hundred. They were at least five miles from the nearest town. Chapa
looked at Medmangi, Medmangi looked at Hinpoha, and Hinpoha looked at
Gladys. Gladys, having no one else to look at, scratched her head and
thought.

"Well," she said finally, "we can't stay here all day. We might as well
walk to the nearest town and tell the police. They may be able to trace
the car. It was stolen once before and they found it in a town forty
miles away."

Whenever anyone mentions that walk in the heat the four girls begin to
pant and fan themselves with one accord. They had gone about three
miles when they came upon the Striped Beetle standing in the road,
abandoned. With a cry of joy the girls threw themselves upon it. The
cause for its abandonment soon came to light. The gasoline tank was
empty. Otherwise it was undamaged. But before it could join the
innumerable caravan again it must have gasoline, and naturally there
was none growing on the bushes.

"You two sit in the car and see that no one else runs away with it,"
said Gladys to Medmangi and Chapa, "and Hinpoha and I will go for
gasoline."

It was not until they had finished the two miles to town and stood by a
gasoline station that they remembered that they had no money. The
gasoline man firmly refused to give them any gas unless they paid for
it. Gladys was aghast. Hinpoha leaned wearily against a post and mopped
her hot face. Hinpoha suffers more from the heat than the rest of us.

"Pretty tough to be dead broke, aint it, lady?" asked a grimy urchin,