CHAPTER I
ON THE ROAD AND ON THE ICE
“Crickey! this is some snow, Dan. Never saw it come so fast in my life,” declared Billy Speedwell earnestly, as his brother rolled the heavy cans of milk out of the cooling room at Fifield’s.
Their new motor-truck, in which the boys picked up the milk from the various dairies under contract to Mr. Speedwell, stood near. One at a time the brothers lifted the heavy cans and tossed them into the wagon.
“You’ll likely see a lot more snow before this winter’s over, Billy,” grunted the older lad, as the last can was placed.
“If it gets deep in the roads we may have to go back to using Bob and Betty and the old delivery wagons.”
“Not much!” exclaimed Dan, with confidence. “We’ve got seventy horses in this old engine; that ought to push her through the drifts.”
“We’ll have to put the chains on her tires before we start out to-morrow morning – unless I miss my guess. This is going to be some snow,” remarked Billy.
“According to the almanac,” his brother responded, “we’re going to have many big storms this winter and lots of ice. Why! there’s a regular blizzard due before Christmas.”
“Well, I like the winter,” declared Billy. “But if the Colasha stays frozen over we’ll not use the Red Arrow again till spring.”
“No; I suppose not.”
“And with the roads deep in snow we won’t do much fast riding on either our Flying Feathers, or our racing-auto.”
“Oh! there’ll be good weather for motor-car races yet.”
“That’s so,” cried Billy. “I guess we can get a bit of fun out of the old car, eh?”
“We’ll try,” agreed Dan, who was just as much of a motor enthusiast as his younger brother.
Billy had hopped in and taken the wheel. The motor was singing beneath them and in a moment the electric truck lurched forward and they slid out of the Fifield yard.
When they turned into the road, heading for home, the wind and snow struck them with all their force.
“Some storm!” Billy muttered, with set teeth, and trying to peer ahead.
The lamps did little good in such a smother. The flakes whipped into his face and clung to his goggles. Again and again he wiped away the accumulated moisture with his mittened hand – thereby blurring his sight for a moment entirely.
It was just after one of these attempts to clear his vision that the accident happened. The truck was steaming along at a good clip, for the Speedwells were anxious to get home to shelter and a warm supper.
Dan shouted and seized his brother’s shoulder. The latter felt the jar as the mudguard struck the dim figure that he had only seen when the truck was right upon it.
Down went the foot passenger, who had been plowing against the storm, too, deaf and blind to the motor-truck. Billy shouted, but was not too excited to stop the motor and brake the car.
He leaped into the gathering snow on one side, while Dan left the truck on the other. Fortunately the wayfarer had been flung aside; the wheels had not passed over him.
“He must be badly hurt, Dan!” gasped Billy, in great distress, on his knees beside the fallen figure.
“Does he move?”
“I – I can’t tell. Try it, Dannie,” choked the younger Speedwell. “I – I’m afraid to do so.”
Dan had the wrist of the unfortunate in his own bare fingers. “His pulse is all right,” he said.
Just then the unknown stirred and muttered. What he said neither of the Speedwells could understand; but they were both delighted. Certainly the victim of the accident was far from dead!
“Who are you? Are you hurt?” asked Dan.
The other made a strange sound – it was as though he said several words, but they were unlike any speech the boys had ever heard before.
“He can’t be intoxicated; can he?” gasped Billy.
“Why, he’s only a boy!” declared Dan, dragging the unknown into a sitting posture in the snow.
“There’s a cut along his cheek. See! it’s bleeding.”
Billy brought out his handkerchief and wiped the blood away. The mysterious youth – he wasn’t as old as Dan – tried to speak again. The sounds that issued from his lips were so strange that the younger Speedwell was startled.
“I never heard the like, Dan!” he gasped. “Is he some kind of a foreigner?”
“It doesn’t sound human,” drawled Dan. “He must be a stranger from Mars.”
But it was not altogether a joke, although the youth now staggered to his feet with the aid of the brothers, one on either side. He had been much shaken, it was evident. His cheek still bled, and he seemed strangely weak.
“Come along home with us, old man,” Dan said, patting him on the shoulder. “We’ll see what’s the matter with you there.”
The stranger seemed to understand. Although he could not speak intelligibly, it was plain that he understood what the Speedwells said to him. And he did not lack intelligence – Dan and Billy were sure of that. His eyes were bright and he wasn’t at all dazed. The blow had knocked him out for only a minute.
They helped him into the seat and again Billy started the truck. The snow whirled down upon them faster and faster; but this time there was no stop made until they turned in at the Speedwell gate and the outline of the big barn and cow stables loomed before them.
