gon as soon as he
could arise, but this time Andy had stepped in between them and blocked
the impending blows.

"That'll do now!" exclaimed the younger Racer lad with more sternness
and determination than he usually employed. "It was all my fault. I
filled your pants with sand, Chet. I really couldn't help it, the
bottoms were so wide open. But I didn't push you when you fell the
first time. You tripped in that hollow. Now come on, and I'll buy you
two chocolate sodas to square it up. I'll treat the crowd. Come
along, Bob."

"No, I can't," answered Bob. "Got to get along with these clams. I'm
late now. But I want to say that I'm sorry I knocked Chet down. I
wouldn't have done it if he hadn't struck me first."

"That's right," put in Frank. "I'm sorry it happened."

"So am I," added Andy contritely. But it is doubtful if he would
remain sorry long. Already a smile was playing over his face.

"Well, who's coming and have sodas with me?" asked the younger Racer
brother, after an awkward pause, during which Bob mounted the seat of
his wagon and drove off. "Come on, Chet. I'll have your cane fixed,
too. And if you don't like a chocolate soda you can have vanilla."

"I wouldn't drink a soda with you if I never had one!" burst out the
dude, as he wiped the sand off his shoes and brushed his light suit.
"I'll get square with you for this, too; see if I don't."

"Oh, very well, if you feel that way about it I can't help it," said
Andy. "I said I was sorry, and all that sort of thing, but I'm not
going to get down on my knees to you. Come along, Frank. Let's go for
a sail."

The clam wagon was heading for the street that led up from the beach.
Chet had turned away with an injured air, and Andy linked his arm in
that of his brother.

"You see what your fooling led to," said Frank in a low voice, as the
two strolled off, "Why can't you let up playing jokes when you know
they're going to make trouble?"

"How'd I know it was going to make trouble, just to put sand in Chet's
pants?" demanded Andy, with some truth in his contention. "If I had
known it I wouldn't have done it. But it was great to see him tumble;
wasn't it?"

"Oh, I suppose so," and in spite of his rather grave manner Frank had
to smile. "But you must look ahead a bit, Andy, when you're planning a
joke."

"Look ahead! The joke would lose half its fun then. It's not knowing
how a thing is going to turn out that makes it worth whil