CHAPTER 12 A Pair of Legs

Feeling almost as if he were a suspect in a crime case, Dan followed Mr. Hatfield and the two police officers into the house.

Captain Eggleston began the interview by asking routine questions of both Dan and Mr. Hatfield. Then abruptly he announced that a check had been made of the car license number noted down by the Cubs on the night of the heavy rain storm.

“The automobile belongs to Frank Jankowski, a salesman for the V. H. Everetts Hardware Co.,” he informed.

“Mr. Jankowski!” Dan exclaimed.

“Obviously, the boys were mistaken in thinking that the car was following us,” Mr. Hatfield said. “Imagination plays strange tricks on the mind. I thought myself—at least for a while—that we were being followed.”

“You’ve given us several false steers in this investigation,” Captain Eggleston said rather severely. “What are you trying to hide?”

The question irritated Mr. Hatfield. He tried not to show resentment and kept his voice controlled as he replied:

“Absolutely nothing.”

“You say you placed the money box in the drawer of your desk?”

“That is correct.”

“You considered it a safe place?”

“Safe enough. If I hadn’t, I’d have made other disposition of the box.”

“Why did you delay in calling police?”

“We’ve gone over all that before,” Mr. Hatfield said wearily. “It was late, and frankly, I was tired. I didn’t feel equal to a long harangue with police until I was more rested. So I waited until morning.”

“The first discovery that the box was gone was when police arrived here?”

“That is correct.”

“And to your knowledge, no one entered or left the house in the meantime?”

“My wife was here, of course. I don’t recall anyone else, unless one of the Cubs dropped in.”

“No woman?”

“Not so far as I know.” Mr. Hatfield was amazed by the question. He could tell that Captain Eggleston was leading up to a climax, but what it was he could not guess.

The police officer withdrew an ornamental button from his pocket. Carelessly, he dropped it on the table.

Dan noticed that the button was an unusual one of black jet, cut in a diamond shape.

“Ever see that before?” Captain Eggleston asked.

“I don’t think so,” Mr. Hatfield replied, examining the button minutely. “Why?”

“Your wife allowed us to examine the study again. We found this button in the drawer where she said you had kept the tin box.”

“It looks like a button from a woman’s dress. But I don’t recall that my wife has one with jet fasteners.”

“So she said.” Captain Eggleston picked up the button and dropped it into his pocket again. “The button may or may not be a clue. It’s not much to go on in any case.”

“You think the box may have been taken by a woman?” Mr. Hatfield asked in amazement.

“This button is the only thing that points in that direction. It may have been in the drawer for a long while.”

“I never saw it before. At least I never noticed it.”

The policemen at last seemed to accept Mr. Hatfield’s word that he had told them everything he knew about the disappearance. They asked Dan a few routine questions and finally left.

“I’ll be jogging along too,” Dan said. “If I don’t get a move on, I’ll be late for supper.”

“Don’t forget your roofing discs,” Mr. Hatfield reminded him. “See you tomorrow. Meanwhile, don’t worry about the money. Sooner or later, police will turn up a clue.”

On his way to the door, Dan asked the Cub leader if he thought the jet button had any real significance.

“I can’t see it myself,” Mr. Hatfield replied. “Though how the button came to be in the desk is a puzzle too. This whole thing is a headache.”

“It was my fault for finding the box in the first place.”

Mr. Hatfield laughed and clapped Dan on the back. “Now, none of that talk, Dan!” he chided. “We’ll get the thing straightened out. Forget about it and let me do the worrying.”

Despite the Cub leader’s admonition, Dan could not drive thoughts of the tin box from his mind.

That night, from his father, he learned that it was generally known in Webster City that the Cubs had found the box. Furthermore, a number of thoughtless persons were criticizing Mr. Hatfield for not having taken better care of the money.

“It’s awkward that several people have put in a claim to the cash,” his father added.

“At least two of ’em must be fake claims, Dad.”

“I’d judge so,” agreed his father. “But to prove it may not be easy.”

On the following day, the Cubs met briefly at the church to compare notes on how they were making their suits of armor.

Mrs. Hatfield and Mrs. Holloway both were there to help the boys with the work. Brad was the only one who had finished his suit. In a burst of enthusiasm he had gone ahead, making a cardboard horse which could be worn over his shoulders.

“We ought to have the best Round Table of any of the Dens,” Dan declared, his enthusiasm at high pitch.

At that moment Babe uttered a loud wail. In the act of painting a coat of arms on a banner, he had upset a can of red paint.

“Dope!” Chips scolded the younger boy. “Why don’t you watch what you’re doing?”

“I’m sorry,” Babe mumbled. “I accidentally kicked the can with my feet.”

“Just look what you’ve done to the carpet. The church will be making us pay for it! The trustees will say the Cubs are just a bunch of careless babies who destroy property.”

“I am not a baby,” the younger boy said furiously. “It was an accident.”

“Of course it was,” interposed Mrs. Hatfield. “One we’re quite prepared for too!”

While the Cubs watched in admiration, she wiped up the paint, and cleaned the carpet with turpentine.

“There, every trace is gone,” she assured the crestfallen Babe. “Chips, a knight should practice chivalry, don’t you think?”

“What’s that?” he demanded suspiciously.

“It means being polite and courteous to others.”

“Well, Babe was awkward,” said Chips angrily.

“So are we all at times, Chips. Speaking of a Knight’s code of honor, our Den should have one. Any suggestions?”

“We already have one rule,” Dan recalled. “Be Always Ready.”

“Let’s work out some others,” suggested Mrs. Hatfield. “Everyone think hard.”

“Keep away from deep water!” Red offered eagerly.

Several of the Cubs snickered. Mrs. Hatfield, however, nodded her head approvingly.

“An excellent safety rule, Red. I think, though, we may find others which fit in a little better with knighthood.”

“Knights did a lot of fighting,” Midge said reflectively.

“Which leads us to this thought,” suggested Mrs. Hatfield. “Be prepared always to fight in defense of right, or your own country.”

“How about doing good for others?” proposed Brad.

“Excellent. Now we have three rules for our knights to follow: ‘Be Always Ready. Be Prepared. And Do Good Unto Others.’”

“They’re easy rules to remember,” Dan said. “But to follow ’em may not be quite so simple.”

The Cubs worked a while longer on their armor. As they began to grow tired, Mrs. Hatfield said it was time to break up the meeting. Before the Cubs left the church, she reminded them to keep working on their pledge list for the building fund.

“The money isn’t coming in as fast as we’d like,” she declared. “We’re especially short from the persons we expected to give fairly large amounts. So during the next few days dig in and really do your best.”

Dan and Brad were the last to leave, lingering behind to help Mrs. Hatfield and Mrs. Holloway clean up the litter.

“I guess you meant us, Mrs. Hatfield,” Brad remarked as they closed the church doors. “Dan and I haven’t been very lucky in signing up our best prospects. Especially Mr. Merrimac.”

“You’ve worked hard I know,” she praised him. “All the same, it might be worth while to call on Mr. Merrimac again. He might change his mind if you use your best powers of persuasion.”

“I doubt that, knowing him,” Brad replied gloomily. “We can try though.”

After leaving Mrs. Hatfield, the two boys walked on to the Merrimac home. Neither of them had any enthusiasm for the interview ahead.

“Well, let’s get it over with,” Brad sighed, as he shoved hard on the doorbell. “He can’t do any worse than turn us down again.”

Mr. Merrimac kept the boys waiting. Repeatedly, Brad jabbed his finger on the doorbell.

“He’s in there,” Dan insisted. “I can hear him moving around.”

“Like as not he’s seen us from a window and is hiding out,” Brad returned in disgust. “Merrimac is playing hard to get.”

Annoyed because the elderly gentleman refused to come to the door, he punched the doorbell two or three times in rapid succession and then gave up.

“Makes me sick,” he complained. “Mr. Merrimac at least ought to see us. That’s only common courtesy.”

In leaving the premises, the boys walked around toward the rear of the house.

“Why, the kitchen window is wide open!” Dan observed in surprise.

Mr. Merrimac, they both knew, was no fresh air fiend. Furthermore, the weather was far too cold for one comfortably to keep a window wide open.

“That’s funny!” Brad said, stopping short. “S-a-y!”

As the two Cubs stared in utter amazement, a pair of legs protruded from the window.

Before either Dan or Brad could recover from astonishment, a man leaped lightly to the ground. Seeing the two boys, he ducked his head and ran toward the alley.