A Dash to Death

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The story deals with the unhappy marriage of a young and beautiful heiress who is forced by her parents to become the bride of an Italian nobleman, a man much older than herself, whose only claim to respectability lies in his lofty title and crumbling castle. Her heart had long since been claimed by a young American of sterling qualities whose advances had been frowned upon by inconsiderate parents. She discovers soon after the marriage that her woman's instinct has not proven false, for the honeymoon is scarcely over before the Duke shows marked indifference, then brutality, and finally, infidelity. The news of his outrageous conduct is communicated by the daughter in a cablegram to her father, who in his distraction turns for aid to the man whose suit had been rejected in favor of the titled scamp. The American immediately volunteers to investigate and sails for Naples, arriving at the villa at a very opportune moment when the Duke, confronted by his wife with glaring evidence of infidelity, is in the act of striking her a brutal blow in the face. Needless to say a quarrel immediately ensues between the Italian and the American, ending in a terrific fight in which the Italian is badly worsted. In pain and rage at his failure to overcome his antagonist, the Duke tries foully to stab the American, and, fearing the results of his cowardly act, goes in terror from the villa with the American in pursuit. Gaming the outer gate, the Duke jumps into his auto and dashes clown the road, secure in the belief that he has escaped the heavy hand of the American. His pursuer manages to secure the services of a passing auto and is soon hot in pursuit. And here ensues a sensational and thrilling automobile chase. Up and down hill and around sharp curves with unslackened speed the heavy machines are driven, the American gaining on the Duke with every turn of the wheels. The distance between the two is rapidly closing up, the tense expression on the Duke's terror-stricken features in marked contrast to the triumphant mien of his pursuer. The speed limit of both machines has been reached and but a few yards separate them when, in turning a sharp curve on the very edge of a steep cliff, the Italian loses control of his machine which crashes through the guard fence before he can jump to safety. A moment it pauses on the brink of that dizzy height, and then, turning completely over, plunges down, smashing, crashing toward the rocky bottom 300 feet below! Half way down the great car strikes a projecting rock; the boiler bursts with a terrific explosion; the gasoline tank ignites and bursts into flame, and thus it goes plunging down, with its human freight obscured by the volume of smoke and flame, until it reaches the bottom, where it lies an unrecognizable mass of smoking wood, iron and rubber.