CHAPTER XIX
AN EXCITING RUN
Wiley had shouted the joke so loudly that those in the forward car heardhim, and it was repeated to Chance Avery. As Dan swerved to the left abit, preparatory to running out beside Burton Poole’s car, Chanceglanced around. They could not see him scowl, for his mask and gogglescovered his face.
But it was plain that the captain of the Riverdale Club was not going tobe beaten so easily. He forced the Poole car ahead, and Dan immediatelygave up all intention of passing the first automobile.
“Go to it, boy!” shouted Fisher Greene. “Show ’em what’s in this car.”
“No,” said Dan, easily. “We’re not out for a race, but for a pleasantrun.”
“You’re afraid!” mocked Wiley.
“Perhaps,” returned Dan, cheerfully.
Even Billy kept his temper and grinned at the gibes of Wiley and Fisher.The Breton-Melville car had shown what she could do for a few moments,and that satisfied Billy, as it did his brother. The Speedwells knewthat of the three cars, their drab machine was running the smoothest,with less cost, and was as easily governed as any.
They ran on for the rest of the distance to Karnac Lake in the sameorder, letting Chance, in the Poole car, keep the lead, while theSpeedwell and Greene machines ran close together and the occupants weresociable.
They arrived at Stetson Lodge, as the lake cottage was called, in ampleseason to remove the dust of the journey, and become acquainted withother folk of the cottage colony invited in for supper. It was a merryevening for all, the Stetsons being people who knew very well how tomake their guests feel at home.
At eleven o’clock, or a little later, the party broke up. Theneighboring guests went home and the members of the party sought theirseveral rooms. Dan and Billy had already explained to Jim Stetson thatthey intended to run home in their car and return soon after breakfast,or even before, Saturday morning.
“You can’t do it, fellows,” said Jim, as he went out with them, and heldthe lantern while they ran the drab car out from under the shed and litthe lamps, both fore and aft. “Fifty miles each way—huh! something willhappen to the machine as sure as shooting.”
“If she can’t run a hundred miles in twelve hours without going to therepair shop,” snorted Billy, “there isn’t much use in our entering forthe thousand mile run.”
“You’re right there, Billy-boy,” said Dan, as he cranked up and theengine began to whirr and pop.
“Well, good luck!” exclaimed Jim, as he closed the shed. “We have tokeep these doors locked. You see, that M’Kim chap—Harrington M’Kim—isjust crazy about automobiles and uncle doesn’t know what he might donext. He came over here one day last summer and borrowed uncle’s carwithout saying ‘by your leave’, and started off with it. They caughthim, however, in time.”
“What’s the matter with him?” asked Billy.
“Why—I’m not sure that there’s much the matter with him, if his folkswouldn’t watch over him so close and nag him all the time. The poor chapis epileptic——”
“Has fits?”
“Yes. Dreadful ones sometimes. But he’ll outgrow them, the doctor says.Only his folks are rich, and they hire maids, and governesses, andtutors and such folk, to watch him all the time. They don’t dare havehim play like other boys, or with other boys. He’s in bad now, I tellyou.”
“But running an automobile is no job for a fellow who may have a fit atany moment,” said Billy.
“I believe you,” said Jim. “Well, you’re off!”
“Bye-bye!” shouted Billy, as Dan whirled the car out of the yard. Butbefore they were a mile on the road the brothers changed places. Billyslipped to the wheel and Dan sat beside him.
“Now, youngster!” chuckled Dan, “let’s see what you can do to her. Wehave a clear road before us. Up hill and down dale—just about what we’llhave for the thousand mile run. And we’ve got no weight behind. Let hergo!”
The drab car climbed the hill without a break, slid over the summit, andcoasted down the other side at a pace which made the brothers stoop toget a breath. Their lights showed a long, clear stretch of road ahead;but when they came to a bend they went around it so quickly that Dan wasobliged to fling himself far out from the car on the inner side to keepthe tires on the ground. And his weight was barely sufficient for that.
At racing speed they came down into Riverdale. The town was silent andonly the street lights winked at them as they roared through the streetsand out past Josiah Somes’ home. That watchdog of the public welfare wasnot on hand to stretch his rope for them, and in a very few minutes theyran quietly into their own yard—time from Karnac, one hour and thirteenminutes.
But as soon as the engine had cooled off they had to go over the entiremachine, tighten bolts, replace some, clean thoroughly, oil thebearings, and otherwise give the Breton-Melville a thorough grooming.
“That’s all right,” said Dan. “She can do fast time—there’s no doubt ofit. But that isn’t the way to win an endurance test of a thousand miles,Billy.”
“I expect not,” agreed his brother.
“Fast traveling will shake the best car to pieces. And we are not up inthe mechanics of the automobile yet—we can’t stop anywhere on the roadand repair the vitals of our craft, as these professionals do.”
“We’ve got to learn,” said Billy, thoughtfully.
“That’s the checker! If we are going in for mechanics—motorcycles, motorcars—perhaps, Billy, power boats——”
“Ouch! you’re treading on a sore corn,” grunted Billy, but with a grin.“I was watching those scooters running up and down the river under thebridge the other day till my tongue fairly hung out of my mouth! Mygoodness me, Dannie! what couldn’t we do with a motor boat—eh?”
“We couldn’t plow for corn with it, I reckon,” laughed the elderbrother. “But it would be fine to own a launch like the _Pedoe_, or the_Mainspring II_.”
“And how about John Lovell’s _Blue Streak_?” exclaimed Billy. “I saw heron the Fourth. Why, she cut the water like a shark going to dinner!”
“Well, to get back to what I was saying,” Dan observed. “If we are goingin for these things, we must have some technical training. We can’tthink of going to school after next year. Father can’t afford to sendus. But we must get in somewhere—into some shop where we can learnmechanics.”
“The Darringford Shops, for instance?” suggested Billy.
“One of us might; but the other ought to take up the electricalbranches, I believe.”
While they were talking, they were at work upon the body and mechanismof their Breton-Melville. Before it was time to do the usual chores theyhad put the car in fine shape again, got an hour’s nap which did them aworld of good, and they were loading up the wagons when their fathercame out of the house.
“Aren’t you boys paying rather dearly for your fun?” he asked,good-naturedly. “I hardly expected you’d get back here. Your mother andI did not hear you come in. And how does the car run?”
“Dandy and good, Dad!” cried Billy, while Dan said:
“Now, there wasn’t any need of your getting up so early. We’re not goingto let you pay for our fun, that’s sure. When Billy and I get ourschemes to working right, we’ll deliver this milk in half the time ittakes now—and, naturally, at half the expense.”
“Yes,” interposed Billy, giggling. “Dan’s going to take the bottlesaround to the customers in a motor launch!”
But Dan only smiled quietly at this. They got off with the milk wagonsin good season, and were back betimes, also, and without mishap. Mrs.Speedwell had a good breakfast ready for them, and they ate and were offagain in the car at a few minutes past seven o’clock.
The run back to Karnac Lake was a more moderate one than that they hadtaken at midnight; nevertheless they arrived at the Stetson cottageabout nine o’clock. They put their own car into the shed which didservice as a garage and found the whole cr
owd out on the drive along thelakeside—a fine macadamized piece of road sixty feet wide and followingthe lake shore for nearly ten miles.
Chance Avery had Poole’s car out and was driving up and down, “doingstunts,” as Wiley Moyle called it.
“Why don’t you fellows bring out your bunch of scrap iron and show thatchap some fancy running?” Fisher Greene demanded. “Perry won’t get ourcar in the ring. I hate to see Chance Avery always carrying off thehonors.”
“No,” said Dan. “We’ve just taken fifty miles at a good clip and we’llhave to overhaul her again before we go back to-night. Let Chance do hismonkey business without any rival.”
But the girls thought that Avery was really a remarkable chauffeur. Hedid handle Burton Poole’s car with some dexterity; nevertheless, Dan wasquite decided in his own mind that the Poole automobile was by no meansas good a machine as their own Breton-Melville.
Burton, however, had his car furnished nicely. There was little wonderthat the girls preferred to ride in it. They all became tired after alittle while, however, and either joined in, or stood to watch, adoubles’ set at tennis. Chance left his car, and joined Mildred Kentbeside the tennis court.
Suddenly Jim Stetson began to shout. He was one of the players and hadjust started service when he dropped ball and racquette and started on arun for the road, yelling:
“Get out of that, Harrington! Drop it!”
At the moment the car began to pop and they all saw it move away fromthe curb. A slight fellow in a blazer coat, and without a hat, was atthe wheel. He was a pasty-faced fellow, thin, unhealthy-looking, andwith a pronounced squint in his eyes.
He grinned over his shoulder at Jim, and stuck out his tongue. Meanwhilehe put the car up to a good speed and fairly flew away up the drive.
“It’s Harrington M’Kim!” cried Ruth Stetson. “Oh, that boy will do somedamage to that car!”
“He’ll wreck it, or break his own neck,” declared Monroe Stevens. “Whydid you leave it so it could be started by the first chap that camealong, Chance?”
But there was no use in scolding the captain of the Outing Club. Poole’scar was sailing up the drive at a pace which made pursuit afoot a futilegame.
“Somebody get out another car and give chase!” cried Jim.
“But then Harrington will only run faster,” objected his sister.
Suddenly they saw the car describe a graceful curve and return towardthem. The reckless youth handled Poole’s auto like a veteran.
“We’ve got a chance to stop him when he comes by,” declared Avery.
“How?” sneered Jim Stetson. “He’d run right over you. He wouldn’t care.I tell you he doesn’t act as though he had good sense.”
“What do they let such a fellow go loose for, then?” cried Chance Avery.
As he spoke they were all startled by the change which they saw plainlyflash into young Harrington M’Kim’s features. His countenance writhed,he fell back in the seat, let go of the wheel and his body was convulsedin the grip of the epileptic seizure. The automobile was running wild!