Bert Wilson at the Wheel

Chal

and listened with a smile on his kindly face. He was always intensely interested in anything the bo

wailings of the ghost and the clanking of his chains. He was describing the awful appearance of its sunken f

ection of Shorty's trembling finger, and for a moment even Bert Wilson felt a queer little tightening sensation about the

most solid spook I ever heard of. Those are the acetylene lamps of anothe

the strange car. They had not long to wait. In a few minutes they could hear the purring of i

arently of about the same age as Mr. Hollis

knew each other and shook hands heartily. Meanwhile the camp boys mingled wit

ey seemed to be a trifle overbearing, and evidently thought that their car,

arding the "Red Scout," so that the boys were soon engaged in a

hill climbing. Just to-day we were out on a run and, though I didn't actually time it, I am dead sure ther

surprised glances. But they soon recovered their confidence and went on to

st' around the old race track just outside the town, and we averaged over fifty miles an hour. We could have g

that the "Red Scout" could hold its own with any other car, and as they though

we just know that we could, so I guess the only way to settle the dispute is to run off a race some

sitors only smiled in a superior fashion, and evidently thought there

out which Mr. Hollis apparently hesitated. In fact, Mr. Thompson was trying to get Mr. Hollis to give his consent to a race betwe

We both feel toward them as though they belonged to us and if anything happened to them we would never forg

ger. The track has not been used for several years and most of the fence is missing, so that if they ran off the course itself, it would only be a matter of running over the grass until they stopped. You know me well enough to realize tha

tly curbing their tendencies toward taking chances. However, I have every confidence in your judgment, so I suppose I might as well c

answered Mr. Thompson, "what do you say to going over and having

; and the two men rose and strolled over to where the cars stood,

ders as they came up. They both smiled when they saw Bert and Ralph Quinby, for they were so engrossed in the discus

. Hollis whispered to Mr. Thompson: "I'll wager that those boys saturate their handkerchiefs with gasolin

sed if they did," l

rance," called Dick, and Bert and Ral

Well, I suppose both you boys think you have a pretty fast

and exclamations from the boys, an

suit us better." Ralph gave a nod of assent and Bert went on: "We will both promise to be cautious, and I think if we take

that you propose usin

mile, isn't it Ralph

r," repl

s, that is ten full laps around the track, ought to be ab

that," replied the latter, "wh

week from tod

t? I guess that will be satisfactory to al

sides started discussing the various chances and possibilities

o much relaxed, even in the face of such an important event as this. Accordingly,

that even Bert Wilson's expert eye could find no defect in the handling or running of the rival machine. Ralph s

sleep, Jim remarked: "Aw, I bet w

Ghost." But one thing he was sure of, and that was that whoever won it was going to be a mighty close race. He did not make the mistake of un

"Red Scout," and then raised its shining

by me and work as you have never worked before," he said,