Carmella Commands
“Quick!” he cried. “Jump in.”
The door of the machine had hardly closed when the car was bounding around the corner, heading back to Greendale.
“What’s the rumpus?” she asked, after they had traveled a few blocks at a sinful rate of speed.
“Don’t ask me. All I agreed to do was to get you there. All you have to do is to take it easy, work your head, translate, and bluff the guy.”
A traffic officer signaled. Dixon swerved expertly to one side, and without slackening speed leaned out and shouted:
“Life or death! I’ll be back.”
Luckily Carmella was leaning forward, tense in thought. The officer saw her face, and forgot to take the machine’s number. In slow reflection he decided that the chauffeur must have been right.
For some time they drove in silence. Then Carmella turned and gazed squarely at the driver.
“Tell me one thing!” she commanded. “Did dad try to get Mrs. Alibrio?”
“Not that I heard of. He got into a jam with this walking delegate. Some kind of a hold-up. But neither could understand the other. So your dad asked me to get you.”
Carmella sighed happily, and sank back into the heavily cushioned seat.
Fifteen minutes brought them to the Greendale plat. Carmella jumped out and ran to her father.
[163]
