When they had finished this rural but eminently satisfying repast, they hurried over to the one big general store to buy a few supplies that they would need that night. It was necessary to lay in only a limited amount, as Grace's aunt Mary had thoughtfully left her cottage well stocked and had informed them that eggs, chickens and vegetables of all kinds could be had fresh from the farmers round about. Then they were off again, eyes upon that ribbon of road in front, intent upon reaching their destination before nightfall. It was not till about four o'clock that they met with their first setback. Betty had just rounded a turn in the road, horn honking for all it was worth, when she found herself almost on top of a huge farm wagon. She yelled to the driver and put on her brakes hard, hoping desperately that Mollie would not run into her from behind. Grace shrieked and covered her face with her hands. It was a narrow escape, for when the car had finally stopped there was not more than about an inch between it and the wagon in front. Luckily Mollie had been warned by the noise of the horn, and had stopped her machine just around the turn of the road. She and Mrs. Ford and Amy came running to see what the matter was. Meanwhile Betty had recovered herself and was smiling apologetically up at the frightened driver. His horses, startled by the noise and shouting had tried to bolt, and he had had all he could do to hold them in. The result was a slightly heated condition on the part of his temper. "I'm sorry," Betty was saying, her voice still tremulous from the sudden fright she had received. "I thought--" "Yes, an' I thought too," he interrupted, in a gruff, rude tone that whipped the color to her face. "It would be a heap better if some folks'd think before they done things. Durned old gasoline wagons." And, still muttering, the angry man turned and whipped up his team while the girls stared after him dumbly. CHAPTER XIII OUTWITTING A CRANK "Old grouch," cried Mollie, shaking a vindictive little fist after the departing farmer. "If it hadn't been that you would have killed yourself too, Betty, I almost wish you had hit him." "Well, I don't," said Grace ruefully. "Nobody ever thinks of poor me." "I guess we had better be a little more careful in the future," said Mrs. Ford, a worried line between her brows. "Better to be a little longer reaching Bluff Point than to endanger our lives and perhaps the lives of others." "It almost looks as if we shouldn't have any choice," said Mollie, and they looked at her in surprise. "Well, we can't hope to pass that wagon," she explained, indicating the vehicle that was now some hundred feet in front and was waddling along at a snail's pace. "There isn't room, with the ditch on one side and the drop on the other." "It will be easy enough if he moves to one side of the road," suggested Amy. "He'll move over if we toot at him," added Grace. But Mollie shook her head doubtfully.