There in one of the chairs by the door, sat Pat Oswald! Seeing the Cubs, he quickly lowered his head into a magazine and pretended to read.
CHAPTER 8
A WISH FULFILLED
Knowing that he had been recognized, Pat grinned sheepishly at Dan.
“I’m here with a friend of mine,” he muttered. “These birds haven’t got anything on me—no sir!”
Dan had his own idea of why Pat might be in court, but he pretended to accept the explanation. He had heard at school that a group of boys had been loitering near the railroad tracks, boarding freight trains, and otherwise making a nuisance of themselves. Undoubtedly, Pat and some of his cronies had been brought in by police for questioning.
This was confirmed a moment later as one of the court referees came out of his private office and motioned to Pat.
“I’ll talk to you next,” he said. “Come in.”
Pat cast a quick look at Dan, and ducked into the conference room.
The tour of the big courthouse continued. Dan could not fail to note that Chub seemed rather familiar with the Juvenile Court section of the building. More than ever he was convinced that the new Cub member was known to some of the referees as well as the court director. Chub, however, maintained his usual shy silence and offered no explanation.
The boy’s familiarity with the building did not escape the attention of the other Cubs. As they were leaving after the tour, Red sidled over to Dan.