over the big car, covering the baggage and
passengers. Helen and Ruth could fasten the curtains, and soon the women
of the party were snug enough. The drivers, however, had to get into rain
garments and begin the work of hunting the trouble with the roadster.

The thunder grew louder and louder. Flashes of lightning streaked across
the sky overhead. The electric explosions were soon so frequent and
furious that the girls cowered together in real terror. Jennie had slipped
out of the small car and crowded in with her chums and Aunt Kate.

"I don't care!" she wailed, "Henri and Tom are bound to take that car all
to pieces to find what has happened."

But they did not have to go as far as that. In fact, before the rain
really began to fall in earnest, Tom made the tragic discovery. There was
scarcely a drop of gasoline in the tank of the small machine. Tom hurried
back to the big car. He glanced at the dial of the gasoline tank. There
was not enough of the fluid to take them a mile! And the emergency tank
was turned on!

It was at this point that he stated his opinion of the trustworthiness of
garage workmen.

CHAPTER X

A WILD AFTERNOON

This was a serious situation. Five miles behind the automobile party was
the nearest dwelling on this road, and Tom was sure that the nearest
gasoline sign was all of five miles further back!

Ahead lay more or less mystery. As the rain began to drum upon the roofs
of the two cars, harder and harder and faster and faster, Tom got out the
road map and tried to figure out their location. Ridgeton was ahead
somewhere--not nearer than six miles, he was sure. And the map showed no
gas sign this side of Ridgeton.

Of course there might be some wayside dwelling only a short distance ahead
at which enough gasoline could be secured to drive the smaller car to
Ridgeton for a proper supply for both machines. But if all the gasoline
was drained from the tank of the big car into that of the roadster, the
latter would be scarcely able to travel another mile. And without being
sure that such a supply of gas could be found within that distance, why
separate the two cars?

This was the sensible way Tom put it to Henri; and it was finally decided
that Tom should start out on foot with an empty can and hunt for gasoline,
while Colonel Marchand remained with the girls and Aunt Kate.

When the two young men ran back through the pouring rain to the big car
and announced this decision, the