Read "What Happened to Tad" by Mary E. Ropes online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
THE plentiful meal and long sleep obtained through Claudine's / hospitality and kindness, had done the lads good service. And when they / recovered from their excitement and first dread of pursuit, and found / themselves clear of the neighbourhood of the house, they felt strong / enough to push on at a fair pace. The darkness was coming so rapidly, / that the boys thought they might with perfect safety keep to the road. / Along the road accordingly they trudged, looking carefully about them, / however, and ready to hide under a hedge or crouch in a ditch, or dodge / behind a tree at the wayside, at the least sound or threatening of / danger.
It was about eight o'clock, and they were beginning to think of making / a halt for a rest of half an hour or so, when a slow, heavy rumbling of / wheels along the highway made them look round.