If Uncle John doubted it, he did not say so, but that was an important day for all of them. Just a little after dinner time, Rodney and his mother were in their store. It was getting to look very business like and several customers had been waited on and had gone out, while Billy looked hard at the things in the show window and remarked, repeatedly:
“Ba-a-a-beh!”
Nobody else was there, therefore, when Millie came hurrying up the back stairs and dashed in, exclaiming:
“Mrs. Nelson! Rodney! One of the men told father the police have found out! Jim’s up in the back room, now. They’ve caught three of the other boys that were with him. Father says he mustn’t come back to the shop!”
“He must get out of town!” said Mrs. Nelson, excitedly. “Rodney can go along and help!—He must jump!”
“So they all say,” gasped Millie, all out of breath. “Father and the men gave him ten dollars. He hasn’t any time to spare. They’re watching the shop!”
Rodney had rushed for the back room and there was Jim, looking pretty cool but with a very determined expression gathering around his mouth.
“Jim!” exclaimed Rodney. “I’ll be ready in a minute. I can show you how to get out, if we’re quick about it.”
“All right,” said Jim, and he added, to himself: “I want to see Aunt Betty once more, and tell her I didn’t do it. Then I’ll go somewhere else, where they don’t know me. I won’t let them take me back to the Island.”
In the store, Millie was saying: