adding with a glance over her
shoulder at Mollie's car that was creeping along some twenty feet behind
them: "Of course the next thing will be to tell Mollie. Will you run
back Grace?"

For once Grace did not object, and without waiting for Betty to stop the
car, and indeed it was hardly necessary at the rate they were going,
jumped out and ran back, waving an excited hand at Mollie.

Betty heard a whoop of delight from the rear, and in a minute Grace was
back in her place.

"How far is it from here?" asked Betty, scanning the road ahead eagerly.
"I hope," she added, as a horrid fear assailed her, "that he doesn't
turn off on to the other road, too."

"Heavens, I hope not! Oh, there it is!" she cried a moment later, as a
turn in the winding road brought the crossroads to view. "Now, if he
only doesn't turn down it!"

Eagerly they watched and drew a sigh of relief as the driver jogged
steadily on down the main road.

"Now's our chance," exulted Betty, as she changed gears with a
challenging roar and slipped off merrily down the detour road.

Sullenly the driver watched them go and then with a shrug of his
shoulders, turned once more to his team.

Gayly the two cars sped along the road, bearing four Outdoor Girls bent
upon revenge. The going was rough and bumpy, far worse than the main
road, but the girls never noticed it.

"That was one time Grace had a good idea," Mollie was exulting as they
flew along. "I never thought she was particularly brilliant before, but
I have changed my mind." Then catching Mrs. Ford's eye, she added with a
little laugh: "You see that's the way Grace and I talk about each other.
Only," plaintively, "she says much worse things about me!"

"It will be fun," cried Amy, her eyes shining with anticipation, "to get
in front of him and give that old crank a taste of his own medicine."

"He certainly deserves it," agreed Mrs. Ford, for she was as indignant
as the girls at the man's insolence. "Didn't Grace say something about
pretending we were stalled?"

"She did," cried Mollie gleefully. "And as luck, I mean bad luck, will
have it, the mean old engine will choose the very center of the road to
do it's stalling in. Bless it's little old heart," and even Mrs. Ford
chuckled with her.

As Grace had said, the detour was not over half a mile long, and they
soon came out on the main road again. Then they backed the cars several
hundred feet down the road so as to effectually block all passa