Part 11 (1/2)
”Oh, it isn't getting wet that bothers me so much,” said Grace, and Betty looked at her in surprise ”It's the roads,” she added by way of explanation ”I've heard Aunt Mary say that they have terribly heavy storms in this part of the country, and soet almost impassable Many a machine has been known to sink three or four inches in et in so deep they have to be hauled out”
”What a cheerful prospect!” cried Betty, disainst the windshi+eld in steady, driving sheets: ”Especially as this storm bids fair to be a record breaker Look how muddy the roads are already”
”And we haven't passed ons all the way out,”
wailed Grace ”And they didn't look strong enough to pull a toy machine out Oh, Betty, look out!”
The adly sudden wild desire on the part of the car to stand on theels while it waved the other two spinningly in the air
Betty, though undeniably frightened, succeeded in persuading the erring wheels to the an to laugh hysterically
”I don't see anything to laugh about,” protested Grace, still breathless with apprehension
”Neither do I,” adh or cry, so I decided to laugh After all, you must admit, it was a wonderful skid”
”The best of its kind,” adain, Honey, it has a wearing effect on my nerves!”
They were silent for a while after that, while Betty regarded the increasingly muddy road ahead of her with anxious eyes She had been forced to slacken her speed
”I'ht fix,” she said at last ”We're just plowing through this mud, and if it's hard on us, what must it be for Mollie, whose car is twice as heavy as this Look behind, will you, Gracie, and see how she's co, and that's all,” reported Grace, after a prolonged scrutiny through the rain-glazed”Goodness, we've been out in stor like this And listen to that thunder--o-oh!”
A terrific clap of thunder caused Grace to clap her hands over her ears with a little moan, while even steady-nerved Betty ju wheel
”Oh, what shall we do!” cried Grace, for she hated a thunderstoro on this way, Betty
We're likely to get struck any moment”
”Well, I don't see that we'll be any less likely to get struck if we stand still,” retorted Betty, a little sharply, for the situation was becoest any way that we can get out of this fix--” the sentence was cut short by a still louder andclap of thunder
Grace huddled in her seat, ht
”Is Mollie still following us?” asked Betty, after an interval of weird flashes, crashi+ng thunder, and rain beating relentlessly against the glass in front and turning the road to a sea of et stuck I don't knoe would do”
”Yes, she's still struggling,” replied Grace ”But it's getting so dark I can't more than just make out the lines of the car Oh, Betty, don't you suppose we ton?”
”No, I don't,” Betty replied wearily ”You see hoe've been traveling--notbefore we shall have to stop altogether I' You will have to keep your eye on her all the ti so dark We don't want to lose her”
”But,” Grace suggested hesitantly, ”I don't see that we could do theet stuck Wouldn't it be better to go on and try to ton? Then we could send help back to theht of that,” said Betty sie to reach Bensington But the probability is that ould be forced to stop a little further on, and Ithe night alone on this deserted road”
Grace shi+vered, but answered with a nervous little laugh: ”I don't know but ould be safe enough at that If we can't get through, probably nobody else could”