“We won’t do it again.”
“Let us off this time,” wheedled the eldest boy. “We’ll stay away from the park after today.”
“You’ll stay away all right,” the superintendent agreed.
First he took the names and addresses of the four boys. Then he ordered them to march ahead of him down the stairway to the base of the oak tree where the Brownies waited.
“Now if you try to run away, it will be the worse for you,” he warned. “I’m turning you over to the police.”
The boys were badly frightened. No longer arrogant and cocky, they obeyed the superintendent’s order.
Mr. Karwhite made the boys walk in single file to the gate house. There, while the Brownies and Miss Gordon listened, he gave them a severe lecture on their misconduct.
“We know we did wrong,” one of the boys admitted. “Please don’t arrest us, Mr. Karwhite. Let us off this time and we’ll never come to the park again.”
“We’ll clean up everything in the tree house,” volunteered another of the group. “Just give us a chance.”
Now Mr. Karwhite had not intended to call the police even though he had threatened to do so. He only meant to frighten the boys so they never again would come to the park.