CHAPTER XXXII.

AN ACCIDENT ON THE WHEEL.

The days flew by, and business at the Johnsons’ store continued to grow better and better, until the entire family felt that they were on the high road to prosperity.

One day Dan Huxley, who played third base on the Rushers, came to our hero and asked him to take a drive out in the country to an uncle’s farm for some potatoes.

The day was a fine one and both boys felt in excellent spirits.

Just on the outskirts of the city they ran across Ralph Riley, a bicycle rider from Greenpoint, who was spinning along on his wheel.

“I’ll race you!” cried Ralph.

“Done,” said Dan, and the race started.

The horse was pulling a pretty heavy wagon, so he could not go very fast.

Yet for a quarter of a mile it was nip-and-tuck between the horse and the machine.

Then Ralph drew ahead.

“You’re beat!” he cried, as he went on.

“I would like to have my machine and race you,” said Joe with a laugh.

Just ahead of them the road made a turn around a clump of trees.

On and on sped Ralph, with the wagon not far behind him.

As he went around the curve his bicycle tipped too far in and he slipped down on the ground.

“Whoa!” yelled Dan, as he tried to bring his horse to a stand.

He did not wish to run over Ralph, who had rolled over on his back.

Scarcely had Dan spoken when Joe let out a cry of horror. A spanking team attached to a heavy coach was coming from the other direction. The coach was whirling along at a lively gait, with the driver more than half asleep on the box.

“Stop! Stop!” cried Joe, but the sleepy coachman paid no attention.

“Stop!” yelled Dan. “Ralph, get up!”

Realizing his danger, Ralph Riley attempted to do so. But his leg caught in his machine and down he went again.

On and on came the heavy coach. In another moment the horses and all would pass directly over the prostrate boy’s body.

“Stop your team!” screamed our hero, and leaped to the ground.

As quick as lightning he sprang over Ralph’s body and caught the nearest horse of the oncoming team by the bridle.

It was a daring thing to do, for should he fall under the horses, Joe would be as bad off, if not worse, than his companion.

Yet he did not mean to fall.

The coach swerved to one side and the driver was almost shaken from his lofty seat.

This aroused him and he clutched at the reins.

“Phat are yez up to?” he bawled out.

“Stop your team!” cried our hero. “Don’t you see where you are going?”

“Be hivins!” howled the driver, and pulled up the team in double-quick order.

Another step and Ralph would have been trampled under foot.

As it was, one of the horses stepped on one wheel of the bicycle, bending several of the steel spokes.

Ralph crawled to his feet and got out of the way as best he could.

Then Joe let go the horse’s head.

“Are ye hurted?” asked the driver anxiously of Ralph.

“No, but my machine is,” replied the boy.

“Oi can’t help that! Git up, Billy! Git up, Nora!”

He attempted to go on with his team. But Dan drew up across the road so he could not pass.

“You settle for that broken wheel first,” said Dan.

“To be sure he will!” cried Ralph.

“It’s not me fault,” said the driver of the coach stubbornly.

“It is.”

“’Tis not. Now let me go past!”

Dan would not budge, and added to this Ralph ran up in front of the coach, and so did Joe.

At once the Irishman grew angry and reached for his long whip.

“Oi’ll show yez a thing or two!” he howled, and made a crack at Ralph with his whip, but the boy leaped out of reach.

“Here, don’t you hit my friend!” cried Joe.

In his pocket he had an apple, which was large and rather hard.

He pulled out the apple, and, just as the coachman made another strike at Ralph, he let drive.

The coachman received the apple in one eye, and he let out a terrific yell and dropped his whip, which Ralph promptly picked up.

Swish! Swish!

Around the driver’s legs wound the whip end, and the Irishman danced on the seat with pain.

“There, now, we’ll call it square!” cried Ralph, as he threw the whip into the empty coach. “Now go about your business, and see you don’t drive over anybody else.”

The coachman was frantic, but before he could do anything Dan and Joe drove past him, and Ralph got on his battered wheel and rode on.

At a crossroads they came to a blacksmith shop, and here Ralph stopped off to have the spokes of his wheel straightened.

Joe and Dan continued on their way until the latter’s uncle’s place was reached. Here the two boys had a right royal time in the orchards, picking and eating fruit.

Dan’s uncle was with them, and while out in the orchard was called off for a little while by a neighbor.

“There’s a fine apple tree,” said Dan. “Supposing I climb up and shake down a few of those choice apples?”

“Go ahead, and do as you please,” said our hero. “I must confess, as far as I am concerned, I don’t want much more fruit.”

“Pretty full, eh?”

“Exactly.”

Nevertheless, Joe gave Dan a boost up the tree.

There were some particularly fine apples on the topmost limbs, and these Dan was bent on securing.

Up and up he went, while our hero took it easy on the grass at the foot of the tree.

Dan had just reached the top of the tree and secured some choice fruit, when a wild cry rang out, coming from the direction of the farmhouse.

“Help! Samuel, come here, quick!”

It was Dan’s aunt calling for her husband.

“What’s up?” yelled Dan from the tree.

“Your aunt wants help!” cried Joe. “I’ll go up and see what’s wrong.”

And away he bounded as fast as his swift feet would carry him.

As he came in sight of the farmhouse a thrilling sight met his gaze.