CHAPTER XXIII.
THE RIDE TO BOSTON.
Ned found Mr. Wakefield, the athletic instructor, in the gymnasium ofthe club house. The boy hastily told him of the trouble, not howevermentioning Jack's name.
"And, Mr. Wakefield," said Ned, in great distress, "if we can't getthose carburetor parts we can't race."
"I'll do all I can to help you," said Mr. Wakefield. "Take my machineand welcome."
Ned really had quite a task before him. It was a long ride to Boston,and there would be no moon. Besides the roads were not of the best. Itwas after four o'clock when he secured Mr. Wakefield's machine, and ahalf hour was lost in oiling it up, and seeing that it was in shape forthe lengthy trip.
"I do not know whether to let you go or not," said Mr. Slade, when Nedbroached the subject to him.
"I really must go, father," and Ned spoke so earnestly that Mr. Sladewas more than half persuaded.
"Well, I suppose it is hard to have to think of giving up the race," hesaid at length. "And it seems to be the only way to do. So you may go,but be very careful."
"I will," promised Ned.
He prepared himself for the trip, and was about to start from his house,where he had taken Mr. Wakefield's machine, when Bob and Jerry camealong. They had wheeled their motors to their houses, and brought Ned'swith them.
"Are you off?" asked Jerry.
"Just ready to start," was the reply.
"You ought to be able to get the parts in any automobile store," saidJerry. "The only bad feature of the trip will be coming home. I wish Iwas going along."
"Well, I haven't any time to lose," said Ned, "so here goes!"
He leaped into the saddle, started the machine off by means of thepedals and soon was puffing down the road.
The start was made about half past five o'clock, on a pleasantafternoon. The sun shone through a hazy mist, and, though it had beenwarm, it was cooler now. Because it was of an earlier pattern, Mr.Wakefield's machine was not as speedy as any of the boys', and Nedrealized he would have to be longer on the journey than if he had hisown fast motor.
"But I'm in luck to be able to get any machine at all," he said tohimself.
For the first ten miles Ned had no trouble, as he was familiar with theroad. He had been riding over an hour when he came to a small villagewhich, he learned by inquiry, was thirty miles from the big city.
He rode out of the little town, and then, coming to a place whereseveral roads branched off was puzzled which one to take, as there wasno sign posts. No house was near and no one seemed to be traveling.
"I'll take the middle road," thought Ned. "It's trusting to chance, butit's all I can do."
He had ridden perhaps four miles when he met a farmer driving a bonyhorse attached to a dilapidated wagon. Poor, thin and old as the horsewas it seemed frightened at the sight of the machine, and inclined torear on its hind legs and bolt.
"Is this the road to Boston?" asked Ned, knowing he had little time towaste in talk, however pleasant it might be.
"Wa'al ye kin git to it this way, but it'll take ye a long time. Ye'regoing in a opposite direction. Ye'd oughter taken the left hand roadback there at the forks."
"Thanks," said Ned, briefly, turning his machine in readiness to go backand take the right road.
"Hold on! Maybe I can make some kind of a trade with ye for thatthreshing machine ye got!" called the old man, but Ned, with a friendlywave of his hand, started back to regain the right road.
He resolved to be more careful next time in taking roads where therewas more than one. So, when he again reached places where the highwaysdiverged he waited until some one came along, or he went back to thelast house he had passed, and inquired.
He rode on for two hours longer. It was getting a little dusky nowbecause of the clouds, and Ned began to fear he was in for a storm. Hewished he was at his destination, for, if worst came to worst, he couldstay in Boston all night, and start back in the morning. But he soonsaw evidences that he was nearing some large city. Houses became morefrequent, and every now and then he would pass through some settlementor good sized suburb. Then, off in the distance, he descried the HubCity.
"There's Boston!" he cried. "Now for an automobile or motor store."
Getting on to good roads he speeded his machine up as fast as it wouldgo, which was not overly rapid, and was soon riding through the streetsof the historic city.
He kept his eyes open, and presently saw an automobile shop. The man wasjust closing up.
"Wait a minute!" called Ned. "Hold on! I want to get something!"
"You'll have to be quick," said the man.
Ned lost no time in telling what he desired.
"Here's what you want," said the dealer. "We got some new ones into-day."
"Thanks," said Ned fervently, as he paid for the articles. He stowed theprecious parts safely away in his pockets. Then he began to think ofsupper. It was nearly ten o'clock, but he found a small restaurant open,and made a hasty meal. Then, lighting his own acetylene gas lamp, whichhe had brought along in place of the oil affair Mr. Wakefield carried,the boy prepared for his homeward trip.
This was a very different thing from riding along in the afternoonand early evening. If he was in doubt of a road he could find plentyof persons to ask. But after dark every one seemed to go to bed, ashe noticed when he passed from the immediate Boston suburbs into thecountry. Several times Ned had to get off his machine and, with his lampfor a torch, hunt around for a sign post to tell him which road to take.
Once he came to where three roads divided. He could find no friendlypointing finger to tell him which one to take, and there was not a housein sight. The last residence he had passed was half a mile back. He didnot relish going on the wrong highway until he met some one to set himright, nor did he want to retrace his journey.
"If only some one would come along now," he murmured.
By dint of making inquiries at many farm houses Ned managed to coverabout twenty miles of his homeward trip. Then, as it grew later, thefriendly lights that shone from the lonely road-side residences wentout, and Ned began to think his trip was going to be a rather unpleasantone at the close, although it was still fairly clear. He did not liketo awaken people up to ask them about the road, and it was evident thatnearly every one in the country had gone to rest.
It was very dark. His gas lamp gave a brilliant thread of lightdirectly in front of him, but that was all. It was quiet, also, savefor the chug-chug of his motor. Now and then an owl would hoot, and thesound, strange and weird, seemed to chill Ned's blood, though he knewwhat it was.
Once again the old trouble of coming to two roads, and not knowing whichto follow, confronted him. It was close to midnight, and the country wasso deserted that for the last two miles he had not passed a house. Nordid he know how far in advance he might have to go before reaching one.
"Shall I go to the right or left?" Ned asked himself. "I'll trust toluck, I'll toss a stone up, and take the road it falls nearest to."
He had dismounted from his wheel, and, standing at the fork of theroads, tossed a pebble into the air. It fell on the left path.
"The left it is!" He got on his machine, rode about a quarter of a mile,and then, with a loud noise his rear tire burst. It came with suchsuddenness and gave Ned such a shock that he nearly tumbled from themotor.
"Here's luck!" he exclaimed. He quickly discovered that the break was abad enough one to mend in daylight to say nothing of attempting it inthe darkness.
"I guess I'm booked to stay here all night," the boy said. "If I couldfind a farm house near by I'd ask to stay there."
But he did not feel like pushing the heavy motor along the road in asearch.
"It's warm, and I can stay out all night," Ned thought. "I'd like to getin shelter though."
He paused in the middle of the dark road and looked about him. Off tothe left were fields.
"Looks like a lot of hay in that meadow," he told himself. "If it isthat will be just the thing to craw
l into and go to sleep." He walkedcloser and peered at the dark objects that had attracted his attention.He climbed the fence, and discovered that his surmise was right.
Pulling and hauling the motor he got it through the bars. Then,selecting a big mound of the fragrant dried grass, Ned made a hole init, crawled in, curled up and, in spite of his queer bed, was soon soundasleep.