Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-01

while touring In Europe with her Aunt Mary.
decides to go on an sufom aos III ,nR sther sbe
tells how she purchased motor ca. from =
the snest ' machine A in the world chauneur
| named Rattrsy is engaged. and the car is to
he shipped to France and they are 10 start On
extended trip.
| The Horrible Restaurant on the B0uie q Ut,
Suresnes, near Paris, November %
Forgive me- dear, long-suffering-b because
you-couldn t-help- yourself dad for being
such a beast about writing But did SEND
you three cables, didn't 1? Aunt Mary would
have written only 1 threatened her with
unspeaka BILE things if she did. l knew so
| well what she would say. and 1 wouldn't
have it. Now, however, I'm going to tell
you the truth the whole truth and MOTH
| ing but the truth-no varnish. Indeed
| there isn't much varnish left on anything.
l wonder If can make you comprehend
the things I've gone through in the last
two or three days? Why, dad. feel OLD
enough to be your mother. But III try and
begin at the beginning. though 1t seems. to
| look back almost before the memory OF
man, to say nothing of woman. Let me
see where Is the beginning. when l was
still young and happy? Perhaps it's IN
our outfit for the trip. l can dwell upon
| that with comparative calmness.
Even Aunt Mary was happy. You would
| have had to rush out and take your apo
plectic medicine as used to call 1t. II you
| could have seen her trying different KINDS
of masks and goggles, and asking graVely
which were most becoming. Thank Heaven
! that I've inherited your sense or humor!
| To that have owed my sanity during the
| last dies irae. Us that the way to spell
| it?)
l wouldn't have the conventional kind OF
mask nor goggles. Seeing Aunt Mary IN
| her armor saved me from that, ! bought
what they call toilet mask, when
women vainer than wear at night to pre-
serve their compilations. This was only
| for last resort very dusty days. to be
| hidden from sight by a thin, gray veil. as II
/ were a modern prophet of kOraSSan.
We got dust-gray cloaks. waterproof cloth
on the outside and lined with fur. Aunt
Mary invested in kind of patent helmet
! with curtains that unfurl on the sides, TO
cover the ears and 1 found myself so
fetching in a hood that l bought one. as
we'll as toque to provide for all wea theirs.
Then we got fascinating tea basket. foot
warmers that burn charcoal. and had two
fiat trunks made on purpose to hit the back
of the car. with tarpaulin covers to take
on and off. Our big luggage we planned
to send to places where we wanted to
make long stay; but we would have
enough with us to make us feel self-con
| tanned and independent.
We did look ship-shape when we
started from the Carlton on the morning
of November 10, with our luggage strapped
on behind, the foot warmers and tea
basket the floor, our umbrellas in
hanging basket contrivance. fur-lined
waterproof rug over Aunt Marys knees
and mine. I'd taken no more lessons
since that first day l wrote you about,
owing to the car not being ready until the
night before our start. so Rattray sat in
front alone, Aunt Mary and together be-
| hind. T~- :
We meant to have got off about eight as
we had to drive over fifty miles to New
haven where the car was to be shipped
that night. but Rattrav had little diff
Guilty in starting the car. and We were half
an hour late, which was irritating, espec-
| tally as a good many people were waiting
to see us off. At last, however we shot
away in fine style. which checked Aunt
Mary in the middle of her thirty-second
sigh
All went well for couple of hours. We
were out in the country-lovely undulating
English country. The car, which Mr.. Cecil
LanstCwn had said was beyond all others
| as a hill-clmber, was justifying it's reputa-
| ton, as l had confidently expected 1t would
| The air was cold. but instead of making
! one SILVER. our blood tngled with exhilara-
ton as we few along. You know what a
chilly body Aunt Mary is? Even she didn't
| her foot-warmer. This is life! said 1 to
| myself. 1t seemed to that I'd never
| known the height of physical pleasure until
| I'd driven in a motor car. 1t was better
| than dancing on a perfect floor with per-
| feet partner to pluperfect music: better
| than eating when you're awfully hungry;
| better than holding out your hands to a
fire when they're numb with cold; better
| than bath after hot, dusty railway jour-
ney. I can't give 1t higher praise. can ~
and l did wish for you. l thought you
would be converted. Oh, my unprophetic
soul!
Suddenly. sailing up a steep hill at about
| ten miles an hour, the car stopped, and
| would have run back if Rattray hadn't put
| on the brakes Whats the natter" said
| /. while Aunt Mary convulsively clutched
my arm.
| "Only a belt broken. MISS" he returned
| glocmily. Means twenty minutes delay,
that's all. Sorry l must trouble you la
| dies to get up. New belts and belt-fasten-
| ers under your seat. Tools under the floor
| We were relieved to think it was no
| worse, and reminded ourselves that we had
much to be thankful for. while we disar-
| ranged our comfortably established selves.
| There were the tea-basket and the foot
| warmers to be lifted from the floor and de-
| posted on Rattray's vacant front seat. the
| big rug to be got rid of, our feet to be put
up while the foor-board was lifted. then
| we had to stand while the cushions were
| pulled OFF the seat and the lid of the box
raised. We. or at least I. tried to think 1t
| was part of the fun: but 1t was little
] depressing to hear Rattray grunting and
| grumbling to himself as he unstrapped the
| luggage. hoisted 1t off the back of the car
| so that he could get at the broken belt In
| side and pumped 1t down viciously on the
| dusty road.
The delay was nearer half an hour than
| twenty minutes and It seemed extra long
| because 1t was a strain entertaining Aunt
| Mary to keep her from saying II told you
| so! But we had not gone two miles before
our little annoyance was forgotten.
| That is the queer part about auto
| airs going we'll that you forget past
misadventures, and feel joyously hopeful
| that you will never have any more.
| We got on all right until after lunch.
which we ate at a lovely inn close to
George Meredith's house. Then 1t took half
| an hour to start the car again. Rattray
looked as II he were going to burst. Just
| to watch him turning that handle in vain
| made me feel as If elephants had walked
over me. He said the trouble was that 1.-The
| compression was too strong" and that
| there back firing"-whatever that
means. Just as l was giving up hope the
| engine started Off with rush. and we were
| on the way again through the most sooth-
ingly pretty country. About O'Clock in
| the midst of glorious spin. there was
| "r-r-r-tch." the car swerved to one side
| Aunt Mary screamed, and we stopped dead
| Chain broken snarled Rattray
Up we had to jump once more. Tea bas-
ket. foot warmers, rugs. ourselves-every-
| thing had to be hustled out of the way for
| Rattray to get at the tools and spare chains
| which we carried In the box under our
seats. I began to think perhaps the car
| wasn't quite so conveniently arranged for
| touring as I had IA pctad lint I'd have djad