ever, never forgive you for that!"

"Well, seeing you came so near capsizing us by your affectionate
embrace of the chauffeur, the latter individual is surely entitled to
some reward for his valued services--particularly as he will now have
to detain the party some ten or fifteen minutes while he does a
little real hard labor."

He jumped quickly out of the machine and going around to the left
front wheel, examined the exploded tire. It was perfectly flat.

"Yes;" he repeated, "this means a little work."

"That was hard luck, Gerald," said Dorothy, "particularly when you
were trying to make a record run."

"Yes; it's the first trouble we've had with the machine since
starting on our trip. But this is really a simple matter, Dorothy."

"Oh, I'm so glad of that."

"I shall still have the satisfaction of putting you into Bellvieu in
time to be in bed by twelve--and we may even shade that time a
little. Come, Jim! Get that jack out of the tool chest, and help me
hoist this wheel off the ground. You'd better bring the pump, also,
and we'll see how long it will take you and Ephy to inflate a tire of
this size."

Jim and Ephraim both sprang to Gerald's aid. Soon the jack was under
the wheel, where it required but a moment to raise the machine until
the wheel was clear of the ground.

Then Gerald removed the punctured tire, pulled out the inner tube,
and proceeded to put the new one in its place. With the tire back on
the rim again, he attached the end of the pump to the air tube with
astonishing swiftness, and Jim began at once to force the ozone into
the rubber. Tiring after a few moments, he gave way to Ephraim, while
Gerald, his hand on the tire, waited until it was sufficiently hard
to carry the weight of the machine. Then he gave the signal to stop
pumping.

Another moment sufficed to lower the wheel onto the ground, and to
put the tools back in the chest. Then Gerald and his helpers crawled
into the machine and the big car started off as if nothing had
happened. The whole affair had not taken over ten minutes.

"I had no idea punctures were so easily remedied," said Aunt Betty.
"Somehow, I have always dreaded the thought of being in an automobile
away from the city when a tire blew up. But, aside from the noise,
there seem to be no disagreeable features."

"Would be if you didn't happen to have an extra inner tube along,"
said Jim.

Gerald nodded.

"You're right. The idea is always to have one."

"Bu