The town was four miles behind them when Diantha, who had been for some
time vainly clutching at the flying ends of her veil, called to Phineas
to stop.
The request took Phineas by surprise. For one awful moment his mind was
a blank--he had forgotten how to stop! In frantic haste he turned and
twisted and shoved and pulled, ending with so sudden an application of
the brakes that Diantha nearly shot head first out of the car as it
stopped.
"Why, why--Phineas!" she cried a little sharply.
Phineas swallowed the lump in his throat and steadied himself in his
seat.
"Ye see I--I can stop her real quick if I want to," he explained
jauntily. "Ye can do 'most anythin' with these 'ere things if ye only
know how, Dianthy. Didn't we come slick?"
"Yes, indeed," stammered Diantha, hastily smoothing out the frown on her
face and summoning a smile to her lips--not for her best black silk gown
would she have had Phineas know that she was wishing herself safe at
home and the automobile back where it came from.
"We'll go home through the Holler," said Phineas, after she had retied
her veil and they were ready to start. "It's the long way round, ye
know. I ain't goin' ter give ye no snippy little two-mile run, Dianthy,
like Colonel Smith did," he finished gleefully.
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