“Some mischief I’ll wager,” came from Ned.
“Oh, you can be sure of that,” added Bob.
“One thing seems to be certain,” went on the tall lad, “and that is they’re going to the Colton meet. I wish they weren’t, since we’ve entered our machine there. But there’s no help for it.”
“This is a free country,” declared the stout lad. “They can do as they please, I suppose.”
“Well, if we’re going to the meet it’s time we did something to the Comet,” suggested the merchant’s son. “What about the rips in the gas bag, Jerry?”
“We’ll get right at them. I’ve got out the stuff to mend the tears. I’ll start you and Bob on that, and I’ll make another try to see Noddy. I’m going to make him pay up if it’s possible.”
A little later, having seen that his two chums were putting the patches on the gas bag the right way, Jerry again went to the Nixon house. A sleepy-eyed maid answered the bell, yawning, though it was after ten o’clock. Evidently the company had stayed late the night before.
“Master Noddy is not in,” she replied in response to Jerry’s inquiry. “He’s out of town, and I don’t know when he will be back.”
“Out of town?”