Carrots saw immediately that he was being framed. He turned to run, but forgot to let go of the purse. Mildred screamed again and Carrots sprinted headlong into Duke Barrows. Duke held him for the moment it took for the policeman to arrive.
It was too good to miss. Rick, Jerry, and the Captain walked back down the street toward the confusion, trying hard to conceal their mirth.
Mildred pointed at the purse Carrots still clutched. "That," she proclaimed dramatically, "is my purse!"
"I didn't take it," Carrots yelled. "Someone handed it to me!"
The officer scowled. "A likely story! Unless you had a confederate. Where is he?"
Quite a crowd was gathering now. Mildred turned convincingly faint and Duke had to prop her up. Rick's face was scarlet from choking back laughter, because he was sure Carrots would burst from sheer anger at any moment.
Then Carrots saw him. "You!" he screamed and jerked the policeman's arm. "There he is! That's one of them. His friend took my—I mean it was his friend who—"
The officer interrupted. "Do you know this boy?" he asked Rick.
Rick shook his head, his face solemn. "Never saw him before in my life," he said calmly.
Jerry spoke in a stage whisper that could have been heard a block. "A perfect criminal type if I ever saw one."