Page:The Young Auctioneers.djvu/174

158 "Will you tell me what I am wanted for?" asked Matt.

"For entering his store and stealing a lot of cutlery and jewelry," returned the constable.

"Forty-five dollars' worth," added Marvelling. "And all new stock, too! Oh, you thought you would get away with it mighty smart-like, didn't you?" he sneered.

"I haven't been near your store, and I know nothing about the theft," was Matt's steady reply.

"But we saw you run away from the store and come down here, didn't we, Jackson?"

"We certainly did," returned the constable, with a grave shake of his head.

"You saw me?" gasped Matt, starting back.

"Exactly," said Isaac Marvelling. "I heard you run out of the yard behind the store right after I had called in Jackson to tell him about the robbery. We both saw you jump the fence and skip off in this direction."

"You might as well own up to what you have done," added the constable. "It won't do you any good to deny it."

For the moment Matt did not reply to this. He was thinking of what had occurred at the bridge just before the two men had reached it. Could it be possible that the dark object which had left the