"There," Aunt Kate said with great satisfaction as she returned the reins to Obadiah. "That's the way to drive a horse." As they turned out of the driveway into the road, she warned him, "Do be careful of the automobiles." "Why should I be careful of them? Can't they take care of themselves up here?" he demanded, meanwhile tugging at the reins, and then, "Who broke this fool horse?" Aunt Kate leaned forward. "Where?" she asked with great anxiety only to quickly drop back into her seat with a suppressed, "Oh!" Regardless of the efforts of the mill owner, the steed drifted gradually towards the gutter. "This horse isn't bridlewise," Obadiah declared in disgust. "I might as well be trying to drive a cow." "He has more sense than lots of people I know," Aunt Kate answered with a meaning look at her brother. "He wants to get out of the way of automobiles." For a few minutes Archimedes was permitted to follow the way of the gutter in peace, then, "This is ridiculous," protested Obadiah. "I feel like a perfect idiot driving this way. I'll be hanged if I'll do it." He yanked and shouted at the horse until, fighting every inch of the way, the animal drifted towards the crown of the road. With nervous eyes, Aunt Kate searched the highway back of them for signs of approaching machines. "Obadiah, look out. Here comes a car," she screamed. Alarmed at her tone, his body stiffened to meet the shock of imminent collision. He jerked his head about fearfully to perceive a car following them a mile away. "Why did you startle me that way? I thought something was about to hit us," he blurted. The horn of the approaching machine demanded the road. Obadiah tugged at Archimedes anew. The horse answered but slowly. "Hurry, Obadiah, they are running into us," screamed Aunt Kate. The mill owner redoubled his efforts to get out of the way as a series of frantic squawks and the grind of brakes sounded from behind them. In desperation, Obadiah jerked out the whip and gave Archimedes a smart clip. The horse bounded clumsily and stopped in the middle of the road. The petted animal's astonishment at this treatment was such that he had to pause for consideration. "Don't you strike my horse that way," cried Aunt Kate indignantly, her mind diverted from the menacing automobile by the punishment of her property. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself." Obadiah put up the whip, leaving the motionless Archimedes to meditate upon his injuries in the center of the highway while the automobile worked its way around. It came opposite to them, a flivver of the cheapest type--mere dust beside Obadiah's own car.