“Then someone has taken them!” Dan exclaimed.
“Who would do such a mean thing?” Red demanded. “Our party is ruined!”
Word spread like wildfire that the ice cream had been stolen. The other Cubs and some of the parents came out of the church to see for themselves.
“Say, I bet I know who took those freezers!” Chips cried.
“Who?” the others demanded.
“Pat Oswald and his gang.”
“It’s hardly fair to accuse them just because they used the gymnasium today,” Mr. Hatfield said rather mildly.
“Pat knew about the freezers,” Chips insisted. “He saw them here on the steps, and he asked about the party.”
Brad, with a pocket flashlight, had been examining the soft earth near the church steps.
“I’ve found a lot of shoe marks,” he called the attention of the Cubs to them. “Boys tracks, I’d judge by their size. Have you fellows been tramping around here today?”