"It will take some explanation," remarked Belle.

"They're great little explainers, though," said Bess. "They'd rather die than admit we had the faster car."

Cora gradually slackened speed until the car, while still running swiftly, had reached a more reasonable rate. Belle's glances behind told her that their pursuers were overtaking them by leaps and bounds.

A moment later there was a wild chorus of shouts, and Jack's car drew up alongside. His two friends, Walter Pennington and Paul Hastings, were with him, both tall, athletic young fellows, with frank, pleasant faces.

The girls looked up with well simulated surprise, and pleasure that was not at all simulated.

"Why, it's the boys!" they cried in chorus.

Both cars had by this time come to a full stop, and the masculine contingent, deserting theirs, came round to the girls' car to greet them and to shake hands. Jack went further and gave his sister a hearty kiss, a proceeding which brought a look of envy to the faces of his companions.

"Where in the world have you slowpokes been?" asked Belle.

"Not much of a compliment, keeping away from us so long," pouted Bess in a way to show a most bewitching dimple.

"I guess they've been glad enough to be rid of us for a while," chimed in Cora.

Looks full of reproach and denial greeted this onslaught.

"That's pretty good!" remarked Paul.

"Rich!" a.s.sented Walter.

"Just as if we hadn't been breaking speed laws all day long in order to overtake you," mourned Jack.

"What's the use of living when you're so misunderstood?" groaned Walter.

"After all the ice-creams and sodas we've blown in on these girls, too!"

wailed Paul.

"Let's find a hole somewhere and crawl away and die," suggested Jack.

"It seems to me that the shoe's on the other foot anyway," said Walter, becoming accuser in his turn. "It's you who didn't want us. Who was it just now that was trying to run away from us?"

"Run away from you?" repeated Cora innocently. "What do you mean by that?"

"You know perfectly well, you little minx," said her brother with mock sternness. "There we were, waving handkerchiefs at you and hustling the old machine along to beat the band. I know you saw us, for one of you was looking back."

"I did see some one waving a handkerchief," admitted Belle. "But it looked as though some ill-bred person was trying to flirt with us, and of course we didn't pay the least attention."

"No," said Bess primly, "we'd die before we'd flirt."

"If we'd wanted to flirt we had a perfectly good chance to-day while we were eating lunch," said Cora. "He had a perfectly lovely necktie, too, a good deal brighter than any of yours."

Jack threw up his hands with a gesture of despair.

"No use, fellows!" he exclaimed. "You can't pin them down to anything."

"But what did you have to wave your handkerchief for anyway to make us stop?" asked Cora demurely. "All you had to do was to put on more speed and catch up to us. That car of yours is so fast, you know. At least that's what you've always said."

The boys looked at each other a little disconcertedly.

"W-well," stammered Jack, "the oil-the sparking wasn't working just right--"

"Tell the truth, Jack," spoke up Walter, with a fine a.s.sumption of candor. "The real reason, girls, was that we were afraid of b.u.mping into you--"

"And we didn't want to spill you all over the road," finished Paul.

A groan went up from the girls.

"Oh, Ananias!" exclaimed Bess.

"Ananiases, you mean," corrected her sister. "One's just as bad as the others. They all hang together."

"We're like Ben Franklin when he signed the Declaration of Independence,"

laughed Paul. "He said they'd all have to hang together or they'd hang separately."

"I'll admit that you have a good car, sis," said Jack.

"And if that isn't enough to take us back into favor, we'll do anything else you say," said Walter, wringing his hands in pretended agitation.

"We'll put on sackcloth and ashes, jump through a hoop, roll over and play dead," chimed in Paul. "No one has anything on us when it comes to humility."

"It almost affects me to tears," said Belle, pretending to reach for her handkerchief.

"They say cruel and unusual punishments are prohibited by the Const.i.tution," laughed Cora, "so we won't deprive you of the refining influence of our society. Heaven knows you need it badly enough. We'll let you trail along with us if you'll promise to be very, very good."

"We will," promised Jack.

"There's one thing yet that needs to be explained, fellows," remarked Walter, as they climbed into their automobile. "What about that fellow with the iridescent necktie? I feel the demon of jealousy gnawing at my vitals."

"Come, girls, 'fess up," admonished Jack.

"He was just charming," said Cora promptly.

"Perfectly lovely," agreed Belle.

"Such soulful eyes!" exclaimed Bess languishingly.

"That I should ever have lived to hear this!" groaned Walter.

"I guess our cake is dough," said Paul.

"Eftsoon and gadzooks!" cried Jack, striking an att.i.tude, "lead me to him, and sooth it shall go hard with me if my trusty sword drink not the caitiff's blood."

"I guess you don't need to go as far as that," laughed Cora. "Leave him alone and the police will take care of him."