“Hm. Nice weather we’re having.”
“What’s the point, Tooker?” asked Dan.
“Ask our friend, Mr. Bendall Kurtis.”
“All right, Burtis, you’ve got the floor. If there’s a story, let’s have it.”
“There isn’t; at least, there’s nothing I can tell,” replied Kendall.
“Oh, I thought you knew something.”
“What did you mean, Tooker?” asked Gerald. “Out with it.”
Ned’s chair came down with a crash on the porch and he pointed an accusing finger at Kendall. “There,” he declared dramatically, “is the one man who can explain the Mystery of the Paint on the Flagpole!”
“Burtis? Nonsense!” Dan laughed. “Kick him, Burtis.”
“Then,” said Ned, folding his arms with dignity, “then ask him to explain why he was put on probation the next day.”