"Oh, I'm so glad you've come!" she burst out. "If you hadn't, I don't know what I should have done!" She was somewhat hysterical and on the verge of tears.
"Are you sure that you're not hurt, Grace?" asked Sam, quickly; and as he spoke he caught her by one hand and placed an arm on her shoulder.
"I—I don't think I am hurt, Sam," she faltered, and then looked rather tearfully into his face. "But it was an awful experience—awful!" and then as he drew a little closer she suddenly burst into a fit of weeping and rested her head on his shoulder.
CHAPTER XXVI
SAM FREES HIS MIND
In spite of his fun-loving disposition, Tom Rover was a very wise young man, so as soon as he saw Grace resting on his brother's shoulder he promptly turned away, to interview the farmer and his wife who lived in the farmhouse and who had answered the girl's knock on their door.
"I can't tell much about the accident," said Mr. Akerson. "Me and my wife were just goin' to bed when the young lady knocked on the door and begged us to take her in, and then asked if we had a telephone. She said she had been in an automobile breakdown, but she didn't give us many particulars, except to say that she thought the front axle of the machine was broken."
"Well, a broken axle is bad enough," was Tom's prompt comment. "They are lucky that no necks were broken."