“Well, I am. Goodbye.”
Jack’s reception had been different. When he got into the house, he found his mother waiting for him. One of the neighbors, who had been out shopping returned home with an afternoon newspaper. She immediately ran over to show Mrs. Stormways the headlines and the pictures of Jack and his friends. Jack’s mother first became frightened, and was on the point of calling Chief Bates to inquire further into the matter. But then she thought it would be better to wait until her son returned. It was evident that no harm had come to him, or it would have been in the paper.
She waited for her son. At last he came and she asked him, “Well, Jack Stormways, what is this all about?”
“What is what about, Mother?”
He really did not know that the story was in the afternoon papers and that his mother knew the situation. She showed him the paper with the headlines and the pictures. His first comment was, “Not such a bad picture of me and the boys, is it, Mother?”
The remark took her breath away for a moment. His calmness and self-assurance overwhelmed her. She smiled. “Is that all you can say for yourself?” she asked.
He went over and kissed her. “What can I say, Mother?” he replied. “The story is right here and I guess I am guilty. But there was really nothing to it. I merely helped a little to capture the gang.”
“Just helped a little!” commented Mrs. Stormways. “You’re always taking some sort of risk. I don’t know what will ever happen to you.”
“Now, Mother,” pleaded Jack, “you know I can take care of myself.”
“That’s just the trouble,” she replied. “You can take care of yourself too well.”