into the house, Dick?" Mrs. Dexter at last found time
to inquire.

"Why, the door was open just a crack, ma'am, when I got here. I heard
Dexter threatening you, and realized that you must be alone. I knew I
couldn't do much alone, so I sneaked in as softly as I could and got to
the telephone."

As soon as he found himself with only his boy friends about, Dick
demanded to know how they had arrived so opportunely.

"That's easy enough," Dave Darrin explained. "Just after you left me I
ran into Greg, Tom, Dan and Harry. I told them where you'd gone, and
what the business would probably turn out to be. Then--then--well, we
got so awfully curious that we made up our minds to stroll up here to
the corner and wait until you came out. Then we ran into four other
fellows from our school, and there was a mob of us. To kill time we
walked down past. As we went past we saw smoke coming out of one of the
open windows on the ground floor. Then Bert Johnson remembered that he
had seen Ab. Dexter come out and hurry away. It didn't take us long,
then, to make up our minds to get into the house. We found the front
door unlocked, and the rest was easy."

"We'll get out of here as soon as we can now," hinted Dick.

"Why?" Dalzell wanted to know, "This is the center of all the excitement
in town to-night."

"Yes," Prescott replied, "but as soon as Mrs. Dexter thinks of it she'll
send for us and offer more thanks and rewards. We can get away 'most any
time now. And there comes her special policeman. Dexter won't be back
to-night, anyway."

So the Grammar School boys slipped away, but they had added another page
to the history of Gridley.

Dexter, with his usual luck, appeared to have made a safe retreat. The
police paid a visit to his former cave up the road, but did not catch
him there, although a police guard was kept at the cave for three days.

But Dick received a postal card, on the back of which was printed:

"If you ever interfere with me again, I promise you that your luck is at
an end!"

The message was unsigned, but the message was postmarked at Gridley.

CHAPTER XVI

OUT FOR HALLOWE'EN FUN

"There'll be loads of fun to-night," proclaimed Dan Dalzell, his eyes
sparkling with mischief, as he danced up and down in the schoolyard at
forenoon recess.

"Why?" asked Dick innocently.

"Don't you know what day this is?" Dan insisted.

"Yes; and I also know that to-night will be Hallowe'en."

"Then don't you