Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-01
~ 2
iightningg
Conductor
By
chr A.MWIIlIAMSON

dimly see him hoidlng his hand to his
mouth and rocking backward and forward.
| He did look SO like distracted goblin that
could hardly steady my voice to ask II he
was much hurt. IN broke my hand;
| flew at the terrible handle again. managed
! to start the motor, and we were of.
| Going up a hill tn a town that Rattray
| said was called Lewes I noticed that the
| car didn't seem to travel with its customary
| springy vigor. Loss of power" Rattray
| jerked at me over his shoulder when J
| questioned him as to what was the matter,
| and there 1 had to leave It, wondering
| the way in Lewes Ut was now quite dark.
| with no stars): anyhow we made many
windings. and at last came out into plain
| between dim, chalky, hills, with shining
| river family visible. Aunt Mary had re-
lapsed into expressive silence; the car SEEM
| ed to crawl like wounded thing; but at
luggage carried on board the boat. Rattray
was to follow with the car In the cargo
boat. So ended the lesson for the first
| day''-a ten-hour lesson-and felt sadder
as well as wiser for it.
| Aunt Mary went to sleep as soon as
| we got on the boat; but l was SO excited
at the thought of seeing France that J
coat I'd bought for the car We had
| splendid crossing, and we got near
Dieppe could see chalk cliffs and great
| gaunt crucifix on the pier leading into the
! harbor. 1t seemed as If were dn dream
! when 1 heard people ehattering French
| quite as a matter Of course to each other,
| and like the douaniers, the smart soldiers
| and the railway porters in blue blouses. 1t
| was in the morning when we landed. OF
| course, it was the dead season at Dieppe,
but we got in at 4 hotel close to the sea.
| 1t was lovely waking up, rather late, ones
very first day in France. looking out Of the
! window at the bright water and the little
| fishing boats. with their red-brown sails.
| and smelling a really heavenly scent Of
strong coffee and fresh-baked rolls.
| Later In the morning 1 walked round to
! the harbor to find that the cargo boat had
| arrived, and that Rattray and the car had
/ been landed. The creature actually greet
| ed me with smiles. Now for the first time
| he was a comfort He did everything, paid
J the deposit demanded by the custom house,
| and got the necessary papers. Then he
| drove me back to the hotel, but as 1t was
about midday 1 thought that 1t would be
| nicer to start for Paris the next day, when
| 1 hoped we could have long. clear run.
! In Paris, of course, Aunt Mary and want
| ed to stay for at least week. Rattray
promised to thoroughly overhaul the car,
! so that there need be no "inctdentS' on the
| way.
There was a crowd round US next morn
| ing-a friendly, good-natured little crowd
| when we were getting ready to start in the
stable yard of the hotel. Our landlady was
| there a duck or a woman; the hotel por-
| ters in green baize aprons stood and
| stared: some women washing clothes at a
| trough In the corner stopped their work.
! and a lot of funny, wee schoolboys, with
short-cropped hair and black blouses with
leather belts, buzzed round, gestculating
and trying to explain the mechanism Of the
| car to each other -Rattray hustled about
| with an oil can in his hand, then loaded up
our luggage, and ALI was ready. With
more dignity than confidence mounted to
| the high seat beside Aunt Mary. This time,
with one turn of sthe- handle, the motor
started, 50 contrary is this strange beast.
! the automobile. One day you toll at the
starting handle half an hour. the next the
! thing comes to life with touch. and no.
| body can explain why; Bowling to madame
and the hotel peepleSwe sailed gracefully
| out of the hotel yardssRattray too-tooing a
fanfarronade on the aprn. 1t was splen-
did start! -
| The streets of Dieppe are Of those horrid
/ uneven, stones that the French call pave,
| and loury car jolted oher Them with as much
| noise and clatter as. ifawe'd had a cargo of
| built and heavy-that. said Mr.. cecil-Lans-
town. is one of its merits. 1t is of oak. an
| inch thick, and you can't break It, Another
| thing in it's favor is that it has solid tires,
and not those horrid pneumatics which are
| always bursting and puncturing, and give
no end of trouble. With solid tires you
are always safe." said Mr.. Cecil-Lans-
| town. 1 can't help thinking. though. that
on roads like these of Dieppe 1t would
| be soothing to have ''pneus, as they
| call them. Jingle. jingle! scrunch. scrunch!
| goes the machinery inside. and all tho
| loose parts OF the car. 1t did get on my
nerves.
But soon we were out of the town and
On one of the smoothest roads you ever
| saw. Rattray said it was a route nd
| ticnale" and that they are the best roads
| in the world. The car bounded along as
| ii it were on a billiard table. Even Aunt
| Mary said. Now, IL it were always ike
| this" My spirits went up, up. L proud
| ly smiled and bowed to the peasants IN
| their orchards by the roadsides. L was
| even inclined to pat Rattray on the shoui-
| Ger of his black leather coat Ih1s, this
l -t,A
| sang in our ears. the car ran as II 1t hao
| the strength of a giant. felt as lnoe-
| pendent as gypsy in his caravan, only We
! were travelling at many times ms Speed.
| The country seemed to unfold just like
( panorama. At each turn looked 1or an
| adventure
| We skinned through a delicious green
| country given up to enormous orchards
| which, Aunt Mary read out of guide
| book. yield the famous cidre de Normanoie:
l thought of the lovely pink dress this land
| would wear by-and-by. and then suddenly
We came out from small road on 10
| bread winding one and there was wide
| view over waving country, with a white
| town like a butterfly that had nuttered
| into a birds nest. Rattray let the car go
! down this long road toward the valley al
| something like thirty miles an hour. and
| Aunt Mary's hand had nervously gfasped
| the rail when there came KIND OF sign
| inside the car, and 1t paused to rest.
Rattray jumped off and made puzzled IN
| spection. Cant see anything wrong miss.
! must take of the luggage and look inside.
I 1t is a popularity that every WORKING part
| is hidden modestly under the BODY CT the
] car. This protects themx from WEI ana
/ dust. Mr.. Cecil-Lanstown told me- put IL
| seems little inconvenent to have 20 haui
| Off all the luggage every time you want
| t. examine the machinery. 1t didn take
| lonG to find out what was the matter. me
| aspiration pipe" Rattray SAID, nad WORK
| ed loose lno doubt through the Joitlns over
| the Dieppe pave) and the "vapor couidn
| get from the carburetter to the explosion
chamber"
| 1 only partly understood. but felt that
| the poor car wasn't to blame How couia
| it be expected to go OAzwithout asp'rstihs
There was mo spanlleT to nt me uh .o,,
BILE. Three little Frsnsh boys with go.
/ cart had come to stare kooaken .heIu
| and send you their picture In this letter as
| a sort of punctuation to my complaints
| Well. when RattraT had screwed up the
union as well as he could .isn' tnat WIZ
! our statesmen did after the coniederate
| wary. off we started again. bustiea tnroush
| the town in the valIeyrlwh founo from
! Murray was Neufdhafd-en-Bray). ana hao
a consoling run through beautiful country
until. at noon. wa Sh6t into the market
| place of FORCES les Faux. 1t was MARIE.
| day. and drove at waikins pa.e
through the crowded place. an allve wiz. WIN