CHAPTER V
A PROBLEM SOLVED
"I wish," said Mollie, sitting back to view approvingly the shiningblack hood of her car, "that we had another machine. I'm afraid by thetime we've packed our bags and things into the tonneau we'll find itrather crowded. And for such a long trip we ought to have plenty ofroom."
"That's what I was thinking," agreed Amy, rubbing a bit of nickel to agleaming polish, for the girls had gathered at Mollie's to help her putthe car in shape for the anticipated trip to Bluff Point. And they hadgone to their work with a will, rubbing and polishing the big machine asthey would have groomed a well-loved horse. "We will have our trunkssent, of course, but we shall have to take our nighties and combs andbrushes and such things. We might put 'em on the roof," she addedhopefully.
"Yes, and we might wear 'em," said Grace scornfully. "That is abrilliant idea."
"Well, I have one worth two of that," said Betty, trying not to lookmysterious.
"Betty, are you going to spring anything on us?" cried Mollie, while theother two paused with dust cloths uplifted.
"Not if you don't want me to," returned the Little Captain demurely.
"Betty, dear, I love you so," crooned Mollie, running around the car andputting a rather oily hand about Betty's waist. "You wouldn't want suchan ardent admirer to drop dead at your feet, would you, now?"
"It would have the charm of novelty," chuckled Betty, only to addquickly as Mollie made a threatening gesture: "No, please don't kill meyet. Come over here on the steps and I'll tell you all about it."
"Yes, yes, go on," they cried, obediently ranging themselves on thesteps of the back porch and fixing eager eyes upon her.
"Shoot!" Mollie commanded inelegantly.
"Well," said Betty speaking slowly to add to the effect of herannouncement, "I have a car!"
"A car!" they echoed, and Grace added: "Now I know she's crazy!"
"When?" demanded Mollie, her eyes round and black, as they always wereunder excitement.
"If you mean, when did I get it," answered Betty, enjoying theirsurprise to the full, "I might tell you that up to six o'clock lastevening I had no more idea of owning a car than you did. However, atsix-fifteen, I owned it," and her eyes danced with the pride ofownership.
Then the girls fell upon her, all demanding explanation of the miracle,till she raised her hand pleadingly.
"Give me a chance," she begged. "How can I tell you anything when you'remaking such a noise?"
The girls seemed impressed with the common sense of this. At any rate,they stopped talking for the space of a half a minute.
"It was last night at dinner," explained Betty hurriedly, seizing heropportunity. "Dad came in a little late, and as he sat down helaughingly asked us how we would like a racing car in the family."
"A racing car!" they echoed.
"Of course we thought he was joking," continued Betty, "but when wefound he was very much in earnest of course we went wild withexcitement."
"I should think so," breathed Amy.
"But, Betty darling, how--" Mollie was beginning when Betty cut hershort by hurrying on with her story.
"That's what we wanted to know, of course," she said. "It seems that oneof Dad's clients owed him a good deal of money, and although he, theclient, that is, had plenty of money, it was all tied up in such a waythat he couldn't get hold of it right away, so he offered to give Dadhis almost new racing car in exchange. And," here Betty came to the mostwonderful part of her story, "since mother doesn't care for that type ofcar--he gave it to me!"
"Betty, how mar-ve-lous!" breathed Mollie, while Amy and Grace juststared.
"Can we see it? Have you got it at home?" asked Amy, after a few minutesduring which the girls had been getting used to the wonderful idea ofBetty with a machine, and a racing machine at that.
"Oh, Betty, lead us to it," added Mollie yearningly.
"I don't know whether it's come yet or not," explained the LittleCaptain, as the girls threw aside dust rags and gingham apronspreparatory to a concerted rush upon the new acquisition. "That's why Ididn't tell you about it sooner. I was going to surprise you by takingyou to it," she added, as they set off at a walk that was almost a runfor the pretty Nelson house; "but when Mollie spoke about another car Ijust couldn't hold back any longer. Oh dear, I hope it has come!"
"Won't it be fun?" cried Mollie joyfully, executing a littleirrepressible skip in her delight. "You can run it, Betty, of course,and take Grace or Amy with you while our car comes behind--"
"With the luggage," finished Betty wickedly.
"Well you needn't be so conceited," retorted Mollie, her nose in theair, while Betty looked innocent.
"Wasn't that what you were going to say?" she inquired.
However, there was no time for more conversation, for at that momentthey turned a corner, bringing Betty's house to sight, and what shouldbe going up the drive at that particular and ecstatic moment but thegraceful, low-bodied racer itself!
With a shout the girls rushed forward. They overtook the driver as heslowed to a stop, and fairly danced with impatience while the man pushedup his goggles, took off his hat, wiped his perspiring forehead, andslowly turned to smile at them.
"This is where Mr. Nelson lives, isn't it?" he asked. "Mr. Todd asked meto bring the car around--"
"Yes, yes, we know all about it," interrupted Betty, then added with asmile, as the man looked surprised: "I suppose you think I'm terriblyimpatient, but, you see, the car is mine, and I can't wait to try itout."
The man whistled and descended with alacrity. The girls noticed ratherabsentmindedly that he was a rather good looking young fellow, probablyone of the young men from Mr. Todd's office who had volunteered to runthis errand for him.
"Well, I don't blame you a bit for being in a hurry," he said heartily,eyeing the beautiful lines of the car with approval. "She sure is agreat little machine! You are Miss Nelson, I suppose?" he added, turningto Betty. "You see," with evident embarrassment, "I promised to deliverthe car in person to Mr. Nelson--"
"Here he is, so there ought to be no difficulty about that," said ajovial voice, and they turned to find Mr. Nelson himself coming towardthem. "Good afternoon, Mr. Jameson. How do you like my new acquisition?A beauty is it not?"
"I say so!" agreed the young fellow, and after a few moments of generalconversation, Mr. Nelson led him off toward the house, leaving the girlsto themselves. And that, as Mollie afterward remarked, "was just themost beautiful thing he could have done!"
Before they had turned the corner of the house, Betty had clambered inbehind the steering wheel and was bidding the girls follow.
In their excitement they all tried to climb in, forgetting that a cardesigned to seat two people cannot by any stretch of imaginationaccommodate four. Then suddenly realizing what an absurd picture theymust be making, they began to laugh.
"Well, now what are we going to do?" wailed Mollie. "We can't all go atonce."
"Of course you can," cried Betty busily examining her treasure, touchinga lever here, a button there, with loving fingers. "What, may I ask, isthe matter with the running boards?"
"Betty, you don't mean--"
"Yes, I do," firmly.
"But we can't--"
"Well, then I'll have to take one at a time," decided Betty, tooting thehorn experimentally. "Come on--who goes first?"
"Oh, come on, we'll all go," cried Mollie dancing with impatience. "Youget in beside Betty, Grace, since you're afraid of the running board,and Amy and I'll hang on somewhere. Come on, Amy. Be a sport, old girl."
Amy wavered for a moment, but the challenge was too much for her, andshe nodded her head in assent.
"Thank goodness I can only die once," was her cheerful comment.
So Grace climbed in beside the Little Captain, while Amy and Molliescrambled up on the running boards and clung to the sides of the car.Then Betty tooted the horn triumphantly and began slowly to back downthe drive.
"I don't know about this," she remarked,
as the car made ratherzigzagging work of it. "I've driven mostly on a straight road, you know,and I'm not very expert, even if I do know all about a motor boat."
"So we see," commented Mollie wickedly, as Betty nearly backed into aflower bed at one side of the drive.
"Don't you think we'd better get off?" asked Amy. "Till you turn intothe road, anyway, Betty?" she added.
"Don't you dare," cried Betty, giving the wheel a nervous little twistthat caused Amy to groan and clutch the side of the car tighter. "If youmake me stop now, I'll never get started again. There!" as the car slidinto the roadway, hesitated a moment, then without a jar or a jerk,glided swiftly along the smooth road, gathering headway as it went. "Nowwe're all right."
"That was pretty work, Betty," complimented Mollie, who, as an old andexperienced driver, felt capable of pronouncing judgment. "Now let's seewhat this little car will do."
"Not too fast," begged Amy, as Betty slid into high gear. "Rememberwe're not used to this kind of traveling, and we're apt to findourselves sitting in the road if you're not careful."
"Have you chosen your spot?" asked Betty, her eyes twinkling.
"Just the same, it might have been a good idea to have brought somecushions along," said Mollie ruefully. "We might have strapped them onand used them the way you do life savers--in case of emergency."
"My, you must be having a wonderful time," drawled Grace. "Have somecandy Mollie--it may help your courage."
"My courage doesn't need any help, thank you," snapped Mollie, addingwickedly: "Just for that we ought to make you ride out here."
"Goodness, don't!" cried Betty, as she swung the car around a corner andstarted once more toward home. "The punishment wouldn't fit the crime,Mollie. Besides, we'll be back in a few minutes. Girls, she runs like adream!"
"She's a wonder," agreed Mollie. "I guess there's just about no limit tothe speed she's capable of."
"Do you want me to let her out?" queried Betty wickedly, but both Amyand Mollie protested vehemently.
"Some other time," said Mollie, "when we're not hanging on by oureyelids!"
A few minutes more, and they were again turning into the Nelson drive,which, by the way, Betty took much more expertly this time. As the carslowed, Amy and Mollie dropped off and Amy opened the door for LadyGrace, who descended slowly.
"Well, how do you like it?" cried Betty, jumping out in her turn andregarding her new possession with shining eyes. "Do you think she'lldo?"
"Do!" they cried, and Mollie added, patting the smooth side of the carwith admiring fingers:
"She's a wonder, Betty--as Roy would say, 'a perfect pippin.' Good-bye,"she added suddenly, starting down the drive.
"Where are you going?" cried Betty, as they looked after her surprised.
"Home," she answered, adding with a chuckle: "I've got to finishcleaning my old car. It's poor old nose must be terribly out of joint."