Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-09
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Safe on the Back Seat Of a Car, the
Feet That Won't Behave Can
Do No Mischief
by SARAH ID. LOWRIE

AT the end of four lessons from an instruc.
tor--never the same instructor provided
gratis by the Ford management Il was
hastily pronounced competent and given my
congo by the genial soul who had sold nc
my car! II was like pulling teeth to get
those four lessons there were SO many new
owners waiting in line. My feeble protest
that | needed to be taught to park the car
on crowded street. and TO turn il under
the awful eye Of the traffic policeman ut
Broad and Arch streets. was waved aside az
mere feminine humility. The last boy who
had acted as my prcccptor had pronounced
me good enough and there was no more
to be said.
The car thnt had bought. because il had
one less scratch on its body than any of the
Others in the salesrocm. was ready to he
Delivered to the factory. where additional
rartS-such as a speetometcr. n rug rack,
4 less rliablc running board and coverings
for the cushions. not to speak Of n horn that
beloved instead Of sQucaked and cut t
were to be added unto it. These were the
days when the Fords were sold naked and
unaShamrd with $40 allowed for a specdome-
ter and nothing extra but n coconut rug in
the back.
MIGHT have taken the verdict Of the
last hoy teacher" on my driving ability.
if ! had driven the car ont myself that day
maker. While hc was embcllishing 1t with
paint and accoutcrments. I had, however, n
pause TO reflect. And during that pause I
was inundated by insurance literature.
Wh'ch gradually scared me into perpetual
gooseh"sh and my hair into ncrmancnt waves
OF rising and falling in sheer terror over
what | Nigh do with my car or n,y car,
with me in It. might do to others, as we'll aS
what might be done to me.
Lurid examples Of every sort Of rntns-
frnnhn Spf hof r l,o tl
that had happened which would make every
sort or insurance obligatory TO the owner and
the driver of car. What the insurance
circulars left to the imagination the press
illustrated day by day while Nv courage
turned to jelly and my nerve to water.
civ" mo more Lessons. And Thomas firm
determination that if hc could help it |
never should learn to drive in tie end
triumph"d lie became my chauffeur. md
sol" conncction with the affair was to pay
the bills that Thomas ran up.
IT WAS perhaps our second lesson that [
i stopped all traffic on Broad street near
Cherry for fifteen minutes. was learning
to turn in the middle Of the street and my
happy solution Of the difficulty in threading
my way between two parked cars was to
St"or in the opposite direction from the ap.
pronching traffic. Thee was no approaching
trati" near, and momcntarily it seemed
easier 70 90 uptown than dowr Thomnx
very righteously indignant. snatchcd the
steering wheel. but left my feet TO play ut
lnrg" on the various stops ranged along the
floor, with the result that | spccded IN and
th" car lightly bounded on to the pavement
ana. indeed. nearly up pair Of steps. In
our n1th had been n street cleaner. who
had felt safe. | suppose. on the pavement
~" l"ap"d aside. but failed to hurl his street.
CIcan!ng paraphcrnalia out Of our way.
W" gathered that mp In the bumper and
deposited it on the front steps intact.
Att"r second Of PREPARATION for what !
might see in our wake I looked behind me,
once We were stalled. to behold a huge
crowd already gathered and surrounding a
hgur" in white Overalls with arms raised to
heaven. whether in thanksgiving or prayer
il was hard to say.
Thomas restored his dustpan and brushes
and Scrap,r. lie even let his arms come
down, with stiff reluctance as though he
wasn't sure he hai power over them. AT
That moment the mounted policeman came
rr!ckinC DER the lea and the crowd surccd
from the ',whitc wing" to nc. got a very
severe >r"dng from very irate lriShmar.
and | took il with n mcCkness that I was
proud to discover | possessed.
Thomas and the crowd wCrc very much
disappointed that | was not arrested.
"'''' '"N' ko' PH'h'd II you mad
l. been anything but Just n woman -
was Thomas disappearing summing up ns
we drove off, h" behind the steering wncel,
on the back seat.
He kept me there in disgrace for several
days. during which time he drew the ear to
the curb to fix something wrong every time
| was about 10 gather courage to say:
''l'll take lesson now, Thomas"
Everything went wrong with the nwards.
n" mysterious inwarda Of that car. until
what courage tn" insurance circulars had
turned TO Jelly "vaporat"d into moist air
About the fifth day ] hired Thomas for M
'tcachcr' for tie summer. and never got
round to asking him for lesson again.
But the dent it left on my nerves was 70
make that severance Of the, GO ordination
between my hands and my feet Il fatal move
for any teacher who followed him. And
tl"y all seem to do it in moments of doubt.
Yesterday ! approa"Ecd very narrow gate
with n guiding hand on the whcci. such as
on" might use with n four in hand" that