"Yes; do tell us all about it," urged Dorothy.
"I don't know anything about their old robbery," said the boy, angrily. "That man from the store kept coming here and threatening to put me in jail. And I didn't want to go to jail. I guess I wouldn't have had any worse time than I did have. For when Laura found me I hadn't eaten anything but a handful of berries that I could reach on that ledge, for 'most two days!"
"Oh, oh! How dreadful!" cried the twins.
"Guess I should have died," Billy said, more cheerfully, enjoying the sensation he was creating. "And you bet that stuff I swiped out of your boats last Saturday a week ago, just came in handy."
"Oh, Billy! was that you?" demanded Dora.
"The lone pirate!" gasped Dorothy.
"And all those whiskers——"
Short and Long laughed weakly. "That wig and whiskers I had last Hallow E'en; don't you remember? I saw you girls a couple of times, too."
"And we saw you and thought you might be one of the robbers, after all."
"That's all right; I didn't do any robbing, except of your boats," said Billy. "But there were two fellows over on the island who I believe did rob that store."