friends of your'n, trying to have fun with you?"

"I can't recall any friends who would try to put up such a pleasant
surprise for us," said Dick dryly, as he slipped down to the ground.
"What did the fellows in the automobile look like, sir?"

That farmer possessed well-developed powers of observation, as
was proved by the minute descriptions he gave of the two young
men.

Dick's chums, who had now joined him at the roadside, looked puzzled.
Then light dawned in Tom's eyes.

"Jupiter!" cried Reade. "If it weren't that they're not in this
part of the country, I'd say that the pair were Dodge and Bayliss!"

"How do you know they're not in this part of the country?" asked
Prescott dryly. Then, of the farmer, he further inquired:

"What kind of a car were they driving, sir?"

"A red Smattach, last year's model," answered the man.

"That's just what the Dodge automobile runabout is, and Smattach
cars are not common in this section," muttered Prescott. Then
he went over to take a keener look at the written notice on the
sheet of white paper.

"This looks like disguised handwriting; it's backhanded," Dick
mused aloud. "But I notice one thing peculiar. Who makes a funny
little quirl at the beginning of a letter 'm,' such as you see
in this writing?"

"Bert Dodge!" flashed Dave Darrin, an indignant light flashing
in his eyes. "So we're six simpletons, held up by his shady tricks,
are we? If Bert Dodge is anywhere ahead of us on the road, then
I hope we have the good luck to meet him under conditions where
he can't jam on the speed and get away from us!"

"Joke on you all, is it?" asked the farmer, grinning quizzically.

"It looks like it," admitted Dick sheepishly. "You're sure that
none of the folks west of here heard anything of a mad dog, are
you?"

"Pretty sure," nodded the farmer.

"Then this notice isn't really needed up here," replied Dick,
carefully pulling the tacks, after which he folded the paper and
tucked it in one of his pockets. "We're mightily obliged to you,
sir."

"Oh, you're welcome," grinned the farmer, as he gathered up the
reins over his horse. "I've got to be getting along. I'm late
in Gridley now."

"If that man is too talkative in Gridley, folks will hear how
we got sold," yawned Tom, gazing after the farm wagon. "Then---my!
Won't folks be laughing at us?"

"It's a mean trick," cried Dave indignantly. "I wish I had that
Dodge fellow here, right now! I believe that I'