The two cadets stared in wonder at the constable, and then a smile came into Jack's face. The situation was so ludicrous he felt like laughing. Jed Plodders saw the smile and frowned deeply.
"This ain't no laughing matter, you scamp!" he bellowed. "You broke into the Ford house an' tried to steal the silverware! Now don't try to deny it, or it will be the wuss fer you! You done it now, didn't you?" And he pointed his club at first one cadet and then the other.
"No, we didn't do it!" burst out Fred. "You are a great big chump to think we did!"
"Hi! hi! don't you talk to me like that!" roared the guardian of the peace.
"Then don't you accuse us of any crime," came quickly from Jack.
"Didn't Mr. Fasick find you at the house?" demanded the constable.
"He did, but we didn't go there to steal; we went there to see if everything was all right. He went there for the same purpose."
"Say, don't you go for to mix me up in this robbery," interrupted Isaac Fasick, hastily. "I didn't have a thing to do with it."
"No more had we," answered Fred. "We just sailed to the place on my iceboat. We can prove it."
"We are friends of the Ford family; we can easily prove that, too," added Jack. "Mr. Ford and his wife both asked us, when we were in this vicinity, to take a look and see if everything was all right. We found a strange man in the mansion and we did our best to catch him, but he got away. What we want you to do is to get busy and try to catch that rascal. If you don't do it, we'll make a complaint against you for neglect of duty."