“How did it get there? You dropped it there, of course.”
“Purposely to get blamed for it, I suppose?” commented Andy. “That’s pretty thin, Gus Talbot, seeing that you know and your father knows that my cap was taken away from me when he locked me up at the garage, and I had no chance to get it later. You left the cap near the burned barn, Gus Talbot, and you know it.”
“Me? Rot!” ejaculated Gus, but he stopped eating the ice cream and acted restless.
“In fact,” continued Andy definitely, “I can prove that both you and Dale were sneaking about the Jones’ place a short time before the fire broke out.”
“Bosh!” mumbled Gus.
“Further than that, I can tell you word for word what passed between you two. Listen.”
Andy remembered clearly every incident of his flight from the haystack in Farmer Jones’ field. He recited graphically the appearance of Gus and Dale, and the remark he had overheard. Gus sat staring at him in an uneasy way. He acted bored, and seemed at a loss to answer.
It was more than half an hour before Dale returned. He acted glum and mad.
“Is it all right?” inquired Gus eagerly.
“Right nothing!”