"I guess we do," a policeman replied, as he seized the stranger by the collar. "Somebody yelled for us to stop the thief, and you must be the man."
"Who says I am?" was the angry question.
By this time both Teddy and Sam had discovered the latter's mistake. The only point of resemblance between this stranger and the one who stole the money was that both carried packages covered with green cloth; but while the first bundle was bulky and apparently heavy, this was small and readily held under the man's arm.
Sam did not wait to explain matters. Fearing lest he might get into serious trouble because of the mistake, he slipped quietly away, leaving Teddy to bear the brunt of the accused's wrath.
The latter realized that something must be done at once, for the greater portion of the crowd was looking inquiringly at him, and he said, in a voice which was far from steady:
"I didn't do the hollerin'; but a feller who was with me when a man stole my money thought you must be the one."
"Where is he?" the stranger asked, advancing threateningly.
"I don't know. He ran away when he saw it was a mistake."
The crowd immediately began to disperse. The policeman called down quite the reverse of blessings on Sam's head, and then walked away, leaving Teddy and the stranger comparatively alone.
"I don't know as it does any harm to have a lot of fools chasing a man," the latter said, "but it might give him a bad name in his work."