“Oh, I thought maybe he did,” sniffed the woman. “That’s the kind of watches they have in New York City. It isn’t the kind that most of the roustabouts carry on the lakes.”
“But I’m not a roustabout,” said Fred.
“You don’t need to say what you are,” said the woman. “All I can say is that I shan’t take that watch. I don’t want the police in here.”
“Police!” exclaimed Fred. “What do you mean? What would the police come for?”
“For one thing they would come for the watch and another thing they would want would be the fellow that took it.”
“Did you think I stole that watch?” demanded Fred.
“I’m not saying nothing,” said the woman. “All I say is that if any boys on the lake are seen carrying watches like that it is most generally known how they got them. My advice to you is to stick that watch in your pocket again and don’t let anybody see it while you’re in Sault Ste. Marie.”
“You needn’t trouble yourself any more,” said Fred as he took the watch and thrust it again into his pocket. Then turning to John he said, “Come on, Jack, we won’t stay here another minute.”
When the boys were once more on the street Fred’s indignation soon gave way to a feeling of alarm. Not only were they without any means of securing breakfast, to say nothing of their passage back to Mackinac Island, but also they might be regarded as suspicious characters. Evidently the woman keeper of the restaurant had believed they had stolen the watch.
“Never mind, Fred,” suggested John. “It will all come out right. We’ll try it again.”