A CALL FOR ASSISTANCE
Ada Waltham did all she could to make herself agreeable to Sam and the
others, but the youngest Rover was in no mood for raillery, and on the
way back to Larkinburg had but little to say.
Chester Waltham had lost no time in assisting Grace into his runabout
and in getting his car out of the congestion in the parking space. Then
he put on speed, and soon the pair were whirled away out of the sight of
the others.
"It's a dandy night for a ride," was Tom's remark. There was some
moonshine, and the stars glittered clear in the heavens overhead.
"That is true, Tom," answered his wife, "but don't you think we had
better get back to the hotel and go to bed? I heard Dick say something
about a long day of it to-morrow."
"Oh, yes, Nellie, we'll get back. It wouldn't be fair to go off and
leave mother and Mrs. Stanhope alone."
When they reached the hotel at Larkinburg the Rovers expected to find
the Waltham runabout in the garage, and they were consequently somewhat
surprised when they saw no sign of the machine.
"We certainly couldn't have passed them on the road," observed Dick. He
turned to his youngest brother. "You didn't see them, did you?"
"No. They went on ahead," answered Sam, shortly; and his manner of
speech showed that he was thoroughly out of sorts.
Having placed the touring cars in the care of the garage keeper, the
Rovers joined the others on the piazza of the hotel. Then Dora slipped
upstairs to see if her mother and Mrs. Laning were all right. She found
both of them sleeping soundly, and did not disturb them.
Sam could not content himself with sitting down, and so lounged around
in one place and another, and finally said he would go inside and write
a letter to the folks at home. He was still writing when Tom came in to
join him.
"Sam, did Chester Waltham say anything about where he was going to take
Grace?" asked Tom, as he sat down beside his brother.
"No, he didn't say a word to me," was the short reply, and Sam went on
writing.
"Did Grace say anything?"
"No."
Tom said nothing for a moment, drumming his fingers on the writing
table. At last he heaved something of a sigh.
"Seems to me if they were going on a long ride they might have said
something to us about it," he observed. "Nellie is rather worried."
"Oh, I guess they've got a right to take a ride if they want to," came
rather crossly from Sam. He finished his letter with a flourish, folded
it, and rammed it into an envelope which he quickly addressed.
"Oh, of course, but----" Tom did not finish, and as Sam, after stamping
his letter, arose, he did the same. "I wonder if we had better stay up
for them."
"I think I'll go to bed."
"Sam!" and Tom looked sharply at his younger brother.
"Well, what's the use of staying up?"
"A whole lot of use, Sam Rover, and you know it. If I were you I
wouldn't let Chester Waltham ride over me."
"Who says I am letting him ride over me?" retorted Sam; and now his
manner showed that he was quite angry.
"I say so," answered Tom, bluntly. "If you have got half the sand in
you that I always thought you had, you wouldn't stand for it. All of us
know how matters were going on between you and Grace. Now to let this
fellow step in, even if he is a young millionaire, is downright foolish.
If you really care for Grace it's up to you to go in and take her."
"Yes, but suppose that she cares for Waltham and his money more than she
cares for me?" asked Sam, hesitatingly.
"Do you think Grace is the kind of a girl to be caught by money, Sam?"
and now, as the two were in a deserted part of the hallway, Tom took his
brother by both arms and held him firmly.
"N--no, I--I can't say that exactly," faltered Sam. "But just the same,
why does she favor him at all?"
"Maybe it's because you haven't been as outspoken as you ought to be.
It's one thing for a girl to know what you think of her, but just the
same the average girl wants you to tell her so in plain words. Now, it
may not be any of my business, but you know that I want you to be happy,
and that I am unusually interested because of Nellie. It seems to me if
I were you I'd go to Grace the first chance I had and have a clear
understanding."
"I--I can't go to her now. She's out with Waltham," stammered Sam.
"Then hang around until they get back and see to it that you have a
chance to talk with her before she goes to her room," returned Tom; and
then, as some other people came up, the conversation had to come to an
end.
A half hour passed and Ada Waltham excused herself. "Chester and Grace
must be having a fine ride," she observed on retiring, "otherwise they
would have returned by this time."
"Maybe they had a breakdown," observed Dick. "I've been told that some
of the roads around here are far from good."
"Oh, don't say that!" cried the girl. "Chester hates to have to make any
repairs when he is alone. Time and again he has run to a garage on a
flat tire rather than put another one on himself."
Another half hour dragged by, and now Dora turned to whisper to Dick.
"Don't you think we had better retire?" she asked. "I never supposed
Grace was going to stay out as late as this."
"No, we'll stay up," he answered. "Nellie has told Tom that she isn't
going to bed until her sister gets back, so it won't do for us to leave
them here on the piazza alone."
"Mr. Rover! Telephone call for Mr. Rover!" came the announcement from a
bellboy, as he appeared upon the piazza.
"Which Mr. Rover?" demanded Sam, eagerly.
"The party said any of 'em would do," answered the bellboy.
"I'll go," said Sam, eagerly, before either of his brothers or their
wives could speak.
"All right, Sam. I'll follow in case you want me or any of the others,"
answered Tom.
The telephone booths were located in the lobby of the hotel, and Sam was
quickly shown to one of them. While he talked Tom stood by, but caught
only a few words of what was said.
"Hello!"
"Oh, is this you, Sam?" came over the wire in Grace's voice. "I'm so
glad! I have been trying to get somebody for the last ten minutes but
they couldn't give me the hotel connection."
"Where are you?" questioned the youth. "Has anything happened?" for the
tone of the girl's voice indicated that she was very much agitated.
"Oh, Sam! I want you or some of the others to come and get me," cried
Grace. "The runabout has broken down, and I don't think Mr. Waltham can
fix it. And we are miles and miles away from Larkinburg!"
"A breakdown, eh? Why, sure, I'll come and get you, Grace. Where are
you?"
"I am at a farmhouse on the road between Dennville and Corbytown--the
Akerson place. If you come, take the road to Dennville and then drive
toward Corbytown. We'll hang a lantern on the stepping block, so you
will know where to stop."
"All right, Grace, I'll be there just as soon as I can make it,"
answered Sam; and then he added quickly: "You weren't hurt when the
breakdown happened, were you?"
"Not very much, although I was a good deal shaken up. Mr. Waltham had
his face and his hand scraped by the broken wind-shield."
"Well, you take good care of yourself, and I'll start right away,"
returned the youngest Rover, and after a few words more hung up the
receiver.
It did not take Sam long to acquaint the others with what had occurred,
and then he ran down to the hotel garage to get out one of the touring
cars.
"Don't you think I had better go along?" asked Tom. "Chester Waltham may
be in a fix and need assistance. And, besides, they may both be more
hurt than Grace said."
"Yes, I guess you'd better come," answered his brother. And soon,
having received directions from the garage keeper as to how to get to
Dennville, the pair were on the way.
"How did Grace seem to be when you spoke to her?" questioned Tom, as Sam
ran the car as rapidly as the semi-darkness of the night permitted.
"She seemed to be all unstrung," was Sam's thoughtful reply.
"Then the accident may have been worse than she admitted, Sam."
"I hope not, but we'll soon see." And then, as a straight stretch of
fairly good road appeared before them, Sam turned on the power and the
touring car sped onward faster than ever.
Inside of half an hour they reached Dennville, a sleepy little town,
located in the midst of a number of hills. All the houses were dark and
the stores closed up, and not a soul was in sight. They ran into the
tiny public square and there found several signboards.
"Here we are!" cried Sam. "Corbytown four miles this way," and he
pointed with his hand.
"We'll look at the other signboards first to see whether there is
another road," answered his brother. But there was only the one, and so
Sam turned the touring car into this, and they sped forward once more,
but now at a reduced rate of speed, for the road was decidedly hilly
and far from good.
"What possessed Waltham to take such a road as this," remarked Tom,
after they had passed a particularly bad spot.
"Don't ask me!" was the reply. "It's no wonder he had a breakdown if he
took this road on high speed."
They were going up a long hill. At the top a large and well-kept farm
spread out, and, beyond, the hill dropped away on a road that was worse
than ever.
"Hello! there's a light!" cried Tom, as they approached the house
belonging to the farm.
"I see it," answered his brother; and in a few seconds more they ran up
to the horse-block and brought the touring car to a standstill, Sam, at
the same time, sounding the horn.
But the summons was unnecessary, for their approach had been eagerly
looked for by Grace, and hardly had the machine come to a standstill
when she flew out of the farmhouse to meet them.
"Oh, I'm so glad you've come!" she burst out. "If you hadn't, I don't
know what I should have done!" She was somewhat hysterical and on the
verge of tears.
"Are you sure that you're not hurt, Grace?" asked Sam, quickly; and as
he spoke he caught her by one hand and placed an arm on her shoulder.
"I--I don't think I am hurt, Sam," she faltered, and then looked rather
tearfully into his face. "But it was an awful experience--awful!" and
then as he drew a little closer she suddenly burst into a fit of weeping
and rested her head on his shoulder.