"Guess there's no use lingering here any longer," he remarked. "I'll push the wheel and run for home."
He started down the road in the storm and darkness. The highway soon became a long puddle of mud, through which he splashed, finding it more and more difficult every minute to push the bicycle in the thick, sticky clay.
Above the roar of the wind and the swishing of the rain he heard another sound. It was a steady "puff-puff," and then the darkness was cut by a glare of light.
"An automobile," said Tom aloud. "Guess I'd better get out of the way."
He turned to one side, but the auto, instead of passing him when it got to the place where he was, made a sudden stop.
"Want a ride?" asked the chauffeur, peering out from the side curtains which somewhat protected him from the storm. Tom saw that the car was a large, touring one. "Can I give you a lift?" went on the driver.
"Well, I've got my bicycle with me," explained the young inventor. "My chain's broken, and I've got a mile to go."
"Jump up in back," invited the man. "Leave your wheel here; I guess it will be safe."
"Oh, I couldn't do that," said Tom, "I don't
