"An' it did, within ten minutes from date. We could see a blue car
half a mile ahead.

"'I'll go by that ol' freight-car o' the Henshaws',' says Dan.
'They'll take after me, for Sam is vain of his car. We can halt
them in that narrow cut on the hill beyond the Byron River.'

"We had rounded the turn at Chesterville, when we saw the Henshaw
car just ahead of us, with Aleck at the wheel an' Lizzie beside him
an' Sam on the back seat. I saw the peril in the situation.

"The long rivalry between the houses of Henshaw an' Pettigrew,
reinforced by that of the young men, was nearing its climax.

"'See me go by that old soap-box o' the Henshaws',' says Dan, as he
pulled out to pass 'em.

"Then Dan an' Aleck began a duel with automobiles. Each had a
forty-horse-power engine in his hands, with which he was resolved
to humble the other. Dan knew that he was goin' to bring down the
price o' Alecks an' Henshaws. First we got ahead; then they
scraped by us, crumpling our fender on the nigh side. Lizzie an' I
lost our hats in the scrimmage. We gathered speed an' ripped off a
section o' their bulwarks, an' roared along neck an' neck with 'em.
The broken fenders rattled like drums in a battle. A hen flew up
an' hit me in the face, an' came nigh unhorsin' me. I hung on. It
seemed as if Fate was tryin' to halt us, but our horse-power was
too high. A dog went under us. It began to rain a little. We
were a length ahead at the turn by the Byron River. We swung for