She stood up waving her arms excitedly.
"Teddy, look out! If you run over my trunk——" and Teddy swerved so suddenly that she was nearly thrown from the car. However, Chet caught her and put her safely back in the seat; and in another minute Teddy had brought the big car to a sliding standstill.
They tumbled to the roadside, and Billie, rushing over to the trunk, sank to her knees regardless of three inches of dust in the road, and encircled the shabby old thing with her arms.
And Teddy, watching her, said with a grin:
"Gosh! who wouldn't be a trunk?"
CHAPTER IV
THE "CODFISH"
A few minutes later a very exultant crowd of young folks were starting back over the road they had just traveled so fast.
In the bottom of the tonneau,—Billie and the two boys were using it as a foot rest,—was safely stowed the shabby, but, oh! so precious old trunk, and on Billie's face was the "smile that wouldn't come off;" or at least that is what Ferd called it.