Patty's Motor Car

by Carolyn Wells

  CHAPTER IV

  THE HUNDREDTH QUESTION

  It was the very last day of March. The next day Patty must send in heranswers to the hundred puzzles, and she still had four of them unsolved.She had worked on these all day, and her brain was weary. Kenneth camein late in the afternoon, but he couldn’t help, as he had no knack forpuzzles.

  “I don’t like them, Patty,” he declared. “You see acrostics have crosswords to them, and cross words always irritate me. I like kind words.”

  “All right, Ken,” said Patty, laughing; “I’ll invent a new kind ofacrostic that has only kind words in it, some day. But can’t you help mewith this one? A train of six cars is to be pulled up a steep incline.The engine provided can pull only three cars. Another engine of equalpower is brought and put behind the train, to push it up the hill. Thetwo engines, working together, get the train uphill. Supposing the carscoupled with chains, are the chains taut, or hanging loosely? I’vepuzzled over that for hours. You see, half the weight of the train ispulled and half is pushed, so how do those stupid chains know whetherthey’re to hang loose, or pull taut?”

  “H’m,” said Kenneth, “there must be an answer to that. Where’s your VanReypen satellite? Can’t he do it?”

  “You needn’t speak of Mr. Van Reypen in that tone,” said Patty, annoyed;“he’s helped me a lot more than you have!”

  “There, there, Patsy, don’t be an acrostic! Don’t give cross words toyour poor old chum, who lives but for to please you.”

  Patty laughed at Kenneth’s mock tragic tones, but she went on:

  “I do think you might do one for me, Ken. You haven’t even tried.”

  “All right, girlie; I’ll do this one about the cars and chains. Do youmind if I go off by myself to think it out?”

  Kenneth went into another room, and Patty looked after him inwonderment. She didn’t guess that he was longing to help her, and,though he couldn’t guess conundrums, he hoped he might puzzle out thisquestion of mechanical power.

  And then Mr. Hepworth came, and also Philip Van Reypen. They knew it wasthe last day, and they wanted to hear what Patty’s final report mightbe.

  Philip Van Reypen had been greatly amused at the letter Patty wrote him,and, being an exceedingly sensible young man, he had not answered orreferred to it definitely, but had accepted its dictum, and had calledat the Fairfield house far less often. Nor had he again hinted for aninvitation to dinner, but awaited one which should be freely given.

  “How many yet to do?” he asked, blithely.

  “Four,” answered Patty, disconsolately.

  “Out with ’em! What are they? Not charades, I hope; I simply _can’t_ docharades.”

  “There’s one charade left, but here’s an enigma, which is about as bad.Oh, Mr. Hepworth, can’t _you_ guess it?”

  Appealed to thus, Hepworth made up his mind to help, if he possiblycould, and both he and Van Reypen listened attentively as Patty read:

  “‘I am intangible, yet I may be felt, seen, and heard. I exist from twoto six feet above the ground. I have neither shape nor substance, and,though a natural production, I am neither animal, vegetable, or mineral.I am neither male nor female, but something between both. I am told ofin the Scriptures, in history, in song, and in story. I am sad or merry;loving or treacherous. I am given or bought, and, because of my greatvalue, I am sometimes stolen. I am used by men who swear, and byinnocent children. Of late, there has been a prejudice against me, but Ishall probably be in vogue as long as the world shall stand.’”

  They all thought and pondered. Nan came in, and, as Patty read it slowlyover again, even she tried to guess it. But they could not.

  At last Philip Van Reypen gave a whoop of triumph, and exclaimed:

  “I have it! Miss Fairfield, I’ve guessed it! Will you give it to me, ifI tell you what it is?”

  “Your speech sounds like an enigma, too,” said Patty, a littlebewildered.

  “But I’ve guessed it, I tell you. And, if you’ll promise to give it tome, I’ll tell you the answer.”

  “No, I won’t promise,” said Patty. “It might be the motor car itself!”

  “But it isn’t! It’s far more valuable than that! It’s a kiss!”

  “Oh!” said Patty, “so it is! How _did_ you guess it? It’s fearfullyhard!”

  Mr. Hepworth looked distinctly chagrined. Why, he thought, couldn’t hehave guessed the foolish thing! It was easy enough,—after one knew it!

  “Ken, come in here!” cried Patty; “we have guessed another! That is, Mr.Van Reypen did. Now, there are only three left.”

  “Only two!” announced Kenneth, as with a beaming face he came in,bringing a dozen sheets of paper, scrawled all over with sketches oftrains of cars going uphill.

  “Oh, have you done that one?”

  “Yes; I’m sure I’m right. The three first cars would have taut chains,being pulled by the front engine; and the three last cars would bepushed up close together, with their chains hanging limp, because theyare pushed by the back engine.”

  “Oh, Ken, of course that’s right! Thank you, heaps! Now I’ll get theother two, if I have to sit up all night to do it!”

  “What are they?” asked Mr. Hepworth, conscious of a faint hope that hemight yet be of assistance.

  “One’s a charade,” answered Patty. “Here it is:

  “‘’Tis futile, Son, my first to use To change to yours another’s views; For one convinced against his will Is of the same opinion still.

  “‘If e’er a letter you receive From maiden fair; pray don’t believe All that the note itself may say,— But to my last attention pay.

  “‘My total may be well employed To still a molar’s aching void, When stopping has not stopped the pain; That tooth will never ache again!’

  “I’ve worked on that a solid week, but I can’t get it.”

  “Count me out, too,” said Philip Van Reypen; “charades are too many forme.”

  “I’ll do that one for you, Patty,” said Mr. Hepworth, quietly. “Give mea copy to take home with me, and I’ll send you the answer to-night, orearly in the morning.”

  “Bless you, my angel!” cried Patty. “Will you, really? Why, Mr.Hepworth, I didn’t know you _could_ guess charades.”

  “I can’t!” said he, a little grimly; “but I’m going to, all the same.Good-bye, for now.”

  And, with a do-or-die expression, Mr. Hepworth took leave of the group.

  “Poor man!” said Nan, “he can’t guess it. He just wants to help you out,Patty.”

  But Patty smiled and shook her head.

  “Nay, nay, Nan,” she said; “if Mr. Hepworth says he’ll guess that thing,he will! It’s as good as done!”

  “What faith!” murmured Van Reypen.

  “Yes, indeed!” declared Patty. “Why, if I lost faith in Mr. Hepworth,I’d lose faith in the,—in the,—universe! I’ve known him for years, andhe _never_ fails me!”

  “I guessed one!” said Kenneth, proudly.

  “You did,” returned Patty, smiling on him; “and just for that I’m goingto take you a whole block in my motor car!”

  “Oh! how lovely. But, first, catch your car.”

  “Now, what’s the only one left?” asked Philip, who wanted to distinguishhimself again.

  “Oh, just a simple conundrum,” said Patty. “What is lower with a head onit than without one?”

  “That sounds simple, but it isn’t easy,” said Philip, after a fewmoments’ thoughts. “Nails,—pins,—cabbage heads,—nothing seems to bethe right idea.”

  And, try as they would, they couldn’t think of anything that led to theright answer.

  The boys went home, declaring they’d think it up, and Patty mulled itover in her mind all the evening, without result.

  Then she went to bed, declaring she’d dream of the answer.

  The next morning she overslept,
and Nan, fearing she would be late withher list of answers, went to waken her.

  “Wake up, you little April Fool,” she cried, gently pulling Patty’s goldcurls.

  “Oh, Nan! is it morning? I’m so sleepy!”

  “But you must wake up! It’s the First of April, and you must win thatmotor car to-day or never!”

  Patty raised her head, and then dropped it back on the pillow.

  “I can’t get my head up,” she said; “it’s too heavy. I guess I’ll giveup the motor car. I’d rather keep my head on the pillow. Oh, Nan!” andsuddenly Patty sprang up, with a wild yell.

  “That’s it! I’ve got it! Hurrah!”

  “Mercy, Patty, do keep quiet. _What’s_ the matter?”

  “Why, that’s it! the last puzzle! What is lower with a head on it thanwithout one? Answer: a Pillow! See?”

  “Patty, you’re crazy! I suppose that is the answer, but _I_ think it’ssilly.”

  “No, it isn’t; not as puzzles go! Oh, Nan, now I have them all!”

  “Not the one Mr. Hepworth took away.”

  “He’ll get it back in time. You see if he doesn’t! Oh, Nan, Hooray withme!”

  “I won’t. You’ve made noise enough to frighten the whole block now! Doquiet down, Patty, and get dressed.”

  “All right, I will,” said Patty, in a whisper, and Nan went away,laughing.

  Patty went down to breakfast in a very happy frame of mind, andannounced to her father that the motor car was as good as won.

  “Why do you feel so sure of Mr. Hepworth’s puzzle?” asked her father, alittle curiously. “He never solved a charade before.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Patty, with supreme confidence. “He said he’ddo it. If he hadn’t _known_ he could do it, he wouldn’t have said he_would_ do it.”

  “Oh, stop, Patty!” cried Nan. “You talk like a puzzle, yourself. Don’tget the habit, I beg.”

  “I won’t. But now I must go and copy my answers neatly, and by that timeMr. Hepworth’s will be here, and I’ll send ’em off about noon.”

  Patty spent a happy morning copying her answers in her neat script, andlooking with pride at her complete list.

  At last it was all done, and she had left a vacant space to insert theanswer to the charade when Mr. Hepworth should send it. But at noon ithad not arrived, and she had had no word from him.

  “Telephone, and ask him about it,” suggested Nan, as they sat atluncheon.

  “No,” said Patty, “he said he’d send it, and I’ll wait for him.”

  “How long can you wait?”

  “Why, the only stipulation is that the list of answers shall bepostmarked not later than April first; but I hate to wait till the lastmail.”

  “So should I; do telephone, Patty.”

  “No, not yet. He’ll send it.”

  The afternoon dragged by, with no word from Mr. Hepworth. At fouro’clock, Nan went to Patty’s room.

  “Dearie,” she said, “don’t lose your whole effort by a bit ofstubbornness. Mr. Hepworth must have forgotten to send his answer—or,perhaps, he sent it by a messenger, and it went to the wrong place.”

  “He wouldn’t do that,” said Patty, shaking her head. “He’ll guess it,and, as soon as he does, he’ll telephone me. I know him.”

  “I know him, too, and I know his faithfulness. But mistakes do happensometimes. If you’d only telephone,—or let me.”

  “No, Nannie,” said Patty, gently. “This is my picnic, and I shallconduct it in my own way. And I won’t telephone Mr. Hepworth, if I haveto send the answers with one missing.”

  And then the telephone bell rang!

  And it was Mr. Hepworth calling.

  “I’ve guessed it!” he said, breathlessly, but triumphant. “But it’srather complicated, and I can’t explain it very well over the telephone.I’ll come right over. Is there time?”

  “Yes,” returned Patty; “come on. Good-bye.”

  She hung up the receiver, and turned to Nan with an “I told you so”expression on her face.

  “But it was a narrow escape,” said Nan.

  “Not at all,” said Patty.

  Then Mr. Hepworth came.

  He looked calm and smiling as ever, and showed no trace of his sleeplessnight and anxious hard-working day.

  “It’s ‘Forceps,’” he said, as soon as he had greeted them; “but it isn’ta fair charade at all. A charade should be divided into its two or morelegitimate syllables. But this one is divided ‘Force’ and ‘P.S.’ Yousee, the P.S. is referred to as the principal part of a lady’s letter.”

  “Oh, that old joke!” cried Nan.

  “Yes. But, if it hadn’t been for that old joke, I never could haveguessed it. For that was what put me on the right track. But the wholecharade is distinctly unfair in its construction.”

  “I think so, too,” said Patty, who had been looking it over. “Oh! Mr.Hepworth, how did you ever guess it?”

  “I told you I would,” he answered, simply.

  “Yes; and so I knew you would,” she returned, with a glance asstraightforward as his own.

  “Now, I’ll add it to my list,” she went on, “and then we’ll go out tothe box together, to mail it.”

  In a moment, Patty was ready, with the big, fat envelope, clearlyaddressed and much bestamped.

  Throwing a light wrap round her, she went with Mr. Hepworth thehalf-block to the lamp-post letter-box. But the large envelope would notgo in the box.

  “Never mind, Patty,” he said; “I’ll take it to the post-office for you.That will be better, anyway, as it may be postmarked a little sooner.And it’s my fault that it’s delayed so late, anyway.”

  “It is not!” exclaimed Patty. “If it hadn’t been for you, I couldn’thave sent the list at all! I mean, not a complete list.”

  “Van Reypen helped you far more than I did,” said Mr. Hepworth, a littlebitterly.

  Patty noticed his tone, and, with her ready tact, she ignored it.

  “Mr. Van Reypen did help me,” she said; “but, with all his help, thelist would not have been perfect but for you. I thank you, very much.”

  Patty held out her hand, and Hepworth took it slowly, almost reverently.

  “Patty,” he said, “I wonder if you know how much I would do for you?”

  “How much?” said Patty, not really thinking of what she was saying, forher mind was still on her puzzles.

  “Shall I tell you?” and the intense note in his voice brought her backto a realising sense of the situation.

  “Not now,” she cried, gaily; “you promised to get those answers to thepost-office in double-quick time. That would be the nicest thing youcould do for me.”

  “Then I’ll do it, you little witch;” and, with a quick bow, Hepworthturned and strode down the street.