“Got to?” repeated Walter, with a curious inflection.

“Hush!” whispered Cora.  “Let’s do it, Walter.  Jack is so angry at him that I’m afraid something will happen.”

“Very well.  Just as you say,” replied Walter gallantly.

Jack turned away in disgust.  He was evidently trying hard to keep his temper under control.

“That he and Ida should deliberately endanger the lives of several people, to say nothing of their own risk, seems past belief,” Jack murmured to Walter.  “I’ve a good mind to teach him a much-deserved lesson.  We ought to leave him to walk home.”

“Oh, I do dislike rows!” exclaimed Cora, and she whispered in Jack’s ear:  “Don’t bother with him, Bud.  He isn’t worth it.”

“You’re right about that,” was the response, and the lad looked affectionately at his sister.  She had gotten over the momentary fright, and there was now a pretty flush on her face.  “I’ll overlook it this time, sis,” went on Jack.  “Perhaps he’ll get his lesson later—­without me having to give it to him.”

“Aren’t some of you going to tow me?” asked Sid rather disconsolately.  “I can’t run my car the way it is.”

“Don’t ask any favors of them,” Cora heard Ida whisper to Sid.  “We’ll walk.”

“I will not,” he answered sharply.  “I’m not going to leave my car here.  Will you give me a tow, Cora?” he asked.  “Seeing that you made me smash—­”

“She did not!” cried Jack.  “And if you say so you’re—­”

“Jack!” exclaimed his sister.

“Well, he knows it was his own fault,” concluded Jack, not wishing to accuse Ida.

Sid looked a bit worried.

“We’ll tow you,” said Cora simply.

“Thank you,” responded Sid.

“Got a rope?” asked Walter.

“Here’s one,” answered the owner of the Streak, producing a strong rope from the rear of his runabout.

“Looks as if you were in the habit of getting towed,” remarked Walter.

“Yes.  I’ve had bad luck with this car.”

Sid and Walter were soon busy arranging the two cars, so that the big auto would tow the disabled one.

“I want the boys to separate,” whispered Cora to Bess.  “I’m so Afraid Jack and Sid will quarrel.”

“Not if they keep as far apart as they are now,” was the answer, for Jack had gotten back into his own car, and was looking on.  Ida, too, seemed to keep herself at a distance from the other girls.

“Well, I guess that will hold,” remarked Walter as he put the last knot in the rope.

“Here comes Ed Foster!” suddenly exclaimed Jack as the puffing of an auto was heard and a machine came in sight.  “Now I guess we’re all here.  Hello, Ed!”

“Hello, yourself,” replied Ed.  “Well, what’s up now?  Somebody turned turtle?”

“No, but somebody’s turned—­” began Jack, on the point of saying something uncomplimentary about Sid, but Cora interrupted him.