The boys had a friend in Mr. Robert Darringford, who was really the head of the concern; but they did not wish to seem to ask a favor of him, so went directly to the overseer of the department in which the wrecked car would have to be repaired. This overseer was the father of one of their fellow-club members, “Biff” Hardy, and Biff himself worked in the shop.
“Fred was telling me about the car you boys got hold of,” said Mr. Hardy. “I guess he knows something about it, and he saw it in the tree.”
“What does he say?” asked Billy, quickly.
“Says we can fix it up like new.”
“And you can do it at once?”
“Don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t. Of course, Mr. Avery can tell you better than I,” said the foreman.
Dan and Billy looked doubtfully at each other. They did not like to ask any favor of the superintendent of the shops, for Francis Avery, Chanceford’s brother, was not their friend.
“You know of nothing now that will be ahead of our job?” asked Dan, gravely.
“Not a thing. I was just going over the order book. There is very little outside repairing to be done just now.”
“Then, if we get the machine down here to-morrow it’s likely that you can go right to work on it?”