fashion had
first entered her mind, Bessie had watched Holmes and every move he made
like a cat, determined to be able to do as he did if the emergency
arose. And now her remarkable ability to do things that required, the
skilled use of her hands stood her in good stead.

The car was a silent one at low speed, and it had gone nearly a hundred
feet before Holmes realized that something was wrong, and came running
out of the station, followed by the wide-eyed Jake Hoover. And Bessie
increased her start while he stood there, too stunned with amazement
even to cry out.

By the time he had gathered his wits enough to begin shouting and
running after his car, pursuit was hopeless, and Bessie, afraid any
minute of having an accident, was running the car, still slowly, but too
fast for anything but another car to overtake it, out along the road
that led out of Jericho.

Dolly had screamed when she saw what Bessie meant to do, but after that
she had been too frightened even to speak. But when they were out of
range of Holmes's shouts and angry cries she regained her courage enough
to lean over and speak to Bessie.

"Oh, Bessie, do stop!" she begged. "We might run into someone, or be run
into ourselves. This is awfully dangerous, I know!"

"So do I know that," said Bessie. "But we had to do something, Dolly,
and this was the only thing I could think of to do, though I didn't want
to. But we're not going to stay in the car, don't worry! Do you see that
lane that comes into the road just beyond that big oak tree? Well, I'm
going to turn up there, and leave the car so that they can find it. I
don't want to steal the car, you know."

Bessie managed the turn successfully, and, frightened as she was, even
the few minutes that she had spent in driving the car had thrilled and
exhilarated her. She ran slowly up the lane, and when the main road was
hidden by a curve, she stopped the car and got out.

"There!" she said. "Dolly, if I only knew more about running it, I'd
like to go back to the farm in the car. It would serve Mr. Holmes right
if we did, you know, for he was trying to play a mighty mean trick on
me. I wonder if I'll ever be able to learn to drive a car like that? I'd
love to be able to, and to have one of my own to drive!"

"How are we going to get home?" wailed poor Dolly. "Oh, Bessie, what an
awful fool I've been! And now I'm hungry and tired, and we're lost, and
miles from the farm, and Miss Eleanor will be furious