“Chief!” he gasped.
“Well?”
“He’s beat it!”
“Beat it? Who?”
“I don’t know. He got out of a third-story window, on that old iron balcony. He let himself down to the other, and then got to the ground. Chick and I were waiting for him. But he got over a side fence and was gone before we were on to his game.”
“And you let him get away?”
The sternness in Nick’s voice made Patsy wilt.
“Chick is after him. But it’s awfully dark, and I don’t figure that he will ever catch up. I feel mighty bad over it. But it was all done so quickly that we didn’t have a chance. I thought I’d better be here in case you came out.”
“Louden Powers locked him in his room, and, of course, he got away by the window,” said the chief, more to himself than to Patsy. “I should have been out here sooner, I suppose. Come on, Patsy! We’ll go home.”