By this time several citizens had run to the store front. They were all quite as excited as Billy Long, the short boy.
“Tom’s locked up and gone!” cried one, shaking the latch of the store door.
“Of course he has—gone to the ball game!” said another.
“This door’ll have to be smashed in.”
“Lock will cost less than the glass,” cried another man.
“That burning glass is what did it,” said one more reflective man. “Fool trick—that was.”
“That young one of his did it,” declared the first speaker. “Always up to some trick or other.”
“Say! where’s the fire department? They must have all gone to the ball game, too.”
“I’m going to break the glass in this door!” shouted the first man to arrive.