“Hello, Hook,” said Sage. “What’s the latest? Have they caught any of the robbers? My father is down town now.”
It seemed rather singular to Hooker that Fred also was not in the village, and, furthermore, Roy imagined he could perceive something unnatural and distraught in his friend’s manner.
“S’pose you’ve heard about Pipe and me?” said Roy.
“No. I’ve been staying home with mother. She’s nervous. Father deposits at the bank, you know, and he wanted to find out if there had really been a robbery. What about you and Sleuth?”
“We caught one of the gang,” announced the visitor proudly.
“You—you did?” faltered Sage, seeming to stiffen a bit. “Really and truly did you and Sleuth catch one of them?”
“Really and truly, old man. We ran him down over behind Turkey Hill and nabbed him. He’s in the lockup now.”
“Back of Turkey Hill!” said Fred, a bit huskily, and the other boy fancied his face lost color somewhat. “How—how did you do it?”
“Oh, the fellow was wounded, and it wasn’t much of a trick. Old Quinn blazed away blindly at the robbers when they ran, and he happened to hit this one. Of course,” he continued, with a pardonable touch of pride, “some folks seem to think we did quite a thing in nabbing him.”
“I don’t wonder,” muttered Fred. “Tell me just how you did it.”