EDITOR'S WALLET.

Otago Witness, Issue 2664, 5 April 1905, Page 78

EDITOR'S WALLET.

Love's Tictory.

Fiddleback purchased his automobile befoje ho fell in 10-\e with Miss Rosyton. Fiddleback was a small man, and, having always been a b?chclor. considered the auto, from his ov.n < -t«.ndpoint.

It was a small auto., advertised at 5 horsepower, and took h lddleLack around beautilully. It seems to be the fate of slender, slight men that they should fall m love with ample ladies. Fiddleback was no exception.

Miss Rosy ton was not only beautiful, but there wae a great deal of her. Arrayed in a filmy white dress, she- took up all the view there vias. To Fiddleback, hot* ever, &h.j was an ideal woman. He rightly aigued that if a hundred pounds of Miss Rosyton was good, three hundred was a good deal beter.

Fiddleback's auto., however, had feelings and prejudices as well as he had.

The way it took its owner up hills was fine, but Fiddleback knew its limitations. He knew that one medium-sized cylinder, e^en though it be of the best quality. was not capable of sustaining a downward pressure of three hundred pounds on a 20 per cent. gTade. He had tried Miss Rosytort himself on various occasions, and he felt that it would be unfair to do the same thing with his auto.

There, had been times, however, when he hesitated. He had puffed up to within sight of Mi. c s Rosylon's house and measured her with his eye in the distance, and then turned round. He had longed to try the experiment, but at the critical moment his courage had failed him.

Fiddlebaek thought his secret was safe. He had carefully avoided telling- his love that he had a motor car. But one evening &he looked at him reproachfully.

"Why didn't you tell me you had an automobile?" she said. "J heard about it yesterday."

"It's only a dinky little affair, darling," said Fiddleback. "It's hai - dly worth mentioning. To tell you the truth, I was ashamed of it."

"Well, you needn't be," said Miss Rosyton. "I aOzvo them. You must come round to-morrow and take m& out to ride."

Fiddleback spent the next morning in reinforcing the springs with a new-fangled arrangement that was said to strengthen tl-em, and promptly at 4, with a smilo on his face and his heart in his throat, appeared on the scene.

*' I hope, darling, that you are not afraid to trust yourself with me," said Fiddleback, all the time hoping that she would say that she was.

"No, indeed, dearest," replied Miss Rosyton. " I have the utmost confidence in you. Where shall I sit?"

"" Oh, as near tlie centre as po-sible." She moved in, and as she sank back on tlie cushion the auto, settled down with a resigned air, as much as to say, "I'm up ag-ainst it now."

Fiddleback was jammed into one side, where he hardly had room to work the inaehinerv.

He started it up, however, and with a slow chug, chug", the car began to move.

" Isn't this heavenly?" said Miss Rosyton. "And to think you were ashamed of it ! I know I shall never get tired of it." Fiddleback had planned a ride that, after the first mile, was mostly down hill. In order to do this, however, there was a place that they had to go up. He shuddered when he thought of it.

They bowled along until they came to a brook. Then they turned sharply to the left. Here was the hill — once over it and all would be well.

Fiddleback got a firm hold on everything in sight, and let her out. Slowly the machine started up the elevation. At the back of them was the stream.

Suddenly Fiddlebaek became conscious that the oar was stopping. Xay, it had stopp&d. It waa going back. He had failed.

But he had not made the attempt without previous thought. "If," he had reasoned with himself, "I cannot get up that hill without my darling, the machine is of no u?e to me anyway, and I may aq well know the truth once for all, eve-n~ if it has to be sacrificed."

And so he wa-s fully prepared. As the auto, gained headway backward, M'.ss Rosytop clutched her lover's arm.

"Is there any danger, darling?"' she cried. '"Look at the water !"

"None whatever. dcare=l." renlicl Fiddlebaek. ''Just ri^e up quickly about a foot, and then sit down as haiii as you can. Now !"

Miss Rosyfon. with an instinctive sense, cf seJf-prcsenation, obevod him. She rose up and came down hard. That Fettled the auto. Everything seemed to give at once. They stonped.

And them,, as Fiddlebaek and his sweetheart got out and surveyed the wreck, and J)e uut his arms as far around her as he could get theaaa, he said :

" Xever mind, darling. The next machine I <>H will be 80 hor.«e-r)ower, capable of si -taming: a pressure of 5001b to the square inch." — Ton Massox. in Life.