544 
in-the-mud you happened to think of. 
We stopped: nowhere for any length of 
time. What was the use—you’d have 
to pay for “parking” your car if you 
didn’t keep moving. Back and forth, 
round and about we whizzed; Garden 
City to Mineola; and all around the 
29-mile course, stopping at every road- 
house, and then back to the big hotels 
at Garden City. Then all over again, 
and about four o’clock we joined the 
procession toward the starting point of 
the race. 
It. was .yet quite! darks when awe 
reached Westbury. -But what a mob! 
The county was getting up and stretch- 
ing itself... A special train sof. seme 
automobile club, Chicago or Cleveland | 
I know not, was turning out a merry 
crowd. Farm houses and barns, town 
houses, stores, shops were debouching 
sleepy-eyed but merry “guests’—thou- 

THE START OF WAGNER, WHO EVENTUALLY WON THE RACE, AT 6.25 A.M. 
RECREATION 
sands of them—housed and fed and sent 
on their way to see the race minus about 
five dollars per head for “bed” and 
breakfast. There was one small house 
at a crossroads where by the aid of 
our headlight we counted 23 persons 
coming out—and there were not more 
than six rooms in’ the house at the 
most. On all sides in the darkness we 
heard much talking and laughter. 

Tents were being struck, automobiles. 
were tuning up. Automobiles, car- 
riages, motor cycles, bicycles, not to 
mention humble “shank’s mare,” which 
was, of course, greatly in evidence, and 
kept mighty busy dodging its more pre- 
tentious neighbors, all moved briskly 
along. Soon we turned into the Jeri- 
cho turnpike, and the automobiles made 
one long, continuous procession, all 
headed toward the same goal—the 
grandstand. 

