before succeeded in disinterring
the safe which had been in the principal's office, but here he had met
with disappointment. He had, however, hit upon a microscope of some
value from the equipment of the student laboratory and he had found a
lady's handbag which he seemed to think worth keeping.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he asked of Pee-wee.

CHAPTER XIII

A FRIEND IN NEED

"Do you want me to let you into a secret?" Pee-wee said. "I know where
there's a stolen automobile. Maybe you'd like to help me take it back to
its owner, hey? If you do you'll get an honourable mention in our
troop-book. I was carried away in it by two thieves who didn't know I
was in the car, because I was disguised, sort of, under the buffalo
robe. Do you want to help me foil them?"

The manual training teacher seemed interested but a bit incredulous. He
looked Pee-wee over and said, "what's all this?"

"Maybe you don't believe me but it's true," Pee-wee said. "Do you know
how to run a car?"

"Anything from a flivver up," said the stranger.

"Shh," said Pee-wee, "this one is away, way up. It's a super six
Hunkajunk, it belongs to a man where I live, in Bridgeboro, New Jersey."

"Well, what are you doing here?" the manual training teacher asked.

"I was kind of kidnapped accidentally. They did it but they didn't know
it. They've got pistols and blackjacks and things and I heard them talk
about stealing. I bet I'd have heard a lot more only my head was under
the buffalo robe. If you'll help me we can circum--what do you call
it--you know--circum--"

The teacher did not know. But his interest was aroused at this whispered
tale of armed bandits and of a big stolen car. Pee-wee completed the
tale in breathless excitement. He told all, from the beginning. "They
locked it in," he concluded, "and went away; but one of the doors, the
big one, was locked on the inside and I opened it. Anybody can take the
car out. Those men have gone away across the lake. If you'll drive it to
Bridgeboro you can stay at my house and have breakfast and I'll tell Mr.
Bartlett that you helped me, and gee whiz, they'll thank, you a lot.
Maybe you know about scouts because manual training teachers know a lot
about scouts on account of scouts making bird-houses and all things like
that, and so maybe you know about good turns. That'll be a peach of a
good turn. And if I tell about it you'll get a kind of a medal from our
troop with your name on it. What's