he directed. "I think he's probably disconnected
the wires of the magneto--that's what I'd do if I wanted to put a motor out
of business in a hurry. And if that's all, there's no great harm done."

"I don't see how you know all that!" wondered Jack. "I can ride one of
those things, but the best I can do is mend a puncture, if I should have
one."

"Oh, it's easy enough," said Harry, working while he talked. "You see, the
motor itself can't be hurt unless you take an axe to it, and break it all
up! But to start you've got to have a spark--and you get that from
electricity. So there are these little wires that make the connection. He
didn't cut them, thank Heaven! He just disconnected them. If he'd cut them
I might really have been up a tree because that's the sort of accident you
wouldn't provide for in a repair kit."

"It isn't an accident at all," said Jack, literally.

"That's right," said Harry. "That's what I meant, too. Now let's see. I
think that's all. Good thing we came up when we did or he'd have cut the
tires to ribbons. And there are a lot of things I'd rather do than ride one
of these machines on its rims--to say nothing of how long the wheels would
last if one tried to go fast at all."

He tried the engine; it answered beautifully.

"Now is there a telephone in your father's house, Jack?"

"Yes. Why?" for Jack was plainly puzzled.

"So that I can call you up, of course! I'm going after Graves. Later I'll
tell you who he is. I'm in luck, really. He took Dick's machine--and mine
is a good ten miles an hour faster. I can race him and beat him but, of
course, he couldn't know which was the fastest. Dick's is the best looking.
I suppose that's why he picked it."

"But where is Dick?"

"That's what I'm coming to. They may have caught him but I hope not. I
don't think they did, either. I think he'll come along here pretty soon.
And, if he does, he'll have an awful surprise."

"I'll stay here and tell him--"

"You're a brick, Jack! It's just what I was going to ask you to do. I can't
leave word for him any other way, and I don't know what he'd think if he
came here and found the cycles and all gone. Then take him home with you,
will you? And I'll ring you up just as soon as I can. Good-bye!"

And everything being settled as far as he could foresee it then, Harry went
scooting off into the night on his machine. As he rode, with the wind
whipping into his face and eyes, and the incessant roar of the eng