Ping and Carl were trying hard to be pards. Their hearts were not in the attempt, for deep in the spirit of each one slumbered2 a latent animosity against the other. But they had to try to fraternize. Motor Matt had issued an edict to the effect that, if they did not become pards, he and McGlory would cut them out of the motor boys' combination.
So the lads did their utmost to appear friendly. They wandered around together, and whenever Matt or McGlory was in sight they locked arms and addressed each other in terms of endearment3. When they were away from Matt and McGlory they still kept up the pretense4, but in a manner that was more subdued5.
Ping could not resist the temptation to touch a match to the Roman candle. He had not expected to cause such a disturbance6, and the fact that chaos7 had reigned8 in the side show, and that his culpability9 had become known, filled him with apprehension10.
Carl would tell Matt, and Matt would sidetrack his Chinese pard. Ping worried, and had no desire to see Matt, or any one else. The show was to be at Reid's Lake for three days, and there was no Sunday performance. Ping, therefore, could flock by himself until Monday afternoon.
Ping's work consisted of watering the steam calliope, and in helping11 the a?roplane take its running start for the flights. Owing to the wind, there would be no morning flight, and—very likely, as he argued to himself—no afternoon ascension, either. And Ping knew Motor Matt would not work on Sunday.
Taken all in all, this was a most propitious12 time for Ping to absent himself from the show grounds. With the idea that he would go into Grand Rapids and hunt up some of his countrymen, he left the grounds and made his way around the concert garden to the car-line loop.
Here his nerve began to fail him, and he allowed two or three cars to come and go without getting aboard. Finally he bolstered13 up his tottering14 resolution and climbed into one of the cars.
Looking through the open window, after he had taken his seat, he saw Wily Bill swing up by the hand rails.
Ping was asking himself what this could mean when the car pulled out. A little worried, he knew not for what reason, he got up from his seat and walked to the forward platform, thinking it well to keep out of Bill Wily's sight.
Suddenly he became aware of something. A voice, from far behind, was shouting for the car to stop. The passengers, thrusting their heads from the windows, were looking back, and some of them were talking excitedly.
[Pg 10]
Ping, hanging out from the lower step, turned his gaze rearward, and what he saw caused his heart to thump15 wildly against his ribs16.
One of the little two-wheeled devil wagons17 was rushing along the road that paralleled the track, coming like a limited choo-choo train, and Motor Matt was in the saddle!
Ping had but one thought. The Dutch boy had told Matt about the Roman candle, and Matt was chasing the street car in order to remove his Chinese pard, read the riot act to him, and cast him adrift.
What a turn Ping had! He crouched18 down on the step, and the clatter19 of the gong, as the conductor gave the motorman the bell from the rear platform, sent a shiver of dread20 through his nerves.
Rather than face Matt and be cut out of the motor boys' combination, Ping would have done almost anything. The only thing that suggested itself at that moment was to jump and run. His original intention to lie low until the Roman-candle incident blew over grew stronger in his mind.
The car was beginning to slow down, but it was still proceeding21 at a lively gait when Ping threw himself straight out from the lower step.
The Chinese boy did not know the proper way to alight from a swiftly moving trolley22 car, and the result of his leap can be imagined.
The passengers who were looking out from that side of the car had a vision of a small Chinaman in the air, pigtail flying. The next instant the Chinaman touched ground, but found it moving too fast for a secure foothold. Ping bounded into the air again, his slouch hat going in one direction, his sandals in another, and he himself describing what is technically23 known as a parabola. The Le Bons—the best "kinkers" in the Big Consolidated—could not have twisted themselves into more fantastic shapes than did Ping during that stunt24 of ground-and-lofty tumbling. He landed on the ground like a frog taking to the water from the top of a toadstool, and he wound up his performance by throwing a number of choice cartwheels and then sitting up in the dust and looking around in considerable mental perturbation.
About the first thing he saw and was able to realize was that another besides himself had made a jump from the car. The other was Wily Bill, and he must have dropped from the rear platform a little before Ping dropped from the platform forward.
Wily Bill, however, must have known how to jump from a swiftly moving car and yet keep his balance, for he was on his feet and making a dash for a brushy bank at the roadside.
Motor Matt had swerved26 his motor cycle and was making in the "barker's" direction, calling loudly the while for him to stop.
The light that dawned on Ping, just then, was a good balm for his bruises27.
Matt was not chasing him, after all, but had been hot on the trail of Wily Bill!
While Ping sat there in the dust, hat and sandals gone, his clothes torn and awry28, and himself more or less disorganized, he saw Wily Bill scramble29 up the steep bank and vanish among the bushes on the top of it. Possibly thirty seconds later, Matt sprang from the motor cycle, leaped up the ascent30 like an antelope31, and likewise vanished.
"By Klismus!" murmured Ping, rubbing his knees. "Velly funny pidgin! My no savvy32. One piecee queer biz, you bettee. Wow! China boy all blokee up! Motol Matt no wanchee pullee pin on China boy. Hoop-a-la!"
Between his physical pain on account of his bruises and his rejoicing over the discovery that Matt had not been following him, Ping failed to observe that the street car had stopped and backed up to the place nearest the spot where he was crooning to himself and rubbing his bruised33 limbs. It was not until the conductor and the motorman faced him that Ping realized that he was the object of their consideration.
"Didju fall off?" asked the conductor.
"No makee fall," answered Ping, cocking up his almond eyes, "makee jump."
"Blamed wonder yu didn't break yer neck!" growled34 the motorman. "Chinks don't know nothin' anyhow."
"Hurt?" asked the conductor, animated35 by a laudable desire to avoid a damage suit in behalf of the company.
"Heap sore," chattered36 Ping, "no bleakee bone. Hoop-a-la!" he jubilated, a wide grin cutting his yellow face in half. "Woosh!" he added, as the grin faded and a look of pain took its place.
"Well, I'm stumped37!" muttered the conductor. "Is he crazy, or what?" he added, looking at the motorman.
"Pass it up," snapped the motorman. "Chinks is only half baked, best you can say for 'em. Let's snake 'im aboard and go on. We've lost enough time."
One got on either side of Ping and lifted him to his feet. They would have dragged him to the car had he not resisted.
"Leavee 'lone38!" he shouted, squirming.
"Oh, snakes!" ground out the exasperated39 motorman. "Ain't you fer the Rapids?"
"No wanchee go Glan' Lapids!" declared Ping. "Why my makee jump my wanchee go Glan' Lapids?"
"That's so," said the conductor. "What did he jump from the car for if he wanted to go on with us? We'll leave him, Jim. I thought, when I saw him hit the ground, we'd have to take him to the hospital, but he seems to be all right."
Jim, with an angry exclamation40, let go of Ping and hustled41 back to his place at the front end of the car. The conductor mounted the rear platform, and the starting bell jingled42.
As the passengers looked back, they saw the Chinese boy attempt a war dance in his stocking feet, then suddenly cease and reach down to clasp his right shin.
"He's got out o' some lunatic asylum," thought the conductor. "Well, it's none o' my funeral," he added, and went into the car and began collecting fares.
Ping, when the car was out of sight, limped around collecting his scattered43 wardrobe. While he was about it, he was wondering, in his feeble way, why Motor Matt was chasing Bill Wily.
Probably, he reasoned, Wily had cut up so rough with Carl that Matt had thought best to pursue the man and call him to account.
Ping was not in very good condition to take part in the chase, but if he could manage it, and proved of some assistance to Motor Matt, such a move would go far toward making his peace with the king of the motor boys.
"My makee tly," groaned44 Ping, limping to the place where the motor cycle had been left.
With infinite patience he crawled up the steep slope.[Pg 11] One of his legs felt as though it didn't belong to him—it seemed more like a cork45 leg than anything else, and was numb25 from ankle to thigh46. But, somehow, he managed to get up the bank with it. Pausing there, he called aloud for Motor Matt. His voice echoed weirdly47 in the scant48 timber of the rocky ground in front of him, and the shout brought no response.
"My findee Motol Matt," declared the Chinese lad to himself, as he limped into the timber. "My ketchee Motol Matt, mebby ketchee Wily Bill. Woosh! Hoop-a-la!"
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1
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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endearment
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| n.表示亲爱的行为 | |
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pretense
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| n.矫饰，做作，借口 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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6
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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culpability
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| n.苛责，有罪 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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13
bolstered
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| v.支持( bolster的过去式和过去分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助 | |
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14
tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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15
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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17
wagons
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| n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车 | |
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18
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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21
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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trolley
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| n.手推车，台车；无轨电车；有轨电车 | |
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23
technically
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| adv.专门地，技术上地 | |
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24
stunt
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| n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长 | |
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numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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28
awry
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| adj.扭曲的，错的 | |
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scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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31
antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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32
savvy
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| v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的 | |
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33
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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34
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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35
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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36
chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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37
stumped
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| 僵直地行走，跺步行走( stump的过去式和过去分词 )； 把（某人）难住； 使为难； （选举前）在某一地区作政治性巡回演说 | |
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38
lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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40
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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41
hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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42
jingled
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| 喝醉的 | |
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43
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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44
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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45
cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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46
thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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47
weirdly
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| 古怪地 | |
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48
scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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