"He's made me almost swallow my gum twice."

"Gracious, Laura!" gasped Lillie Nevins, looking alarmed, "if you
really have any gum you had better swallow it before Miss March
sees you."

At this Laura merely chuckled delightedly.

"I really don't like the way this man is running the car," Miss
March said finally to the conductor. "Tell him to have a care. He
will have us off the track."

The interurban line was not a smooth, straight-ahead road. They
swung around turns that were somewhat sharp. John stormed along as
though he were running on a perfectly straight track.

"I'll see what I can do," said the conductor doubtfully, and he
went forward and tapped on the glass of the front door. But the
motorman only gave him an angry glance and would not even reach
around and lift the latch.

"He's running away with us!" exclaimed Lillie Nevins, who was
always easily frightened.

"Oh, my dear!" laughed another girl. "What an elopement!"

"I hate to do it," said the conductor, when he came back to Miss
March. "But I'll report him to the inspector when we get to the end
of the route."