28

A man in a long duster had dismounted from the wreck and now stood in the middle of the road,lookingfrom the car to the tire and from the tire to the observers in a pleasant,puzzled way.

"See!"he explained.

"It went in the ditch."The fact was infinitely astonishing to him.and I recognized first the unusual quality ofwonder,and then the man -it was the late patron of Gatsby's library.

"How'd it happen?"He shrugged his shoulders.

"I know nothing whatever about mechanics,"he said decisively.

"But how did it happen?Did you run into the wall?""Don't ask me."said Owl Eyes,washing his hands of thewhole matter.

"I know very little about drivingnext to nothing.It happened,and that's all I know."

"Well,if you're a poor driver you oughtn't to try driving at night."

"But I wasn't even trying."he explained indignantly."I wasn't even trying."An awed hush fell upon thebystanders.

"Do you want to commit suicide?"

"You're lucky it was just a wheel!A bad driver and not even trying!""You don't understand,"explained thecriminal.

"I wasn't driving.There's another man in the car."The shock that followed this declaration found voice in asustained "Ah-h-h!"as the door of the coupe swung slowly open.The crowdit was now a crowdsteppedback involuntarily,and when the door had opened wide there was a ghostly pause.

Then,very gradually,part by part,a pale,dangling individual stepped out of the wreck.pawing tentatively atthe ground with a large uncertain dancing shoe.

Blinded by the glare of the headlights and confused by the incessant groaning of the horns,the apparitionstood swaying for a moment before he perceived the man in the duster.

"Wha's matter?"he inquired calmly.

"Did we run outa gas?"

"Look!"Half a dozen fingers pointed at the amputated wheelhe stared at it for a moment,and then lookedupward as though he suspected that it had dropped from the sky.

"It came off,"some one explained.

He nodded.

"At first I din'notice we'd stopped."A pause.Then,taking a long breath and straightening his shoulders,heremarked in a determined voice:"Wonder'ff tell me where there's a gas'line station?"At least a dozen men,some of them little better off than he was,explained to him that wheel and car were no longer joined by any