Cosden was nettled. "Your idea of age needs some revision," he retorted sharply. "If I were to figure things the same way, I would suggest that the next time you come to Elba Beach you use an automobile perambulator instead of a bicycle.--Now let's call it quits." "They don't allow automobiles down here," Billy corrected seriously. "That's one reason why I came. I never want to see a buzz-wagon again." "Skid, collision, run-over, smash-up--" Merry began helpfully. "No--worse still," Billy rejoined slowly, evidently surveying the past in his mind.--"Say, Phil was in this, too." "Phil?" the girl echoed anxiously. "He wasn't hurt, was he?" "No, not hurt exactly; but we both had the shivers all right, and the more I think it over the less of a joke it seems to me. You see, Bud Warner has a crackerjack car, and he asked Phil and me to dash out with him one afternoon. The first thing we knew he turned in at a place out in Belmont, rode to the front door, and went on in to fuss a dame there that he's been rushing. Well, Phil and I cooled our heels half an hour waiting for him and then we thought we'd get even by giving him the slip, for it was a good two miles' walk to the cars and Bud is no bear as a walker. We slid out with the motor all right, but just before we reached Harvard Square a wise-guy cop pinched us for stealing the car, and ran us both in." "Arrested you for stealing?" Merry demanded. "Surest thing you know," Billy confirmed. "When Bud found we'd slipped him, he was sore, and to get even he telephoned the police-station, gave them the number of the car, and said it had been stolen. Oh! we were in bad, for fair." "And Uncle Monty far from home," commented Cosden. "Yes," Billy admitted; "I didn't know it at the time or I should have been still more peeved. Well--we stayed there in the cooler for two hours when Bud showed up and was brought in where we were. He gave us the once over, and acted as if he'd never seen us before in all his young life. 'I couldn't have believed it of such respectable-looking young men,' he said,--the darned hypocrite! 'I couldn't send them to State's prison,' said he, 'on account of their families.' Then he made an imitation like thinking, and finally he said, 'Officer, I withdraw the charge of theft, but ask you to hold the prisoners for exceeding the speed limit.--What's the bail? I'll help them out for the sake of their families.' So he bailed us out, and we went back together, with Bud thinking he'd played us a fine, swell joke." "Did you jump your bail?" Merry inquired, thoroughly amused. "No; we didn't dare. We came up before the judge next morning, and it cost us ten bones apiece and costs. That's what made me so short on my Christmas money." "I'll guarantee you found some way to get around that," Cosden said, suggestively egging him on to display his youthfulness.