A BIT OF EVIDENCE
“Dave, what do you make of this?”
“Well, to tell the truth, Phil, I don’t think much of it.”
“You don’t think it is a clew?”
“Do you?”
“It’s rather faint, I must confess.”
“Oh, I don’t think there is anything to it,” declared Ben.
“There is something, but not a great deal,” came from Roger. “I don’t see how you are going to follow it up.”
This talk between the boys occurred after Dave, Phil, Ben, Roger, and Buster had called upon Jason Sparr and the justice and insisted on seeing the letter the hotel man had received which stated that the boys were guilty of blowing up the dining-room of his hostelry.
The hotel man had treated them kindly, for he was in dread that the boys would get their folks to sue him for damages. He had offered to pay back the money taken from Phil for the spread, 279 and the shipowner’s son had taken the amount, to which he was justly entitled.