Hazel Hastings was simply sumptuous4 in the tonneau—she had spread every available frill and flounce, but there was still plenty of unoccupied space on the luxuriously5 cushioned "throne."
It seemed a pity to passers-by that two girls should ride alone on that splendid morning in the handsome machine—so many of those afoot would have been glad of a chance to occupy the empty seats.
Directly following the Whirlwind came another car—the little silver Flyaway. In this also were two girls, the Robinson twins, Elizabeth and Isabel, otherwise Belle6 and Bess. Chelton folks were becoming accustomed to the sight of these girls in their cars, and a run of the motor girls was now looked upon as a daily occurrence. Bess Robinson guided her car with unmistakable skill—Cora Kimball was considered an expert driver.
Sputtering7 and chugging close to the Flyaway came a second runabout. In this were a girl and a boy, or, more properly speaking, a young lady and a young gentleman. As they neared the motor girls Bess called back to Belle:
"There come Sid and Ida. I thought they were not on speaking terms."
"They were not, but they are now," answered Belle with a light laugh. "Why should a girl turn her back on a young man with a brand new machine?"
"It runs like a locomotive," murmured Bess, as, at that moment, the other car shot by, the occupants bowing indifferently to the Robinson girls as the machines came abreast8.
Cora turned and shook her head significantly when the third car had forged ahead. She, too, seemed surprised that Ida Giles should be riding with Sid Wilcox. Then Bess rolled up alongside the Whirlwind.
"My, but they are going!" she called to Cora. "I thought Ida said she would never ride with Sid again."
"Why not?" flashed Cora merrily. "Isn't Sid's car new and—yellow?"
"Like a dandelion," put in Belle, who was noted9 for her aesthetic10 tendencies. "And, precisely11 like a dandelion, I fancy that machine would collapse12 without rhyme or reason. Did you every try a bunch of dandelions on the table?"
The girls all laughed. No one but Belle Robinson would ever try such an experiment. Everybody knew the ingratitude13 of the yellow field flower.
"I can never bear anything of that color since my valentine luncheon14," declared Belle bravely. "That's why I predict disaster for Sid's new car."
"They have dropped something!" exclaimed Hazel as she peered ahead at the disappearing runabout.
Bess had taken the lead.
"Let's put on speed," she suggested, and, pulling the lever, her car shot ahead, and was soon within close range of the yellow runabout.
"Be careful!" called her sister. "You will run over—"
It was too late. At that moment the Flyaway dashed over something—the pieces flew in all directions.
The runabout had turned to one side, and then stopped. Bess jammed on the brakes and also came to a standstill.
"I guess you didn't try," snapped Ida Giles, her cheeks aflame almost to the tint20 of her fiery21 tresses.
"I really did," declared Bess. "I would not have spoiled your hamper for anything."
Bent24 and crippled enameled25 dishes from the lately fine and completely equipped auto-hamper were scattered26 about in all directions. Here and there a piece of pie could be identified, while the chicken sandwiches were mostly recognizable by the fact that a newly arrived yellow dog persistently27 gnawed28 at one or two particular mud spots.
"Oh, we can go to a hotel for dinner," announced the young man, getting back into his car.
"But they ought to pay for the hamper," grumbled29 Ida, loud enough for the Robinson girls to make sure of her remark.
"We will, of course," called Bess, just as Cora and Hazel came up, and then the Wilcox runabout darted30 off again.
"Table d'hote?" called Cora, laughing.
"No, a la carte," replied Bess, picking up a piece of damaged celery, putting it on a slice of uninjured bread and proffering31 it to Hazel.
"What a shame!" sighed Hazel. "Their picnic will be spoiled."
"But look at the picnic we've had," put in Belle. "You should have seen Ida's face. A veritable fireless cooker."
"And Sid—he supplied the salt hay," declared Bess. "I felt as if I were smothered32 in a ton of it."
"And that was the peace-offering hamper," declared Cora, alighting from her car and closely viewing the wreck. "Jack33 told me that Ida gave Sid a handsome hamper for the new car."
"I told you that the yellow machine would turn—"
"Dandelion," Hazel interrupted Belle. "Well, I agree with you that was an ungrateful trick. To demolish34 the lunch, of all other available things to do, on a day like this!"
"Souvenirs?" suggested Cora, removing her glove to dig out of the mud a knife, and then a fork.
"Oh, forget it!" exclaimed Bess. "I am sure I want to. Let's get going again, if we are to make the Woodbine Way in time to plan the tour. I'm just crazy about the trip," and the enthusiastic girl expended35 some of her pent-up energies on the crank at the front of the Flyaway.
Cora was also cranking up. "Yes," she said, "we had best be on the road again. We are due at the park at twelve. I expect Maud will have the family tree along and urge us to stop overnight at every gnarl on the 'trunk.'"
"We might have asked Ida and Sid," reflected Belle aloud, sympathetically.
"Yes," Bess almost shouted, "and have them veto every single plan. Besides, there are to be no boys on this trip; Lady Isabel please take notice!"
"As if you could have them if you did!" fired back Bess in that tantalizing37 way that only sisters understand, only sisters enjoy, and only sisters know how to operate successfully.
"Peace! peace!" called Cora. "If Belle wants boys she may have them. I am chairman of the acting38 committee, and if boys do not act I would like to know exactly what they do."
"No boys!" faltered Hazel, who, not owning a machine, had not as yet heard all the details of the proposed three-days' tour of the motor girls.
"Nary a one!" returned Bess, now about to start.
"If we had boys along," explained Cora, "they would claim the glory of every spill, every skid39, every upset and every 'busted40 tire.' We want some little glory ourselves," and at this she threw in the clutch, and, with a gentle effort, the Whirlwind rolled off, followed closely by the Flyaway.
"I suppose Sid and Ida are licking their fingers just about now," remarked the good-natured Bess.
"Very likely," rejoined her sister, "for I fancy their meal was made up of buckwheat cakes and molasses, as Sid had to pay for it."
"Oh, I meant sheer deliciousness," corrected her sister. "I 'fawncy'"—and she imitated the dainty tones used by Belle—"they have had—"
"Backbiting41 and detraction," called Cora, who had been close enough to hear the sisters' remarks. "I would not have been in your place at that table, Bess, for a great deal."
Bess tossed her head about indifferently. She evidently knew what to expect from Ida and Sid.
"Now for a straight run!" announced Cora, throwing in third speed. "We must make the bridge by the quarter whistle or the Maud Morris family tree may have been consumed for luncheon. I particularly want a peg42 at that tree."
"We're off!" called Bess, following with additional speed.
Then the Whirlwind and the Flyaway dashed off, over the country roads, past scurrying43 chicks and barking dogs, past old farmers who turned in to give "them blamed things" plenty of room, out along Woodbine to the pretty little park where the plans for the first official run of the motor girls were soon to be perfected.
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1
maroon
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| v.困住，使（人）处于孤独无助之境；n.逃亡黑奴；孤立的人；酱紫色，褐红色；adj.酱紫色的，褐红色的 | |
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2
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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luxuriously
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| adv.奢侈地，豪华地 | |
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belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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7
sputtering
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| n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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8
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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aesthetic
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| adj.美学的，审美的，有美感 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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12
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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ingratitude
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| n.忘恩负义 | |
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14
luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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15
hamper
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| vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子 | |
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16
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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17
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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18
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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remorsefully
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| adv.极为懊悔地 | |
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tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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21
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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22
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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23
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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25
enameled
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| 涂瓷釉于，给…上瓷漆，给…上彩饰( enamel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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28
gnawed
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| 咬( gnaw的过去式和过去分词 )； （长时间） 折磨某人； （使）苦恼； （长时间）危害某事物 | |
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29
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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30
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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31
proffering
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的现在分词 ) | |
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32
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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33
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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34
demolish
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| v.拆毁(建筑物等)，推翻(计划、制度等) | |
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35
expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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36
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
tantalizing
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| adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 ) | |
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38
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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39
skid
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| v.打滑 n.滑向一侧；滑道 ，滑轨 | |
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40
busted
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| adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词 | |
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41
backbiting
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| 背后诽谤 | |
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42
peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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43
scurrying
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 ) | |
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