Cabin Fever

st pounced upon the newspaper when he discovered it in Bud's pocket as he climbed in, and Bud knew that the two read that feature arti

m. He had started out the most unsuspecting of men, and now he was making up for it by suspecting Foster and Mert of being robbers and hypocrites and potential murde

. What if the man had seen him or heard him? He would be in jail now, instead of splashing along the highway many miles to the south. For that matter, he was likely to land in jail, anyway, before he was done with Foster, unless he did so

, he slowed down and turned his head toward the tonneau. There they were, hunched down unde

sky and sandwiches, but I'm doing the work; and if you notice, I've been doing it

through the fogged windshield. "We've got hot coffee here, and there's pl

a square meal," Bud snapped. Then he glanced at the rumpled

You're doing all right so far-don't

en we get away from this darn burg, and you

ind desert and desertion. He had never been over this road before, so he could no more than guess. He knew that the ridge road led to Los Angeles, and he did not want anything of that road. Too many travelers. He swung into a decent-looking road that branched off to the left, wondering where it led, b

he concave outline of a bushy bluff, Bud slowed and

scles are kinda crampy. I'll tell the world tha

d to cheerfulness. "You're some driv

t know you fellows. Most generally I collect half in advance, on a long trip like this." Foster's eye

lly. "He's delivered the goods, so far. And he certainly does k

bank note from his bill-folder, which Bud observed

charge for twice the trip, but we appreciate a tight mouth, and the hurry-up trip you've m

won't suit yuh quite so well the rest of the way. I'll have to go b'-guess and b'-gosh from here

one minute he even contemplated holding the two up and taking enough to salve his hurt pride and his endangered reputation. But he did

d a wedge of tasteless cocoanut cake, and drank half a pi

o take a look at the tires, anyway. Thought she was

ing earnestly together. From the corner of his eye Bud caught Mert tilting his head that way, and smiled to himself. Of course they were talking about him! Any fool would know that

the seat between them all the way. He wished he dared-But they were coming back, as if they would not trust him too long alone with that bag. He ben

f gloom he could of course lay to the weather and the fact that they had been traveling for about fourteen hours without any rest; but

them had seen him do it. He spilled a handful of little round white objects like marbles into the tank before he screwed on the cap, and from his pocket he pulled a little paper box, crushed it in his hand, and threw i

nd up and down and seemed to have no end. As though he joyed in putting her over the miles, Bud drove. Came a hill, he sent her up it with a devil-may-care co

Foster leaned forward to ask, his tone

a little more speed as they rocked over a culvert and sped away to the next hil

ut, and, died. She was a heavy car to hold on that stiff grade, and in spite of the full emergency brake helped out

ore complex than a dead engine. He took down the curtain on that side, leaned out into th

ter leaned forward

etorted, still watching the road and steering with one

r has," Foster an

just choke down from the pul

," Foster obs

into the carburetor, and after that silence. He tried it again, coaxing her with the spark and throttle. The engine gave a snort, h

pped into the descent. Bud sent her down hill on compression, but at the bottom she refused to find her voice again when he tu

d boat is jinxed, just because I said I could drive her as far as she'd

the m

dering about that, and the needle valve, and the feed pipe

t her afterwards. He looked for short circuit. He changed the carburetor adjustment, and Foster got a weary chug-chug that ceased almost as soon as it had begun. He looked all the spark

tried again to start it. "Maybe if you

resignation Bud got out what tools he wanted and went to work. Foster got out and stood around, offering sugges

nd try her again, Foster did so with the air of having seen the end of the trouble. At first it did seem so, for the engine started at once and worked smoothly until Bud had g

g reproachfully in at Foster. "

n was ample proof of his innocenc

n back to tank. There's nothing the matter with the feed-she's getting gas same as she has all along. I can take off the mag. and see if anything's wrong there; but I'm pretty sure there ain't. Couldn't any water or mud get in-n

d in the drizzle and watched him. Mert crawled over into the front seat where he could view the proceedings through the windshield. Bud glanced up and saw him there, and grinned

alled," Mert snapped at him viciously. "You'

ud retorted acidly. "I can't pe

t take a miracle," whined Mer

s practically new!" He stepped over a puddle and stood beside Bud, peering down a

as I can find out." Bud looked Foster straight in the eye

measuredly. "Only, she won't go."

worriedly. "Well, what do you ma

d went through the operation of starting. Only, he didn't start. The self-starter hummed as it spun the flywheel, but nothing w

t shop," he stated, after a minute of di

ooked at Bud, looked at the car and at the surrounding hills. He seemed terribly depressed

r a while. Bud looked at the speedometer, made a mental calculation and told him it was

road map. How far i

have any road maps back

the middle of the road-and then I guess we'll have to let you w

tell 'em?" Mert dem

tell," he said naively. "I know the truth ain't popular on this trip, so get together and dope out

hat he and Mert, as by a common thought impelled, climbed out and went over t

taken out a few letters that might prove awkward if found there later, two pairs of socks and

It was evident to Bud that the two had not quite agreed upon some subject they had dis

f you don't mind, before I go. I'll tell a heartless world that

it," Mert growl

ndered at his calm, but they did not. He ate what he wanted, took a long drink of

and then he stopped to chuckle, and sometimes he frowned at an uncomfortable th