"Better hold on," Mollie warned them. "I've never done quite so steep a hill as this backward, and the old boy may balk. Take your time, old man," addressing the car, as it showed a tendency to pick up speed too rapidly. "Of course we're in a hurry, but we don't want to land on our ears. That's the way--gently now. All right--we're off!" as they reached the foot of the hill in safety and swung around into the road. "Now let's see how long it will take you to reach that station." As a matter of fact, it took scarcely any time at all, for the demon of speed seemed to have taken possession of Mollie, and she drove so recklessly that even the girls, who were used to her daring, were startled. Yet something about the young driver's straight little back and tightly compressed lips kept them from protesting. However, the wild ride came to an end without accident, and the girls tumbled out of the machine and on to the station platform. They looked about them, but the only person in sight was an unpromising looking person with a bald head--though he could not have been over thirty-five--beaked nose, and small red-rimmed eyes. This decidedly unattractive individual lounged against the door of the waiting room and eyed the girls with insolent admiration. "Anything I can do for you?" he asked, as he saw that they hesitated. "Always willing to oblige the ladies," he added. The girls exchanged a glance, then Betty approached the lounger who had the grace to straighten up as she addressed him. "We want to send a telegram," she explained coldly. "We understood we could send one from here." "Sure! That's me," he responded with alacrity. "Right this way, ladies." The girls followed him reluctantly into a little square booth-like place, and Mollie scribbled a telegram on the blank he gave her. Then they hurried out to the machine again. A little way down the road Amy turned and looked back. The fellow had resumed his lounging position and was looking after them with his little red-rimmed eyes. "Ugh! wasn't he awful?" said Betty, as Mollie rounded a turn in the road on two wheels. "I'm glad we don't have to see him often, he'd give me the nightmare." But Mollie did not answer. Her mind was once more on the twins, and she was repeating over and over the same old question. "What has happened--what has happened? What could have happened?" "Betty," she said aloud, so suddenly that Betty started, "there's just one thing we didn't think of as being a solution. It's strange, too, for it is the most probable solution of all." "What?" asked Betty anxiously. "Suppose--" said Mollie, her voice so low that Betty had to bend forward to catch the words. "Suppose they have been kidnapped!" CHAPTER XVII JOE BARNES AGAIN "Well, we've got to do something. There's no use sitting around looking at each other!" The girls started and looked reproachfully at Mollie.