I tried to stop him, but he ran away from
me."

The storekeeper gazed at Dave for a moment in silence, and then pursed
up his lips and shook his head decidedly.

"That is too much of a fish story for me to swallow," he said harshly.
"You'll either have to bring that young man here and prove that he got
the goods, or else you'll have to pay for them yourself."

CHAPTER VI

MORE TROUBLE

Dave and Roger spent the best part of half an hour in Asa Dickley's
store, and during that time our hero and his chum gave the particulars
of how they had become acquainted with Ward Porton, and how the young
moving-picture actor had tried to pass himself off as the real Dave
Porter, and how he had been exposed and had disappeared.

"Well, if what you say is true I've been swindled," declared the
storekeeper finally. "I'd like to get my hands on that young man."

"You wouldn't like it any better than I would," returned Dave, grimly.
"You see, I don't know how far this thing extends. Mr. Wecks has been
after me to pay for some shoes that I never got."

"Say, that moving-picture actor must be a lulu!" declared the
storekeeper's clerk, slangily. "If you don't watch out, Porter, he'll
get you into all kinds of hot water."

"I think the best you can do, Dave, is to notify the storekeepers you
do business with to be on the lookout for Porton," suggested Roger.
"Then, if he shows up again, they can have him held until you
arrive."

"I'll certainly have to do something," answered Dave.

"Then I suppose you don't want to settle that bill?" came from Asa
Dickley, wistfully.

"No, sir. And I don't think you ought to expect it."

"Well, I don't know. The fellow who got those goods said he was Dave
Porter," vouchsafed the storekeeper doggedly.

From Asa Dickley's establishment Dave, accompanied by his chum, drove
around to the store kept by Mr. Wecks. He found the curtains still
down, but the shoe-dealer had just come in, and was at his desk
writing letters.

"And you mean to say you didn't get those shoes?" questioned Mr. Wecks
with interest, after Dave had explained the situation. "That's mighty
curious. I never had a thing like that happen before." He knew our
hero well, and trusted Dave implicitly. "I shouldn't have sent that
letter only I had a chance to sell a pair of shoes that size, and I
thought if you had made your selection I could sell the pair you
didn't want to the other fellow."

Once again the two boys ha