“Buffer!” cried one of them.
“Hey, want a back-stop?” echoed another.
“He’s smashed something,” spoke a third.
“Seems to be his watch,” reported the first speaker.
“You’re in a fix, Bob, this time, sure,” said Sammy.
“I’m sorry it’s Mr. Dolby,” replied Bob. “He doesn’t like any of us any too well.”
Silas Dolby was a miserly old man who had few friends in Fairview, and he was tight-fisted, cross, and too shrewd to please honest people.
Bob, Frank and Sammy were “down in his bad books,” as the saying goes. It was none of their fault, but rather a merit. While camping in the mountains on Sammy Brown’s treasure search, they had found a pocketbook.
This they gave to Frank’s father, who looked it over. It belonged to Silas Dolby, who had lost it, and was full of papers. Among them Mr. Haven found some notes that should have been given to a poor widow in the village, the mother of little, crippled Benny Lane. It seemed that her husband had paid money on a mortgage on their little home to old Dolby. After Mr. Lane died the miser said nothing about this. He was going to turn Mrs. Lane out of her house. When Mr. Haven told of the hidden notes, they made old Silas Dolby turn the house over to its rightful owner. This made Mrs. Lane a happy woman, but after that Mr. Dolby snarled and glared at the boys whenever he came near them.
“Hold on, Bob, I’ll try and explain to Mr. Dolby,” said Frank, as Bob started towards the prostrate man.