At the same moment, Noddy, the long-time enemy of the motor boys, saw
them. His face got red, and he swung quickly aside to avoid speaking
to the three chums.

The last they had seen of the bully was when he started to accompany
them back to Cresville, after his disastrous attempt to make money
from a Florida cocoanut grove. Noddy was wanted as a witness by the
government authorities, in connection with the attempted wreck of a
vessel, in which Bill Berry was concerned; but, after the motor boys
had rescued Noddy from an unpleasant position in Florida, and he had
agreed to return to Cresville, he suddenly disappeared in the night.
This was the first they had seen of him since. They had learned that
the government no longer desired his testimony.

"Let's see what notice he put up," suggested Ned. "Maybe he has lost
something."

They walked over to the bulletin board. There, in Noddy's rather poor
handwriting, was a challenge. It was to the effect that he would race,
on the track near the hotel, any automobilist who would choose to
compete with him, for money, up to five hundred dollars, or merely for
fun.

"Noddy must have a new car," remarked Ned. "His old one couldn't go
for a cent. We beat it several times."

"What's the matter with trying again?" asked Jerry, a light of
excitement coming into his eyes. "I'd like to have a race. Maybe
several cars will enter, and we can have some fun out of it. Our
machine has a lot of 'go' left in it yet."