CHAPTER VIII
SWIFT CAMILLA
At last the car came. Patty was in a flutter of joyous expectation, and,as Miller came whirring up the drive in it, the whole family assembledon the veranda to admire it.
“Isn’t it a beauty, Nan! Oh, isn’t it?” Patty exclaimed, as the sunlightflashed gold sparkles on the shining paint.
“It is, indeed, Patty. I never saw such a pretty one. Are you sure youcan run it?”
“Oh, yes! I know how already. You just stick in a key and turn it, andgrab the brake-handle, and take hold of the steering bar, and push andpull whenever you think you ought to.”
“Not very technical language,” said Mr. Fairfield, smiling, “but I thinkyou understand the operation. Jump in, Puss; I’m going with you for yourfirst spin.”
But, though Mr. Fairfield was an interested spectator, Patty manipulatedthe car all by herself, and seemed to know intuitively a great many ofthe minor details.
“There’s only one trouble, dad,” she said, as they went spinning alongthe smooth, hard road, “I can’t take you and Nan with me both at once.”
“Never mind, girlie; when we feel as sociable as that, we’ll go in thebig car. Now, Patty, let me see you change the speed.”
Then followed a careful lesson, in speed changing, stopping suddenly,turning, going backward, and all the various emergencies that occur indriving.
“You certainly are a born motorist, Patty,” said her father, at last.“You are unusually clever and quick-witted about knowing what to do, anddoing it swiftly and cleanly. Hesitation in motoring often meanstrouble.”
“It’s because I love it, father. I’d rather motor than go driving orboating or even flying. Aren’t you glad I don’t want an aëroplane,daddy?”
“You wouldn’t get it, if you did. Not even if you earned it yourself, asyou did this car. Now, Patty, turn around and let’s go home.”
Skilfully, Patty turned around, and they sped on their homeward way.
“Some things you must promise me, Patty,” said her father, seriously, asthey drew near the house. “Never start out without knowing prettydefinitely how long it will take you, and when you’ll return. Never gowithout being sure you have enough current for the trip. Of course,Miller will look after this for you, but I want you to understand itthoroughly yourself.”
“Yes, I want to learn all about the working parts, and how to repairthem, if necessary.”
“That will come later. Learn to run it perfectly, first. And, too, Iwant you to promise never to start anywhere so late that there’s even apossibility of your being out after dark. I wouldn’t let you go outalone, or with a girl friend, in the city, but down here you may do so,if you never travel except by daylight. You understand, Patty?”
“Yes, father, and I promise. As you know, I only want to go on little,short drives, two or three hours, usually.”
“Very well. I trust you not to do anything of which I would disapprove.You’re a good girl, Patty; at least, you mean to be. But sometimes yourenthusiasms and inclinations run away with you, and you have no sense ofmoderation.”
“H’m,” said Patty, smiling; “now I’ve been lectured enough for onelesson, father dear. Save the rest for another day, and watch me whiz upthis drive to the house like an expert.”
She did so, and Nan, awaiting them, exclaimed with pride at Patty’sskilful driving.
“Your turn now, Nan,” the girl called out; then, mindful of her promise,she looked at her watch. “It’s just three,” she said. “Let’s go over tothe Arbutus Inn Tea Room, have a cup of tea, and get back home beforesix? How’s that, father?”
“That’s all right, my good little girl. I don’t believe you’ll have anytrouble running it, do you?”
“No, indeed! It’s as easy as pie! I just love to run it.”
Soon Nan was ready, and the two started off in great glee.
“I can hardly believe you really have the car, Patty; didn’t you learnto run it very quickly?”
“Well, you see, I have driven cars before. Big ones, I mean. And this isdifferent, but so much simpler, that it’s no trouble at all. Oh! Nan,isn’t the scenery gorgeous?”
Gorgeous wasn’t at all the right word, but a tamer one would not havesuited Patty’s mood. They were rolling along the coast: on one side theocean; on the other, an ever-changing panorama of seashore settlementswith their hotels and cottages, interspersed with stretches of finewoods, or broad, level vistas with distant horizons.
“It’s beautiful, Patty. We’ll have a lovely time this summer.”
“Yes; don’t let’s have too much company. I’d like to have Christine downfor a few weeks, and of course Elise will make us a visit; but I don’twant that horde of boys.”
“Why not?” asked Nan, in amazement, for Patty greatly enjoyed the boys’calls in New York.
“Oh, I don’t know! It’s so quiet and peaceful, just with us; and, ifthey come, they’ll stir up picnics and dances and all sorts of things.”
“I know what’s the matter with you, Patty,” said Nan, laughing; “you’vegot automobile fever! You just want to ride and ride in this pretty carof yours, along these good roads, and just give yourself up to indolentenjoyment of it.”
“That’s just it! How did you know, Nan?”
“Oh, everybody feels that way when they first own a car. I’ve oftennoticed it. Sometimes they want to ride entirely alone, and just revelin automobility.”
“Gracious, Nan! What a word! Well, I might want to go all alone once ina while; but usually I want some one to rave about it all with me.”
“Well, I’m ready to rave at any time. Isn’t that the Inn, off there tothe right?”
“Yes, so it is. How quickly we’ve come! Nan, there’s a line of poetry inmy mind, and I can’t think of it.”
“Oh, what a catastrophe! Is it the only line you know?”
“Don’t be silly. But, truly, I do want to think of it, for it’s aboutthe name of this car.”
“Perhaps a cup of tea will quicken your wits.”
“Perhaps. Well, we’ll try. Jump out, Nan; here we are.”
By a clever little contrivance, Patty could lock her car, and so feelsure it would not be tampered with. In a country place, like thissomewhat primitive roadhouse where they now were, this was a decidedsatisfaction.
The Tea Room, though small, was dainty and attractive. It was kept bytwo pleasant-faced spinsters, and, though their clientèle was not large,they sometimes served guests at several tables.
“Only a little after four,” said Patty, looking at her watch. “We canstay till five, Nan, and then get home by six.”
“All right,” returned Nan, who was walking along the narrow gardenpaths, admiring the old-fashioned flowers and tiny box borders.
Patty went into the little Inn, ordered tea and hot waffles and cakes,and then returned to Nan.
“It’s a dear little place,” she said. “I’ve heard of it, but I’ve neverbeen here before. Tea will be ready in twenty minutes.”
When served, the little repast was delightful. Old-time silver andold-fashioned china made it all seem quaint and interesting.
They dawdled over their tea, sometimes chatting, sometimes sittingsilent. It was a bit of good fortune that these two were so congenial,for, Fate having thrown them together, they were much in each other’scompany. As there was but six years’ difference in their ages, theirrelation was far more like sisters than like mother and daughter. And,though Nan never dictated to Patty, she taught her much by example, and,at the same time, she herself learned some things from her stepdaughter.
“S’pect we’d better move on, Nannie,” said Patty, at last, as it wasnearly five. “I’ll pay the reckoning for this feast, and then we’llstart. Oh, it has just come to me!”
“What has?”
“That line of poetry that I couldn’t think of! This is it, ‘When swiftCamilla scours the plain.’”
“W
ell, what of it?”
“Why, it’s the name for my car! Swift Camilla! See?”
“A pretty name enough. But is she swift?”
“I’ll speed her going home, and just show you!”
“Patty, don’t you dare! You know I’m only going to motor with you if yougo with great moderation.”
“All right; I won’t scare you. But that’s her name, all the same.”
Soon the Swift Camilla was once more skimming along the country roads.Patty went only at moderate speed, for she had no wish to frighten Nan,and, too, she had promised her father to be very careful.
They were about halfway home, when Patty saw a cow in the road ahead.
“I wish that old cow would get out of the way,” she said. “A cow has nobusiness to be in the middle of the road like that.”
She slowed down, and the car crawled along behind the cow, but theindifferent animal paid no heed to the motor or the horn, and ambledalong in mild indifference.
“Oh, get out of the way!” cried Patty, exasperatedly. Then, morecoaxingly, “Please, cow, nice cow, do get out of the way.”
This brought no response, and Patty grew angry again.
“Shoo! Cow! Shoo! Get out of the road! If you don’t, I’ll—I’ll——” Butshe could think of no direful deed that would affect the cow, so shepaused. Then she resorted to sarcasm: “A nice sort of cow you are,anyway! Alone and unattended on a country road! Why, anybody mightkidnap you! Where’s your cow-herd, or whatever you call him?”
“Patty, don’t be silly,” said Nan, choking with laughter. “Get out andchase the cow away. Hit her with a stick, or something. Throw a littlestone at her,—just a very little one. Don’t hurt her!”
Patty’s eyes grew round with horror.
“Why, Nan Fairfield, I’m more afraid of that cow than of all theautomobiles in the world! I’m _terribly_ afraid of cows! I’m more afraidof cows than of _anything_, except a mouse! But a mouse wouldn’t blockup the road so dreadfully. Nan, you get out and chase the cow.”
“No,—no,” said Nan, shuddering. “I’m afraid of cows, too. Patty, I’lltell you what! Steer _around_ the cow!”
“Just the thing! I believe there’s just about room enough. If she’llonly stay in the middle, now. Which side do you think there’s more room,Nan?”
“On the right. Go round her on the right.”
There was plenty of room, and Patty steered carefully out toward theright, and passed the cow safely enough.
“Hurrah!” she cried, but she hurrahed a trifle too soon.
As she directed her car back to the hard road, she discovered that shehad sidetracked into a very sandy place. The front wheels of her carwere all right, but the hind wheels were stuck in the sand,—one but alittle, the other deeply.
“Put on more speed!” cried Nan. “Hurry, before it sinks in deeper!”
Patty put on more speed, which, contrary to her intent, made the hindwheels sink lower and lower in the soft sand. The car had stopped, andno effort of Patty’s could start it.
She looked at Nan with a comical smile.
“Adventure No. 1!” she said. “Oh, Nan, we can’t get home by six! Indeed,I don’t see how we can ever get home.”
“Are you frightened, Patty?”
“No; there’s nothing to be frightened about. But I’m—well, hopping madjust about expresses my feelings! You see, Nan, it’s like a quicksand;the more we struggle to get out, the deeper we get in.”
“H’m; what are you going to do?”
“Just plain nothing, my lady; for the simple reason that there’s nothingto do.”
“And do you propose to sit here all night?”
“That’s as Fate wills it! Do you suppose father will come to look forus,—say, along toward midnight?”
“Patty, don’t be a goose! Fred will be scared to death!”
“Because I’m a goose? Oh, no! he knows I am, already. But, Nan, I’ve anidea. If I were only strong enough,—or if you were,—we could lift outone of those fence rails, and stick it in the sand in front of thatdeepest wheel, and get her out.”
“Patty, how clever you are! How do you know that?”
“Oh, I know it well enough. My general gumption tells me it. But,—we’reneither of us strong enough to boost it out of the fence and under thewheel in the right way.”
“But we might do it together.”
“We might try. Come on, Nan, let’s make the effort. Bother that old cow,anyway! But for her, we’d be almost home now.”
They got out of the car, and, with plucky effort, tried to dislodge afence rail. But it was a fairly new and a well-made fence, and the railswould not come out easily. They tried one after another, but with nosuccess.
“Well, Nan, here’s my only solution to this perplexing situation. Wecan’t sit here and let father lose his mind worrying about it, andthinking we’re ground under our own chariot wheels. So one of us muststay here with the car, and the other walk home and tell him about it.”
“Walk home! Why, Patty, it must be five miles!”
“I daresay it is, and I’d just as lieve walk it, but I hate to leave youhere alone. So you can take your choice, and I’ll take the other.”
“But, Patty, that’s absurd! Why not let one of us walk to some nearbyhouse and ask for help?”
“Capital idea, but where’s the nearby house? There’s none in sight.”
“No, but there must be one nearer than home.”
“Yes; and, when you go trailing off to look for it, you’ll get lost.Better go straight home, Nan.”
“And leave you here alone? I won’t do it!”
“Then there seems to be a deadlock. Oh, hey! Hi! Mister!! I say!Whoo-oo-ee!”
Nan turned, frightened at Patty’s hullabaloo, to see a man justdisappearing round a fork in the road. He had not seen them, and, unlessPatty’s quick eyes had spied him, and her sudden call had reached hisears, he would have been gone in a moment. As it was, he turned, staredat them, and then came slowly over to them. He was a rough, but notunkindly-looking fellow, probably a farm labourer, and apparently aforeigner. He spoke no English, but Patty made him understand bygestures what she wanted him to do. A look of admiration came into hisstolid eyes, at the idea of Patty knowing enough to use the fence rail,and his powerful strength soon removed a rail, and placed it endwiseunder the wheel of the captive car. Another was placed under the otherhind wheel, and, after much endeavour and slipping and coaxing, the carwas once again freed from the sand, and stood proudly on the hard road.
Patty thanked the man prettily, and, though he couldn’t understand aword, he understood her grateful smiles. More clearly, perhaps, heunderstood a banknote, which she drew from her purse and gave him, and,with a grateful, if uncouth bow of his awkward head, he trudged away.
Patty started her car, and soon, at a good rate of speed, they wereflying along in the gathering dusk.