Motor Matt's Mystery; or, Foiling a Secret Plot

asped Carl, as he cam

ried Matt

run them down. It had come without warning, other than the muffled noise caused by its machinery, and Matt had be

e honk?" spu

hardly able to believe his eyes. "

e boys could see that there was no one in either of the front seats,

neddy!" murmure

s fifteen miles an hour-but, even at that gait, it w

think of some means for overtaking the runaway auto and bringing it to a halt. Th

in that part of the settlement, but, as luck would have it, a h

jerked the bridle-reins over the top of a post, cla

att had no attention to pay to him, and the D

The runaway car, however, was heading for a bend where trees and t

e. Attached to one of the top-irons on the right side of the front seat, the lashing engaged the spokes of the steering-w

a point that Matt turned over in his mind as he raced. He had not many

ins, he brought the horse to a slower pace, tumbled out of the saddle, caught his foot

ngerously close to the bend, and Matt threw himself across the back of the front seat and into the driver's position. With lightning quic

off and stop the horse. The animal, as soon as Matt had dropped from the saddle, had whirled back along the

o he and Carl could keep the horse between them. This move was successful, and the Dutch boy, b

o mit him, Mat

d Matt, "then bring that laundry of ours and come to the

houses sprinkled along the road. For the most part, the houses were inhabited by Chinamen, and they had little curiosity

od. From the amount of dust with which the machine was covered it seemed to have come a long distance. The tires,

ve cost five or six thousand dollars. Why was such a valuable mac

fer a clue to the mystery. He could find nothing. He was just strai

feller. Dot's righdt. Oof you hatn't done vat you dit, I bed you somet'ing der modor-c

ut, Carl?" he asked. "Here's a fine big touring-car running itself along the road,

bundles of laundry into the tonneau, walked around in front and opened the bonnet.

you don'd find cylinters li

emanded Matt, opening his eyes at thi

ogedder again, aber I t'ink yah. I vorked vonce in some factories meinseluf-pefore I got foolish und vent on der st

was anxious to learn, but, for the present, the m

t to cut a car like thi

led's be jeerful, Matt. Oof fife t'ousant tollars comes rolling

o us, Carl, just because

r feller vat hat it didn't vant it, or he vouldn't haf let it go. So helup m

t bought a big automobile and wants a driver. I had my eye on the job, Carl, but the cattleman hasn't shown up. He

le und say, 'Chump in, boys, und led me dake you py Tenver!' Und I

to the front an

back and getting into the drive

ver?" cr

ng the car in the road; "we're off along the b

py he don'

im, we'll give him

k ve vas goin

ght for only a few miles, and the car, with the wheel lashed as it was, could only travel along the straigh

e vill look for der owner, und I vill shdill be jeerful efen oof he dakes der car und makes me valk by Tenver, yah,

he straight stretch of road ahead of them he f

would i