"What's he done?" inquired Marco.
"He's nearly broken his poor old aunt's heart."
"I didn't ask about his aunt's heart. What's he done?"
"Oh, why—hum, that's so. Well, he's been expelled from school because of his crazy circus capers."
"Indeed. I'm a circus man. Do you observe anything particularly crazy about me?" demanded Marco. "Say, my friend, you get out of this. I'm Marco, the Man with the Iron Jaw. It won't be healthy for me to tackle you, and I will if you make yourself obstreperous. You won't get that boy until you show me convincingly that you have a legal right to do so."
"Legal right? Why!" cried Wagner, drawing out a paper, "there's my warrant."
"Let me look at it, please. Oh," said Marco, examining the document.
"Issued in another county. We're pretty good lawyers, us show folks, and
I can tell you that you will have to get a search warrant issued in this
county before you dare set a foot in that tent."
The Fairview constable was nonplussed. Marco was right, and Wagner knew it. He threshed about, fumed and threatened, and finally said:
"All right. I guess you know the law. We may have no right to enter that tent without a local search warrant, but the minute we get the boy outside we can take him on sight."
"You won't have the chance," observed Marco.