The first words he heard confirmed this unpleasant suspicion.
“You’ve been scorchin’, ain’t ye?”
“That’s a good one. I saw ye.”
“No, sir! It was only a reasonable rate of speed.”
“How many good telegraph poles did ye knock down along the route?” asked Tom’s questioner, sarcastically5.
“I put every one right back in its place.”
“Nothing of the sort!” broke in Tom, impatiently.
“What ain’t?”
“What you said.”
“What I said ain’t nothin’ o’ the sort, eh? Wal, it’ll go easier with yer if ye ain’t forgot the politeness ye l’arned in early youth. Back there”—he waved a brown finger in the air—“ye scorched; own up now!” His words were jerked out with incisive7 emphasis. “Own up now!”
“Maybe I did go a little fast,” admitted Tom, hesitatingly, “but—but—here! What are you doing?”
The countryman, without waiting for anything further, had calmly stepped on the running board. He leaned over to open the door.
“The court-house ain’t so very far,” announced the unexpected passenger, calmly seating himself on the rear cushions. “Cheer up, young feller. ’Twon’t be more’n fifteen dollars; an’ if ye hain’t got it the county allus[114] takes good keer o’ the machine till ye comes out.”
“This is a pretty kettle of fish!” cried Tom, hotly.
“Some o’ the prettiest fish I ever see has been ketched right around here, son. But don’t let yer machine git rusty9. Even machine oil has riz in price.”
Tom was too disgusted to make any rejoinder. He turned his head, to stare hard into a pair of twinkling gray eyes. An awkward silence followed.
“Did you mistake this for a sightseeing car?” demanded Tom, at length. “Please step right out!”
The other grinned complacently10.
“I’m only a little bunch,” he confided11, “but when I worked in lumber12 camps me pals13 said I were as strong as a steel trap; and that’s pretty near so. Nobody has ever put me off an automobile14 yit.” He laughed softly. “Feel like trying it?”
“Who are you?” asked Tom, wrathfully.
The man settled the matter beyond all question. From an inside pocket he produced a small, ominous-looking shield.
[115]“How does that strike ye?” he asked, mildly.
“Then you’re a—a constable, after all?”
“If ye’d guessed a year ye couldn’t hev guessed better. This is a free country; but when the majesty15 o’ the law has been damaged fifteen dollars’ worth——”
“But I didn’t scorch—an’ you know it!” cried Tom.
“Softly, young feller. It’s lucky for you Jack16 Piker didn’t see that last lap o’ yourn, that’s all. I’m an easier man than him.”
“I could have gone twice as fast,” insisted Clifton, angrily.
“So much the worse if ye had.”
The boy pleaded and coaxed17. There was no reason why he should be delayed; he was going moderately fast, but not at any rate of speed that could be considered illegal. None of his arguments, however, appeared to have the slightest effect upon the little man on the rear seat. Occasionally a low, chuckling18 laugh escaped him. The lines around his eyes deepened.
“When you git finished start ’er up,” he commanded, firmly.
And Tom, fairly boiling over with indignation, “started up.”
“And it’s all on account of that miserable20 Victor Collins,” he muttered. “Never mind! I haven’t been touched out at first yet. Wait till I get before the justice!”
Tom had so many thoughts to keep his mind occupied that the next town emerged into view through the gloomy haze22 ahead with surprising suddenness.
“South Milwaukee,” announced a gruff voice from the rear.
Tom scorned to reply.
The hum of smoothly-working machinery23, the soft whirr of wheels and the chant and moan of the wind were the only sounds which broke the silence as the distance became less and less.
Finally the motor car was on the principal street of the town. Tom had been expecting every instant to receive orders to proceed at once to the hall where justice held full sway, but, so far, the little man, beyond hailing several acquaintances with considerable enthusiasm, had remained silent.
“Ah—now it comes!”
[117]A long finger was tapping his shoulder.
“Stop!” commanded the passenger.
Tom looked hastily about him, but could see no building suggestive of a court-house.
“I certainly am much obliged to you, son.”
The little man’s eyes were twinkling merrily. Suddenly he burst into a series of loud guffaws26, while young Clifton’s look of astonishment27 momentarily increased.
“Ain’t I speakin’ English?”
“Hang it all; I—I don’t understand it.”
“Ha, ha! Of course ye don’t. But ask anybody nigh-abouts who knows Jerry Dinglar an’ they’d tell ye he’s the greatest practical joker in town. I simply can’t help it.”
One square look into Mr. Dinglar’s eyes was enough to reveal the truth.
“Great Scott!”
Tom breathed a sigh of relief. He felt so[118] joyous29 that his anger melted entirely30 away. Willingly he seized and shook the lean brown hand which was thrust toward him, suppressing with difficulty a desire to indulge in boisterous31 mirth.
“Only a joke!” he exclaimed. “Ha, ha!—But”—his face suddenly became grave again—“aren’t you really a constable?”
“I’m the greatest stickler32 for facts you ever heard of,” confided Mr. Dinglar. “Sure I am a constable. Now let me tell you somethin’—let it soak in good, too: back there ain’t in my jurisdiction33; Piker attends to that most o’ the time, an’ I’m generally off to the north o’ here. But I wanted to git a lift inter34 town—understan’? An’ when I see a young chap comin’ along swift as an Injun arrow I makes up my mind to hev it. See the p’int?”
Tom admitted that he caught the idea.
“But why in thunder didn’t you just ask me?” he inquired.
Jerry Dinglar shook his head.
“Me friends all like me well enough, but I’ll wager35 they’d give somethin’ big if I’d only move out o’ the county, yes, they would.”[119] His chuckling laugh came again. “See the p’int?”
Tom nodded.
“I had to hev my little joke; an’ you look enough like my own son to be his brother.”
Tom turned his face away to hide a rather odd expression.
“Only he ain’t stretched out to ’most the breakin’ p’int, as you are,” added the official. “Anyway, it made me do you a good turn.”
“How?” asked Tom, interestedly.
“If Jack Piker had saw what I see’d it would hev been fifteen dollars’ worth o’ law busted36, sure. Better take advice o’ one who introduces automobile fellers to the judge every week—be keerful; don’t do it ag’in. That’s what I was wantin’ ter impress on yer mind—understan’?” The little man clapped him on the shoulder. “I don’t know where ye come from, an’ I don’t know where ye’re goin’, but I like ye, ’cause you kin1 take a joke. See the p’int?”
Tom grinned.
“Sure! Some chaps are so thin-skinned they get mad at everything,” he said, loftily.
“That’s it. Good-bye, an’ much obleeged!”[120] And, with these words, the little constable hopped37 nimbly to the ground, gave a parting wave of his hand and walked rapidly away.
“By George, that’s a comical one for you,” said Tom, to himself. “I feel just like a chap who has beaten the ball to first. Ha, ha! I wasn’t scorching, though; that is, not when he saw me. But still”—he smiled rather grimly—“I’d better be on the safe side and crawl the rest of the way.”
Once more the machine was in motion. South Milwaukee soon fell far behind and within a half hour he was approaching the city. A confused mass of buildings, and an occasional chimney rising high above them, lifted themselves faintly from obscurity. Here and there factory smoke raced with the low-hanging clouds and deepened their lowering surfaces into a still darker tone.
Tom paid no heed38 to the depressing air of gloom which seemed to pervade39 all nature. He was too anxious to reach the East Water Street bridge and bring his lonely trip to a close.
And suppose the motor yacht “Fearless” should not be there, after all?
This unpleasant thought, occasionally penetrating[121] Tom’s armor of confidence, brought an expression of deep concern to his face.
“Well, in that case, I suppose I’ll have to play the game some more,” he sighed. “Anyway, it’s up to me to make good; and I will.”
The outskirts40 were quickly passed. The scattering41 array of houses gave place to thickly built up sections, which, as he progressed, became more and more lively. At length Tom drove along Kinnikinnic Avenue, finally crossing the river of the same name. Then the motor car swung into Clinton Street, and, on a straight road, leaped forward, overtaking and nosing past every vehicle bound in the same direction.
Tom, in his impatience42, forgot all self-consciousness, handling the car with a skill almost equal to that of Bob Somers’. His heart was beating high with hope and expectancy43.
A deep, hoarse44 whistle vibrating over the air told of traffic on the Milwaukee River. The sound brought with it, too, the pleasing message that his goal was almost reached.
Within a few minutes he would know—what?
[122]Up to the limit of speed allowed by law dashed the motor car, Tom eagerly straining his eyes for the first glimpse of the East Water Street bridge, which, according to his map, must be just ahead.
“Ah ha; there it is!”
The draw was opening to allow a boat to pass. Tom saw the great arms of the structure rising higher and higher against the sky. To the left the bold, impressive lines of a whaleback steamer loomed45 up, with flags on its fore21 and aft masts straightened out in the wind.
Presently the dull, leaden-looking water of the Milwaukee River flashed into view. At the East Water Street bridge its course toward Lake Michigan changes to a southeasterly direction. Another moment, and Tom’s eyes were roving swiftly over the stream.
He threw out the clutch and the motor car stopped.
“Stung again, maybe!” groaned47 the chauffeur. He sat motionless for an instant, deep[123] in thought, then mumbled48, “What a silly chump I am! Come to think of it, Captain Bunderley said ‘Near the bridge.’ I can’t do much scouting49 around in this car, so I’ll shoot it over to the nearest garage and sprint50 right back.”
A boy, in answer to his inquiries51, directed him to cross the bridge and keep straight on until Wisconsin Street was reached.
“Guess you’ll find one along there,” he said. “Say, ain’t that a whopping big machine! How much do you get a week for running it?”
“Twice as much as nothing,” answered Tom, with a faint grin.
As soon as the bridge settled back into place the motor car was put in motion. Tom directed his course along East Water Street, driving with great caution, until he reached an important business section. Not far from Wisconsin Street he found a garage and left his machine.
The next thing that Tom Clifton did was to hunt up a restaurant and refresh himself with a good meal. This acted so wonderfully upon his spirits that he walked out on the street[124] feeling renewed confidence in the correctness of his deductions52.
“Bet I’ll find the yacht in half an hour,” he said to himself. “Here’s where the hunt begins.”
But although Tom Clifton thoroughly53 explored the river in the neighborhood of the East Water Street bridge, the late afternoon found him still searching, with hope gone down to the zero point.
“I’ve made the circuit of the bases and been put out at home,” he muttered. “What do you think of that for awful luck!”
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1
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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2
constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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3
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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5
sarcastically
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| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 | |
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6
pampered
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| adj.饮食过量的，饮食奢侈的v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
incisive
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| adj.敏锐的，机敏的，锋利的，切入的 | |
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8
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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9
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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10
complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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11
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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12
lumber
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| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
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13
pals
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| n.朋友( pal的名词复数 )；老兄；小子；（对男子的不友好的称呼）家伙 | |
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14
automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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15
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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16
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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17
coaxed
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的过去式和过去分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱 | |
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18
chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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19
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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20
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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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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25
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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26
guffaws
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| n.大笑，狂笑( guffaw的名词复数 )v.大笑，狂笑( guffaw的第三人称单数 ) | |
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27
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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28
lark
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| n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏 | |
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29
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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stickler
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| n.坚持细节之人 | |
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jurisdiction
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| n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权 | |
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34
inter
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| v.埋葬 | |
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35
wager
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| n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌 | |
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36
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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37
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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38
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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39
pervade
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| v.弥漫，遍及，充满，渗透，漫延 | |
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40
outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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41
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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42
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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43
expectancy
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| n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额 | |
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44
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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45
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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46
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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47
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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48
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
scouting
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| 守候活动，童子军的活动 | |
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50
sprint
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| n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过 | |
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51
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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52
deductions
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| 扣除( deduction的名词复数 )； 结论； 扣除的量； 推演 | |
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53
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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