ly ever meets anything."

Now Roy was averse, as are most boys, to being thought a "'fraid cat," and
the almost openly taunting air with which the girl looked at him angered
him almost to desperation.

"Very well," he said, "we'll race you when we get to that bit of road."

"Oh, Roy, what are you saying," pleaded Peggy, "it's all a trick to
humiliate us. The Blue Bird can't possibly keep up with their car,
and----." But Roy checked her impatiently.

"You don't think I'm going to allow Fanning Harding to scare me out of
anything, do you?" he demanded in as near to a rough tone of voice as he
had ever used to his sister.

Poor Peggy felt the stinging tears rise. But she said nothing. The next
moment the cars began to glide off, running side by side on the broad
country road. Faster and faster they went. The speed got into Roy's head.
He began to let the Blue Bird out, and then Fanning Harding, for the first
time seemingly, realized what a formidable opponent he was placed in
contact with.

As they reached the bit of road previously agreed upon as a race course,
the banker's son stopped his machine and hailed Roy to do the same.

"Tell you what we'll do to make this interesting," he said, "we'll change
machines. Or are you afraid to drive mine?"

"I'll drive it," said Roy recklessly, in spite of Peggy's quavered: "Say
no."

"Good. That will give us a fine opportunity to compare the two machines,"
cried Fanning Harding.

He jumped from the bigger car and handed out his companion. Then, for the
fraction of a minute, he bent, monkey wrench in hand, above one of the
forward wheels.

"A bolt had worked loose," he explained.

"Come on Peggy," urged Roy, and against her better judgment Peggy, as many
another girl has done before her, obeyed the summons, although an
intuition warned her that something was not just right.

"Ready?" cried Fanning from the Blue Bird.

"All ready"; hailed back Roy, who found the spark and throttle adjustments
of the maroon car perfectly simple.

"Then--go!" almost screamed Regina Mortlake. Peggy was looking at her at
the moment, and she was almost certain she saw a look of hatred flash
across the girl's countenance. But before she could give the matter any
more thought the maroon car shot forward. Close alongside came the Blue
Bird.

Motor hood to motor hood they thundered along at a terrific pace. The road
shot by on either side like a brown and green blur.

"Faster!" Peggy hear