Page:The Eight-Oared Victors.djvu/61

Rh "Well, yes, there is," admitted the other.

His chums looked at him curiously.

"I hope you didn't take that Boxer Hall puppy's remarks seriously," went on Tom.

"Not seriously, no; and yet what he said has set me to thinking."

"Hurray! Frank's thinking at last!" cried Sid. "Send word to Pitchfork, and he'll give you a double stunt in Latin."

"No, but seriously," went on the Big Californian, "you heard what he said. In a joking way, as I really think he meant It, he suggested that we might know something of the missing cups and jewelry, seeing that we were first on the scene—or, at least, as far as is known. Now if he thought that—even In a joke—and the jeweler thought It seriously—as I am convinced he did—though he soon passed It up—why shouldn't other people?"

"Do you think they do?" asked Sid.

"They might, and what I've been thinking is that we can't afford to have even the slightest suspicion hanging over us."

"But does there?" demanded Tom.

"I don't know—there's a possibility that there might. You see, fellows, we could have taken those things!"

"We could!" cried Phil.

"Certainly. Just figure it out for a moment," went on Frank. "We might as well look at this