the
telephone. Whee! See how she's working her arm, jerking that telephone
bell crank!"

Some conversation that the young peepers, of course, couldn't hear
passed over the telephone. Then Miss Lowthry hung up the receiver and
thrust her forefingers into her ears as she turned to stare at the human
contents of the basket on the table.

"The poor kid's hollering," muttered Hoof. "Can you blame it?"

All that followed, and which the boys could see through the lighted
windows of the room interested them mightily. But at last they heard a
heavy step on the sidewalk. Then one of the blue-coated guardians of
Gridley's peace turned in at the gate, went up to the door and rang the
bell.

"She sent for the police," chuckled Dick Prescott.

"Of course," grinned Dave.

The peeping boys saw the officer step through into the old maid's
sitting room. Miss Lowthry pointed at the basket in a highly dramatic
way. The policeman bent over to take a kindly look at the tiny youngster
therein, then adjusting the pieces of blanket, he lifted the basket.

"Now, it's time to do your turn, Hoof," whispered Dick, giving young
Sadby a nudge. "Slip over the fence and do it right."

Miss Lowthry followed the policeman to the door, opening it for him and
letting him out.

"Boo-hoo!" sounded a heart-broken voice out on the sidewalk, in the
darkness beyond. Then, as the policeman stepped down from the steps,
Hoof suddenly let out a wail and darted into the yard.

"Say, Mister Cop, have you got it?" demanded Hoof eagerly.

"Got what?" demanded the policeman.

"My baby brother! You see, Mister Cop, some fellows took my baby brother
and carried him off for a joke."

Then Hoof came into the pale light that was shed just past the open
front door. There were tears in his eyes, all right, for an onion was
one of the things that "Wrecker" Lane had brought from home. Hoof had
rubbed a slice of the onion on the skin under his eyes, and the tears
that he wanted to show were genuine enough.

"Is this your brother?" demanded the policeman, lowering the basket he
was carrying.

The Sadby baby had begun to cry again, but at sight of Hoof the little
fellow stopped suddenly, crowed and reached out with its little hands.

"After that do you have to ask if that's my kid brother?" demanded Hoof
Sadby proudly.

"I guess it is, all right, Sadby," replied the policeman. "I know you.
Well, if this is your brother, please take him off my hands--and
welco