ecided Betty. "I hope
you'll take the next automobile ride," she added, mounting Clover.

"Gee, Grandma Watterby says if they buy a car I can have all the
rides I want," grinned the towhead engagingly. "You bet I hope they
buy!"

All her worry about Bob shut down on Betty again as she urged the
horse toward the town. Suppose Uncle Dick were not within reach of
the telephone! Suppose he were off on a long inspection trip!

Flame City had not improved, and though Betty could count her visits
to it on the fingers of one hand, she thought it looked more
unattractive than ever. The streets were dusty and not over clean,
and were blocked with trucks and mule teams on their way to the
fields with supplies. Here and there a slatternly woman idled at the
door of a shop, but for the most part men stood about in groups or
waited for trade in the dirty, dark little shops.

"I wonder where the best place to telephone is," said Betty to
herself, shrinking from pushing her way through any of the crowds
that seemed to surround every doorway. "I'll ask them in the
post-office."

The post-office was a yellow-painted building that leaned for support
against a blue cigar store. Like the majority of shacks in the town,
it boasted of only one story, and a long counter, whittled with the
initials of those who had waited for their mail, was its chief
adornment.

Betty hitched Clover outside and entered the door to find the
postmaster rapidly thumbing over a bunch of letters while a tall man
in a pepper-and-salt suit waited, his back to the room.

"Can you tell me where to find a public telephone?" asked Betty, and
at the sound of her voice, the man turned.

"Betty!" he ejaculated. "My dear child, how glad I am to see you!"

Mr. Gordon took the package of mail the postmaster handed him and
thrust it into his coat pocket.

"The old car is outside," he assured his niece. "Let's go out and
begin to get acquainted again."

Betty, beyond a radiant smile and a furtive hug, had said nothing,
and when Mr. Gordon saw her in the sunlight he scrutinized her
sharply.

"Everything all right, Betty?" he demanded, keeping his voice low so
that the loungers should not overhear. "I'd rather you didn't come
over to town like this. And where is Bob?"

"Oh, Uncle Dick!" The words came with a rush. "That's why I'm here.
Bob has disappeared! We can't find him anywhere, and I'm afraid those
awful men have carried him off."

Mr. Gordon stared at he