over at
the car where De Vronde is examin' us through a pair of cheaters and
enjoyin' himself scandalously.

"I see you got Foolish with you," says the Kid to Miss Vincent.
"What's the matter--are you off me now?"

She smiles and wipes some mud off the Kid's collar.

"Why, no," she tells him. "Genaro is putting on 'The Escapes of Eva'
this morning and I'm playing the lead opposite Mr. De Vronde. I
happened to pick him up on the road and I'm bringing him in, that's
all."

"Yeh?" says the Kid, still lookin' over at the car. "What are _you_
laughin' at, Stupid?" he snarls suddenly at De Vronde.

De Vronde give a shiver and the glasses fell off in the bottom of the
car. While he was stoopin' down to look for 'em, the Kid turns to Miss
Vincent.

"I only wish he had been drivin' the thing," he says, "because then I'd
have some excuse for bouncin' him! On the level, now," he goes on,
winkin' at her, "he _was_ drivin' the thing, wasn't he?"

"Oh, no!" she answers. "I was at the wheel."

The Kid frowns and thinks for a minute.

"Well," he says finally, takin' another look at De Vronde, "ain't the
brakes or somethin' where he was sittin'?"

"No!" she tells him, grabbin' him by the arm. "Please don't lose your
head now and start a fuss! I'm awfully sorry this happened, but as
long as neither of you were hurt and--"

"It didn't do me no _good_, that's a cinch!" butts in the Kid, with a
meanin' look at his spoiled scenery. He walks over to the car and
glares up at De Vronde. "Hey!" he snarls. "What d'ye mean by bein' in
a automobile that runs over me, eh?"

De Vronde moves as far over as the seat will let him, and then falls
back on prayer.

"I must decline to enter any controversy with you," he pipes, after a
minute. "You were standing in the right of way and--"

The Kid grins and holds up his hand. His face has lighted all up and
he's lickin' his lips like he always did in the ring when he seen the
other guy was pickin' out a place to fall. He's walked around to where
De Vronde had been sittin' and piped a little handle stickin' up.

"What's this?" he calls to Miss Vincent, who's climbin' in the other
side.

"That's just the oil pump," she says.

The Kid suddenly reaches up, grabs De Vronde by the arm and jerks him
out of the car.

"You big stiff!" he roars. "Why didn't you pump that oil, hey? If you
had done that, the thing wouldn't have hit us! I knowed it was all
your fault--you delibe