.

"Yep. I've had him spotted fer some time," answered Bud.

"Why didn't you say something about it?" Ted laughed at Bud's silence.

"Oh, I knew that you were on to it, too," was the characteristic reply.

"What do you suppose he's chasing us for? He must know that he can't
harm us."

"He don't want us. He wants that red car. It's a beautiful piece of red
evidence against him an' his gang. Yer see, it's ther best kinder a
clew."

"Right again. But he needn't think he can steal it, for he can't."

They put the car up during the middle of the day.

"We'll let it rest for a while," said Ted, as they ran it into a public
garage. "This evening we'll take it out again, and if we're followed
then we'll be sure that it is Checkers, and that he is on our trail."

It was seven o'clock when they trundled forth again.

A bright moonlight night made motoring highly enjoyable, and after they
had run about for a couple of hours Bud got out, saying that he was
tired of the sport, and would return to the hotel, and leave Ted to take
the machine back to Don Dorrington's basement.

They had been followed by the yellow car again, but in going through
Forest Park they had managed to give their trailer the slip among the
intricate roads and bypaths, and had seen nothing of him for half an
hour.

As soon as Ted had let Bud out, he hit up the speed, for the boulevard
was comparatively free of traffic, and he fairly spun along to the
western part of the city.

Cutting off the boulevard, he entered upon a side street to make a short
cut to Dorrington's house.

He noticed, as he turned into the side street, a light-colored car
standing close to the curb as he passed, but so many cars were standing
in front of houses here and there that he paid no attention to it.

But he had no sooner passed than the light-colored car glided after him
noiselessly. Ted's own machine was making so much noise that he was not
aware of the presence of another car until it was abreast of him, and so
close that he could reach out his hand and touch it.

He thought the car was trying to pass him close to the curb, and started
to turn out to give it more steerage room.

"Sheer off, there," he called, "until I can get out of here."

Suddenly something wet struck him in the face. He gave a gasp, as a
fearful suffocating pain filled his head and lungs, and he sank down
into the bottom of the car, insensible.

At the same instant the man in the other ca