Tom Clifton’s confidence had returned; the strange feeling of loneliness which at first had persisted in hanging over him, as well as the half-defined fear of something happening to the motor were rapidly being dispelled3. The six cylinders4, operating with perfect precision, sent off on the breeze their steady vibrating roar. Tom’s cheek was flushed with the excitement and novelty of his position. He seemed to have grown into man’s estate at a bound.
[105]“I guess when I meet the yacht at Milwaukee I’ll have the laugh on the whole bunch,” he thought, with a cheerful grin.
The weather was still threatening. A stiff, cold breeze constantly blowing in his face made the goggles5 very acceptable indeed, and he had found it prudent6 to put on his heavier coat. Now and again he caught glimpses of Lake Michigan. Far out on the great body of agitated7 water he could see tossing whitecaps gleaming like silver against the gray background of choppy waves.
“Shouldn’t wonder if I got caught in an awful blow before long,” he said aloud, somewhat anxiously.
At times the route took him not far from the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. Occasionally trains thundered by, their whistles sending shrieking8 blasts that died out in throbbing9 echoes over the dreary10 landscape.
Tom felt an almost irresistible11 impulse to throw on all power and race these defiant-looking iron monsters, but thoughts of the law and of sharp-eyed constables12 deterred13 him.
At length a village sprang into view ahead. On closer inspection14 it seemed to have the[106] usual accompaniments of barking dogs, cackling geese, and countless15 chickens.
Only by the narrowest margin16 were several terrible casualties among the bird family averted17 that day. Tom’s heart beat fast with apprehension18 as a small army of geese, led by an ancient gander, suddenly swooped19 directly in the path of the oncoming machine.
The fierce yells of a blue-shirted man leaning against a fence did not help to ease his troubled spirit.
“Great Scott!”
The words broke impulsively20 from Tom’s lips, as, with frantic21 haste, he operated the steering22 wheel.
For an instant he expected to hear an awful cackling ringing in his ears. But the big touring car swerved24 sufficiently25 to clear the rear guard of frantically26 flying legs.
The village was quickly passed. On reaching a bend a stretch of almost straight road lay before him. The country looked very deserted28 and lonely. Here and there a house, far off in the fields, patches of trees, or the[107] crooked29 line of a fence alone broke the monotonous30 landscape.
The temptation to “burn up the road” was too great to resist. Tom threw on power until the telegraph poles seemed to be literally31 hurling32 themselves through space toward him. He had certainly recovered his nerve, a fact on which he proudly congratulated himself.
But the thrills produced by the terrific speed were of no ordinary kind, causing him before long to slow down considerably33.
“Gee! Now I’ve done it, I won’t do it again,” he muttered, with all the elation34 of a chauffeur35 who has captured a world’s record. “Awful risky36, that! Maybe Bob Somers wouldn’t have opened his eyes. Hello—Racine!”
Beyond an open field houses were coming into view, and still further beyond several church spires37 pierced the lowering atmosphere.
At a moderate speed, Tom kept on, while evidences that a busy, thriving town lay ahead constantly increased. Before long the machine was rolling over a wide, pleasant avenue[108] lined with houses set some distance apart, many having fine lawns in front.
As the character of the street changed so did Tom’s feelings. When the livelier sections of the city were reached nervousness once again had him in its grip. But, with firm determination, he mastered the tremors38 which, for a time, threatened to interfere39 with his manipulation of the steering wheel.
“Easy, boy—easy!” he counseled to himself.
The big machine was rounding a corner which reminded him of the one in Kenosha. “Main Street,” he read on a near-by sign.
“Pretty brisk, too,” murmured Tom. “Must be a busy time of day.”
Clang, clang, clang!
In response to the insistent40 warnings of a rapidly-approaching electric car he drew near the curb41. Then a two-horse dray swung sharply off from the car tracks and compelled him to come to a stop.
Tom was just in the humor to call out gruffly:
“Hey, there! Where are you going?”
But the trolley42 car at that instant whizzed[109] rapidly past, and the boy concluded, just in time to check the remark, that the driver of the dray was justified43 in his action.
This far from exciting incident was the only one which marked the passage of the motor car through the streets of Racine. Tom, however, drew a long, deep breath of relief when clanging gongs, blasts of automobile44 horns and the rattle45 of wagons46 were but a memory and the open country lay stretched once more before him.
In the middle distance the moisture-laden air seemed to dip down, and through this veil the views beyond were revealed in misty47 patches. Every minute it looked as if the scudding48 clouds would begin to dissolve themselves in torrents49 of driving rain. All vegetation glistened50 with cold gray reflections caught from above. Yet, as the motor car sent the mile-stones, one after another, slipping past, the expected did not happen.
“It will mighty51 soon, though, I’m thinking,” mused52 Tom. “By gum, this is rather lonely work. Houses ahead! Good! Signs of life out here are certainly scarce.”
It was a very pretty little village along the[110] principal street of which the car presently rolled. He caught several glimpses of men working in fields; of others gathered in front of a store. They hailed him; he sent an answering salute53; then, in a few moments, the last house had been reached and passed.
As the journey approached its end Tom Clifton’s impatience54 increased. Several times he drove the car for short stretches at a clip which almost rivaled his first daring attempt at speeding. Another village was passed, and then another. Some distance to his right an occasional column of rapidly-moving smoke or jets of steam marked the progress of north or south-bound trains.
“Easy job—I didn’t have any trouble finding the way,” grinned Tom. “One look at our road map was enough. By George; it’s a lucky thing, too, that I remember the place where Captain Bunderley said his motor yacht was always moored55 at Milwaukee. ‘Right by the East Water Street bridge, boys,’—those were his very words. She ought to have arrived by this time. And I know how to steer23 the machine there straight as a carrier pigeon scoots for home.”
[111]“Hey there, young feller!”
The motor car was nearing an intersecting road. It bore an appearance strangely similar to numerous others passed that day, but whereas they had generally been deserted on this particular one he saw a small slight man of uncertain age sprinting56 toward him at a lively rate of speed.
“Hey there, young feller!” came the hail a second time.
In obedience57 to the authoritative58 summons, Tom slowed up, stopping just as the man, breathing hard, reached the main road.
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1
tricky
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| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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3
dispelled
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| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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cylinders
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| n.圆筒( cylinder的名词复数 )；圆柱；汽缸；（尤指用作容器的）圆筒状物 | |
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5
goggles
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| n.护目镜 | |
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6
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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8
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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9
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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10
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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constables
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| n.警察( constable的名词复数 ) | |
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13
deterred
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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15
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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16
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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17
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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18
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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19
swooped
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
impulsively
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| adv.冲动地 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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24
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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25
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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27
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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28
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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29
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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30
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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32
hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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33
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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34
elation
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| n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意 | |
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35
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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36
risky
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| adj.有风险的，冒险的 | |
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37
spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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38
tremors
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| 震颤( tremor的名词复数 )； 战栗； 震颤声； 大地的轻微震动 | |
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39
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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40
insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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41
curb
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| n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制 | |
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42
trolley
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| n.手推车，台车；无轨电车；有轨电车 | |
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43
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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45
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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46
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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47
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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48
scudding
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| n.刮面v.（尤指船、舰或云彩）笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的现在分词 ) | |
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49
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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50
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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52
mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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53
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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54
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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55
moored
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| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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56
sprinting
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| v.短距离疾跑( sprint的现在分词 ) | |
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57
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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58
authoritative
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| adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的 | |
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