evidence."

Penny was fully aware that she had launched herself upon a dangerous
enterprise. In some manner Joe Franey had lost track of her
completely, and she could no longer count upon his protection. In an
emergency she must depend entirely upon her own resources.

Before Penny had traveled many miles out of the city she began to grow
alarmed because her gasoline gauge showed that she had scarcely a
gallon left. Although she had her purse with her, it contained only a
dollar. She could buy about five gallons of fuel, but should the truck
lead her much farther into the country, she easily might find herself
stranded.

Apparently, the driver ahead faced a similar need for gasoline. At the
next filling station he turned in.

Penny determined upon a bold move. At the risk of detection, she too
drove into the station.

"This will give me just the opportunity I need to get a good look at
that driver!" she thought.

The truck had pulled up alongside of one of the three pumps but as
Penny stopped in the shadow where the light from the filling station
office would not shine fully upon her, she was disappointed to see that
the driver's seat was empty.

"He's gone off somewhere," she told herself. "If only I could be sure
he'd be away for a minute or two, I'd peep under that canvas cover and
see what it is he's hauling."

Before she could transfer the thought into action, a filling station
attendant came to serve her.

"How many?" he inquired.

"Three gallons," Penny said.

While the attendant operated the pump, she looked searchingly about.
The driver of the truck was talking with someone inside the office, but
his back was turned so that she could not see his face.

"Sixty-three cents," the attendant informed politely. "Shall I look at
your oil?"

"It's all right I think," Penny responded, offering the money. The man
went inside for change.

"This is my only chance!" Penny told herself.

Like a flash she was out of the roadster. She moved swiftly to the
back of the truck, cast a quick glance toward the office, and seeing
that she was unobserved, lifted a corner of the canvas cover.

The truck was loaded with automobile wheels.

A sound from the direction of the filling station office caused Penny
to wheel. The driver was coming back!

She dropped the canvas flap and melted back into the shadow. She
pretended to busy herself with the radiator cap of her own car.

"Everything okay, sir?" t