SAM FREES HIS MIND
In spite of his fun-loving disposition, Tom Rover was a very wise young
man, so as soon as he saw Grace resting on his brother's shoulder he
promptly turned away, to interview the farmer and his wife who lived in
the farmhouse and who had answered the girl's knock on their door.
"I can't tell much about the accident," said Mr. Akerson. "Me and my
wife were just goin' to bed when the young lady knocked on the door and
begged us to take her in, and then asked if we had a telephone. She said
she had been in an automobile breakdown, but she didn't give us many
particulars, except to say that she thought the front axle of the
machine was broken."
"Well, a broken axle is bad enough," was Tom's prompt comment. "They are
lucky that no necks were broken."
"The poor girl was dreadfully shook up," put in Mrs. Akerson. "She just
went on somethin' terrible. I had all I could do to quiet her at
first."
"Didn't the young man come here with her?" questioned Tom.
"No. She said she had left him down on the road with the machine. She
said he was all worked up over the accident."
"I should think he would be," returned Tom, and said no more on the
subject. Yet he thought it very strange that Chester Waltham had not
accompanied Grace to the farmhouse and thus made certain that help was
summoned.
Tom and his brother had entered the sitting-room of the farmhouse. Next
to it was a lit-up dining-room and to this Sam and Grace had walked, the
latter between her sobs telling of what had happened.
"Oh, Sam, it was dreadful!" cried Grace. "Mr. Waltham was so reckless. I
couldn't understand him at all. When I said I would ride with him I
supposed we were going right back to the hotel. But on the way he said
it was too fine a night to go in yet, and begged me to go a little
farther, and so finally I consented. Then he drove the car on and on,
ever so many miles, until we reached Dennville."
"But if you didn't want to go that far, Grace, why didn't you tell
him?"
"I did--several times. But he wouldn't listen to me. Of course, I didn't
want to act rude, and when I told him to turn back he only laughed at
me. Then, when we got to Dennville, and I told him that I positively
would not go any farther, he said, 'Oh, yes, you will. We are going to
have a good, long ride. I am going to make you pay up in full for not
riding with me before.'"
"The mean fellow!" murmured Sam. "I'd like to punch him for that."
"Oh, but, Sam! that wasn't the worst of it," went on the girl; and now
she blushed painfully and hung her head. "Then he started up on this
side road and he ran the car as fast as ever. I was dreadfully scared,
but he only laughed and told me to enjoy myself, and when the car bumped
over some stones, and I was thrown against him, he put his arm around me
and--and he did his best to kiss me!"
"What!"
"But I didn't allow it. I pushed him away, and when he laughed at me I
told him that if he tried it again I would box his ears. Then, just
after we had passed this place, he reached over and caught hold of me
and tried to pull me toward him. Then I boxed him, just as I had said I
would. That made him furious, and he put on a burst of speed, and the
next minute there was a terrible bump and a crash, and both of us were
almost thrown out of the car. The wind-shield was broken and also, I
think, the front axle, and he was scratched in several places. Oh, it
was awful!" And again Grace hid her face on Sam's shoulder.
"Well, it served him right if he got hurt and if his runabout was
ruined," was the youth's comment. He drew Grace closer to him than ever.
"Then you didn't really care for him?" he whispered.
"Oh, Sam, Sam! how can you ask such a question?" she murmured.
"Because I didn't know. I thought---- You see, he--he is a millionaire,
and----"
"Why, Sam Rover! do you think that money would make any difference to
me?" and now she raised her face to look him full in the eyes.
"I am mighty glad to know it hasn't made any difference," he returned
quickly; and then caught and held her tight once more.
"I suppose you young men are goin' back to help the fellow with his
busted machine," remarked Mr. Akerson to Tom.
"I--I suppose so," returned Tom, slowly, and then looked toward Sam and
Grace.
"Oh, I don't want to go back!" cried the girl, quickly. "I want to
return to the hotel in Larkinburg."
"All right, I'll take you back, Grace," answered Sam. "If you say so,
we'll leave Waltham right where he is."
"I think it would be the right thing to do, Sam, under ordinary
circumstances," was the reply. "But then we mustn't forget about Ada.
She will be greatly worried if I come back and let her know that we left
her brother out here on the open road with a broken machine."
"I'll tell you what we'll do, Grace. You stay here and Tom and I will go
down and see what Waltham has got to say for himself." He turned to the
people of the house. "She can stay here a little longer, can't she?
We'll make it all right with you."
"Certainly she can stay," answered Mr. Akerson. "And there won't be
anything to pay outside of the telephone toll, and that's only twenty
cents."
"Please don't stay too long," implored Grace, as the two Rovers hurried
away.
"Not a minute longer than is necessary," returned Sam.
On the way down the hill to where the accident had occurred Sam gave his
brother the particulars of the affair, not mincing matters so far as it
concerned Chester Waltham.
"I was thinking that that was about the way it would turn out," was
Tom's dry comment. "With so much money, Waltham thinks he can do about
as he pleases. I reckon now, Sam, you are sorry you didn't talk to Grace
before."
"I sure am, Tom!" was the reply, and Sam's tones showed what a weight
had been taken from his heart. "I'm going to fix it up with Grace before
another twenty-four hours pass."
"That's the way to talk, boy! Go to it! I wish you every success!" and
Tom clapped his brother on the shoulder affectionately.
Even though all the lights were out, it did not take the two Rovers long
to locate the disabled runabout, which rested among some stones on the
side of the highway. As Grace had stated, the wind-shield was a mass of
smashed glass, and the front axle had broken close to the left wheel.
"They can certainly be thankful they didn't break their necks," was
Tom's comment, as he walked around the wreck.
"Waltham doesn't seem to be anywhere around here," returned Sam. "Wonder
where he went to?"
Both looked up and down the highway, and presently saw a figure
approaching from down the road. It proved to be Chester Waltham. He was
capless and walked with a limp.
"Hello! Who are you?" challenged the young millionaire, and then as he
drew closer he added: "Oh, the Rovers, eh? Did Grace get you on the
'phone?"
"She did," answered Sam, and then added sharply: "You've made a nice
mess of it here, haven't you?"
"Say, I don't want any such talk from you," blustered the rich young
man. Evidently he was in far from a good humor.
"I'll say what I please, Waltham, without asking your permission,"
continued the youngest Rover. "You had no right to bring Miss Laning
away out here against her wishes. It was a contemptible thing to do."
"You talk as if you were my master," retorted Chester Waltham. "This
isn't any of your affair and you keep out of it."
"We are perfectly willing to keep out of it if you say so, Waltham,"
broke in Tom. "We came down here merely to see if we could help you in
any way. But I see your front axle is broken, and you will have to get
the garage people to help you out with that."
"Where's Grace?" asked the young millionaire. The subject of the
broken-down runabout did not seem to interest him.
"She is up at the farmhouse on the hill," answered Tom.
"And we are going to take her back to the Larkinburg hotel in our auto,"
added Sam.
"Oh, all right, then, go ahead and do it."
"Do you want to ride with us?" questioned Tom.
"I don't know that I do. I'll stay here and take care of my runabout. If
you'll tell my sister that I'm all right, that is all I want."
"Very well, just as you say," answered Tom. He took his brother by the
arm. "Come on, Sam, there is no use of wasting time here."
"I'll be with you in a minute, Tom," was the younger brother's reply.
"You go on ahead, I want to say just a few words more to Waltham."
"No use of your getting into a fight, Sam," returned Tom in a low voice.
"There won't be any fight unless he starts it."
Tom walked slowly up the road, and Sam turned back to where Chester
Waltham had settled himself on the mud-guard of the broken-down
runabout.
"See here, Waltham, I want to say a few words more to you," began Sam,
and his tone of voice was such that the young millionaire leaped at
once to his feet. "I want to warn you about how you treat Miss Laning in
the future."
"To warn me!" repeated Chester Waltham, not knowing what else to say.
"Exactly! Up at the farmhouse she told me all of what took place between
you. She was all unstrung and quite hysterical. Now this won't do at
all, and I want you to know it. After this if you are going to travel
with us you've got to act the gentleman and treat her like a lady."
"Humph!"
"No 'humph' about it. I mean just what I say. If you don't behave
yourself and don't treat her like a lady I'll--I'll----"
"Well, what will you do?" sneered Chester Waltham.
"I'll tell you what I'll do," and now Sam shook his finger in the young
millionaire's face. "I'll give you the soundest thrashing you ever had
in your life!"
"Ah! do you mean to threaten me?"
"I certainly do."
"When it comes to a thrashing, maybe two can play at that game,"
observed the young millionaire; but it was plainly to be seen that Sam's
decided stand had disconcerted him.
"All right, Waltham, I'll be ready for you. But remember what I said. We
came out here to have a good time, and I am not going to allow you to
spoil it for Miss Laning or for anybody else."
"Humph! you make me tired," sneered the rich young man. "Go on, I don't
want to be bothered with you any longer. The whole bunch of you is too
namby-pamby for me. I think my sister and I could have a much better
time if we weren't with you."
"As far as you personally are concerned, you can't leave us any too
quickly to suit me," returned Sam.
"Is that so? Well, I guess you can call it off then so far as my sister
and I are concerned. But if you think, Rover, that you have seen the
last of this affair you are mistaken," went on the young millionaire,
pointedly. "You think you are going to run things to suit yourself,
don't you? Well, I'll put a spoke in your wheel--a spoke that you never
dreamed of! You just wait and see!" and then Chester Waltham turned back
and sat down once more on his wrecked runabout, leaving Sam to walk up
the road to rejoin Tom in a very thoughtful mood.