"They did not go out the front door, for I've been there all the time."
"There's another door," quietly retorted the clerk.
"Where?" asked Lyman, in dismay.
"In the rear of the store."
"Sold, by thunder!" exclaimed Lyman, under his breath. "How long have they been gone?"
"Fifteen minutes. Were they friends of yours?"
"The small boy was my son," answered Lyman, unblushingly.
"And was the woman I saw with you at the window his mother?" asked the salesman, with a smile.
"Certainly not," answered Lyman, coloring with indignation. "The older boy has abducted him."
"Why didn't you come in sooner, then?"