At the moment of making the discovery they were a block from the square from which the trolley car trundled away to Wharton, and they could have covered the distance in something like ten seconds from a standing start.

In spite of this, however, they never got that car! Gradually they had become separated from the other fellows, and now they were alone in their grandeur watching the efforts of a youth of about twenty to start an automobile which stood in front of Thacher's principal hotel, the Commercial House.

They were not especially interested in the spectacle and really didn't much care whether the youth ever got going, but there wasn't much else to look at.

Every time the engine started and the youth made a wild dash at the throttle he reached it too late.

Before he could pull it down the chug-chugging died away.