prisoners right out of his hand!"
"Prisoners! Oh, Page! What—what's going to happen?" Marjorie shrank against her husband, and he put his arm around her. "What are they going to do to us?" ”

“ It's the last train to-night—there's barely time now—and we must make it!"
"Why, of course!" cried Dolliver, heartily. "Jump in! But your car—?"
"Safe enough here. We can send back for it from the garage near the station," said the man, hastily transferring a suit-case from one car to the other.
"We were going to leave it there, anyway, until we got back," added the girl, as she stepped into the tonneau. "Quick, Tim! There's only just time."
"Quite ready, sir?" Tim heaved another suit-case into the car and sprang in after it. "We've got to make four miles in about six minutes. ”

“ Not yet!" Dolliver shouted, above the steady honking of the horn. A dog or two barked, once they shot past another car, and later a man yelled at them from the sidewalk.
"You'll get held up for speeding," warned Cooper.
"We'll get you off first!" They swung around a corner and saw the train pulling into the station, two blocks away. "Be ready to jump!"
Marjorie had barely time to express her hope that they would find their mother better and the girl to gasp her thanks when the automobile stopped at the platform and three people leaped out of it. ”

“ A Dolliver to the rescue! That must be the garage they meant, in the next block."
As Page stopped the car before the place they sought they heard shouts up the street, and presently a man came into view, running heavily.
"Hey, there, you!" he called, and Page remarked:
"Ah! Justice lags a little, being but poorly caparisoned in these parts, but overtakes us in the end."
"I should say we had come to meet it," she suggested.
"The way of life. We move in circles." ”

“ There's a car now," he added, as a persistent honking was heard in the town, "that I bet's runnin' fifty mile an hour, but o' course there hain't nobody 'round to hinder 'em, an' like's not they'll kill somebody." At that instant the lights of a rapidly approaching car came into view from the main street of the town, and he exclaimed: "Look a' there! What'd I tell ye! Fifty mile an hour if it's a foot!"
"Ne' mind, John, it's hummin' right along toward you, same's this one did," remarked one of the men. "He's got 'em tamed so's they run to eat out of his hand, old John has!" ”

“ Dolliver interposed, as Farwell made an impatient gesture. "We did shatter the speed limit."
"An' as Ed, here, was busy, I stopped 'em fer him," concluded the constable, regarding Farwell with the eyes of an anxious dog.
"Oh, well, forget it!" recommended that gentleman.
"I can't do that, Mr. Farwell. An arrest's an arrest."
"All right. Take the number of his car—and my card." Corbin spoke with brisk impatience. "I'll be responsible for his appearance when you want him. He's in my employ now. Go on, Dolliver. Start your engine. It's all right." ”

“ Have you searched 'em yet?"
"Searched who?" repeated the one called John, in bewilderment. "What fer?"
Rawson turned and stared at him. "Say, what do you think you pinched these people for, anyhow?" he demanded.
"Fer speedin', o' course, same's you would if you'd 'a' been on yer job. Where was ye?" acrimoniously returned the other. "They come skootin' through town about four mile a minute—"
"I bet they did! An' you never noticed who was with 'em, did you?"
"There was only one car, an' this is it," stated the constable, with dignity, "but there was four of 'em in it then." ”

“ Page laughed again, and just then they rounded a curve and saw ahead of them a disabled automobile. A man worked over the engine, and beside him, holding one of the lamps from the car so that he might see, stood a woman dressed in black. ”

“ You can overtake motor-hogs with 'em, so I suppose there's reason for their existence in the hands of the police, but the man who deliberately inflicts one of those popping devils upon the community without the extenuating excuse of imperative official business is a public nuisance and ought to be dealt with accordingly. ”