“It’s a man with a lantern,” declared Bob.
“And he’s coming this way,” added Jerry.
“That settles it,” went on Ned, throwing the jack back into the tonneau.
“Settles what?” demanded Jerry.
“This repair job. I’m going to wait until morning. We can’t do anything in the storm and darkness.”
“What are we going to do? Stay out here all night, stuck in the mud?” asked the tall lad.
“We’re going to stay stuck in the mud all right, I guess, fellows,” retorted Ned, as he watched the progress of the moving light, “but we’re not going to stay out here all night, not to my way of thinking.”
“Why not? Where are you going?” inquired Bob. “Do you see a hotel off in the distance?” and he pretended to look like the villain in the play, who shades his eyes with his hand and gazes down the wings, for a sight of some one approaching on horseback.
“Here’s how I size it up,” went on Ned. “There’s a man coming with a light. He’s walking, so evidently he doesn’t live far from here, or he’d be riding. If he lives around here there must be some sort of a house, and when he gets here I’m going to ask him to take us in. I’d be willing to sleep in a stable to get out of this storm. We can leave the auto here, and in the morning we can put on a new tire, and start off. How about it?”
“It sounds good to me, if the man will take us in,” agreed Jerry.