“I’m taking more risk than you.”
“You want to swipe something, I know! Boy fired last week for swipin’. He came near goin’ to the jug. Stole a ring out of a room. Feller who owned the ring let him off when he coughed it up, but he got chucked. Boss says he’s going to have the next boy who swipes anything pinched.”
“I’m no thief, Charley. You ought to know that.”
“Watcher want, then?”
“I want to see something Merriwell has in his room. You know he’s a great runner.”
“You bet! They say he’s goin’ to come mighty near winning the cross-country race.”
“I’m afraid he is. He has a secret preparation he takes every time he runs, and it makes him strong and swift. I want to find out what it is. I heard him tell another fellow that it was prepared from a prescription he has in his room. If I can get a look at that prescription long enough to remember it or copy it, I’ll be able to use the stuff on my runners. No one will ever know it. I’ll give you five dollars to let me have the passkey that will admit me to Merriwell’s room.”
“Is this straight goods?”
“Certainly.”
“You may be seen getting into the room or coming out.”