"I hope I don't meet Happy Harry or any of his gang to-day," 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