Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-30

I've bought an automobile, or a motorcar
as they call 1t over here, and while I'm
writing to YOU Aunt Mary Is having nerv-
Gus prostration on a sofa in corner at
least hundred years old mean the sofa.
not the corner which is a good deal more
But perhaps I'd better explain.
Well, to begin with, some people we met
on the steamer Uhey were an archdeacon'
with charming silk legs, and an arch
deaconness who snubbed US till 1t leaked
out through that Aunt Mary that you were
the Chauncy Randolph said if we wanted 70
zee a thoroughly characteristic English
village. we ought to run out to Cobham'
and we ran-today.
Aunt Mary had one OF her presentiments
against the expedition, so / was sure IL
would turn out nice. When we drove up
to this lovely old red-brick hotel In
thing they call fly because 1t crawls,
there IRE several automobiles starting on.
and / can tell you felt small-1ust as II 1
were Miss Noah getting out the ARK. A"eie
there any Miss Noahs, by the wayO
One of the automobiles was dinerent IRON
eny I've ever seen on our side or this. II
was high and dignifed. like charlot, anu
looked over the heads OF the others as tne
archdeaconness used to look over NINE III
abe heard whose daughter / was. chau1-
feur was sitting on the front seat ana
gorgeous man had jumped down and was
giving him directions. He wasnt LOOKING
my way, so / seized the opportunity 10
snapshot him as a souvenir OF Ensnsh
scenery; but that tactless kodak of mine
rave the loudest "click" you ever heard,
and he turned his head in time to suspect
what had been happening. l swept past
with NV most naughty Lady Gwendolen
air, talking to Aunt Mary, and hoped l
shouldn't see him again. But wed haroiy
got seated for lunch in beautlful Ola
ROOM paneled from floor to ceiling with
ancient oak. when he came into the room,
and Aunt Mary, who has sneaking weak
ness for titles Il suppose It's the erect or
the English climate), murmured that there
was her ideal of a duke.
The gorgeous man strolled up and took
place at our table He passed Aunt Mary
some things which she didn't want. ana
then began to throw out q few CONVERSE
tional feelers. If you're a girl and want
fun in England it's no end of a pull being
American, for If you do anything that peo-
pie think queer, they just sigh, and say.
"Poor creature! she's one of those mad
Americans" and put you down as harmless.
don't know whether an English girl
would have talked or not. but 1 did; and
he knew lots of our friends, especially In
Paris. and 1t was easy to see he was
raving, tearing swell" even II he wasn't
exactly a duke. l can't remember how 1t
began. but really 1t was Aunt Mary and
not l who chartered about our trip, and
how we were abroad for the first time, and
were going to do" Europe as soon as We
had done England.
The gorgeous man had lived In France
Che seems to have lived nearly everywhere,
and to know everybody and everything
worth knowingly, and, said he. What a pity
we couldn't do our tour on a motorcar!
At that I became fiippant. and inquired
which, in his opinion. would be more suit
able as chauffeur-Aunt Mary or I: where
upon he announced that he was not joking,
but serious. We ought to have a motorcar
and a chauffeur. Then we might say. like
Monte Cristo, THE world Is mine"
He went on to tell of the wonderful jour
neys he'd made in his car, which we might
have noticed outside" 1t seemed 1t was
world, In fact, there was no other exactly
like it. as 1t had been made especially for
him. You simply couldn't break 1t. 1t was
80 strong; the engine would outlast two of
any other kind. and one of the advantages
was that 1t had belts and a marvellous ar
rangement Galley a Jockey pulley" to
regulate the speed: consequently 1t ran
more "sweetly' Chat was the word he
uesd) than gear-drtven cars which. ac-
cording to him. jerk. and are noisy. break
easily and do all sorts OF disagreeable
things.
BY the time we were half through lunch
was envying him his car, and feeling as II
life wasn't worth living, because / couldn't
have II to play with. I asked him II
could buy one like 1t, but he was very dis
couraging. He had had his fitted up with
didn't pay the firm to make cars like that
for the public, so I would have to order
one specially, and 1t might be months be-
fore 1t could be delivered. / was thinking
1t rather inconsiderate in him to work me
up to such a pitch just to cast me down
again, when he mentioned, in an incidental
way, that he intended to sell his car be-
cause he had ordered a racer of forty horse
power.
/ jumped at that and said. "why not
Sell 1t to me?'
You ought to have seen Aunt Mary's face!
But we didn't give her time to speak, and
gasps are more efectual as Fluctuations
than Interruptions.
Her duke was too much moved to pause
for them. He hurried to say that he hoped
I hadn't misunderstood him. The last
thought in his mind had been to make
deal or course, If I really contemplated
buying a car, 1 must see a great many diff
ferent kinds before deciding. But as 1t
seemed had never had a ride on an auto
mobile (your fault, dad-your only oneD
he would be delighted to take US a little
spin in his car.
Before Aunt Mary could get in a word
had accepted: for 1 did want to go. And
what is Aunt Mary for II not to make all
the things I want to do and otherwise
couldn't, strictly proper
Anyhow. we went, and ii was heavenly
know how bird feels now. only more So
You know, dad, how quickly make up my
mind l take that from you and in our
spin through beautiful lanes to a delightful
hotel called-just think of 1.-THE "Hautboy
and Fiddle" at the village of Ockham, I'd
had quite time enough to determine that
wanted the dukes car, II it could be got.
IL said so; he objected. You've no idea
how delicate he was about IT. so afraid II
might seem that he had taken advantage.
i assured him that. II anything, II was the
other way round. and at last he yielded
The car is really beauty. You can put a
big trunk on behind, and there are places
for tools and books and lunch and no end
OF little things. in a box under the cushions
we sit on. and even under the floor You
never saw anything So convenient. He
showed me everything and explained the
machinery. but that part forgot as fast
as he talked so l can't tell you now ex-
actly on what principle the engine works
When II came to a talk about price I
thought he would say So 500 at least Chats
800 pounds. isn't IT'D for such a splendid
chariot l know Jimmy PAYNE gave nearly
twice that for the one he brought over to
New York last year. and II wasn't half as
handsome. but-would you believe it?-the
man seemed quite shy st naming 81 500. 1t
was n secondhand car now he insisted,
though he had only had 1t three months.
and he wouldn't think of charging more.
felt as II / were playing the poor fellow a
real Yankee trick when I cried "Doner'
Wen. now. dad. there's my confession.
That's all up to date except that the duke.
who isn't duke. but plain Mr. Reginald
Cecil-I.anstown c'plain" seems hardly the
word for all that. does it?) Is to bring my
car. late his. to Claridge's on Monday and
I'm to pay. You DEAR to have given me