“And you forgot to turn off the steam before you jumped, eh?”
“No, I didn’t exactly forget to,” replied Gordon judicially. “I thought of it, all right, but I couldn’t locate the throttle thing. You see, it all happened so suddenly that there wasn’t time to do much but run. That silly cop must have been standing in front of the little shed the contractors put up out there last year and we never suspected he was anywhere around until he jumped out on us about twenty feet ahead. He shouldn’t have done that. He might have caused us heart-failure.”
“Haven’t you been over yet to see what happened to the roller?” Dick asked.
“I have not,” was the emphatic reply. “Maybe this afternoon I’ll sort of happen out there, but it might look suspicious if I went this morning. I suppose there’ll be a dickens of a row about it. There wasn’t anything in the paper, was there?” Gordon glanced at the Sunday Reporter on Dick’s knees.
“No, but I suppose the paper was out before it happened. Do you think the policeman recognized any of you?”
“I don’t know. He might. We didn’t give him much chance, but, still, it was broad moonlight. Gee, I’d like to know what happened to that roller!”
“Call up the police station and ask,” suggested Dick gravely.
“Yes, I will!” But Gordon’s tone contradicted the statement. “Guess I’ll call up Lanny and see if he got home. I had a fine time getting in. There wasn’t a window unlatched and I had to squirm through the coal hole. I made a horrible noise when I dropped, too. I thought the coal would never get through sliding!”
“Did you get caught?”
Gordon shook his head doubtfully. “I guess mother knows, all right, but I don’t think dad does. Anyway, he didn’t say anything. It was fierce having to get up at eight o’clock! I felt like a—a——”