CHAPTER X
THE COURTESY OF THE ROAD
That evening they discussed the project with Mr. Fairfield.
“I heartily approve of the plan,” he said. “It’s time we had some younglife down here to stir Patty up. She’s getting too sentimental fromgazing at the sea and sky. And I think it will be quite all right toinvite two of the men to lodge at the hotel. They can come over here forall their meals, and so they will practically be part of the houseparty. But, Patty, are you sure you want this house party for severaldays? You may find it more of a burden than you think, to entertainguests so long.”
“Oh, they’re not formal guests; it’s just a young people’s frolic. We’llgo motoring and swimming and picnicking just as we like. But, of course,on my birthday I shall have a party,—a real party.”
“You don’t know enough people down here to make an evening party,” saidNan.
“Oh, well, I know several,” said Patty; “and if we have eight or ten inthe house, and get eight or ten more from among the Spring Beachcottagers, that will be enough for a small dance.”
“And there’s Mona,” put in her father, mischievously.
“Oh, _Mona_! I’m not going to ask _her_!”
“Why, Patty,” said Nan, “you’ll have to ask her,—your very nextneighbour!”
“No, I won’t have to, either! I’m not going to spoil my whole birthdayjust because she happens to live next-door to me!”
“Patty,” said her father, “I think you must be a little more generous inyour attitude toward that girl. You may not like her altogether, but youmust be kind and polite to her, because, in a country place like this,we do owe a certain duty to our neighbours such as is never recognisedin New York. And I want you to grow up an unselfish, generous woman, whowould sacrifice her own feelings to those of her neighbour.”
“Of course you’re right, father, and I will try to conquer my dislikefor that girl. But you know what she is.”
“Yes, I know what she is; she is uncongenial, and her manner irritatesyou. But there must be some good in her, Patty, and suppose you setyourself to work to find it.”
“All right, daddy, I’ll go you; but won’t you please let me wait untilafter my birthday is over?”
“No, child; I quite agree with Nan that you must invite Miss Mona toyour party: that is, if you invite other cottagers. If you have onlyyour own house party, of course you needn’t ask her.”
“Well, then, I won’t ever ask her over here while the house party is on,except the night of my birthday, when I have the dance.”
“It may not be necessary to invite her,” said Nan, smiling; “she’ll verylikely invite herself.”
“Well, we’ll hope she won’t,” said Patty, with a little sigh. “Now I’llwrite to the others to-night, and I hope they can all come. I think theyall will, unless maybe Christine will think she cannot leave her work.But I’ll urge her to come for a few days, anyway.”
Patty went off to the library to write her notes, and so interested didshe become in her party, and her plans for her birthday celebration,that she quite forgot her unpleasant and unwelcome neighbour. Nor didshe think of her again until the next afternoon, when, as she swung in ahammock on the front veranda, she saw Mona Galbraith come walking up thedrive.
“Here you are, Patty,” called out the hearty and irrepressible voice ofher neighbour; “I hoped I’d find you at home. I felt sort of lonely, andI said to myself I’ll just run over to Patty’s, and perhaps, if I askher very prettily, she’ll give me a ride in that little gem of a motorcar that she runs so well.”
Patty arose from the hammock, politely hiding her annoyance at Mona’sarrival, and said: “How do you do, Miss Galbraith? Sit down, won’t you?I’m not sure that I’m going to have the car out this afternoon.”
“Oh, that’s all right; never mind. Don’t get it out purposely for me.I’ll sit here and chat this afternoon, and we can take the rideto-morrow.”
So Patty saw at once that she must either take her visitor motoring thatafternoon, or merely defer the occasion, in which case she would haveher on her hands for the rest of the afternoon, anyway. Of the two evilsshe concluded to choose the less. And she also concluded that, as herfather had requested, she would be pleasant to this girl, and try tofind some likable qualities in her.
So it was with a shade more cordiality that she said: “Oh, yes, we canjust as well go this afternoon as any other! It’s a good day, exceptthat there’s a pretty stiff breeze blowing. Are you dressed to go?”
“Oh, yes, this gown is all right, and you can lend me a hood and cloakor something. Haven’t you extra ones?”
“Yes, of course,” said Patty, wondering if this girl had no idea ofsocial formalities. “But perhaps she never had anybody to teach herthings,” thought Patty, who, now that she was trying to begenerous-minded toward Mona, found it easier than she had thought.
Patty rang for Miller, and ordered the car; then she asked Mona to comeinto the house, that she might fit her out with proper wraps. It was awarm, pleasant day, so a dust cloak of Nan’s, and a silk hood belongingto that same amiable lady, were borrowed for Miss Galbraith’s use.
“Of course I have all these things at home,” she said, as she tied theribbons under her chin; and Patty wanted to say, “Why don’t you go andget them, then?” but she well knew it was because of Mona’s unwarrantedfeeling of intimacy in the Fairfield household that she borrowed theirwraps instead of going for her own.
This whole principle was foreign to Patty’s nature. Systematic andmethodical herself, she always used her own belongings, and never wouldhave dreamed of borrowing those of another, unless through sheernecessity.
“There’s one thing,” she thought to herself, “if I give her this rideand get it over with, she may keep away while those other people arehere. I must be careful not to let her know they are coming.”
The car was at the door and they were soon started. Patty determined tobe kind and pleasant to her guest, but to avoid personalities, and tosay nothing which could be construed as an invitation to furtheracquaintance.
One point she conceded, however, and concluded to call Miss Galbraith byher first name. This she did, only because Mona persisted in calling herPatty, and it sounded so purposely stilted and ungracious to persist insaying Miss Galbraith.
Patty asked her guest to choose the road they should take, and wassurprised to find that Mona knew of a great many lovely drives whichPatty had not yet discovered. Though, of course, it was not surprising,as Mona had spent four summers at Spring Beach, and it was Patty’s firstone.
Mona chose a route called the Blue Lake Drive, which took them through alovely stretch of pine woods, and out into an orchard-dotted country,the goal being a small and very blue lake. On the shore was a tiny TeaHouse, which proved a pleasant resting-place for a half-hour.
The girls sat sipping tea and eating crumpets, and Patty began to thinkthat Mona was not nearly as unlikable as she had thought. Hershortcomings were more those of an impulsive and untrained nature thanany more serious faults. She was well educated and well read, and Pattyfound that they had many favourite books and authors in common. But shewas pushing, and she continually asserted her intention of being Patty’sintimate friend, until Patty lost her patience and broke out, rathersharply.
“Look here, Mona,” she said, “I like you, or at least I think I’m goingto like you, but I won’t be pushed or pulled into a friendship sosuddenly. You don’t know me at all, but once in a while I have a way ofspeaking my mind right straight out, and I tell you frankly that, if youwant to be friends with me, you’ll upset the whole kettle of fish byrushing it too hard!”
Mona looked utterly amazed. “What are you talking about?” she said. “Doyou call me pushing?”
“I do that!” declared Patty; “just exactly that! and you know it as wellas I do! I shouldn’t talk to anybody like this on such shortacquaintance, but you brought it on yourself,
and, if you want to getangry, you may!”
“Angry!” echoed Mona. “Why, I like you all the better for suchstraightforward talk! I’m sorry I seem pushing, but,—well,—‘youbrought it on yourself’!”
Patty had to laugh at this, for it was really a subtle compliment to herown attractiveness. Also, she decided she could do little by scoldingMona. So she began to talk of other things, leaving the question offriendship to be settled some other time.
Soon they started homeward again, for, as Patty explained to her guest,she was under promise to get home before dark.
“How beautifully your car runs,” said Mona, as they skimmed smoothlyalong. “Do you never have an accident?”
“Nothing of any account,” returned Patty, and then she told Mona of theday when her wheels got stuck in the sand. “But I have never hadanything more serious than that,” she went on, “and I hope I nevershall. Have you never run a car yourself?”
“No, it never occurred to me to do so. We have several cars, of course,and lots of chauffeurs and grooms, but only since I’ve seen you in yourcar have I thought of driving one myself. But I’m going to; I’ve alreadyasked father to get me one exactly like this.”
“Will he do it?”
“Of course; he gets me anything I want. And when I get it, Patty, we cango out together in our two cars. Won’t that be fun?”
“H’m, h’m!” murmured Patty, who wasn’t overjoyed at the proposition.“Gracious! what’s the matter?”
“Oh, my! what _is_ the matter? Did something burst?”
“It did so,” said Patty, cheerfully; “the inner tube of this front wheelhas burst, and now, if you want to see a successful imitation of a younglady mending her own motor car, just watch me while I get out my littlekit of tools, and put my reserve tube in place of this burst one.”
“Can you do it yourself?” enquired Mona, with a look of surprisedadmiration. “I didn’t know a girl could do things like that!”
“This girl can,” returned Patty, opening her tool-box with a capableair. But the next moment her capable air completely vanished, and sheturned to Mona with a comical expression of dismay. “What do you think?”she said. “I’m always so careful to have my car and my tools and myaccessories all in perfect order, and now see what’s happened! I hadthis same experience the other day. The inner tube burst, and I put inmy reserve tube and then I put the burst tube away in my kit, and hereit is yet. I utterly forgot to have it replaced by a new one!”
“Oh, then the reserve tube that you want to put in is as burst as thatone you have just taken out!”
“You’ve struck it right! that’s the situation. Now what’s the solution?There isn’t any answer!”
“Then, what do we do?” asked Mona, looking scared.
“Oh, we just sit here,” said Patty, returning to her seat in therunabout. “It isn’t a question of doing anything, because we can’t doanything. We can sit here, or we can walk home. Or, rather, you can walkhome, if you want to. I sha’n’t leave my car, if I sit here all night.”
“And I sha’n’t leave you, if we sit here all night! But if I can walkanywhere, and get assistance for you, I’ll gladly do so.”
“Mona, you’re a good deal of a trump,” said Patty, looking into thegirl’s earnest face; “but I don’t know of any place you could getassistance nearer than home, and that’s ten miles away. You see, Mona,when motor cars do break down, they invariably choose a place far awayfrom any garage or repair shop. The farther away it is, the better thecar likes it. Can’t you hear Camilla chuckling at our discomfiture?”
“How can you joke, Patty? I think it’s awful! What can we do?”
“We can’t do anything, but, if we’re patient, some one may come alongwho can help us. You know, there’s a certain courtesy of the road amongmotorists that makes them help each other whenever they can. At least,this courtesy is said to exist, but I’ve never seen much of it, myself.However, I’ve had very few occasions to desire it. Now we’ll sit andwait for courtesy.”
Nor did they wait long. Very soon a good-sized motor came by, and thepolite driver of it stopped and asked the girls if he could be of anyassistance.
Patty liked his quiet, courteous manner, and she explained herdifficulty.
But the man, though willing, was unable to help her, for his tires werenot the same size as those on Patty’s ear. He would have been glad, hesaid, to tow her car, but he was going in the other direction. So Pattythanked him for his interest in the matter, and he went on his way.
“Now, you see,” observed Patty, “that there _is_ a courtesy of the road.I’ve no doubt some more courtesy will come along soon, and we’ll getfixed up somehow.”
But courtesy seemed to be scant that afternoon, for half a dozen cars,both large and small, whizzed past them apparently without noticingtheir plight.
At last, however, a man came by alone in a small electric runabout, notunlike Patty’s own.
“Hi! there!” he called out, “you in trouble?”
Patty did not like his mode of address, nor did she like the looks ofthe man himself. And even though she greatly desired his help, and feltsure that he might have a reserve inner tube which would fit her tire,she hesitated to ask him for it, as she so distrusted and disliked hisgeneral appearance. He looked good-natured, but he did not look to be aman of refinement. But while she hesitated, Mona, greatly to Patty’ssurprise, took the situation in hand, and called back to the man: “Yes,we’re in a dreadful fix! Can’t you help us out?”
“You bet I can!” cried the man, and, springing from his own car, he cameover to Patty’s side.
“What’s wrong, little one?” he said, looking boldly into Patty’s face.
Patty was thoroughly annoyed at his manner, but now that things had goneso far, of course she must carry it through. Sitting up very straight,and assuming an air of severe dignity, she said: “The inner tube of afront wheel has burst, and I have no good one with which to replace it.If you have one you could spare, I should be glad to have it, and I willsend you a duplicate one, if you will give me your address, or my fatherwill send you a cheque for the price of it.”
The man looked at Patty and smiled. “You needn’t be so crusty about it,”he said; “the other young miss ain’t so crusty.”
Patty was becoming a little frightened. The man was so easy-mannered,and, though she felt sure she could manage all right by herself, she hada fear that Mona might say something foolish at any moment.
“I don’t mean to be crusty,” said Patty, smiling pleasantly, but withoutfriendliness. “I’m simply asking the courtesy of the road from afellow-motorist, and I feel sure, if you can, you will give it to me.”
The man backed away a little and looked at Patty with unmistakableadmiration. “Well, I just guess I will!” he replied, and went straightto his own tool-box for implements.
Patty took this opportunity to whisper to Mona, “Don’t you say anotherword to him! You mustn’t speak to strangers so familiarly. You came nearmaking serious trouble for us!”
Now Mona was of such a peculiar disposition that, instead of realisingthe truth of Patty’s words, she became incensed at the idea of beingscolded, and made no reply, save to pout her lips and assume a veryangry expression of countenance.
The man returned from his own car, and in a short time had inserted anew inner tube, and Camilla was in perfect order for a fresh start.
“I thank you very much,” said Patty, with a calm, gracious politeness;“and, if you’ll give me your card, or your address, my father will sendyou a cheque for the tire, and a note of thanks for your kindness to hisdaughter.”
“’Taint worth mentioning,” said the man, looking a little sheepishbefore Patty’s courteous dignity; “and I haven’t a card, but here’s myname, and I’ll be glad to hear from your father, miss.”
He scribbled on a bit of paper and gave the address to Patty, who put itin her cardcase, and, bowing civilly to the man, she started her car anddrove swiftly away.
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