r, lifted his cap as Mollie pressed the
button of the self-starter.

"Here we go!" cried Grace, as the motor throbbed and hummed.

Carefully Mollie threw out the clutch, and slipped in first speed. Then
releasing the clutch pedal gradually she felt the car move slowly
forward. A flush of pleasure came to her face; for, though she had
several times performed this feat of late, the demonstrator had always
sat beside her. Now she was doing it alone.

"Fine!" cried Betty, as the car gathered speed.

"You're all right!" Mr. Ransom called after the girls.

From first to second gear, and then in another moment to high, was
performed by Mollie without a hitch. Then she advanced the spark and gas
levers.

"Well, so far--so good!" spoke Amy, with a sigh of relief.

"I knew Mollie could do it," declared Betty. "Look out for that wagon,
my dear," she cried, a second later.

"I see it," and Mollie gave it such a wide berth that she sent her car
needlessly to the grassy part of the country highway that led out of
Deepdale.

"I don't want more than my half of the road," good-naturedly called the
farmer who was driving the horse-drawn vehicle. "If all motorists were
as generous as you there'd be no complaints," and he smiled and lifted
his cap.

"It's better to be sure than sorry," said Mollie. "Well, girls, how do
you like it?" and she ventured to turn around for an instant to speak to
Grace and Amy in the tonneau.

"It's scrumptious!" declared Grace, between bites at a chocolate.

"Lovely," chimed in Amy.

"However did you prevail on your mother to get you the car?" asked
Belly.

"Well, you see, when poor papa died," explained Mollie, as she put on a
little more speed, "he provided in his will that on my seventeenth
birthday I should have a certain sum of money to use just as I
pleased--within reason, of course.

"He didn't say what it was for, but he had suggested that I take a trip
to Europe. But I want to do that later, when I can better appreciate
what I see, so I asked mamma if I couldn't use the money for a car, and
she allowed me to. The result--you now behold," and she patted the
steering wheel.

"We do more than merely behold it," said Grace. "It was sweet of you to
ask us for a spin."

"Why wouldn't I, when Betty has been having us off on a cruise in her
motor boat?" replied Mollie. Then she cried: "Oh, dear! There's a dog!"
for one was in the road ahead.

"He can't bite us--up here," said Betty. "U