Q: CHAPTER XX

A MOMENT OF PERIL

"This is the life!"

"That's right, Tom. This kind of touring suits me to death," returned Sam Rover.

"Tom, how many miles an hour are you making?" broke in his wife. "Remember what you promised me--that you would keep within the limit of the law."

"And that is just what I am doing, Nellie," he answered. "But it's mighty hard to do it, believe me, when you are at the wheel of such a fine auto as this. Why, I could send her ahead twice as fast if I wanted to!"

"Don't you dare!" burst out Grace, who sat in the tonneau beside her sister. "If you do I'll make you let Sam drive."

"He's got to let me drive anyway after dinner," said the youngest Rover boy. "That's the arrangement."

It was the second day of the tour, and Valley Brook Farm, and in fact the whole central portion of New York State, had been left far behind. The weather had turned out perfect, and so far they had encountered very little in the way of bad roads. Once they had had to make a detour of two miles on account of a new bridge being built, but otherwise they had forged straight ahead.

Tom and his wife, with Grace and Sam, occupied the first automobile, the remaining space in the roomy tonneau being taken up by various suitcases and other baggage. Behind this car came the one driven by Dick Rover. Beside him was his wife, with Mrs. Stanhope and Mrs. Laning behind them. Some distance to the rear was the third machine, a brand-new runabout, containing Chester Waltham and his sister Ada. Waltham had at first wished to take the lead, but had then dropped behind, stating he did not wish to get the others to follow him on any wrong road.

1. Sam Rover
2. Three
3. yes
4. keep within the limit of the law.
5. his wife
6. yes
7. yes
8. when you are at the wheel of such a fine auto as this
9. perfect
10. no
11. yes
12. Waltham
13. yes
14. he did not wish to get the others to follow him on any wrong road.
15. yes
16. two miles
17. various suitcases and other baggage

Numbered questions:
1. Who was driving?
2. How many people was he with?
3. Did he make any promises?
4. What was it?
5. Who did he promise that to?
6. Did he keep it?
7. Was it hard?
8. Why?
9. How was the weather?
10. Any problems on the trip?
11. Were they travelling with any other cars?
12. Who took the front position initially?
13. Did he change his mind?
14. Why?
15. Did the construction cause a delay?
16. For how long?
17. What else was in the car?

Q: CHAPTER XXX

FERN Mullins rushed into the house on a Saturday morning early in September and shrieked at Carol, "School starts next Tuesday. I've got to have one more spree before I'm arrested. Let's get up a picnic down the lake for this afternoon. Won't you come, Mrs. Kennicott, and the doctor? Cy Bogart wants to go--he's a brat but he's lively."

"I don't think the doctor can go," sedately. "He said something about having to make a country call this afternoon. But I'd love to."

"That's dandy! Who can we get?"

"Mrs. Dyer might be chaperon. She's been so nice. And maybe Dave, if he could get away from the store."

"How about Erik Valborg? I think he's got lots more style than these town boys. You like him all right, don't you?"

So the picnic of Carol, Fern, Erik, Cy Bogart, and the Dyers was not only moral but inevitable.

They drove to the birch grove on the south shore of Lake Minniemashie. Dave Dyer was his most clownish self. He yelped, jigged, wore Carol's hat, dropped an ant down Fern's back, and when they went swimming (the women modestly changing in the car with the side curtains up, the men undressing behind the bushes, constantly repeating, "Gee, hope we don't run into poison ivy"), Dave splashed water on them and dived to clutch his wife's ankle. He infected the others. Erik gave an imitation of the Greek dancers he had seen in vaudeville, and when they sat down to picnic supper spread on a lap-robe on the grass, Cy climbed a tree to throw acorns at them.

1. the doctor
2. Carol
3. Six
4. Yes
5. the Dyers
6. style
7. to the lake
8. to have a picnic
9. September
10. Saturday
11. the afternoon
12. behind the bushes
13. poison ivy
14. in the car
15. climbed a tree to throw acorns at them
16. Carol, Fern, Erik, Cy Bogart, and the Dyers
17. an ant
18. Lake Minniemashie
19. birch trees
20. he had to make a country call

Numbered questions:
1. Who couldn't come with?
2. According to whom?
3. How many people ended up going?
4. Were there any couples?
5. Who?
6. What does Erik have more than other boys?
7. Where were they all going?
8. Why?
9. During what month?
10. And on what day of the week?
11. What time of day?
12. Where did the guys undress?
13. What were they afraid of?
14. Where did the women do the same?
15. What did Cy do when people were eating?
16. Who went there together?
17. What did Dave drop down someone's back?
18. What was the lake called?
19. What kind of trees were there?
20. Why couldn't one of the people come?

Q: The Crimean War was a military conflict fought between October 1853 March 1856 in which Russia lost to an alliance of France, the United Kingdom, the Ottoman Empire, and Sardinia. The immediate cause involved the rights of Christian minorities in the Holy Land, which was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. The French promoted the rights of Catholics, while Russia promoted those of the Eastern Orthodox Christians. The longer-term causes involved the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the unwillingness of the United Kingdom and France to allow Russia to gain territory and power at Ottoman expense. It has widely been noted that the causes, in one case involving an argument over a key, have never revealed a "greater confusion of purpose", yet led to a war noted for its "notoriously incompetent international butchery."

While the churches eventually worked out their differences and came to an initial agreement, both Nicholas I of Russia and Napoleon III refused to back down. Nicholas issued an ultimatum that the Orthodox subjects of the Empire be placed under his protection. Britain attempted to mediate, and arranged a compromise that Nicholas agreed to. When the Ottomans demanded changes, Nicholas refused and prepared for war. Having obtained promises of support from France and Britain, the Ottomans officially declared war on Russia in October 1853.

1. yes
2. Nicholas I of Russia and Napoleon III
3. issued an ultimatum
4. Britain attempted to mediate
5. a compromise
6. Nicholas prepared for war
7. France and Britain
8. the Ottomans
9. Russia
10. October 1853
11. March 1856

Numbered questions:
1. Did the churches finally work out their differences?
2. What two people didn't?
3. What did Nicholas do?
4. What was Britain's response?
5. What did they propose?
6. What did Nicolas do in response to the Ottomans?
7. Who agreed to help the Ottomans?
8. who declared war?
9. on which country?
10. When did the crimean War begin?
11. till when?