“Right you are!” cried Roger. “I’m willing to start this minute if you say so,” and he jumped to his feet.
“I don’t think you can do much to-day,—it is too late,” answered Mr. Wadsworth. “But you might get ready for a start early to-morrow morning,” and he looked rather hopefully at the two young civil engineers.
“We’ll do it!” answered Dave.
After that the discussion became general, and our hero and his chum got all the particulars possible concerning the stops the train upon which Jessie and Laura had taken passage had made on its trip to the Hub. They put all these names and locations down on a sort of map that they drew up, and then consulted an automobile Blue-Book, so that they might get familiar with the roads to be taken on their tour.
“This is certainly going to be some search, Dave,” remarked Roger, after the conference had come to an end and the two chums had gone up-stairs to fix up for dinner.
“I know it, Roger. It will probably take us several days, and maybe a week. But I won’t mind that, and neither will you, if only we learn something of advantage.”
It was a quiet party that sat down to the table that evening in the large dining room of the Wadsworth mansion. In a voice that trembled more than usual with emotion, old Professor Potts asked a blessing on the meal, and the repast was well on its way before anyone felt like talking. Then Roger questioned Mr. Wadsworth concerning the automobile to be taken for the trip.
“I think you had better take the four-passenger car,” announced the jewelry manufacturer. “That will leave us the large car in case we need it. The smaller car is in just as good a condition and is just as speedy.”
“We’ll look over the car as soon as we have finished eating,” said Dave. “I want everything to be in the best of order, so that we shall not be delayed by any breakdown. Of course, we’ll carry along an extra shoe or two, and three or four inner tubes.”
The two chums had already decided on what they were to wear on the trip and what to take along in the way of extra clothing. They spent the entire evening in going over the four-passenger car, and, with the aid of the Wadsworth chauffeur, put the machine in the best possible order, and then filled it up with oil and gasoline.