"Billy Long!" gasped Dorothy, looking at her sister.
"Poor Billy!" added Laura. "What about him?"
"He's missing," said Chet, gravely.
"Missing: The Short and Long of It, eh?" chuckled Jess.
"This is no laughing matter, Jess," declared Launcelot Darby, sharply. "Haven't you heard of the robbery?"
"At Stresch & Potter's department store?" cried Jess. "Of course. What's that got to do with Short and Long?"
"Nothing!" declared Chet, vigorously.
"Anybody who says that Billy Long helped in that robbery deserves to be kicked. He's not that kind of a fellow."
"But he's accused," said Laura, gravely.
"Somebody said they saw him hanging about the rear of the store with some men Tuesday afternoon. The men appeared to be surveyors. They are supposed to be the robbers, for nobody seems to know anything about them at the city engineer's office," Chet continued.