"What do you think?" asked Amy eagerly as they walked up the street.

"I don't know," replied Clint doubtfully. "What would they be doing
there?"

"Burying the stuff they stole, of course! That's what they did, all
right. You see if it isn't. Maybe they'll offer a reward and all we'll
have to do is go there and dig the things up and--"

"I guess we'd better find the police station and tell what we know,
reward or no reward," answered Clint. "And another thing we'd better do
is telephone to school and tell them we aren't dead. We're going to
catch the mischief, anyway, I reckon, but we might as well save
ourselves all we can. Wonder where there's a telephone."

"There's a blue sign over there in the next block," said Amy.
"Who--who's going to do the talking?"

"Well, you're pretty fond of it," suggested Clint.

"Not today! Not on Sundays, Clint! I never could talk on Sundays! You'd
better do it. And get Josh himself, if you can. He'll like it better
than if he hears it from an H.M. Tell him we got lost and--"

But Amy's further instructions were interrupted. A blue-coated policeman
who had been observing their approach with keen interest hailed them
from the curb at the corner.

"Hello, boys!" he said. "Where'd you come from?"

"We came from Thacher," replied Clint. "That is, we came from there this
morning, or, rather, last night. We're from Brimfield, really."

"Are, eh? Thought you said Thacher. What you doing here?''

"Waiting for a train. We lost our way last night and only got here this
morning."

"Why didn't you take the seven-o'clock then?"

"We didn't know about it until it was too late. We were getting some
breakfast at a restaurant down the street there. We're going to take the
nine-forty-six."

"The nine-forty-six is an express to New York, son. What's your name?
And what's his?"

"My name's Thayer and his is Byrd. We go to Brimfield Academy."

"Do, eh? Aren't you a long way from home?"

"Yes. You see, we went over to Thacher to the football game and lost the
trolley. And then a fellow offered to give us a ride in an automobile as
far as this place and we got in and a wheel came off and we had to walk
the rest of the way. But we got lost in the woods somewhere and--"

"What sort of a looking fellow was this? The one with the auto, I mean?"

"Oh, he was about twenty years old, with kind of long hair, light-brown,
and sort of greyish eyes."

"Tell you his name?"

"No, sir, we didn't