The Motor Maids Across the Continent Read online

  CHAPTER III.--IN SEARCH OF A DINNER.

  "This is assuredly a land of peace and plenty," observed Miss Campbell,somewhat sleepily, as she leaned back in the seat and half closed hereyes.

  "Meaning 'too much of a muchness,' Cousin Helen," teased Billie. "Areyou beginning to yearn already for something to happen?"

  "My dear, how can you suggest such things?" cried her relative openingher blue eyes wide in an innocent protest of such an accusation. "Anaged spinster like me craving excitement! What an idea!"

  "But Iowa is not thrilling," admitted Elinor. "These endless cornfieldsare like a sea without ship and what could be duller than a sail-lessocean?"

  "But there are farm houses," put in Mary.

  "Just stupid wooden buildings," answered Elinor scornfully.

  The truth is our five tourists still felt the inevitable homesicknesswhich rarely fails to come during the first few days of a long journeybefore one is settled into the groove of traveling. The hard beds anduninteresting food of the small hotels of the Middle West had not helpedto dispel their vision of West Haven seated on its bluff looking outacross the bay. Its hilly streets and comfortable old houses mellowingeach year into a softer, deeper gray came back to them now with a pang.Nancy yearned infinitely to be sitting at that moment before thedriftwood fire in their sitting room while her father smoked an oldblack pipe and blinked at the crackling flames and her mother hummedsoftly to herself over her mending basket. Even Americus, her teasingbrother, would have gladdened her eyes just then.

  Mary was thinking of her pretty mother standing at the door of the TeaCup Inn in a trim gray chambray dress with its white muslin fichu.Elinor was too proud to admit even in the secret chambers of her mindthe voice from home which kept calling to her across the spaces. As forMiss Helen Campbell she could not efface from her mind a dainty littlevignette of herself seated at her own breakfast table; on her head washer favorite lace breakfast cap trimmed with knots of blue ribbon andseparating her from her beloved Billie across the table was the steamingsilver coffee urn. This enticing picture persisted in passing before hermental vision, perhaps because breakfast that morning had beenunspeakable.

  Billie also was silent. She was trying to explain to herself why thiswave of homesickness had come over them. Was it the flatness andmonotony of highly cultivated farm lands which they ought to admire andbe proud of seeing since this vast territory had once been the home ofthe buffalo and the prairie dog?

  "I know what's the matter with us," she cried suddenly, breaking thelong silence which had fallen on the company.

  "There's nothing in the world the matter with me, child," interruptedMiss Campbell guiltily.

  "I'm sure there is, dearest cousin. You know you can't hide anythingfrom your most intimate relative. We are all of us in the dumps and havebeen for more than a day. We are desperately homesick! Aren't we now, asman to man?"

  "Yes," admitted the others in a gloomy chorus.

  "On this the third day of our voyage, while we are still in shallowwater, as papa would say, there is not one of us who would not be gladto turn back again to the next railroad station, ship the Comet home byfreight and take the first train to West Haven. Isn't it the truth?"

  This frank declaration was greeted in silence.

  "Oh, it's not quite as bad as that, dear," said Miss Campbell at last.

  "But almost," added Nancy.

  "Think of what we've got before us. Think of the splendid greatWest--think of the broad plains----"

  "Plains," interrupted Elinor in a tone of weariness.

  "Yes, plains," went on Billie, summoning all the eloquence she couldcommand, "not like this, but marvelous great stretches of country filledwith beautiful color; think of the ranches we wanted so much to see----"

  "And the cowboys," suggested Nancy.

  "Yes, and the Indians, and the forests and--and the Rocky Mountains, andlast of all, California!"

  Billie paused for breath.

  "Well, I'm thinking of them," observed Miss Campbell.

  "And doesn't the prospect please you, Cousin Helen?"

  Billie had slowed down the car and now turned to look at her cousin'sface.

  "Don't you think it will be thrilling, exciting, wonderful to have theComet take us across all of this interesting country?"

  The corners of Miss Campbell's lips drooped and she gave a patheticsmile.

  "It would, dearest Billie, I am sure it would appear to me in all itstrue glory if I wasn't so--so very hungry."

  Hungry! Here was a solution of this great depression. They were all ofthem famished with hunger. Not a decent meal had they eaten for twodays. It was hunger gnawing at their vitals that had plunged them intothe very depths of homesickness.

  In the automobile was a complete outfit for cooking, a little alcoholstove and various dainty little utensils made of aluminum, all a rathercostly present from their old friend, Mr. Ignatius Donahue, which he hadsent, on being informed of the great journey of the Motor Maids acrossthe continent.

  "Have a piece of chocolate and a graham cracker, Miss Campbell?" Marywas asking in a tone of sympathy.

  "Heavens, no, child," replied the little lady as near to being cross asshe had ever been in her life. "Don't offer me such rubbish, as asubstitute for good beefsteak and coffee that's really coffee?"

  "Let's set up housekeeping," cried Billie, "and start in ten minutes bystopping at the next farm house for supplies!"

  "Why not?" echoed her disciple, Nancy. "We've got the alcohol stove withtwo burners and Elinor's tea basket and some china besides."

  "That's a very sensible idea," said Miss Campbell, her spirits rising atthe suggestion. "I feel, if I could get something tasteful to eat, Imight be able to support existence across the plains and the mountainsand through the forests, but just at present, I--well, I assure you, Iam quite empty."

  "We have some things, remember," put in Mary. "Mr. Donahue's box hadbacon in it and lots of jam and potted cheese----"

  "I think some fresh eggs would be acceptable," observed Miss Campbell.

  Billie turned the Comet in at a patent gate which could be operated fromthe vehicle. Giving a rope which dangled from the horizontal pole a jerkthe gate swung back on its groove. They rolled onto a macadamizeddriveway leading up to the farm buildings.

  "One farm's as good as another," announced Billie, as she gave the ropeon the other side of the gate a vigorous pull. But something had gottwisted and it refused to return to its natural position. Billie andNancy jumped out and tried to push the gate, but their united effortswere unavailing. They swung on the rope together, when suddenly, snap,it broke and they both tumbled backward in a laughing heap. They werestill giggling and brushing the dust from their clothes when a strangelooking vehicle came into the avenue and stopped beside them. It seemedto be composed chiefly of a seat, two rubber tired wheels and a shaftwith no place particularly to rest the feet. Hitched to this peculiarconveyance was a beautiful high-stepping thoroughbred horse, and on therather precarious seat very near to the horse's tail sat a sunburnedyoung farmer dressed in a brown corduroy suit and leather leggings. Hehad a ruddy face, humorous blue eyes and close-cropped hair.

  "Anything I can do for you, ladies?" he asked, holding the prancinghorse with a tight rein.

  "I--I'm afraid we have broken your gate," answered Billie. "We aresorry, but you see we aren't used to gates like this, and I think itwent back too suddenly."

  The young man smiled good naturedly.

  "It's only slipped its trolley," he said. "If one of you could holdPocohontas for me, I'll fix it in a second."

  Billie stood at Pocohontas' head, rather proud of the office, such abeautiful mare was this thoroughbred with her quivering nostrils andarched neck, while the farmer lifted the gate into its groove.

  "You are driving up to the house?" he asked politely.

  "Yes," replied Miss Campbell. "We wondered if we could make a fewpurchases there?"

  "Of horses or cattle?"

  "Oh
, dear me, no," she answered, her pink cheeks deepening to a rosierhue. "Only food. Fresh eggs and cream and fresh butter, and perhaps ayoung chicken, if you have any tender ones, and fresh bread, too."

  Her appetite was growing as she recounted her desires in the way offood.

  The young man smiled most delightfully.

  "We have all those things, I believe," he replied, "for use at thehouse. Do you live near here?"

  "No, no. We live some thousand and more miles away from here. We aretaking a motor trip across the continent, but since we left Chicago,we--we have suffered a little from hunger----"

  Miss Campbell's voice was slightly tremulous.

  There was a pause, and then the four girls burst out laughing. The youngfarmer joined in heartily.

  "In fact, sir," went on Miss Campbell, smiling sweetly on the young man,"we are _very_ hungry."

  "That is really too bad," he exclaimed, making an effort to compose hisface. "These country hotels are dreadful, I know from experience. If youhad only visited private houses, I am sure you would have been well fed.But, if you will just go up to the house, I will follow and we'll seewhat can be done in the way of provisions."

  It was evident that Pocohontas did not care for the Comet. She curvettedand circled around and stood on her hind legs in a most alarming manner.Suddenly, with a wild neigh, she made for the open field at one side ofthe road. Her driver, taken by surprise, was thrown backward. It was aneasy fall on soft turf, and no harm would have been done if his foot hadnot got caught in a loop on the reins and, to their horror, they saw himdragged after the sulky, in danger of being killed at any moment.

  Giving the motor car a sharp turn, Billie put on all speed and followedthe runaway. In another instant they had covered the width of the field,some distance above Pocohontas' mad course. With a bound, Billie leapedto the ground, and as the mare came tearing up, the young girl jumped ather bridle, caught it with one hand, was dragged a few feet, then seizedit with the other, and held on with all her might. Pocohontas was asmall horse, and not difficult to curb, once her reins were in a goodgrip. She stopped, reared back, and then stood perfectly still,quivering all over in a state of palsied excitement.

  Miss Campbell had shrieked and covered her face with her hands to shutout the dreadful sight of Billie being trampled to death. But Billie hada cool head and a brave heart, and such excellent qualities make awonderful combination. The other girls jumped out of the car andhastened to the farmer, while across the fields farm hands came runningfrom every direction.

  The young man had only lost consciousness for a moment, and when hisfoot was disentangled from that diabolical loop, he was able to staggerto his feet.

  "Are you much hurt, Mr. Moore," demanded two of the men supporting himon either side, while two others relieved Billie of the excitablePocohontas.

  "Only a sprain," he answered. "This brave young lady has saved my life."

  "I'm afraid our motor car caused all the trouble," exclaimed Billie. Shenever said "my motor car." Her friends often noticed this. But she hadbeen brought up by a very genuine and fine man, and was as modest andsimple as her father himself.

  "You had better get into the car and let us take you home," said MissCampbell who had recovered from her fright.

  For the second time since they left Chicago, they now found themselvesgiving a lift to a strange young man. In another five minutes the Cometdrew up at the front door of a big frame farmhouse painted white, withgreen shutters. Everything about it was exceedingly neat, although therewas a certain emptiness in the prospect, perhaps because there were noflower beds in the yard and also no curtains at any of the windows whichstared down at them like so many eyeless sockets. However, they wererather surprised when the front door was opened by a Japanese butler ina white linen suit. A second Japanese servant followed and they assistedtheir master out of the motor car.

  "Ladies," said Mr. Moore, his face twitching with the pain of hissprained leg, "may I ask you into my home. It will be a great pleasureand honor, I am sure. My name is Daniel Moore. I am a lonely bachelorfarmer, and I shall take it as a particular compliment if you will joinme at lunch."

  "But I am afraid you are in great pain, Mr. Moore," protested MissCampbell.

  "Not in the least, I assure you, madam. My leg is only a little twisted.I shall be walking on it in an hour. You just now confessed that youwere hungry. So am I. Takamini, luncheon for six."

  Miss Campbell, at the mention of lunch, stepped nimbly down from the carand followed him into the house with the girls.

  Would it not have been exceedingly foolish to have declined aninvitation for a good square meal? And they hoped it would be good andsquare.