Page:Boys of Columbia High on the River.djvu/171

Rh "A newspaper," replied the other readily enough.

"What d'ye think of that, Joey? Here's a cute one for you. Why did you want to do that same thing, son," continued the man, fixing his cold gray eyes on the boy who sat there, bound hand and foot, yet smiling.

"Well, I'll tell you how it was. We wanted a ride, and started to ask you to give us a lift, when you cut and run, thinking we were officers," began Frank.

"Which is the truth as it goes. We was a couple of fools all right, as I told Joey here, and deserved to get left. Go on, boy, what next?"

"Why when we found ourselves in possession of a rig we hardly knew what to do at first. Then, in poking around, I found that bag and opened it, just as any boy would have done."

"Sure, or any man either, for that matter. Guessed what it meant as soon as you found what was in her, hey?" said Martin.

"Of course we understood that you must have come by so many watches and things in some crooked way. I was afraid that you would chase after us and make us deliver up that bag, so I just took that newspaper I found in the bottom of the buggy, and piled the stuff in it. After that I thought the bag felt too light, so I went to work