“Jail for yours!” Mouser shouted.
They circled round the men, thus holding them in check, and in another moment Mr. Wharton and the constable had come up and each grabbed one of the men by the collar. At the sight of the constable’s star, the other quickly wilted.
The officer slipped handcuffs on them all and pushed them into the ear, while the boys crowded in as best they could, two of them standing on the running-board. In triumph, they went back to town and the men were placed in jail.
First they were searched, and, greatly to the boys’ delight, pawn tickets were found that accounted for all the articles that had been stolen from them. The money of course was gone, but the boys cared little for that, as long as they were sure that they could get back their cherished personal possessions.
“We’re some demon thief catchers, all right,” chuckled Mouser.
“He would call me red-head, would he?” grinned Fred, referring to the scar-faced tramp.
“It means good luck for us, fellows,” declared Bobby. “Now, I’m sure we’re going to down Belden.”
CHAPTER XXX
WINNING THE PENNANT—CONCLUSION
Belden had its own idea as to who was to be “downed,” and almost the whole school went to Rockledge with colors flying on the great day that was to decide who should carry off the flag of the Monatook Lake League.
As the teams had each played a game on the other’s grounds, it had been left to the toss of a coin as to where the deciding game should take place, and Rockledge had won.