Patty's Motor Car

“I spent a summer down here some years ago. That’s how I knew where that picnic ground is. Look out, there’s a bad place in the road!”

But Patty had already seen it, and was skilfully steering so as to avoid it.

“You see everything,” said Philip, admiringly; “you’re a wonderful little motorist! I never saw anybody drive better than you do; and so easily, too. Merciful Heavens!”

Patty gave a jump at Philip’s excited exclamation, and saw, straight in front of her, an immense red car at full speed. It had swung around a sharp angle, and could not possibly have been seen by them until it burst on their vision not twenty yards away. They had heard no signal, which was culpable carelessness on the part of the driver of the big car, and perhaps Patty was equally culpable in not having sounded her own horn.

But this was no time to think of such matters, for they were really in perilous danger. The driver of the big car did nothing to avert disaster. It could not be he was indifferent to the awful situation; he looked more as if he were stunned by the sudden realisation of it.

Patty was absolutely paralysed with fear. She realised fully their plight, she knew that nothing could save them from instant and terrible collision, and her muscles were absolutely powerless to move.

The short distance between the two cars diminished like lightning, and neither car had swerved from a straight line leading to the other.

Patty tried to shriek, but her stiffened tongue gave forth no sound.

At sight of the big car, Philip Van Reypen was stunned also. But, in an instant, he recovered his senses, and, in another instant, he had shot out his right hand and, seizing the controller handle, pushed it backward with a force that nearly crushed Patty’s hand that held it. Then, grasping the steering bar with his other hand, he swerved the car over to the right, blindly trying to find the reverse lever with his foot.

Then happened what Philip knew would happen. The Camilla banged into a sheer cliff of rock, but took it sideways. He grasped Patty as the car stopped, and they were both jolted backward.

By presence of mind and quick action, he had run the car into the cliff, causing thereby a minor smash-up, instead of meeting the big red car in a head-on collision, which would surely have meant fatality.

Patty was very white, but she did not faint. The shock restored her numbed senses, and she turned to Philip with a glance of perfect understanding of what he had done.

“Oh, Patty,” he whispered, in a tense voice, “thank Heaven you’re safe!”

“It was a miracle, Philip; but you did it yourself! I knew it at the time, my brain worked perfectly, but my muscles were paralysed by fear. Oh, suppose yours had been, too!”

“I could have done better if I could have sensed the thing an instant sooner. For a second my brain wouldn’t work, and then I saw my way clear, like a flash, but it was too late! I hadn’t time to back or to get across in front of the car. It was either to run into this cliff, or have that immense machine run into us.”

“It was splendid!” said Patty, the tears coming to her eyes; and then the reaction from the shock came, and she burst into violent sobbing.

“Don’t, Patty; don’t do that,” said Philip, in a pained voice, and Patty looked up, smiling through her tears.

“I’m not really crying,” she said; “it’s just a foolish reaction, and I can’t help it. I’m sorry to be so silly, but I’m just a little hysterical from, – from joy, you know.”

“You behaved splendidly, Patty! If you had moved hand or foot, we would have been dashed to pieces. It was only because I could get full command of the controller and the steering bar that I could manage at all. If you had given a convulsive push the other way, – well, never mind that! But I expect I crushed your hand when I grasped the controller. I had to, to make sure that you didn’t jerk it the other way unintentionally.”

“I guess you did hurt my hand;” and Patty held it up to see. Sure enough, black and blue bruises already appeared on fingers and palm.

“Poor little hand,” said Philip, taking it in his own. “I’m so sorry, Patty.”

“Don’t talk to me like that!” exclaimed Patty, “as if I were a molly-coddle! I’m glad you smashed my hand, as that was the only way to save us from – ”

“From certain death,” said Philip, gravely.

And then they heard a motor coming behind them, and, looking up, found a good-sized touring car, which was about to pass them, but had stopped at their side.

“Want help?” called out a cheery voice, and Philip answered, “Indeed, we do!”

The stranger jumped out of his car, and came over to inspect the Camilla.

“I ought to get out,” whispered Philip. “Are you brave enough to sit here alone, Patty?”

“Of course; Camilla can’t run away now!”

Philip and the other man looked about to see what had really happened to Patty’s car. There was not so much damage as it seemed at first, for, with the exception of a smashed mudguard, and some dents and bruises, nothing was broken, except the shaft drive axle. But this, of course, rendered the car helpless as to her motor, though her running gear was all right.

“I’ll give you a tow,” said the stranger heartily. “Where do you want to go?”

“To Spring Beach,” answered Philip. “Are you going that way?”

“I can go that way as well as not, and, when people come as near death and destruction as you people did, I think it’s only human to take you home. Perfect marvel, though, how you escaped with so little injury to the car!”

“Perfect marvel how we escaped at all!” said Philip. “I did what I could, but, when I see the narrow margin we had on either side, I wonder we weren’t smashed to bits, anyway.”

“It is a wonder!” said the stranger. “Most marvellous thing I ever saw, – and I’ve seen lots of motor accidents. My name’s Hampton, – Henry Hampton, – and now, if you’ll help me rig up the tow, I’ll pull you home.”

And so, after a short time, Philip and Patty, still seated in the damaged Camilla, went swiftly along, towed by kind-hearted Henry Hampton’s powerful car.

Of course, when they reached “The Pebbles,” an anxious crowd awaited them.

“It’s getting to be sort of a habit, our getting home late, with an accident to report,” said Philip, as they turned in the gate, and Patty couldn’t help smiling, though her nerves were still tingling from the recent shock, and from the realisation of their wonderful escape.

The laughing crowd on the veranda grew suddenly still as they saw a strange motor enter the gate with the Camilla in tow.

“What has happened?” cried Nan, as they came within hearing distance.

“We’re all right, father!” called out Patty, anxious to allay the look of fear and consternation on her father’s face.

“Patty, dear child, what is it?” exclaimed Mr. Fairfield, as he lifted Patty, still white and trembling, out of the car.

“An accident, father, – an awful accident! And Philip was the hero this time; he saved my life, and he did it in a most wonderful way! I’ll tell you about it sometime, but I can’t now;” and Patty fell limply into her father’s arms.

“Never mind, darling, it’s all right,” said Mr. Fairfield, soothingly, as he kissed the pale brow, and carried Patty up the steps and into the house. He laid her on a couch, and, under Nan’s gentle ministrations, she soon revived.

Meantime, Henry Hampton was telling the tale as he had understood it.

“Mighty slick piece of work!” he said. “Never saw anything like it in my life! That young fellow ought to have medals pinned all over him.”

“There, there, Mr. Hampton, that’ll be about all,” said Philip, trying to shut off the tide of compliments from the stranger.

“No, ’taint about all!” declared Mr. Hampton, wagging his head, “but I guess the little lady can tell you the story, once she feels like herself again. I must be gettin’ along now, but I just want to remark, edgewise, that I’ve seen lots of pluck and bravery in my day, but for hair-trigger intellect, coolheadedness, pluck, and plumb bravery, I never saw such an exhibition as this here chap put up to-day! Good-afternoon, all;” and, with a wave of his hand, Mr. Hampton went away.

Philip was the hero of the hour, but he would not admit that he had done anything praiseworthy or unusual.

“There was only one thing to do,” he said; “only one possible chance to take, and of course I took it; and almost by a miracle it went through all right, and we smashed the car, but saved our lives.”

“Don’t you listen to him!” called out Patty. “You people come in here, and I’ll tell you all about it! I was driving, and it was next to impossible for Philip to get hold of the bars, across me. But he did it! and he did it in time! and he did it exactly right! And I just sat there paralysed with fear, and unable to move. But I suppose you don’t expect a girl to be very brave, – and I sort of collapsed, I know. But Philip is a hero, and I want him appreciated as such.”