"I have not," he said, "I have come to tell you that you and Charlie Martin are going joy riding with me. I have to go to Hartford to attend the conference of the eastern managers of the Michigan Car Company, and I think the ride, and a day or so off, would do you and Charlie a world of good." "But we can't get away." "Can't!" jeered Fred. "Hear the man, Betty," he said, turning to her. "Here is a man in business who says 'can't.' Don't you know that failure comes in 'can't's' and success comes in 'cans.' How many cans of it can I sell you?" "You're full of it to-day, aren't you?" I said. "Bet you I am, had eggs for breakfast, and am full of yokes." "But," I said, "Charlie and I can't get away together." "I'll be around at the house at nine-thirty to-morrow morning, and I'll pick Charlie up before I get here. We will stay at Hartford on Monday night, and Tuesday I will leave you folks to enjoy yourselves for a short time while I attend the conference." "There isn't anything to do in Hartford," I said. "Nothing to do! Say, Dawson, wake up! You--a retail merchant--saying 'nothing to do' when there's a bunch of good retail stores there, every one of which should give you a number of good ideas. Don't you want to see the Charter Oak? Why, there's a whole lot of interesting things in Hartford, and it certainly would do you and Martin good to visit there and get an assortment of good wrinkles. Besides, I want to tell you boys something about automobiles." "That's awfully good of you, Fred," I said, "but honest Injun, I'm not interested in automobiles." "Autos be blowed!" he said. "Blown," corrected Betty, smiling. "Have it your own way," said Fred. "Now," said he, turning to me, "you and Charlie are coming with me to-morrow as my guests, and I'm going to give you a real good time. I'll be through at the meeting at four or five o'clock Tuesday night, and then we'll have a good dinner and a nice midnight ride back home." "I will go," I said. "I knew you would," he replied, "and now, Betty, what about that bread-breaking stunt you spoke of?" CHAPTER XLII JOCK MCTAVISH DISTURBS THE PEACE How work does pile up on one when he is away from business for a day or two! I was away less than two days; but it took me practically a whole week to get caught up. I suppose that it was because Charlie and I had gone away together. I had a fine time in Hartford. Fred Barlow was full of ideas. He told me something about a plan that he was then working out for chain garages in connection with hardware stores. "You're crazy," I told him. "No one has ever done anything like that before." "Good boy!" he said. "The very fact that no one has ever done it before shows that it has a chance of success. I may have something to say to you about that later on," he said, mysteriously.