l be sure to set me on my feet again. And I can fix this cut up with
a bit of adhesive plaster."

"Did you have much gasoline on board?" queried Randolph Rover.

"The tank was full," answered Tom. "Oh, the _Dartaway_ could go a good
many miles, if she wanted to," he added, dubiously.

"The _Dartaway_? Was that the name of the craft?"

"Yes, and she did _dart away_, didn't she?" and Tom grinned.

"For all we know, she may have gone fifty or a hundred miles," continued
Dick. "But I doubt it. With nobody to steer she'd be bound to turn
turtle or something before long."

"Well, if she's busted, she's busted, that's all," answered Tom,
philosophically. Yet the thought of the beautiful biplane being a wreck
caused him to sigh.

A few minutes later the honk of an automobile horn was heard in the lane
leading to the house, and Sam Rover appeared, driving the family car. He
was alone on the front seat and in the tonneau had a variety of things
purchased in the village for his aunt and the others.

"Hello! what does this mean?" cried Sam, as he came into the sitting
room and saw Dick with his head bound up. "What did you do? Did you get
that fussing with the biplane?"

"I did, Sam," was the answer.

"We both had a set-to with her ladyship," put in Tom. "And the biplane
floored us on the first round." And then he told his younger brother of
what had occurred.

"Humph! that's too bad!" murmured Sam. He took Dick's hand. "Not hurt
much, really?" he asked in a lower voice.

"No, Sam, I'll soon be O. K."

"Jumping lobsters! But this beats all!" went on the youngest Rover. "I
don't know if I had better tell you or not." And he looked around, to
see if anybody but his brothers was present. The grown folks had left
the room.

"Tell us what?" demanded Tom, who quickly saw that Sam had something on
his mind.

"Tell you the news."

"What news?" asked Dick.

"Maybe you can't stand it, Dick. It will keep till to-morrow."

"See here, Sam, I'm not a baby," retorted the oldest Rover boy. "If
you've got anything worth telling tell it."

"But it may make your head ache worse, Dick."

"No, it won't. Now, what's the news? Out with it."

Instead of answering at once, Sam Rover walked over to the door and
closed it carefully.

"No use of worrying the others about it," he half whispered.

"But what is it?" demanded Tom, and now he showed that he was as
impatient as was Dick.

"I got a letter from Grace Laning," went on S