Part 9 (1/2)

”Oh, please don't,” she begged ”Don't you see--there are only two of theive thehed at her, and Betty offered a solution

”Far be it froht here on this rock--”

”Oh, goodness! who cares where we sit as long as we get so”

”Well as long as you die out there it's all right,” retorted Mollie unfeelingly Nevertheless, she handed the sufferer a ha, which the latter ca would permit

However, when they had finished the lunch, burned up what odds and ends remained, and had once more started on their way, they found that the shadow of unhappiness which the exciteain

In front with Betty, Grace sighed so dolefully that the Little Captain looked at her inquiringly, an action which alht about a collision with a tree by the wayside

”Betty, what are you doing?”

”Trying to kill us,” replied Betty serenely ”And if you give any hed,” said Grace gloomily ”But it wouldn't be any wonder if I did I feel as if I were hs, I mean”

Betty was silent a moment, then she asked suddenly:

”When does your father expect to hear froton?”

”Not before the end of the week, anyway And by that ti of her lips, ”nobody knohat may have happened For all we know Will may be--dead”

CHAPTER VIII

RED RAGS

”Well, we've been ood speed for the last three hours,”

said Mollie, taking first one hand, then the other, froers experi else happens--”

The sound of an explosion cut short the rest of the sentence, and she put on the brakes, at the sanal to Betty The latter stopped her car and ca back to see what had happened

”Tire,” said Mollie laconically, forestalling the inevitable questions

”I knew our luck had been too good to be true Well,” with the air of ato do but get busy and fix it, though, of course, this spoils our chances of getting to Bensington to-night,” Bensington being the town midway between Deepdale and Bluff Point where they had planned to spend the night It was also the only town for miles around that boasted a hotel

”Oh, I don't know,” said Betty in reply to Mollie's gloomy prediction

”It won't be the first time we've accomplished the impossible”

”But it will soon be dark”