By this time a small crowd was gathering around. Soon a clerk of the hotel came up hastily.
"What's the trouble here?" he questioned, anxiously.
"This boy is crazy," said Nick Smithers.
"No, I am not. This man is a swindler, and I want him arrested," came from Nat. He made up his mind, come what might, he would stand up for his rights.
"I am an honest man—well-known in Concord, where I keep a jewelry establishment," puffed Nick Smithers. "This is an insult to me." He turned to the hotel clerk. "I shall hold your hotel responsible for this."
"I—this looks as if you were making a mistake," said the clerk to Nat. "This gentleman has been stopping here for over a week. He is registered on our book as Josiah Garfield."
"He has half a dozen names," said Nat. "I tell you he is a swindler."
"And I say the boy is crazy. Boy, if you say another word, I'll have you locked up."
Nick Smithers thought Nat was so green that he would back down, but for once he made a mistake.
"Call a policeman, please," he said to the clerk. "We can talk this over when we get to the police headquarters."