“Cracky! never thought of it,” admitted the boy. “I expect they’ll jail us.”
“Horrid thing! But we may have an unpleasant time explaining it.”
“Well, let us hope nothing like that occurs,” he said; but Agnes was troubled by the possibility of arrest all the way to the station and back again.
The casting was waiting for them and Neale paid the expressman and then the runabout was headed for the Higgins farm. As Neale and Agnes came in view of the farm buildings none of their party was in sight; but coming across a distant field were two men who seemed to be carrying something heavy between them.
“First natives we’ve seen wandering around here,” Neale observed. “And where are the folks?”
“All gone berrying,” Agnes replied. “They said they were going to fill every receptacle we have before leaving the Higgins place. I never did see so many berries.”
Neale ran the runabout up to the barn, but did not drive it inside. The big doors had been closed and their own car stood within on the barn floor, but out of sight.
“Let’s go berrying too, just as soon as I slip this thing into place,” Neale suggested.
Although the broken casting had caused so much trouble, it did not take five minutes to put the new one into place. He tried the engine, and everything worked well.
“All right,” he announced, coming out of the small door of the barn again. “Shall we chase over after the others?”