The Scarlet Car
Page 3
think I am goingto keep silent and watch some one else carry you off without making afight for you, you don't know me."
"If you go on," said the girl, "it will mean that I shall not see youagain."
"Then I will write letters to you."
"I will not read them," said the girl. The young man laughed defiantly.
"Oh, yes, you will read them!" He pounded his gauntleted fist on therim of the wheel. "You mayn't answer them, but if I can write the wayI feel, I will bet you'll read them."
His voice changed suddenly, and he began to plead. It was as thoughshe were some masculine giant bullying a small boy.
"You are not fair to me," he protested. "I do not ask you to be kind,I ask you to be fair. I am fighting for what means more to me thananything in this world, and you won't even listen. Why should Irecognize any other men! All I recognize is that _I_ am the man wholoves you, that 'I am the man at your feet.' That is all I know, thatI love you."
The girl moved as though with the cold, and turned her head from him.
"I love you," repeated the young man.
The girl breathed like one who has been swimming under water, but, whenshe spoke, her voice was calm and contained.
"Please!" she begged, "don't you see how unfair it is. I can't goaway; I HAVE to listen."
The young man pulled himself upright, and pressed his lips together.
"I beg your pardon," he whispered.
There was for some time an unhappy silence, and then Winthrop addedbitterly: "Methinks the punishment exceeds the offence."
"Do you think you make it easy for ME?" returned the girl.
She considered it most ungenerous of him to sit staring into themoonlight, looking so miserable that it made her heart ache to comforthim, and so extremely handsome that to do so was quite impossible. Shewould have liked to reach out her hand and lay it on his arm, and tellhim she was sorry, but she could not. He should not have looked sounnecessarily handsome.
Sam came running toward them with five grizzly bears, who balancedthemselves apparently with some slight effort upon their hind legs.The grizzly bears were properly presented as: "Tommy Todd, of myclass, and some more like him. And," continued Sam, "I am going toquit you two and go with them. Tom's car broke down, but Fred fixedit, and both our cars can travel together. Sort of convoy," heexplained.
His sister signalled eagerly, but with equal eagerness he retreatedfrom her.
"Believe me," he assured her soothingly, "I am just as good a chaperonfifty yards behind you, and wide awake, as I am in the same car andfast asleep. And, besides, I want to hear about the game. And, what'smore, two cars are much safer than one. Suppose you two break down ina lonely place? We'll be right behind you to pick you up. You willkeep Winthrop's car in sight, won't you, Tommy?" he said.
The grizzly bear called Tommy, who had been examining the Scarlet Car,answered doubtfully that the only way he could keep it in sight was bytying a rope to it.
"That's all right, then," said Sam briskly, "Winthrop will go slow."
So the Scarlet Car shot forward with sometimes the second car so far inthe rear that they could only faintly distinguish the horn begging themto wait, and again it would follow so close upon their wheels that theyheard the five grizzly bears chanting beseechingly
Oh, bring this wagon home, John, It will not hold us a-all.
For some time there was silence in the Scarlet Car, and then Winthropbroke it by laughing.
"First, I lose Peabody," he explained, "then I lose Sam, and now, afterI throw Fred overboard, I am going to drive you into Stamford, wherethey do not ask runaway couples for a license, and marry you."
The girl smiled comfortably. In that mood she was not afraid of him.
She lifted her face, and stretched out her arms as though she weredrinking in the moonlight.
"It has been such a good day," she said simply, "and I am really sovery happy."
"I shall be equally frank," said Winthrop. "So am I."
For two hours they had been on the road, and were just enteringFairport. For some long time the voices of the pursuing grizzlies hadbeen lost in the far distance.
"The road's up," said Miss Forbes.
She pointed ahead to two red lanterns.
"It was all right this morning," exclaimed Winthrop.
The car was pulled down to eight miles an hour, and, trembling andsnorting at the indignity, nosed up to the red lanterns.
They showed in a ruddy glow the legs of two men.
"You gotta stop!" commanded a voice.
"Why?" asked Winthrop.
The voice became embodied in the person of a tall man, with a longovercoat and a drooping mustache.
"'Cause I tell you to!" snapped the tall man.
Winthrop threw a quick glance to the rear. In that direction for amile the road lay straight away. He could see its entire length, andit was empty. In thinking of nothing but Miss Forbes, he had forgottenthe chaperon. He was impressed with the fact that the immediatepresence of a chaperon was desirable. Directly in front of the car,blocking its advance, were two barrels, with a two-inch plank saggingheavily between them. Beyond that the main street of Fairport laysteeped in slumber and moonlight.
"I am a selectman," said the one with the lantern. "You been exceedin'our speed limit."
The chauffeur gave a gasp that might have been construed to mean thatthe charge amazed and shocked him.
"That is not possible," Winthrop answered. "I have been going veryslow--on purpose--to allow a disabled car to keep up with me."
The selectman looked down the road.
"It ain't kep' up with you," he said pointedly.
"It has until the last few minutes."
"It's the last few minutes we're talking about," returned the man whohad not spoken. He put his foot on the step of the car.
"What are you doing?" asked Winthrop.
"I am going to take you to Judge Allen's. I am chief of police. Youare under arrest."
Before Winthrop rose moving pictures of Miss Forbes appearing in adirty police station before an officious Dogberry, and, as he and hiscar were well known along the Post road, appearing the next morning inthe New York papers. "William Winthrop," he saw the printed words,"son of Endicott Winthrop, was arrested here this evening, with a youngwoman who refused to give her name, but who was recognized as MissBeatrice Forbes, whose engagement to Ernest Peabody, the Reformcandidate on the Independent ticket----"
And, of course, Peabody would blame her.
"If I have exceeded your speed limit," he said politely, "I shall bedelighted to pay the fine. How much is it?"
"Judge Allen'll tell you what the fine is," said the selectman gruffly."And he may want bail."
"Bail?" demanded Winthrop. "Do you mean to tell me he will detain ushere?"
"He will, if he wants to," answered the chief of police combatively.
For an instant Winthrop sat gazing gloomily ahead, overcome apparentlyby the enormity of his offence. He was calculating whether, if herammed the two-inch plank, it would hit the car or Miss Forbes. Hedecided swiftly it would hit his new two-hundred-dollar lamps. Asswiftly he decided the new lamps must go. But he had read of guardiansof the public safety so regardless of private safety as to try topuncture runaway tires with pistol bullets. He had no intention ofsubjecting Miss Forbes to a fusillade.
So he whirled upon the chief of police:
"Take your hand off that gun!" he growled. "How dare you threaten me?"
Amazed, the chief of police dropped from the step and advancedindignantly.
"Me?" he demanded. "I ain't got a gun. What you mean by----"
With sudden intelligence, the chauffeur precipitated himself upon thescene.
"It's the other one," he shouted. He shook an accusing finger at theselectman. "He pointed it at the lady."
To Miss Forbes the realism of Fred's acting was too convincing. Tolearn that one is covered with a loaded revolver is
disconcerting.Miss Forbes gave a startled squeak, and ducked her head.
Winthrop roared aloud at the selectman.
"How dare you frighten the lady!" he cried. "Take your hand off thatgun."
"What you talkin' about?" shouted the selectman. "The idea of myhavin' a gun! I haven't got a----"
"All right, Fred!" cried Winthrop. "Low bridge."
There was a crash of shattered glass and brass, of scattered barrelstaves, the smell of escaping gas, and the Scarlet Car was flyingdrunkenly down the main street.
"What are they doing now,