opening
his eyes wider.

"No," declared Darrin promptly. "Prescott did it."

"But good old Dave was right at hand to help," Dick contended
staunchly.

"Get yourselves together, boys. Then we'll get down out of here,"
urged Mr. Macey. "I haven't done anything, but I feel as though
I'd be the one to reel and faint."

"Take this scarf, now, please," begged Dick, holding open his
coat.

The real estate man looked over the bauble that had placed two
manly lives in such desperate jeopardy. The fabric was much torn,
but all the precious stones still appeared to be there.

Mr. Macey folded the scarf and placed it in one of his own inner
pockets.

"Now, let us get down out of here," begged the real estate man.
"This place is giving me the horrors."

"You can start ahead, sir," laughed Dave. "But we want time to
put our shoes on."

Two or three minutes later the four started below, going slowly
over the ladder part of the route. When they struck the winding
staircase they went a bit more rapidly.

Down in the street it seemed to the watchers as though ages had
passed since the two boys had been seen going inside from the
iron balcony.

But now, at last, Herr Schimmelpodt heard steps inside, so he
threw open the heavy door at once.

As Dick and Dave came out again into the sunlight what a mighty
roar of applause and cheering went up.

Then Herr Schimmelpodt, advancing to the edge of the steps, and
laying one hand over his heart, bowed profoundly and repeatedly.

That turned the cheering to laughter. The big German held up
his right hand for silence.

"Ladies und chentlemen," shouted Herr Schimmelpodt, as soon as
he could make him self heard, "I don't vant to bose as a hero!"

"That's all right," came with a burst of goodhumored laughter.
"You're not!"

"It vos really nottings vot I did," continued the German, with
another bow.

"True for you."

"Maybe," continued Herr Schimmelpodt, "you think I vos afraid
when I climb dot pole. But I wos not---I pledch you mein vord.
It is nottings for me to climb flagpoles. Ven I vos ein poy
in Germany I did it efery day. But I will not dake up your time
mit idle remarks. I repeat dot I am not ein hero."

The wily old German had played out his purpose. He had turned
the wild cheering, which he knew would have embarrassed Prescott,
into a good-natured laugh. He had diverted the first big burst
of attention away from the boys, much to the relief of the l