“Now you’re certain it’s all right to take the discs?” Mr. Hatfield asked Brad doubtfully. “We don’t want to get into any trouble.”
“The contractor said I could have them all. I only took enough for my own suit of armor.”
“In that case, go to it, boys,” Mr. Hatfield said. “While you’re gathering discs, I’ll look at the houses.”
The discs were scattered over a large area, half buried in the moist earth.
Brad helped Babe, who was less agile than his companions. With six boys and a scarcity of metal discs it became a race to see who would get enough for a suit of armor.
“If we come out short, maybe we can buy a few at a roofing supply place,” Dan commented. “Here’s another!”
In reaching to pick it up from amid a pile of boards and broken brick, he noticed that the cellar door of one of the houses stood slightly ajar.
“Say, fellows!” he exclaimed. “This house is unlocked!”
“Then we can go through it!” shouted Chips, hurrying over.
“Hold on!” Brad stopped him. “These houses are supposed to be locked. I had permission to take discs—not to lead a mob through any of the buildings.”