Way and the now clean and well-fed
boy of the woods in the tonneau, the graceful automobile threaded its
route among the trees. With roads averaging from fair to good, an hour
would have taken the travelers to Staretta easily. With six or seven miles
of woodland trail, then an equal distance of but moderately good going
before getting fairly out of the forest, Paul took an hour and a half
for the trip. There was no need to hurry, he said, but just the same as
soon as the wheels struck the good, level earth not far from town the
speedometer shot up to "30."

Link Fraley was found, busy as usual, this time packing eggs into a
shipping case; but for once he stopped working the moment he caught sight
of his callers. Sometimes he had allowed his father to wait on the boys
as they did their buying, but today he told the senior member of the
house he would attend to them himself.

"Been wantin' to see ye," said Link cordially. "Anything new back in the
timber?"

The young storekeeper's voice had a peculiar inflection and his face bore
an expression that answered "yes" to his own question.

"A little; that is, we have something to tell and something to ask about,
as usual," Phil replied. "Here's the list of things Billy wanted. If
you'll get them ready while we go over to the post-office--we want to
have a good, old talk with you."

"Been annexing part of our lumber country population, I see," remarked
Fraley in an undertone, glancing toward Slider who had waited at the door.

Phil nodded.

"Want to look a little out," Fraley continued, with a shake of his head
and a tone of doubt; but he turned away at once to find the baking soda,
item number one in Billy Worth's list, and his young friends betook
themselves to the post-office.

At the rear door of Fraley & Son's establishment was a platform to
facilitate the loading and unloading of freight. It was roofed over with
pine boards that gave protection from sun or rain and, as whatever
slight breeze there might be blowing was to be found here, there was
no better place in Staretta for a chat on a hot day. Seated on kegs of
nails on this platform, upon their return to the store, the Auto Boys
told Mr. Fraley, Jr., the main facts of their discoveries since last
seeing him.

Link listened with the most sober attention.

"I honestly don't know," said he at last, "whether to take much stock
in the story of the suit-case full of swag or not. But it does look as
if things i