desire now to get out of a slow amble.

"Well, things are certainly happening to me to-day," mused Tom as he
pedaled on. "That might have been a serious runaway if there'd been
anything in the road."

Tom did not stop to think that he had been mainly instrumental in
preventing a bad accident, as he had been the innocent cause of
starting the runaway, but Tom was ever a modest lad. His arms were
wrenched from jerking on the bridle, but he did not mind that much,
and bent over the handle-bars to make up for lost time.

Our hero was within a short distance of his house and was coasting
easily along when, just ahead of him, he saw a cloud of dust, very
similar to the one that had, some time before, concealed the
inexperienced motor-cyclist.

"I wonder if that's him again?" thought Tom. "If it is I'm going to
hang back until I see which way he's headed. No use running any more
risks."

Almost at that moment a puff of wind blew some of the dust to one
side. Tom had a glimpse of the man on the puffing machine.

"It's the same chap!" he exclaimed aloud; "and he's going the same
way I am. Well, I'll not try to catch up to him. I wonder what he's
been doing all this while, that he hasn't gotten any farther than
this? Either he's been riding back and forth, or else he's been
resting. My, but he certainly is scooting along!"