"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.
CHAPTER II
SOME LIVELY BIDDING
"Attention, people!" cried the auctioneer.
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