The Auto Boys' Quest

by Herbert Strang

  CHAPTER XIV

  AT THE CLARION RACING CAMP

  The arrival of the Chosen Trio in Queensville did not occasion theexcitement in that small city that at least Mr. Gaines had anticipated.Possibly there would have been a more noticeable interest had it notbeen that strangers and strange cars had already become, on account ofthe numbers present for the races, a drug on the market. Queensvillepeople had grown quickly accustomed to the presence of visitors. Beyonda passing glance the lumbering Roadster and its passengers receivedlittle notice, therefore.

  Soapy had counted so much upon the demonstration of lively interest thearrival of himself, his car and Pickton and Perth--whom he regarded asa kind of body-guard--would occasion that to attract little or none ofsuch curious attention was a serious blow to his vanity.

  The fault, Mr. Gaines in his own mind assured himself, lay in the veryordinary appearance of his friends. He would have to let it be known, heconcluded, that he alone was the owner of the Roadster and that he, ifnot those with him, was a person of quite some consequence.

  It was with difficulty that Pickton and Perth prevailed upon Gaines todo as they had originally agreed and look for quarters where they couldprepare most of their own meals and so incur no considerable expense.This accomplished, they quite readily found a really desirable place ofthe character desired. It was a vacant, one-story, white cottage.Adjoining was a more pretentious house, the owner of both of whichdwellings was desirous of taking in what money he might while the influxof strangers was on. For the moderate charge of five dollars for theweek he gave the Trio the use of the cottage for themselves andpermission to run their car into a shed in the rear of his ownresidence.

  The three lads might have been very comfortable--might have fared wellin all respects, in the situation presented, had Soapy been the leastbit favorably disposed toward "roughing it." With the gasoline campstove for their cooking, ample bedding, and water and similaraccommodations already in the cottage and at their disposal--why, underthe same conditions the Auto Boys, or any group of really congenialyoung fellows, would have lived in a delightfully care-free way!

  But Gaines did not like the bare floor and he did not like the absenceof such little conveniences as rocking chairs and electric lights. Andalthough Mrs. Gaston, wife of the owner of the property, and a mostpleasant, motherly old lady, sent over a mirror, a lamp, a small tableand three kitchen chairs for the accommodation of the boys, to saynothing of a jar of canned peaches and a fresh rhubarb pie, Soapy"hoped he wasn't an object of charity just yet awhile."

  Or as Mr. Freddy Perth expressed it, he "simply turned up his long, thinnose at the whole shooting match and acted like a beastly cad." Whereand how anything remotely similar to a "shooting match" came into thesituation may not be exactly clear. No doubt young Mr. Perth knew justwhat he was talking about; but at any rate the words quoted, it shouldbe understood, were his own.

  However, and notwithstanding Mr. Gaines' constantly expresseddissatisfaction, Pick and Fred went ahead with the plan to make thewhite cottage their headquarters for the week of the races. The locationwas pleasantly convenient. Only four blocks distant was the main streetand the Crown Hotel. Here many of the racing car owners and drivers werestaying and here, also, the committee in charge of the contests had itsoffice.

  Considerably disgusted with the failure again to find the Auto Boys andout of sorts with himself and everyone else, Gaines went alone to thehotel for his supper on Sunday night. Perth and Pickton enjoyed theirevening meal just as much without him, it is possible, at the cottage.And though they attempted nothing more intricate in the culinary artthan boiling eggs, toasting bread and making coffee, they supplementedthis fare with fruit from the stand down on the corner and so managedvery well.

  Soapy returned from the hotel to find the cottage uncomfortably cool andFred and Tom both in bed--because they were tired and because they werewarmer there. He sniffed contemptuously as he prepared to follow theirexample. Growing still more sulky, he requested both his friends to bearin mind who owned the car that brought them there. Even after he was inbed, Gaines felt moved to declare that he didn't care where the AutoBoys were or were not. He meant, he said, to enjoy the races.

  He wanted to hear the hotel discussions, see the practice work and allthings incident to the contests. So far as he was concerned, he at lastconcluded, "Worth and that bunch might run and jump off the edge of theearth if they wanted to." Which feat, by the way, had the Auto Boysknown they had Mr. Gaines' free and complete permission to perform, theywould quite likely have been glad to undertake for his especialaccommodation, if for no other reason.

  Now, although Mr. Tom Pickton was no better pleased with the temperGaines displayed than was Mr. Frederick Perth, the two did notthemselves become the firmer friends. Being fellow sufferers fromSoapy's disagreeable manner, it would have been quite natural that everybond of friendship and sympathy between them should be strengthened. Yetquite the contrary was true.

  Pickton more than half believed Perth responsible for the fact thatGaines had not invited him to supper at the hotel. Fred's somewhatinferior clothing, and his general lack of a kind of swaggering style,much affected by Soapy himself, made the latter ashamed to associatewith him. In this light, at least, Pickton viewed the matter. Hereasoned that Gaines went by himself because to invite one made itnecessary that he invite both the others. Thinking thus, he wishedfervently that Fred were some place else.

  On the other hand, young Mr. Perth resented in his thoughts, if not inwords and actions, a certain secretive manner Pickton had shown more andmore of late. He resented still further Soapy's selfish and snobbishconduct. So all in all, harmony and good-fellowship among the ChosenTrio's members, never strong, never founded on the deep, mutual love andrespect that is the basis of all true friendship, was in a fair way todisappear entirely.

  Monday morning presented little change in the chilly atmosphere of thewhite cottage. Soapy remained in bed until Perth called him tobreakfast--again toast, eggs and coffee. Meanwhile Pickton had broughtthe Roadster around to the street in front, and after the morningrepast suggested a trip over the course. As Gaines and Fred both likedthis proposal, the feelings of all three toward one another became, forthe time, more pleasant.

  Earnest, serious practice by the racing drivers began this Mondaymorning and from four to ten o'clock the roads were closed against allothers. The Trio ran down in the Roadster to the banked curve just southof Queensville to watch the work of the different cars and men. It wasat this point that the main grandstand was to be. Work on the structure,rising in successive tiers of seats in rows hundreds of feet in length,was now nearly completed. No charge for admission would be made beforethe day of the races and from boxes for each of which, for the one bigday, the price would be fifty dollars, the three lads viewed the comingand going of the machines and their crews.

  A large, red car, stripped to the chassis, save for the hood, the lowseats and fuel tank back of them, made the most consistent record ofthe morning. Repeatedly its driver covered the circuit at fifty-fivemile speed and did not exceed a minute's difference in time between onelap and another.

  This machine was the _Clarion_; Kemper, driver, and Allstop,mechanician. It was a popular car and a favorite crew. Gossip at theCrown Hotel was partial to Kemper and the _Clarion_ as winners in theheavy car race.

  A long, low, gray car with black lines--and known as the _Hare_, wasanother of the "sure" winners, according to the forecast of those whosewisdom was aired each day and night wherever crowds congregated inQueensville. The identity of the _Hare's_ driver was the subject ofalmost unceasing discussion. When out on the course or wherever he mightbe seen, he wore invariably a head-dress that covered his facecompletely. None could recognize him. On the entry list his nameappeared as "I. S. Mystery"--nothing more, and it is scarcely necessaryto add that a mystery he was. Cobert, his mechanician, was alsounknown. He wore no mask. His head-rigging left his face open to closescrutiny; but he was silent always. He worked with M
r. "Mystery" as ifthey read continuously each the thoughts of the other and had no need ofany other language.

  The _Hare_, as a car, was known quite well enough. The manufacturerswere among the most prominent in America. As a factor in the heavy carrace, the machine was considered very important, as has been stated. Somuch, however, depends upon the skill, experience and daring of thedriver in any such contest, that many and many a man would have given agreat deal to know who "Mystery" was, and where he and Cobert hadacquired their apparently perfect training.

  Six other cars, including the Alameda, two Brights, a Henry and twoWings completed the field for the big race. The light car contest wasbut a minor affair and attracted little notice. Of the six machines justmentioned, the Henry was looked upon as a bare possibility. The Brightswere not rated highly, though one of them, with Crane--along-experienced driver--as pilot, was counted upon as an interesting"dark horse." The Wings were the product of unknown builders. One of thewags at the Crown Hotel remarked that "the _pair_ of them might fly_some_, but not very far at that." The Alameda was not considered at allformidably, either, being practically unknown.

  All the gossip concerning the different contestants he had heard aboutthe hotel Gaines repeated as being strictly first-hand intelligence, orquite as if every word were a matter of his own personal knowledge, asthe Trio watched the Monday morning practice. Very well did Fred andPickton know where he had heard all he told them. That they secretlyresented his manner of superiority there can be no doubt; but theirinterest in obtaining information was too lively to permit of theirfailing to listen, and attentively.

  By ten o'clock, all the racing cars had been taken home to theirrespective stations, some in Queensville and some to headquartersestablished in camps at convenient points adjacent to the course. Withthe way now open to them, the Trio started in the Roadster for a triparound the circuit, Pickton at the wheel.

  "Oh, you!" called a voice from one of the tire supply pits directly infront of the grandstand.

  Perth answered, "Hello!"

  "How far you going?" asked the first speaker, a brisk young man in asuit of khaki. "Wonder if you'd just as soon take a couple of tubes overto the Clarion camp for me?"

  "Sure, Mike," said the by no means bashful Perth, though why he supposedthe name of the young man to be Michael--which, in fact, it truly wasnot--is a problem. But anyhow, "Sure, Mike!" he said.

  "Their camp is in a little grove just the other side of Chester. You'llsee a lane leading right back to their tent and a barn they have," thechap in the khaki suit continued. "Give 'em these two tubes. They'llknow who sent 'em. You're the boys for me, all right!"

  Gaines would have objected to taking the tubes aboard except for theopportunity to see the Clarion headquarters. He did not like the way inwhich Perth acted as spokesman. He so informed Fred a little later.Again he requested him, also, and with some degree of earnestness, toremember whose machine he was "banging around for the accommodation ofany Tom, Dick and Harry."

  Perth smoothed matters over as best he could by saying, "Oh, Gaines,let's be civilized!" but he held the two tire tubes in his own hands.When the camp of the _Clarion_ was reached, he carried them personallyto the man who appeared to be in charge.

  With the gentleman who received the tubes Perth found it quite easy tobecome acquainted. He volunteered to assist as the stranger immediatelyset about the work of inserting one of the new tubes in a tire. Thechange was being made on a car kept at the camp for general purposes.Fred's offer was accepted and he did his work right skillfully.

  Gaines and Pickton looked on but gave no assistance. Later all threewere allowed to watch Kemper and Allstop making some adjustments on theClarion racer. A proud moment it was, too, when the famous driver noddedto them in a friendly way.

  "Much obliged for those tubes," he said, looking toward Fred. "It wasone on me that you were asked to fetch them. I intended stopping at thetire control my last time around and forgot it."

  "Don't mention it," said Perth.

  It was odd, but the fact, nevertheless, that this very naturalconversation was the source of much irritation to Mr. Soapy Gaines.

  "That Clarion car has no more chance," said he, when the Roadster wasagain underway upon the course--"that Clarion car has no more chance ofwinning than your grandmother. The thing's a heap o' junk and Kempercouldn't drive a truck!"

  "Fudge!" snorted Perth in an outburst of supreme contempt.

  "Keep our eyes open and we might find Way's outfit," suggested Pickton,anxious to prevent a clash and even more anxious, if the whole truthwere known, to locate the Auto Boys' camp.

  Strangely enough Tom's proposal instantly interested Soapy very much.Fickle and uncertain always, he now declared that, come what might, hewould find where Way and the rest were staying and what they were doingin the locality, if it took all day.