CHAPTER V--THE GLORIOUS START
Before daylight, on the great day, Mollie's two arms encircled a sleepyBarbara, and a soft voice whispered in her ear: "It isn't true, is it,Bab, that you and I, two insignificant little girls, who never couldhave conceived of anything so glorious, are off to-day for Newport,escorted by Ruth's distinguished friend, 'Mr. A. Bubble'?"
Barbara was wide awake in a minute.
"I suppose it's true," she said, "because it was last night, before wewent to bed. Otherwise I would think we had both dreamed it."
The two girls talked in excited whispers. It wouldn't do to waken motherany earlier than they must, for she was tired with their preparations,though her daughters had persuaded her to have a little country girl into help with the work, now that she was to have so important a person asMr. Stuart for "boarder."
But at seven o'clock it was mother who called:
"Get up, girls. It is time for coffee and clothes, if you are to startoff at ten as you promised. It will not do to keep Miss Stuart and thegirls waiting. As for Mr. A. Bubble, I don't believe he can stand still,even if he tries."
Aunt Sallie having called on Sunday afternoon, had waived ceremony andstayed to tea in the tiny cottage, so impressed was she with Mrs.Thurston's quiet charm and gentle manners.
The two girls hurried into their kimonos. Mother had suggested thesegarments for this morning, since they were to dress so soon afterwardsin their "going away" clothes.
By the time that Barbara and Mollie had put on their pretty brown andblue serge suits, with their dust coats over them, they heard strangenoises on the front porch, mingled with giggles and whispers. Barbarawas putting the sixth hat pin into her hat, and tying the motor veil sotightly under her chin that it choked her, when Mollie peeped out thefront window.
"It's a surprise party, I do believe," she whispered. "There's HaroldSmith, with a big bunch of pink roses. I know they are for you. Thegirls have little bundles in their hands. What fun! I didn't know theyhad heard of our trip. How fast news _does_ fly around this village."
While Mollie and Barbara were saying their good-byes on their littleveranda there was equal excitement at the big hotel.
Before breakfast Ruth had gone out to the garage with her arm in herfather's.
"I want to see with my own eyes, Dad," she said, "that the machine isall right. Isn't it well that I have a taste for mechanics, even thoughI am a girl? Suppose I hadn't studied all those automobile books withyou until I could say them backwards, and hadn't helped you over all theaccidents--you never would have let me go on this heavenly trip, wouldyou? I am going to be as careful as can be, just to show you did rightto trust me, also not to give Aunt Sallie a chance to say, 'I told youso.'"
Ruth had pretty, sunny, red-gold hair and big, gray-blue eyes. Thoughshe wasn't exactly a beauty, her face was so frank, and her coloring sofresh and lovely, many people thought her very good-looking.
Mr. Stuart smiled at his daughter's enthusiasm. "She's 'a chip of theold block,'" he said to himself. "She loves fun and adventure and'getting there,' like a man. I am not going to stand in her way."
Mr. Stuart was feeling rather nervous about the trip this morning, buthe didn't intend Ruth to know.
To judge by the looks of the automobile, the chauffeur must have been upall night. The machinery was cleaned and oiled. The extra tires, intheir dark red leather cases, were strapped to the sides of the car. Agreat box of extra rugs and wraps, rubber covers for the machine andmackintoshes in case of rain, was tied on the back. Between the seatswas an open hamper for lunch, with an English tea service in onecompartment, and cups, saucers, a teapot and a hot-water jug and alcohollamp, all complete. The luncheon was to be sent down later from thehotel.
"You are to take your meals at the inns along the way, when you prefer,"Mr. Stuart had explained, "but I don't mean to have you run the risk ofstarving in case you are delayed, or an accident occurs. Be sure to takeyour picnic lunch along with you, when you start out each day. What youdon't eat, feed to the small boys along the road, who will insist onplaying guide."
Aunt Sallie was the only one of the hotel party who enjoyed breakfast.Grace had driven over early, and was breakfasting with Ruth in order tosave delay. Both the girls and Mr. Stuart were too excited to take muchinterest in their bacon and eggs, but Aunt Sallie ate with a resignedexpression that seemed to say: "Perhaps this is my last meal on earth."Yet, secretly, she was almost as delighted as were the girls in theprospect of the trip.
"Now, Sallie, you are not to go if you don't wish to," Mr. Stuart hadprotested. "You must not let Ruth drag you into this trip against yourwill."
But all he could persuade his sister to answer was: "If Ruth is going onsuch an extraordinary excursion, then, at least, I shall be along to seethat nothing worse happens to her."
Gladys Le Baron came into the dining-room, stopping in front of Ruth'stable. "You dear things," she drawled in her most careful societymanner, "how can you look so fresh so early in the morning? I hope youappreciate my getting up to see you off." Gladys wore a lingerie frockmore appropriate for a party than for the breakfast room.
But Ruth answered good naturedly. "I do appreciate it, if it is such aneffort for you. Did you know Mr. Townsend is going to ride over to theThurston's with us to see us start? He tells me you and he are both tobe in Newport while we are there."
"Yes," Gladys declared with more airs than before. "Mrs. Erwin has askedme to be one of the house-party she's to have for her ball. She told meI could bring a friend along, and I have asked Mr. Townsend."
"Wonderful! We won't expect you to associate with us!" laughed Grace.
"Gladys," Ruth asked, "would you like to drive over to Mrs. Thurston'swith us? Father is going, and the carriage will be there to bring himback."
"I would like to go," murmured Gladys, "if I didn't have on this oldfrock. I don't know Mollie and Barbara very well, but I suppose I shallhave to see a great deal of them, now you have taken them up. I wonderhow they will behave at Newport? They have hardly been out ofKingsbridge before."
Grace and Ruth both looked angry, and Mr. Stuart broke in, quite curtly:"I am sure we can depend on their behaving becomingly, which is all thatis necessary at Newport or any other place." Ruth's father was abusiness acquaintance of Gladys's father, and had known her mother whenthe latter was a girl, but the airs of Mrs. Le Baron and her societydaughter were too much for his western common sense. Only Aunt Salliewas impressed by their imposing manner.
Ruth was very popular at the big summer hotel, and a number of theguests had assembled to see her off. But Ruth let her father run the carand sat quietly by his side. "You'll turn over the command to me,captain, won't you, when the trip really commences?" and she squeezedhis arm with a little movement of affection.
"Yes, lieutenant," Mr. Stuart said quietly.
"Oh, Miss Ruth," called Mr. Townsend from the back seat, "do show allthese people how you can handle your car!" But she only shook her head.
"Goodness me, what are all those people doing on Mrs. Thurston's porch?"Ruth asked, in alarm. "I hope nothing has happened." But, as the carneared the quiet little house, which stood midway between the hotel andthe New York high road, she saw the party of young people gathered onthe front lawn.
"It's only their friends, come to say good-bye to them," Harryvolunteered. In answer to "What a bore!" from Gladys, he continued: "Idon't know why you should think it a bore. Miss Stuart enjoys herfriends's popularity." Mr. Townsend had been trying, for several weeks,to make himself equally agreeable to Ruth and Gladys. They were bothvery wealthy, and it seemed wise to him to associate with rich people.But as Ruth was not easily impressed with what she called "justfoolishness," he had become very intimate with Gladys Le Baron.
When Mr. Stuart tooted the horn to announce their approach to thecottage a chorus of tin horns answered him from Mrs. Thurston's frontgarden. As the car drew up to the gate, the boys and girls began tosing, "See the Conquering Hero Comes," while Barbara ran d
own to the carand Mollie urged her friends to be quieter. "I just don't know what MissStuart and Mr. Stuart will think of us!" she blushingly remonstrated.
But Aunt Sallie and Mr. Stuart were in for all the fun going thismorning. Barbara was invited to call her seven friends who had come togive the girls a send-off, down to meet the occupants of the car. EvenGladys, as she was forced to get out of the automobile to let the othertravelers in, was condescending enough to permit Harold Smith to assisther. Harold was an old friend of Barbara's, and one of the cleverestboys in the village.
Mr. Stuart went into the house for the suit cases and satchels, whichwere all the girls were to take with them, as they were to manage withas few clothes as possible. It had been arranged that extra luggage wasto be expressed to them along the way.
Barbara had caught Mollie storing away a sample package of cold creamamong her most treasured possessions.
"I am sure I don't see why you should laugh so," Mollie urged quiteseriously. "It reads on the label 'especially adapted for automobiletravelers to remove dust and tan from the face after the drive.' Aren'twe going to be automobile travelers?"
"Sure and we a'ire," said Bab, imitating the old Irish washerwoman, "andit shall put grease on its nose if it likes."
"Come, daughter," said Mr. Stuart finally, as Ruth was trying to explainto a group of admiring boys the first principles of running anautomobile. She talked as familiarly of an emergency brake and asteering wheel, of horse power and speed-transmission, as most girlstalk of frills and furbelows.
"It's ten-thirty," Mr. Stuart continued, "and, if this party is to be astrictly on time affair, you must be off! You couldn't have a morewonderful day."
It was late in the month of June. The summer clouds were sailingoverhead, great bubbles of white foam thrown up into the blue depth ofthe sky. The sun shone brightly and the whole atmosphere was perfumedwith the bloom of the honeysuckle, that hung in yellow clusters fromMrs. Thurston's porch.
Barbara and Mollie flung their arms around their mother until she wascompletely enveloped in their embrace. Ruth kissed her father, and puther hand to her trim leather cap with a military salute. "It's allright, captain," she said; "I'll bring my crew and good ship 'Bubble'safely into port."
Aunt Sallie was anxious to be off. She could see that Mrs. Thurston wason the verge of tears at the thought of parting with her daughters.Still the young people were laughing and talking, and storing theirlittle gifts under the seats in the car, as though they had all daybefore them.
"Hurry, child," Aunt Sallie urged, reaching out a hand to Mollie. "Jumpup on the back seat with Grace and me. We will let Mistress Barbara sitwith Ruth for the first of the journey." Aunt Sallie was very imposingin a violet silk traveling coat, with a veil and hat of the same shade;indeed, Miss Sallie had a fancy for a "touch of lavender" in everythingshe wore. With her snow-white hair, and commanding appearance, she wouldadd prestige to the party, Mollie thought, no matter how dusty andwind-blown the rest of them might appear.
The girls hopped gayly in. Toot, toot, toot! the horn blew three times.Chug-chug-chug! and the great machine began to breathe with deep,muffled roars. Mr. Stuart gave the starting crank a strong turn, and thecar slid gracefully along the road, red, blue, pink and violet motorveils floating behind in the breeze.
"Here's good luck to you!" shouted Harold Smith, and roses and flowersof every kind were flung after them. Mollie and Grace picked up thosethat fell into their laps, and turned to wave their hands and throwkisses for good-bye.
"They look like a rainbow," said Mr. Stuart, turning to Mrs. Thurston,who was no longer trying to hide her tears. Then he smiled at hergently. She was such a tiny, girlish-looking little woman, it was hardto think of her as the mother of two nearly grown-up daughters. "Iexpect," he continued, "that that rainbow holds most of our promise ofsunshine."
They were still watching the car!
Down to the gate, at the furthest end of the road, a baby boy, chubbyand fat, had crawled on two round, turned-in legs. There was somethingunusual going on down the street. He could hear strange noises, but,though he stuck his small nose through the fence, he was still unable tosee. Just as Ruth's car was almost in front of the house, open flew thestubborn old gate, and the child flung himself out in the middle of theroad, just in front of the wonderful red thing he could see flyingtoward him. The baby was too young to understand the danger.
From the watchers at Mrs. Thurston's came a cry of horror. A thrill ofterror passed through the occupants of the car. Ruth's face turnedwhite. Like a flash, she slowed a little, turned her steering wheel andwith a wide sweep drove her motor to the far side of the road, thenstraight on out of the path of the wondering baby.
Mr. Stuart's, "Bravo, daughter!" was lost in his throat. But the littlegroup of waiting friends gave three cheers for the girl chauffeur, whichRuth heard even at such a distance. Truly "The Automobile Girls" werefairly started on their adventures.