The chief said, “You don’t want to rub up against the law, my boy.”
I said, “If you think you can scare me, you can’t. There are different laws. Maybe there are some that you don’t know anything about——”
Just then I heard footsteps on the porch and then the doorbell rang.
CHAPTER XVIII—MR. ELLSWORTH CALLS
That was Mr. Ellsworth, our scoutmaster. I guess he had heard all about it. I guess the whole town knew about it by that time. Trust them for that. He just sat down very quietly and listened. It made me feel good to see him there.
My father said, “I suppose you know about this, Mr. Ellsworth?”
Mr. Ellsworth said, “Why, yes, in a general way.”
“You knew the boys were at the garage?” my father asked him.
He said, “N—no, I didn’t know that. Have they found out how the fire started?”
“Started?” Mr. Slausen said, good and loud. “Can’t you see how it started? You’re the instigator of this car moving business, I suppose?”