"I hope I don't meet Happy Harry or any of his gang today," mused the lad as he turned on a little more power to enable his machine to mount a hill."I don't believe they'll attend the auction, though.It would be too risky for them."As Tom swung along at a rapid pace he heard, behind him, the puffing of an automobile, with the muffler cut out.He turned and cast a hasty glance behind.
"I hope that ain't Andy Foger or any of his cronies," he said to himself."He might try to run me down just for spite.He generally rushes along with the muffler open so as to attract attention and make folks think he has a racing car."It was not Andy, however, as Tom saw a little later, as a man passed him in a big touring car.Andy Foger, as my readers will recollect, was a red-haired, squinty-eyed lad with plenty of money and not much else.He and his cronies, including Sam Snedecker, nearly ran Tom down one day, when the latter was on his bicycle, as told in the first volume of this series.Andy had been off on a tour with his chums during the time when Tom was having such strenuous adventures and had recently returned.
"If I can only get that boat," mused Tom as he swung back into the middle of the road after the auto had passed him, "I certainly will have lots of fun.I'll make a week's tour of Lake Carlopa and take dad and Ned Newton with me." Ned was Tom's most particular chum, but as young Newton was employed in the Shopton bank, the lad did not have much time for pleasure.Lake Carlopa was a large body of water, and it would take a moderately powered boat several days to make a complete circuit of the shore, so cut up into bays and inlets was it.
In about an hour Tom was at Lanton, and as he neared the home of Mr.Hastings, which was on the shore of the lake, he saw quite a throng going down toward the boathouse.
"There'll be some lively bidding," thought Tom as he got off his machine and pushed it ahead of him through the drive and down toward the river.I hope they don't go above two hundred dollars, though.""Get out the way there!" called a sudden voice, and looking back, Tom saw that an automobile had crept up silently behind him.In it were Andy Foger and Sam Snedecker."Why don't you get out the way?" petulantly demanded the red-haired lad.
"Because I don't choose to," replied Tom calmly, knowing that Andy would never dare to speed up his machine on the slope leading down to the lake.
"Go ahead, bump him!" the young inventor heard Sam whisper.
"You'd better try it, if you want to get the best trouncing you ever had!" cried Tom hotly.
"Hu! I s'pose you think you're going to bid on the boat?" sneered Andy.
"Is there any law against it?" asked Tom.
"Hu! Well, you'll not get it.I'm going to take that boat," retorted the squint-eyed bully."Dad gave me the money to get it.""All right," answered Tom non-committally."Go ahead.It's a free country."He stood his motor-cycle up against a tree and went toward a group of persons who were surrounding the auctioneer.The time had arrived to start the sale.As Tom edged in closer he brushed against a man who looked at him sharply.The lad was just wondering if he had ever seen the individual before, as there seemed to be something strangely familiar about him, when the man turned quickly away, as if afraid of being recognized.
"That's odd," thought Tom, but he had no further time for speculation, as the auctioneer was mounting on a soapbox and had begun to address the gathering.
