CHAPTER VI
A FIRST DIFFICULTY
“For goodness sake tell me all about it, Billy,” urged Dan.
His brother did so, relating the particulars of how Maxey Solomons hadbeen rescued from the automobile and the conversation which hadfollowed.
“You know how Maxey is. He changes his mind mighty easily. And, Dannie,I really believe the car is worth a whole lot more than five hundreddollars.”
“But it’s every cent you’ve got, Billy!”
“I know it. That’s what’s bothering me. It’s going to cost something tohoist the car out of the tree, and then it’ll cost I don’t know how muchto put it into shape again—as much as fifty dollars, perhaps.”
“Is that all, Billy?” queried his brother, in surprise.
“The car isn’t damaged much. I found and saved everything that droppedout of it when it was overturned. The thing is wrenched some, I suppose,and dented and marred. That’s all. And it cost over two thousanddollars.”
“I know,” said Dan, nodding. “I know all about it. I rode in the car oneday with Maxey, too. It’s a dandy!”
“You bet it is!” cried Billy, eagerly, and evidently much relievedbecause his brother took the news as he had. “Suppose we could fix it upand enter for the gold cup that Mr. Briggs has offered? Wouldn’t that begreat?”
“That’s all right, Billy. I’ll go over and look at the car with you onMonday. Perhaps we can get it onto the road without much trouble. Butsay! I never knew you to be so selfish before, boy.”
“How?” grunted Billy, in surprise.
“Why, you might have given a fellow a chance to buy in with you.”
“Dannie!”
“Going to have it all to yourself, are you?”
“I thought you’d say I was crazy to do it,” explained Billy, eagerly. “Ihave been afraid to tell mother and father. Of course, they said wecould do exactly what we pleased with that money the Darringfords gaveus——”
“Don’t worry about it. I believe you’ve made a good investment,”declared Dan, confidently. “And if you’ll sell me a half interest in thecar, I’ll draw out half my money, and then we’ll divide the cost ofrepairing the machine between us.”
“Bully!” shouted Billy, smacking his brother on his sturdy shoulder.“That will be fine.”
“I’d do the same for you, Billy-boy,” said Dan. “And I’m just as eagerto enter that endurance test as you are.”
“And suppose we could win the cup, old boy!”
Dan chuckled. “We’ll have an old rival in that run—if we have the luckto get into it.”
“Who’s that?” demanded his brother.
“Chance Avery. Burton Poole has taken him into partnership in his motorcar. You know, Poole’s got a good car. Chance has been rather out ofconceit with the motorcycle business ever since the races at thebaseball park.”
“When you walked away from him, eh?” said Billy.
“But I heard him bragging down to Mr. Appleyard’s store yesterday thathe and Burton were going to have a try for the gold cup—and theyexpected to ‘lift’ it.”
“It’s just providential, then,” said Billy, seriously, “that Maxey’smachine was wrecked, and I got a chance to buy it.”
The Speedwell family numbered but six—besides the parents and Dan andBilly, there were only Carrie, ten years old, and Adolph, who was justtoddling around and learning to talk. They were, in spite of theirsomewhat straitened circumstances, a very happy family. Mr. Speedwellwas not a strong man, but was gaining in health now that he worked outof doors instead of in a shop. With the help of his two big boys (Danwas sixteen and Billy a year younger) he was making the small dairy pay.
Although the boys had long ridden bicycles, and still owned their steedsof steel, the motorcycles on which they had taken their spin along theriver road that day had been presented to them by Mr. RobertDarringford, and were the best wheels the Darringford Machine Shopscould turn out. Now the fact that Dan and Billy were about to own anautomobile was indeed a matter for discussion and interest around theevening lamp.
“For a poor man’s sons, I believe you two are doing pretty well,”remarked quiet Mr. Speedwell. He never went back upon what he said;having told the boys they could do what they pleased with the thousanddollars they had earned, he was not likely to criticize Billy’simpulsive bargain.
That afternoon Dan and Billy hurried home on their machines and went atonce to the woodlot with their axes. They cut and shaped two white-oaktimbers, loaded them into the heavy wagon with such timber chains andropes as they chanced to have about the barns, and drove back throughthe town and out upon the river road to the spot where the accident hadoccurred.
Jim Stetson and Wiley Moyle, both members of the Riverdale Outing Club,and in their same grade at the local academy, saw the Speedwells drivingthrough town, and they climbed into the wagon.
“By gravey!” ejaculated Wiley. “I didn’t believe it when they told me.Do you mean, Billy, that you’ve given up five hundred good dollars toMaxey Solomons for that smashed-up car?”
“Dan and I have bought it,” admitted Billy, cheerfully.
“You must both be crazy, then,” declared young Moyle. “You’ll never getit out of those trees without smashing it all to bits. What do you wanta motor car for, anyway? You’ve got motorcycles; and it wasn’t long agoyou were riding bicycles like the rest of us. The club will go to thedogs if all the members get buzz-carts.”
“Don’t you fret,” returned Dan, laughing. “As long as we can keepCaptain Chance Avery in bounds, you fellows who ride bikes will not beneglected in club affairs.”
“Remember how Dan fought for you at the meeting following the Barnegatrun,” said Jim. “And he and Billy owned their motors then.”
“But an auto is different,” grumbled Wiley. “Look at Burton Poole—andthe Greenes. They don’t care about going on the club runs at all anymore because the autos have been shut out.”
“Fisher Greene isn’t stuck on the things,” said Billy, laughing.
“No. There’s never any room for Fisher in the car,” said Jim Stetson,“and he has to stick to his old bike.”
Although Wiley was such a “knocker,” as Jim expressed it, he lent asturdy hand to the unloading of the wagon. Dan had brought tools, andafter carefully planning the arrangement of the contrivance he proposedbuilding, the elder Speedwell began digging a post hole beside the road,and inside the wall. There was a turf bank here and the work ofexcavating was comparatively easy.
While the quartette of boys were thus engaged an automobile came intoview from down the road. It approached swiftly, and Wiley Moyle suddenlyrecognized it.
“See who has come!” he scoffed. “Here’s Burton Poole’s buzz-wagon withCaptain Chance at the wheel. Chance is going to win the gold cup, hesays, and he and Poole are in partnership with that old lumber wagon.”
Chanceford Avery, who was considerable older than most of the clubmembers, was a dark complexioned, sharp featured young man, not muchliked by the boys of Riverdale, but who made himself agreeable to mostof the girl members of the Outing Club.
Some months before he had shown his enmity to the Speedwells, and henever let an opportunity escape for being unpleasant to the brothers.When he saw what the boys were about beside the road, he brought theautomobile to an abrupt halt.
“Haven’t you got a cheek to dig that bank up in that manner, Speedwell?”he said. “You’ll get into trouble.”
“Guess not,” returned Dan, cheerfully. “It never entered my head we’dhave to get a permit to set a post down here, as long as we are going totake the post right up again and fill in the hole. I’ve saved the sodwhole, too.”
“At any rate, there’s one thing sure,” snapped Billy, who didn’t likeyoung Avery at all, any more than he did Francis Avery, Chanceford’sbrother, and the superintendent of the Darringford shops; “we haven’tgot to come to _you_ for a permit.”
“Aw, stop your rowing, you fellows,” advised Burton Poole, who was agood-natured, easy-going chap. “What are you going to do, Dan?”
Dan explained briefly, still keeping on with his work.
“You’ll have a fat time trying to get that old hulk of a car up here,”sneered Chance Avery. “And after you get it up, what good is it?”
“That we’ll see about later,” returned the older Speedwell, rathergruffly.
“Max Solomons made a fool of you,” declared Chance. “He is blowingaround town how he got the best of you fellows. Why, the car wasn’t goodfor much when it got pitched over the bank.”
“You’d laugh the other side of your mouth if this old car ever beat youand Poole, wouldn’t you now?” demanded Billy.
“I suppose you fellows intend entering with it in the thousand mileendurance run?” laughed Chance.
“Bet your life we are!” cried Billy, before his brother could stop him.
“Listen to that, will you, you fellows?” said Chance. “These Speedwellsare the limit!”
“We’ve been able to beat you before now, Chanceford Avery,” snappedBilly. “Now go along! Nobody wants you here.”
Chance might have stopped longer to argue the point, but Burton, who wasall for peace, urged him on. Their car, which was really a very goodone, hummed away toward town. Inside of twenty minutes a carriagerattled down to the place where the boys were at work.
“Hey, you, Dan Speedwell!” exclaimed an unpleasant voice, and Dan lookedup from settling the big timber in the ground to see Josiah Somes, theRiverdale constable.
“How d’ye do, Mr. Somes,” returned the youth. “Haven’t caught thoserobbers in the maroon car yet, have you?”
The other boys laughed. Josiah’s ability as a detective was a joke abouttown.
“Well, them other fellers haven’t caught the scoundrels, either,”snarled Somes. “I guess there ain’t no medals on Polk, if he _is_ adeputy!”
“Wish you luck,” said Dan, good naturedly.
“Never you mind about them bank robbers. I ain’t here looking for them,”said the constable. “I want _you_.”
“What!” cried Dan. “Are you going to arrest me again, Mr. Somes?”
“I want to know who gave you permission to dig that hole, and clutter upthis place with them contraptions.”
Dan and Billy looked meaningly at each other. Both boys knew at oncethat Chance Avery had set Josiah Somes after them—and the constable wasonly too willing to do them an ill turn.
“Come on!” the man snarled. “Hop into my buggy, Dan Speedwell. I’m goingto take you before the ’Squire and see what he’s got to say about this.”