The Motor Girls

by Margaret Penrose

  CHAPTER II

  THE DASH OF THE WHIRLWIND

  When Jack Kimball called at the Robinson home that same evening, atprecisely nine-thirty, he found three very much agitated youngladies. Bess, or, to be more exact, Elizabeth Robinson, thebrown-haired, "plump" girl--she who was known as the "big" Robinsongirl--was positively out of breath, while her twin sister, Isabel,usually called Belle, too slim to puff and too thin to "fluster,"was fanning herself with a very dainty lace handkerchief.

  Cora paced up and down the piazza, in the true athletic way ofcooling off.

  "Why the wherefore?" asked Jack, surprised at the excitement soplainly shown, in spite of the girls' attempts to hide it.

  "Oh, just a race," replied Cora indifferently.

  "Out in the dark?" 'persisted Jack.

  "Only across the hill," went on Cora, while Bess giggledthreateningly.

  "Seems to me you took a queer time to race," remarked the lad with asly wink at Isabel. "Who won out?"

  "Oh, Cora, of course," answered Isabel. "She won--in and out."

  "Oh, I don't know," spoke Jack's sister. "You didn't do half badly,Belle."

  "Oh, I was laughing so I couldn't run."

  "Cora said you were coming for her," put in Bess with a smile.

  Jack seemed disappointed that the subject was mentioned.

  "Yes," he said. "She was very particular to specify the time. It'snine-thirty now, but I'm in no hurry," and he looked about for achair.

  "But I am," insisted Cora.

  "Well, then," added Jack a bit stiffly, "if you're ready, supposewe run along. Or, have you had enough running for this evening?"

  "Plenty. But I really must go, girls. Be sure and be ready in themorning for--well, you know what," and she finished with a laugh."We want the Chelton folks--"

  "To sit up and take notice, I suppose," put in Jack quickly. "Pardonthe slang, ladies, but sometimes slang seems to fit where nothingelse will."

  The twins managed to whisper a word or two into Cora's ear as shesaid good-night and left with her brother.

  They had had such a splendid time at the garage. It was the runback home, over the railroad embankment, that had caused all theirflurry and excitement. And, though they had not left the autosalesrooms until five minutes before the time Cora had appointed forher brother to meet her, they had actually managed to reach homebefore Jack called, so that he could have no suspicion of theirvisit to the garage.

  Paul Hastings, the young man whom they had encountered on theirvisit to the automobile place, had proved a most interestingyouth--he appeared to know many things besides the good and badpoints of the average car.

  Mr. and Mrs. Perry Robinson, parents of the Robinson twins, happenedto be out that evening, so that, even to them, the visit to thegarage was a profound secret, and there was no need of making anyexplanations.

  That night, in her sleep, Elizabeth was heard to mutter "The clutch!Throw in the clutch!"

  And Isabel actually answered, also in dream language:

  "Jam down the brake!"

  But Cora, across the fields, in her own cool, out-of-doors sleepingapartment, built on a broad porch, did not dream. She justslumbered.

  It was a delightful morning in early June, and the air seemedsprinkled with scented dew, when Cora Kimball drove up to theRobinson home in her new automobile.

  "Come on! Come on!" she called as she stopped at the curb and,tooted the horn. "Hurry! I want to overtake Walter. He and Jack havejust gone out!"

  "Oh, of course, you want to overtake Walter," answered Isabel, withthe emphasis on "Walter."

  "Well, never mind about that, but do come," urged Cora. "What doyou think of my car?" she asked as the girls hastened to her. "Isn'tit a beauty?"

  She handled the machine with considerable skill, for she had hadsome practice on Jack's car.

  "Think of it!" exclaimed Elizabeth. "Why, it's simply beyondthoughts; it's--overwhelming!"

  "A perfect dream," agreed Belle. "Aren't you the lucky girl,though!"

  "Guess I am," admitted Cora. "See, I can start it withoutcranking"; and to prove it, when the engine was quiet, she threwforward the spark lever, shifted the gasolene one a trifle, and themotor began to throb and hum rapidly.

  "Good!" cried Isabel.

  "Paul told me about it," went on Cora. "The Paul, you know. He saidwhen a charge of gas is in one of the cylinders all you have to dois to send a spark to the cylinder, and--"

  "It didn't take you long to learn," complimented Bess, while Isabelsaid:

  "Paul--er--is he--"

  "Yes, he is," admitted Cora with a laugh. "The youth of thegarage."

  "Well, I don't remember a thing he said," confessed Elizabeth; "butPaul--who could forget Paul? Didn't he have nice teeth?"

  "And so polite," added Belle.

  "Wasn't he just splendid?" concluded Cora. "And such a number ofthings that he told me. But come on, get in," and she slowed downthe motor somewhat, while, removing a pair of buckskin gloves fromher long, tapering hands, she produced a small, dainty handkerchiefand rubbed a spot of black grease from her aristocratic nose.

  "Got that when I was oiling the rear wheels," she explained.

  The twins entered the tonneau, neither of them caring to risk ridingon the front seat just yet.

  Cora speeded the motor up a bit, glanced behind to see that thetonneau door was securely fastened, and then pulled the speed leverand threw in the clutch. The car started forward as smoothly as ifPaul himself were at the wheel.

  Elizabeth's hand flew to her hat, which tilted backward in the wind.They had not yet secured their motor "togs," and regulation hatswere so difficult to manage.

  "Oh, isn't this glorious!" cried Isabel.

  "Every one is looking at us," announced Elizabeth.

  "Now I wonder which road Jack and Walter took?" said Cora as sheswung the car around a curve in good style. "I heard Jack say he wasgoing for some fishing-tackle."

  "Perhaps they went to Arden," ventured Isabel.

  "Maybe. Well, we'll take a nice little spin down the turnpike,"decided Cora as she threw in the high gear, the cogs grinding oneach other rather alarmingly.

  "Gracious! What's that?" asked Elizabeth.

  "Only the gears," replied Cora calmly. "I hope I didn't strip them,but I might have done that changing a little better. I wasn't quitequick enough."

  The car was going rather fast now.

  "Don't put on quite so much speed," begged Isabel. "I'm so--"

  "Now please don't say you're nervous," interrupted Cora.

  "But I am."

  "Well, you needn't be. I know how to run the car."

  "Of course, since Paul showed her," put in Elizabeth.

  The speed was a trifle too fast for an inexperienced hand at thewheel, but Cora grasped the wooden circlet firmly, and with a keenlook ahead prepared for the descent of a rather steep hill.

  Coming up the grade were a number of autos, containing Cheltonfolks, who had been to the depot with early city commuters. Cheltonwas a great place for commuters and autos.

  "Please don't put on any more speed, Cora," again begged Isabel,leaning over toward the front seat. "This is such a steep hill."

  "All right, I won't," and Cora placed her foot more firmly on thebrake pedal, while she was ready to grasp the emergency leverquickly, in case anything happened.

  "Oh, there's Ida!" suddenly cried Elizabeth as a small runaboutloomed up in front of them.

  "And Sid Wilcox. I wonder what she finds interesting in that--thatlazy chap?"

  "A companion--that's all," replied her sister. "I think Ida isabout as unenergetic a girl as I ever knew."

  "Funny thing," said Cora, speaking loudly enough to be heard abovethe noise of the motor, "how she manages to keep going. She rides asoften in Sid's car as if--well, as if she was his own sister."

  "Oftener than most sisters," added Belle significantly.

  "They have just left her friend, who was on from New City, at thede
pot," said Bess. "It's quite handy to have a chum with amotor-car--even if it does happen to be a chap like Sid."

  "Well, I guess Ida's harmless, even if she is jealous," said Cora."I do believe that's all that ails Ida--just plain jealousy."

  "Maybe," assented Isabel.

  They rode along for some time, coasting down the steeper parts ofthe hill, and running easily where there was a level stretch. Theywere now approaching the worst part of the descent. From this pointthere was quite a steep slant to the level highway, which therailroad crossed at grade, and approached on a curve.

  There was a long-drawn, shrill whistle.

  "What's that?" exclaimed Elizabeth.

  "The train!" cried Isabel. "Oh, the train! Cora, the train iscoming!"

  "I hear it," spoke Cora calmly, but she pressed her foot down harderon the brake pedal, and tried to use the compression of thecylinders as a retarding force, as Paul had showed her.

  "Can't you slow up?" pleaded Elizabeth. There was a note of alarmin her voice.

  "I'm--I'm trying to!" almost shouted Cora, as she exerted morestrength on the brake lever. "I've done all I know, now, but but wedon't seem to be stopping!"

  She spoke the last words in a curiously quiet voice.

  "Put on the brakes!" called Bess.

  "They are on!" said Cora fiercely.

  "Oh, Cora!" screamed Isabel. "I see the train! There at the footof the hill! We'll run into it! I'm going to jump! We can't stop!"

  "Sit still!" commanded Cora energetically.

  Elizabeth covered her face with her hands. She shrank back into herseat. Her sister leaned up against her. Below could be heard thepuffing of the train. Then the engineer, seeing the auto rushingdown to destruction, blew shrieking whistles, as if that could help.

  Cora was frantically pulling on the brake lever. Her face was nowwhite with fear, but even in the midst of this terror she felt acurious calmness. It was just as if she were looking at some pictureof the scene. She thought she was miles and miles away. Her foot waspressed down so hard on the brake pedal that it felt as if her shoewould burst off.

  But the car slid along, nearer and nearer the track, along which thetrain was thundering--rushing to meet the auto-to annihilate it.

  "Stop! Stop!" screamed Isabel. "Stop!" She rose in her seat.

  "Sit down!" commanded Cora.

  "But stop!" pleaded Isabel. "We'll all be killed! Stop! Oh, Cora,stop!"

  "I'm trying to!" was the grim reply. "But--I can't the brake--thebrake is jammed!"

  The last words came out jerkily, for Cora was pulling on the brakehandle with all her force.

  Nearer and nearer sounded the approaching train. The auto wassliding down the hill with ever-increasing speed, but Cora never letgo her hold of the steering wheel.

  Once more she tried to pull the brake lever. It would not come backanother notch. The engineer of the train was blowing more franticsignals. He leaned from his cab window and motioned the auto back.He even seemed to be shouting to them.

  Cora braced both feet against the brake pedal.

  She took a firmer grasp of the wheel. The seams of her new gloveswere starting from the strain. There was a desperate look on herface.

  "Oh, we'll be killed! We'll be killed!" screamed Isabel. "We can'tget across in time!"

  She leaned over, and fell into her sister's arms, while Cora, with akeen glance to either side, stiffened in her seat. There was a barechance of safety.