"It will be fun," cried Amy, her eyes shining with anticipation, "to get in front of him and give that old crank a taste of his own medicine." "He certainly deserves it," agreed Mrs. Ford, for she was as indignant as the girls at the man's insolence. "Didn't Grace say something about pretending we were stalled?" "She did," cried Mollie gleefully. "And as luck, I mean bad luck, will have it, the mean old engine will choose the very center of the road to do it's stalling in. Bless it's little old heart," and even Mrs. Ford chuckled with her. As Grace had said, the detour was not over half a mile long, and they soon came out on the main road again. Then they backed the cars several hundred feet down the road so as to effectually block all passage. Betty tooted gleefully to Mollie, and Mollie tooted gleefully back again. Then they jumped from the machines and met in the middle of the road for a consultation. "He will be coming in sight any minute now," Betty explained hurriedly, "so we must decide on some definite plan of action." "That's easy," said Mollie. "One of us will get down underneath the machine and pretend to be tinkering--" "Goodness, that lets me out," said Grace in dismay. "I wouldn't get down in the dirt for fifty idiotic wagon drivers." "Well, nobody's asking you to," cried Mollie impatiently. "I fully intend to put on my overalls and do it myself." "Better hurry up," cried Amy, who had been glancing uneasily down the road. "He may come along any minute now and we don't want him to catch us here." So amid much hilarity and giggling Mollie got into the begrimed overalls and proceeded to wriggle her small self beneath the car. "I hope he hurries," she cried in a muffled voice. "It isn't exactly what you might call comfortable down here. Betty, get off my foot," as Grace wickedly stepped on her toes. "Just hear her," cried Betty plaintively. "Everything just naturally gets blamed on me." "Well, if you didn't, who did?" queried Mollie fiercely. "Tell me her name--" "Betty, Betty, don't give me away," pleaded Grace, at which the girls laughed while a satisfied chuckle came from under the car. "I knew I'd find the guilty one," Mollie was beginning when Betty cut her short with a warning cry. "He's coming," she said, adding, as she vainly tried to straighten the corners of her mischievous mouth: "And please remember, girls, this is a very solemn occasion!" CHAPTER XIV BLUFF POINT AT LAST Very anxious the Outdoor Girls looked as the grouchy old farmer came toward them. Mollie was making all sorts of noises under the car, apparently tinkering with its mechanism, while the girls kept up a running fire of questions. "What is the matter, Mollie?" "Can't you find the trouble?" "Better let me get under and take a look." "If we don't get started pretty soon, we'll not get to Bluff Point before dark." These and other remarks like them met the suspicious ears of the driver as he jerked his team to a standstill.