GETTING BACK HOME.
The sun was shining in through the chinks of the mound of hay the next
morning when Ned awoke.
“What! Why! Where in the world am I?” he exclaimed. He had slept so
hard, because of the fatigue of his ride, that he could not remember
where he was.
“Oh I know now,” he said, at length, as the recollection of his
experience came to him.
He stretched, rolled out of his fragrant bed and, brushing the wisps of
hay from his hair, stepped out into the glow of the sun. His first care
was to feel in his pocket to see if the carburetor parts, that had cost
him all his trouble, were safe. They were all right, and then Ned began
to think of breakfast and getting home. He feared his parents would be
worried over his absence.
“Doesn’t seem to be a very thickly settled locality around here,”
observed Ned, taking a survey and seeing nothing but fields and woods
in the distance. “I guess I’m in for a long walk for breakfast. And
I’ve got to push that motor. I can’t fix the tire with what tools I have
along. Well, there’s no help for it, and I suppose it will give me a
good appetite.”
He found Mr. Wakefield’s motor where it had been left, covered with hay
to keep off the dew. Ned rolled it out into the road and then, hearing
the musical tinkle of a brook near by, he bethought that a wash and a
drink of cool water would not come amiss.
He found a clear sparkling little meadow stream. It raced and bubbled
its way over the white pebbles, and between banks of green grass and
moss.
“That looks good,” thought Ned, as he stretched out at full length on
his face and took a long drink. Then he found a shallow little basin,
scooped out of a stone where the water formed a pool, and there he
washed and felt much refreshed.
“I’m still in the dark as to whether I’m on the right road or not,”
thought Ned. “But it’s daylight now, and I might as well keep going this
way until I meet some one to inquire of.”
So he started off. He was hungry and wished very much for something to
eat. It was no fun pushing the heavy motor cycle along the dusty road,
but Ned dared not leave it behind on the highway for fear something
might happen to it.
He had gone about a mile, perhaps, when down the road he saw a farm
wagon, to which was hitched a team of horses, approaching.
“Here comes some one at last,” Ned thought, “and I may get a lift.”
“Hello bub!” exclaimed the driver of the horses, a jolly-looking
blue-eyed farmer, when the wagon came opposite Ned. “Had a smash up?”
“No, only a tire broken,” replied the boy. “But can you tell me whether
this is the way to Cresville?”
“Well, you could get there on this road, but it’s about five miles out
of your way. Is that where you want to go?”
“It’s where I live,” Ned answered. “I went to Boston yesterday, and on
my way back last night I lost my way, my machine broke, and I had to
sleep in a hay stack.”
“I see you did,” observed the farmer. “Some of the grass is in your hair
yet.”
Ned hastily removed the traces of his recent bed.
“But if you’re going to Cresville,” went on the man, “I can give you a
lift. I’m going within three miles of there.”
“I’d be much obliged if you would,” spoke Ned.
“Well, pile your machine in back there, and climb up on the seat,” was
the invitation, and Ned did so.
“You don’t happen to know of any restaurants around here, do you?” he
asked the driver.
“No, nothing open on Sunday.”
“Sure enough, it is Sunday!” cried Ned. “I’m so upset I’d about
forgotten it.”
“Sleeping in the hay instead of your bed sort of put you off the track,”
suggested the farmer.
“That’s what it did,” agreed Ned.
It was a beautiful morning and Ned thoroughly enjoyed it as he rode
along. Even the rough jolting of the farm wagon was not unpleasant.
“I don’t usually travel in this kind of a rig on Sundays,” explained
the farmer. “But I have to go over to Doddtown for some grain for the
horses, and I had to take this cart.”
“I’m glad you did,” said Ned. “If you had been in a carriage I couldn’t
have brought the motor cycle with me.”
“No more you could,” spoke the farmer. “Everything happens for the best
after all. But here you are. This is as far as I go on your way. If you
take that road,” pointing to where one branched off from the highway
the wagon was on, “you’ll come to Cresville. Sorry I can’t take you all
the way, but it’s only three miles.”
“I’m much obliged to you for the lift,” said Ned, getting the machine
out of the wagon, and bidding his new acquaintance good-bye.
Leaving the motor cycle at a house on the outskirts of town, Ned reached
home about noon, and found his parents much alarmed. Jerry and Bob were
at his house, and there was talk of organizing a searching party.
“Did you bring the carburetor parts?” asked Jerry.
“I did!” exclaimed Ned, as he passed them over.
“They’re all right,” announced Jerry, after an inspection. “From now on
we must take care not to leave our machines out of our sight. But what
did you do with Mr. Wakefield’s motor?”
Ned told where it was. Then he had a bath, and got ready for dinner.
After the meal, which his chums ate with him, Ned went and told Mr.
Wakefield what had happened to the motor. The latter was not alarmed for
the safety of his machine, and it was arranged that one of the employees
of the club could drive over for it on Monday. The rest of the day the
boys spent quietly, anxiously waiting for the morrow when they might
again try their motors.
Bright and early on Monday each boy was fitting the new carburetor parts
to his cycle. The apparatus fitted perfectly and soon all three were
spinning down the road at a good speed. They rode for several miles
and were about to turn back, on Jerry’s proposal to go to the athletic
track, when they heard the noise of an approaching motor.
The next instant a machine turned the corner of the road, and came
toward them. All three of the chums started as they saw that the rider
was Jack Pender. Hardly knowing what they were doing, Ned, Bob and
Jerry spread themselves out across the highway so that Pender could not
pass. On his part he was so surprised that he shut off the power of
his machine and came to a stop, just as the three chums, who had done
likewise, dismounted.
“Well?” observed Jerry quietly. “I’ve been wanting to meet you, Jack.”
“Don’t you dare to touch me!” exclaimed Jack. “If you do I’ll have you
arrested.”
“You’re a nice one to talk about having people arrested,” went on Jerry.
“I’ve a good mind to shake you!”
“What did I do?” asked Jack, looking very uncomfortable.
“You know well enough what you did. Tried to fix our machines so they
wouldn’t work by taking off the carburetors. That’s what you did.”
“I didn’t mean to,” said Jack. “I was just--just turning them and they
came off.”
“You’d ought to be made to pay for the damage you did,” put in Ned. “I
had to go all the way to Boston for new parts.”
“I haven’t any money,” whined Jack.
“You have enough to lend to Noddy Nixon,” put in Bob, remembering that
day when they had met Noddy at the soda-water booth, and the bully had
boasted that Jack loaned him money.
“I never lent Noddy any money!” exclaimed Jack.
“He said you did!” exclaimed Jerry.
“Well, he tells--what business is it of yours any how?” Jack interrupted
a statement he was going to make. “I don’t have to tell you anything
about my affairs.”
“No one asked you to,” Ned put in. “All we want is for you to let us and
our machines alone.”
“I think a good thrashing is what he needs,” said Jerry, with mock
severity, standing his machine against Ned’s and advancing toward Jack.
“Oh no! Please don’t!” begged the young coward. “I’ll never do anything
again. Please don’t lick me! Noddy Nixon made me do it! Don’t touch me,
and I’ll tell you everything!”
“Everything about what?” asked Jerry.
“About--about the--the mill robbery!” exclaimed Jack.
“What do you know of it?” asked Ned in amazement.
“I don’t know very much, but you watch Noddy Nixon about six o’clock
to-night,” replied Jack. “There,” he burst out, “I promised I wouldn’t
tell, but he’s always getting me in trouble and never helping me out.”
Then, before the boys could stop him, Jack Pender turned his machine in
the opposite direction, leaped into the saddle and was soon moving off
swiftly down the road.
“Shall we chase him?” asked Ned.
“No, let him go,” replied Jerry. “We gave him a good scare, and,
besides, we want to be on hand for something else.”
“What?”
“We want to watch Noddy to-night.”