The Motor Girls

by Margaret Penrose

  CHAPTER XXI

  REAL MOTOR GIRLS

  Cora was up early the next morning, and went out alone for a spin inher car. She wanted to think over the happenings at the lawn fete,to recall various matters, and to try to straighten out some tanglesthat confused her. It was delightful to skim along the quiet road,the powerful motor of her car singing a song of speed and progress.

  "I suppose Jack and Ed are sleeping yet," she said to herself,"though how Ed can, after the strange recovery of his bonds, is morethan I can understand."

  Ed was gone when she returned, and Jack seemed surprised to see hissister returning from an early morning run.

  "I thought you'd sleep for hours yet," he said "I've got somethingto tell you."

  "Is it about the bonds?"

  "No, not exactly. Look at that!"

  He held out the diamond ring.

  "Jack!" she cried with a little catch in her voice. "You don't meanto tell me that's an engagement Ting?"

  "That's exactly what it is."

  "But for some girl--"

  "Of course it's for a girl," answered her brother, seeing that hissister was under a misapprehension, and not being able to resist thechance to tease her. "Of course it's for a girl. And--"

  "Oh! But Jack, what will mother say--you becoming engaged--"

  "Who said I was engaged?" he asked. "Look inside and you'll seewhose it is."

  "Ida Giles!" cried Cora.

  "Exactly. She lost it," and to end her increasing wonder, Jack toldhis sister the circumstances.

  Cora wanted to go at once and return the ring to Ida, but Jack said:

  "No, we'll wait for her to call. If she wants it very much she'llcome."

  "But why don't you want me to give it to her?"

  "Well, I'll tell you some other time," and with that evasive answerCora had to be content.

  Several days passed, and Ida did not come, but Jack would notconsent to Cora returning the ring to her. In the meanwhile theyoung people had discussed over and over again the beautiful fetegiven by Cora, though the finding of the bonds and the story of thering was kept within a small, select circle. Ed Foster took thebonds to the bank and received for them part of the stock for whichhe had negotiated. The rest, he said, would be held for him.

  "And I'm pretty sure I'll get the rest of my twenty thousand dollarsback soon," he said. "At least, nearly all the cash."

  Mrs. Kimball went to the city to prepare for her trip to Bermuda,and it was a few days later, when some of the recent excitement hadworn off, that Cora began to feel a sense of loneliness stealingover her. Her mother seldom went away from home.

  "Oh, dear!" she exclaimed as she sat in the library trying to beinterested in a book. "I wish something--"

  Out on the driveway a triumphant "honk-honk!" drew her attention.

  "I hope that's--" she began, but she did not finish, for she saw theRobinson twins in a shining, new car, Bess at the wheel, as thoughshe had been running one for months, and the sisters both attired intheir becoming motoring costumes.

  "Come on!" cried Bess as Cora leaned out of the window. "Get yourcar and we'll take a spin! Isn't ours a beauty?"

  "Oh, isn't it!" cried Cora delightedly. "But I thought it wasn't tocome for a week."

  "We couldn't help deceiving you, Cora, dear," answered Belle. "Butyou see--"

  "And you can run it all alone?" interrupted Cora.

  "Yes, all by our lonelies," answered Bess. "You see, we wanted tosurprise you, so we didn't tell you exactly when it was coming. Whenit arrived we got Paul--I mean Mr. Hastings, of course--we got himto give us lessons along a quiet road, where we never met any onewho knew us. And father is not a bit timid about us going out alonesince Paul--I mean--"

  "Never mind explaining," broke in Cora with a laugh.

  "Well, since Paul showed us how to run it. Papa has taken a greatnotion to Paul," finished Bess with the suspicion of a blush.

  "How about the daughter?" asked Cora gaily. "Of course, she wouldnever take a notion to the same young man her father happened tofavor."

  "Oh, you horrid creature!" exclaimed Bess. "He did teach mebeautifully, of course. But a girl may look at a chauffeur, Isuppose, just as a cat may gaze at a crowned monarch."

  "Oh, certainly," conceded Cora. "So you are really going out for aspin? I'll get ready and we'll go together: I was just wonderingwhat I could do until dinner-time. Jack is out with some friends,and I was just plain lonesome."

  "Put on your new costume," directed Belle. "We want people to lookat us. Isn't it perfectly splendid to have a regular set of cars?"

  "Yes. We ought to get up an auto show," agreed Cora as she hastenedoff to make ready for her ride.

  They selected a quiet road. In spite of the shadows of the trees itwas hot. The swift motion of the cars, however, relieved thehumidity of the atmosphere in a measure.

  "Which way?" asked Cora as they came to a turn.

  "Down by the river," suggested Bess. "We haven't been out Woodbineway all summer. Let's go this afternoon."

  "All right. I guess I'll let you set the pace," answered Cora asshe held her car back and allowed Bess to take the lead, which thefair amateur motorist did gracefully and with no little skill.

  They attracted some attention as they skimmed along in their newoutfits and their new cars, And with their bright faces showingtheir happiness.

  Many stopped to look and admire and could not but smile at theevident pleasure the motor girls were having.

  "`Far from the maddening crowd,'" quoted Belle as they swung downthe quiet river road. "But do be careful, Bess," she urged. "I knowyou understand as much about the car as I do, but I always feel thatI ought to have a life preserver on when any mere girl--includingmyself--is at the helm of such a powerful craft."

  Bess laughed and replied lightly. She had perfect confidence in herability to guide the Flyaway, as they had christened the new car.

  "Isn't it close?" called Cora as she tried to steer out of the wayof a stone and failed, thereby receiving quite a jolt. "I'm afraidwe're going to have rain before we get back--a thunder shower,likely. It's sultry."

  "Oh, I hope we don't have a storm," replied Bess. "I'll hate to getmy new machine all splashed up with mud, to say nothing of spoilingour new auto suits."

  "Then we had better not get too far out and away from shelter,"suggested Cora. "There! Isn't that thunder?"

  There was a low, distant rumbling.

  "That or blasting," said Belle.

  "It is thunder," was Cora's opinion. "I hope we can find someshelter."

  "Shelter!" exclaimed Bess as she looked anxiously up at thegathering clouds. "How could we ever get the cars under anyordinary shelter?

  "That's what I can't get used to about an auto--the size of it.They're like houses to me, as big as all outdoors."

  "I know of an old barn out this way, over toward Woodbine," went onCora. "We would likely find that open, for when I went past therethe other day they were getting ready to put the hay in."

  "Oh, dear!" exclaimed Belle as the thunder sounded nearer andlouder. "I wish we could get back home. Turn around, Bess., dear."

  "I can't," declared her sister with a nervous little laugh. "Theroad is too narrow for me to make a turn in, and I haven't yetlearned how to reverse well. We'll have to keep on until I get to awide place."

  "I don't want to do that!" objected Belle. "Let's stop the car, getout, and push it around. Surely we can do that. Don't go anyfarther."

  "Yes, yes!" cried Cora. "Keep on. It's too late to turn back now.There! It's raining! Let me get ahead, and I'll show you the way-ashort cut. I know how to get through that lane."

  Her car shot ahead, the girl skillfully guiding it, and the twinstimidly following, until, with many a twist and turn, Cora pilotedthem up a little hill to a big red barn, with the wide doorsinvitingly open.

  "Drive right inside," called Cora, slowing down her car. "I guessno one will object, and we haven't any lights to put out, as
thewarning over the door of the garage says."

  The rain was falling in torrents now, and before Cora could get theWhirlwind wholly within the shelter, and while yet the Flyaway wasentirely out; the girls received quite a wetting. A moment laterthey were out of the storm in the barn, had stopped their cars, andshut off the engines.

  "Suppose the owner doesn't like it?" suggested Belle.

  "Well, we're in, anyway," declared Cora, "and I guess they won't putus out. But we must be careful. Don't let any gasolene or oil dripout. But I guess it won't, as both the cars are new."

  No one but themselves seemed to be in the barn, which was odorouswith new-mown hay, great mows of it being on either side of thebroad floor on which the autos stood.

  "There are some men coming," announced Bess, looking out through thebig doors into a mist of rain.

  "The haymakers," announced Cora. "They were getting in the crop,but the rain didn't let them finish. See how they're running."

  "What shall we do when they come in?" inquired Belle, anxietydepicted on her face.

  "Why, nothing, I should say," replied Cora. "There is plenty ofroom for them and us, I'm sure, even if our cars are rather large.We won't eat the men, and I hope they won't eat us."

  "Oh, dear!" sighed Belle, but Bess laughed.

  The first to reach the barn was a very tall farmer, of the typedesignated as lean and lanky. He was headed straight for the opendoors, his head bent down to avoid the pelting drops, and he did notsee the cars and the young ladies until he had nearly collided withCora. Then he straightened up suddenly, and the look of astonishmenton his face made Cora want to laugh, only she felt, under thecircumstances, that she did not dare.

  "Wa'al, I'll be gum-swizzled!" exclaimed the farmer. "What's this,anyhow? Auto-mobiles? As I live! Wa'al, I swan t' goodness! An' galsa-drivin' of 'em! Ho! ho! Wa'al, that's what I call rich--yes, sir,rich!"

  A fringe of curious haymakers gathered behind the one who hadentered first.

  "We only came in out of the rain," explained Cora, who was lookingher prettiest in the confusion. "We hope we're not in the way."

  "Oh, you're welcome," the man hastened to say. "As welcomeas--wa'al, a heap sight more welcome than this thunderstorm is. Wecalcalated t' git all th' hay in, but we didn't quite make out.We've got lots of room here, you see. There ain't another barn inall Woodbine that'd take a locomotive like that in it," and hewalked around Cora's big car, eying it curiously.

  "I knew you had a big barn," said Cora. "I saw it the other day;then, when the storm came, I remembered it, and so we intrudedhere."

  "'Tain't no intrusion, nohow," declared the farmer. "I'm mightyglad of a chance t' git a look at them things close by, when theyain't movin' like a blue streak. My gal is jest daffy about 'em. Shethinks it would be handy fer her an' me, but I ruther guess she'dgit th' most rides outer it."

  "They are very convenient when you want to get somewhere in ahurry," ventured Bess, who thought it time to come to Cora's aid inkeeping up the conversation.

  "Yes, I expect so; but you see th' trouble on a farm is that youain't got much of any time t' go anywhere. Now, ef I had a machinelike thet--"

  There came such a sharp crash of thunder and such a blinding flashof lightning simultaneously that the farmer's voice was silenced,and every one jumped.

  "Oh, isn't that awful!" fairly screamed Belle, and instinctively sheran to the side of the tall, lanky man.

  "Guess you're used t' bein' near yer pa in a thunderstorm," observedthe farmer with a chuckle.

  "I thought the barn was struck," said the girl with a shudder. "Itwould be terrible if it got on fire, with all this hay in it."

  "That's what it would; but we're not worryin so much since we gotth' new fire apparatus. We've had th' two hose carts for about threeweeks now, an' though we've practiced with 'em we ain't never had noreal fire. We've got a good water system, with high pressure, an'they can pump more when they need it. All we have t' do is run withthose carts t' th' fire, an' attach th' hose t' th' hydrants. Butth' funny part of it is that th' carts is so heavy they need hossest' pull 'em, and we ain't got no reg'lar hosses yet. Have t' pull'em by hand, I expect, an' it's goin' t' be hard work."

  "Do you belong to the department?" asked Cora.

  "You're right, I do."

  "And is that part of your uniform?" she went on, pointing to somerubber coats and fire hats that hung on the side of the barn.

  "Yep, that's what they be. Me an' my two sons. By jimminitycrickets! that lightnin' certainly is sharp, though!"

  Flash after flash of the glaring light came through the sheets ofrain, and the thunder crashed and vibrated overhead, seeming to,shake the very earth.

  "Where are your sons?" inquired Belle, wanting too do her share inthe talk; but she waited until there came a lull in the storm.

  "Over in th' south medder, two miles away," replied the man.

  By this time several of the haymakers, seeing that the storm waslikely to continue, and knowing that they could no more work thatday, had donned heavy coats and departed, going down the road to thevillage. This left the farmer and one hired man in the barn.

  "It certainly is rainin'," remarked the hired man as he looked outthrough the big doors.

  At that instant there came a more terrific crash than any that hadpreceded it, and the whole place seemed a glare of intense light.Every one was stunned for a moment, and when they recovered theirnumbed senses, Cora, looking toward the farmhouse, saw a sheet offlame coming from the roof.

  "Fire! fire!" she cried. "Your house is afire! It's been struck bylightning!"

  "By gum! So it has!" yelled the man. "It's blazing, and my oldmother is bedridden in it! Come on, Jake! We'll have t' git her out,anyhow. Now what good is our fire department with no hosses t' haulth' hose carts, an' all my animals away off! Sech luck! Th' mengone, too!"

  He was rapidly shouting this as--he ran from the barn.

  "Where are the hose carts?" called Cora after him.

  "In Si Appleby's barn! A mile away, an' it's a bad road." Hepointed to the barn, for it was in sight down the hill.

  "Is there a hydrant near your house?"

  "Yes. But what good be they without hose?" returned the farmer. Hewas on the run, halfway to his burning house, the hired man afterhim.

  "We'll bring up the hose carts!" cried Cora.

  "We'll pull them with our autos! Come on, Bess--Belle--quick! Wemust get the hose here! Don't be afraid. Put on the rubber coats andthe helmets. The rain can't get through them. The worst of the stormis over now. Oh, I hope they get that poor woman out!

  "Hurry! hurry!" she cried as she cranked up her car. "Back yourmachine out! Reverse it! I'll follow! Let's see what the motor girlscan do in an emergency!"