h the black night and
dashed into the pouring rain, while Patty held her breath, and wondered
what would happen next.

On they went and on. Patty's imagination kept pace with her experiences
and through her mind flitted visions of Tam O'Shanter's ride, John
Gilpin's ride and the ride of Collins Graves. But all of these seemed
tame affairs beside their own break-neck speed through the wild night!

"Roger," said his mother, "Roger, won't you please----"

"Ask her not to speak to me just now, Patty, please," said the boy, in
such a tense, strained voice that Patty was frightened at last, but she
knew that if Roger were frightened, that was a special reason for her own
calmness and bravery. Turning slightly, she said, "Please don't speak to
him just now, Mrs. Farrington; he wants to put all his attention on his
steering."

"Very well," said Mrs. Farrington, who had not the slightest idea that
there was any cause for alarm, aside from the discomfort of the storm. "I
only wanted to tell him to watch out for railroad trains."

And then Patty realised that that was just what Roger was looking out
for! She could not see ahead into the blinding rain, but she knew they
were going down hill. She heard what seemed like the distant whistle of a
locomotive, and suddenly realising that Roger could not stop the car and
must cross the track before the train came, she thought at the same
moment that if Mrs. Farrington should impulsively reach over and grasp
the boy's arm, or anything like that, it might mean terrible disaster.

Acting upon a quick impulse to prevent this, she turned round herself,
and with a voice whose calmness surprised her, she said, "Please, Mrs.
Farrington, could you get me a sandwich out of the basket?"

"Bless you, no, child!" said that lady, her attention instantly diverted
by Patty's ruse. "That is, I don't believe I can, but I'll try."

Patty was far from wanting a sandwich, but she felt that she had at least
averted the possible danger of Mrs. Farrington's suddenly clutching
Roger, and as she turned back to face the front, the great car whizzed
across the slippery railroad track, just as Patty saw the headlight of a
locomotive not two hundred feet away from them.

"Oh, Roger," she breathed, clasping her hands tightly, lest she herself
should touch the boy, and so interfere with his steering.

"It's all right, Patty," said Roger in a breathless voice, and as she
looked at his white face, she realised t