straight enough, don't you worry," said the first
chauffeur, and then both of them turned away to a side entrance of the
hotel.

Dick was much worried, but he did not let the rest see it. He joined
the crowd in the ice cream pavillion attached to the hotel, and there
they spent an hour, eating ice cream, water ices, and cake. Then some
of the lads went off and got several boxes of bonbons and chocolates
to take along on the rest of the trip.

When they went out to the two automobiles the chauffeurs were missing.
A man was trimming a hedge nearby and Dick asked him if he had seen
the pair.

"Must be over to the barroom," said the gardener. "That Hellig loves
his liquor, and Snall likes a glass, too."

"Was Hellig the driver of this first car?"

"Yes, and Snall ran the second."

Just then Tom came up, having placed Nellie in the second car.

"What's the trouble, Dick?" he questioned.

"I am afraid both our men have gone off to drink. This man says they
both love their liquor."

"They do, and both of 'em have been locked up for reckless driving but
don't say I told you," said the gardener.

"Humph! This is serious," murmured Tom. "I don't like to trust a
chauffeur who drinks."

"Come with me," said his brother, in a low tone. "Just wait for us,"
he shouted to the others, who were now in the two cars.

He walked behind the ice cream pavillion, Tom at his side, and then
the pair reached a side door, connecting with the hotel barroom. They
looked in and at a small table saw the two chauffeurs drinking liquor
from a bottle set before them. Both were rather noisy and had
evidently been imbibing freely.

"I won't let no boy run me and tell me what I shall take," they heard
Hellig say thickly.

"I'll drink what I please and when I please," answered Snall. "Let us
have another, Nat."

"Sure."

"This is the worst ever!" murmured Tom. "They are in no fit condition
to run the cars. I wouldn't trust my neck with either of them."

"And I am not going to trust the lives of the girls in their care,"
answered Dick, firmly.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet. But one thing is settled--, they shan't take us
back."

"I think I could run one car--if we didn't go too fast," suggested
Tom, who had run several machines at various times in his lively
career.

"I could run the other."

"Then let us do it, Dick. Those fellows don't own the cars, and we
didn't hire from them, we hired from the owner of t