"Do you think we'll find him there?" asked Mark, as they made their way
along the dusty highway. "Hard to tell. Yet, if he's hanging out in
this neighborhood, that would be as good a place as any, for him to
hide in."

"I wonder who he can be, anyhow? And how he knows me?"

"Give it up. Evidently he isn't a tramp, though he stays in a place
where there are plenty of the Knights of the Road."

The boys increased their pace, and were soon on the main road leading
to the Preakness house, and about a mile away from it. "We'll soon be
there now," remarked Jack. "Then we'll see if we can find that man."

As he spoke, the lad put his hand in his pocket, and, a moment later,
he uttered a startled cry.

"What's the matter?" asked Mark, in some alarm.

"Matter? Why, gee whiz! If I haven't forgotten to send that telegram
Professor Henderson gave me! It's to order some special tools to take
along on our trip to the moon. They didn't come, and the professor
wrote out a message urging the factory to hurry the shipment. He gave
it to me to send, just before the accident to the motor, but when that
happened it knocked it out of my mind, I guess. I stuck the telegram in
my pocket, and here it is yet," and Jack drew forth a crumpled paper.
"Wouldn't that make you tired?" he asked. "It's important, and ought to
go at once. The professor won't like it."

"I'll tell you what to do," suggested Mark, after a moment's thought.