The Scarlet Car
(Scribners, 1907)
When Richard Harding Davis's Scarlet Car was published in 1907, automobiles were still something of a novelty. They were in common use, yet only folks with money had them. Most people in metropolitan areas walked or took the trolley. In many locales, horse-and-carriage remained in use till they became a public nuisance. Yet the days of the first cars were really exciting. They were times when two-lane highways were a rarity, and drunk driving wasn't illegal-- just so long as you didn't kill anyone. When every bicycle-cop looked askance at those petrol-guzzling monsters, inwardly wondering what position they occupied on the food chain. Enter dyspepsia.
But they were days of adventure! At least, that's how Richard Harding Davis envisions them. And he ought to know, for he lived 'em. The Scarlet Car is an episodic novel in three parts. The main character is a young man named Winthrop, who takes his racing car around New York and Connecticut. He is accompanied by his friend Sam, whose sister Beatrice also rides along. She's engaged to Peabody, an aspiring politician. But Winthrop perennially hopes that she might change her mind in favor of, er, him. And maybe she will some day!
The first story is called "The Jail-Breakers." While on a jaunt to see the Yale-Harvard game in New Haven, CT, the jalopy breaks down, causing a delay. While driving back (they never made it to their destination), they're caught speeding in a small CT town, and forced to spend night in a jail. But their buddies arrive just in time to bust them out and run down the neighborhood blockade. No whizzing bullets here, but lots of hubbub from the town officials, who get sidetracked through the chauffeur's generalship. The second tale is called "The Trespassers." Another breakdown. This time it's in the middle of nowhere. While in search of water to slake the motor's raging thirst, they inadvertently stumble upon a spooky mansion-- which moonlights as a lunatic asylum.
The third tale is called "The Kidnappers." As Peabody rallies the crowds on election day, the Scarlet Car hits an old drunk who stumbles into the road. Winthrop and Beatrice rush to the injured man's aid, but Peabody, fearing the political implications of the accident, rushes off, leaving his pals in the lurch. Not before he's spotted by Izzy Schwab, a seedy journalist who threatens to denounce Peabody as a Pharisee. So what does Winthrop do, but kidnap the feller, take him back to his (Winthrop's) house, and regale him with champagne and perfectos till the polls shut down!
As a piece of light-hearted entertainment, you can't do much better than The Scarlet Car. Of course, the thing is no masterpiece. It stands as one of R.H.D.'s minor efforts. Nevertheless, it gives a curious insight into the early days of motoring. Strange to say, the chauffeur doesn't drive the jalopy, but "stands by" as a mechanic. Mention of a "patch-your-own-tire" kit gives us an intimation of how bumpy the roads must have been in those days. But this doesn't stop Winthrop from cranking it up. For he's high on speed. Kick! Kick! Sputter-sputter. VROOM! VROOM!
The copy I reviewed is not the original Scribner's edition, but part of a 1914 set of Davis's collected works. In the same volume is included the short novel "The Princess Aline" (1895). The original illustrations are all present. However, none of them depict the real protagonist of the tale-- that is, the car itself. Nevertheless, do you something. Next classic car show, go down and ask about a red 1907 racing car. If you have trouble, go to the man nearest the fried-dough and Cool-Aid, and get yourself some suds. By that time you'll have earned 'em. And when you're licked enough, you'll see exactly what you're looking for, and wonder how you ever missed it. "Gadzooks, Elma! They painted it neon pink!!"
--B.A.S.
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