Bert Wilson at the Wheel Part 21

"'This is the steed that saved the day, By carrying Sheridan into the fight From Winchester, twenty miles away,'

but all the same," he went on, "the steed saved the day because Sheridan was on his back, and the 'Red Scout' saved the day because Bert Wilson was at the wheel." And to this the whole camp gave a thundering chorus of a.s.sent.

And Bert was at the wheel that afternoon, when, after "three times three" given for the "Red Scout" and its driver, the n.o.ble car stood panting, crowded to the guards with as many as could tumble in, ready to lead the way to the station where they were to take the train to the city.

"I tell you, Tom," he said, as he grasped the wheel and the great car sprang forward, "I never expect to have so much pleasure and excitement in my life as I have had this summer."

But Bert was mistaken. A broader field and greater triumphs lay before him--exploits that would tax every ounce of brain and muscle; victory s.n.a.t.c.hed from defeat amid the applause of excited thousands. How he met the test and won his fight will be told in the next volume, "Bert Wilson's Fadeaway Ball."

THE END