In the midst of a chorus of good-byes, the motor car began to glide6 smoothly7 away, and, upon looking back, the boys saw the lady at the window waving her handkerchief.
Row after row of residences seemed to be drawn9 swiftly toward them and sent slipping behind. At each street crossing Bob slowed up, allowing the boys momentary10 views of Lake Michigan, only a short distance away.
The few vehicles and pedestrians11 about appeared as mere12 crawling things whenever the[21] high-powered car leaped forward in obedience13 to the summons of its master’s hand.
Victor Collins experienced a delightful14 sense of ease and comfort as he watched the passing show with all the zest15 and interest that novelty often brings.
“Go it, Somers, go it!” he urged. “Whoop it up like sixty!”
“That’s what I think, too,” approved Charlie.
“In cities they always have so many laws to bother a chap,” grumbled17 Tom. “Why, when we were in Wyoming——”
“Oh, forget it, son,” interrupted Victor. “This beats all your old cowboy business to pieces.”
The residential18 section of Michigan Avenue had been passed. The motor car was now swinging along by the side of Grant Park. Out over the lake they could see that the stiff breeze was kicking up the water into choppy waves and tossing about several small boats whose sails cut crisply white against the background. The far-reaching stretch of[22] water, in the early morning light, became lost in a scintillating19 haze which dazzled the eye.
“The clouds are piling up,” remarked Dave. “I guess we’ll have some stormy weather soon.”
A succession of views passed so rapidly that the eye could take in only their salient features. Almost before they realized it the boys were being carried across the Chicago River. One look showed them an insignificant20 tug21 struggling valiantly22 with a huge, clumsy barge23, a myriad24 of masts, a kaleidoscopic25 effect of hulls26, docks and buildings, with here and there clouds of smoke and steam. Then all was whirled behind them.
“What time shall we get to Kenosha, Somers?” demanded Victor.
“About one o’clock, if everything goes well,” answered Bob.
“Good! Then we can slip over to Uncle Ralph’s motor yacht. Did you speak, sir?”
“I did,” answered Tom, with dignity. “I[23] said it might be a good idea for the bunch to stop over night at Kenosha.”
“They might stand for you that long,” grinned Victor.
“The question is: can we stand for it?”
“Maybe we’ll see you at Milwaukee,” broke in Charlie. “Too bad, Vic, you’re not going to stick with us all the way. You’d never catch me going on any yacht.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t swim.”
“Well, Uncle Ralph wouldn’t expect you to swim. Anyway, you ought to be ashamed to admit it.”
“Bet you can’t, either.”
“Your remark is irrelevant28, as the lawyers say,” laughed Victor. “I never yet felt a bit nervous in the water.”
“Where did you ever paddle about, I’d like to know?”
“Oh, in a tub.”
“Fellows, we’re coming to Lincoln Park, one of the finest in Chicago,” laughed Charlie.
“Nothing like having your own sightseeing car,” observed Dave.
[24]“I guess the people around here think they are seeing sights,” giggled29 Victor. “With those glasses on, Somers, you look like the speed king himself. Just wait till I get my hands on the throttle30—if there’s a mile of straight road in front I’ll drive her up to sixty.”
“Huh! This car has to go all the way to Wisconsin,” sniffed31 Tom. “We don’t want to have to telegraph any scrap32 iron dealer33 to hurry out and shovel34 up the pieces—eh, Bob?”
“Eh, Bob!” repeated Victor, “eh, Bob! How many times a day do you get that off? The great chauffeur and his brave passenger, Clifton! Let Charlie take the helm. He’ll drive slowly enough to suit you.”
“Talking about speed! Why, in Wyoming, where we didn’t have any old laws to think about——”
“Oh ho, this park is a refreshing37 sight,” broke in Dave—“a little oasis38 in the midst of mortar39, brick and stone. Slow up a bit, Bob,[25] so that we may have a better chance to enjoy the contemplation of nature.”
“Well?”
“Never better, thank you. Let me try my hand at driving?”
Victor’s tone indicated an expectation that his wishes would be acceded41 to without objection. At home he had been so long accustomed to having his own way that submission42 to his imperious demands had come to be expected as a matter of course.
Charlie Blake looked alarmed.
“Going to do it, Bob?” he asked.
“Of course he’s going to do it,” grinned Victor, satirically. “Aren’t you, Bob?”
“Not until we get eighty-six miles from nowhere,” Tom put in.
“I hardly think so, Vic,” answered Bob, good-naturedly.
Victor’s expression indicated his displeasure.
“All right then—I’ll let it go now; but just wait till we get out in the open country,” he grumbled.
[26]“There’s a coolness in the air,” remarked Tom.
He looked quizzically toward Victor.
“A storm is brewing,” said Dave, absent-mindedly.
Presently the park was left behind. On and on sped the motor car. There was so much to see and so little time to see it in that the brain of each lad held only a confused impression of many buildings, of trees and grassy43 stretches, and shining patches of lake.
“What place is this we are coming to?” cried Tom, at length.
“Evanston,” answered Victor.
Some of the citizens were mildly astonished to see a great touring car containing five lads whirling through the town.
“Hi, hi! catch on to the joy riders!” yelled a small boy. “Where’d you get it?”
“No time to answer questions, sonny,” screeched44 Victor. “This is the lightning express, the speediest wagon45 in the state, with Somers, the slow-speed wizard, at the throttle. Whoop-la!”
Evanston was quickly left behind. Then[27] came a succession of small towns along the lake front. The sky was now almost entirely46 overcast47. Near the horizon rested a mass of clouds of a murky48, yellowish hue49 which seemed to impart to the distant water some of its own threatening aspect.
At Waukegan the boys stopped for lunch.
A curious look came over Victor Collins’ face as Tom, with an air of much importance, sprang into the chauffeur’s seat.
“Jehoshaphat! Get out of that!” he exclaimed. “You’re not going to chauf.”
“Of course I am!” snapped Tom.
“Then it’s my turn next.”
“But you don’t know how.”
“What!” scoffed50 Victor. “Anybody can do it. How many lessons did it take before you learned how to blow the horn?”
Tom, uttering a snort of indignation, threw in the clutch, for by this time the others were in their places.
“Say, Somers”—his tone was very mild and sweet—“you’ll let me drive, won’t you—just a little way?”
[28]“A revolution is coming,” murmured Charlie.
“How about Clifton? He hasn’t run into anything yet.”
“Tom took a course of instruction.”
“Come now, Somers, what are you afraid of?” Victor’s eyes were snapping. He leaned over and touched Dave on the shoulder. “See here, Brandon, say a word for me. I want to chauf.”
“It is not so written in the book of destiny,” laughed Dave. “Experience and wisdom teach us that. Experience is sometimes necessary before wisdom can be acquired.”
“Oh, bosh!”
Victor brought out the words with angry emphasis. There was nothing in Dave’s expression to give him encouragement, and his eye caught a twitch53 of amusement on Tom Clifton’s lips.
It acted upon his impetuous nature somewhat after the fashion of the spark that explodes the gasoline vapor.
On the impulse of the moment, he seized[29] Dave Brandon’s cap and hurled54 it spitefully upon the road.
“That’s what you get for sassing me, you big, fat Indian,” he howled. “Go and pick it up.”
“Never mind, fellows.” His smiling face showed no sign of ruffled56 feelings. “I wanted a chance to stretch my legs. Thanks, Vic.”
As the motor car came to a halt, he laid his hand on the door.
Victor Collins looked at him curiously57. Almost on the instant he felt a twinge of regret at his childish action. He heartily58 wished that Dave had flown into a rage. Then, after a snappy exchange of compliments—at which pastime he considered himself well able to hold his own—things might have quieted down without so much loss to his dignity.
Dave’s unexpected calmness, however, made him feel uncomfortably small, so he did what he usually did when things failed to go in a way that suited him—began to sulk.
Dave “stretched his legs” for a good five minutes. Then the motor car began to roll[30] forward again. Tom didn’t scorch59 exactly—he knew that Bob Somers’ watchful60 eye was upon him—but several times Charlie Blake’s nerves received severe jolts61, as trees and telegraph poles by the roadside seemed to be whirled by with bewildering rapidity.
“Kenosha, Wisconsin, fellows!” exclaimed Bob, at length, half rising from his seat.
“Kenosha!” echoed all but Victor.
“The first lap of our journey is done!” cried Dave.
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1
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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vapor
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| n.蒸汽，雾气 | |
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3
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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vibrant
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| adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的 | |
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lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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7
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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8
stunning
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| adj.极好的；使人晕倒的 | |
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9
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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10
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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11
pedestrians
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| n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 ) | |
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12
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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13
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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14
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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15
zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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16
chauffeur
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| n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车 | |
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17
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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18
residential
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| adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的 | |
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19
scintillating
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| adj．才气横溢的,闪闪发光的; 闪烁的 | |
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20
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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21
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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22
valiantly
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| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
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23
barge
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| n.平底载货船，驳船 | |
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24
myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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25
kaleidoscopic
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| adj.千变万化的 | |
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26
hulls
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| 船体( hull的名词复数 )； 船身； 外壳； 豆荚 | |
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27
goggles
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| n.护目镜 | |
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28
irrelevant
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| adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的 | |
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29
giggled
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
throttle
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| n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压 | |
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31
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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32
scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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33
dealer
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| n.商人，贩子 | |
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34
shovel
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| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
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35
ominously
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| adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地 | |
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36
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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38
oasis
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| n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方 | |
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39
mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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40
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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41
acceded
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| v.（正式）加入( accede的过去式和过去分词 )；答应；（通过财产的添附而）增加；开始任职 | |
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42
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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43
grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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44
screeched
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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45
wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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46
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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47
overcast
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| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
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48
murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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49
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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50
scoffed
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| 嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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52
risky
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| adj.有风险的，冒险的 | |
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53
twitch
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| v.急拉，抽动，痉挛，抽搐；n.扯，阵痛，痉挛 | |
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54
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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56
ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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57
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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58
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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59
scorch
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| v.烧焦，烤焦；高速疾驶；n.烧焦处，焦痕 | |
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60
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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61
jolts
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| （使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的名词复数 ) | |
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