new what I was about last night? I hadn't been down
to Lem Parraday's."
"Some of you didn't know what you were about this morning, or the coins
never would have been lost," said Frank Bowman significantly.
"That's easy enough to say," complained the committeeman. "It's easy
enough to blame us----"
"And it seems to be easy for you men to blame Mr. Haley," Janice
interrupted indignantly.
"Well!"
"I'd like to know," continued the girl, "if there was not somebody around
here who saw Mr. Hobart bring the coins in here and leave them with you."
"What if there was?" demanded Mr. Massey with sudden asperity. "The
coins were not stolen from this shop--make up your mind on that score,
Miss Janice."
"But if some evilly disposed person had seen them in your possession, he
might have planned to do exactly what was afterward done."
"What's that?" demanded the druggist.
"Planned to get into the schoolhouse, wait till you brought the coins
there, and then steal them."
"Aw, young lady!" grunted the druggist. "That's too far-fetched. I
don't want to hurt your feelin's; but young Haley was tempted, and young
Haley fell. That's all there is to it."
Janice was not silenced. She said reflectively:
"We may all be mistaken. I really wish you would put your mind to it,
Mr. Massey, and try to remember who was here in the evening, about the
time that Mr. Hobart brought you the coin collection."
She was not looking at the druggist as she spoke; but she was looking
into the mirror over the prescription desk. And she could see Massey's
face reflected in that glass. She saw his countenance suddenly change.
It flushed, and then paled, and he showed great confusion. But he did
not say a word. She was puzzled, but said no more to him. It did not
seem as though there was anything more to say regarding the robbery and
Nelson Haley's connection with it.
Besides, Hopewell Drugg was gently reminding her that they must start for
home.
"I'm afraid Amarilla will be anxious. It--it is dreadfully late," he
suggested.
"We'll leave Mr. Massey to think it over," said Frank Bowman. "Maybe
he'll come to a better conclusion regarding Nelson Haley."
"I don't care who stole the coins. We want 'em back," growled the
druggist, preparing to lock them all out.
The trio separated on the corner. Hopewell was greatly depressed as he
walked on with Janice Day.
"I--I hope that Amarilla will not hear of this evening's pe
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