There came the stamping of feet and the Chief of Police arrived. “What’s up?” he demanded. The stranger stared at him, gulped down the last of his cocoa, then swallowed hard.
“This boy says he saw a giant that broke loose from a circus.” Was there a twinkle in the coach’s eye?
“Bad! Very bad!” said the Chief. “Then what?”
“He broke in the door to this place,” said the coach.
“The giant?” the Chief appeared to stare.
“Oh, this boy! So!” The Chief’s face was sober. “Breakin’-an’-enterin’. That’s it. Thirty days at least, I’d say.”
“But—but—” the boy’s face paled, “he was after me.”
“Any confirmation?” the Chief looked about. “Johnny, did you see him, this ’ere escaped giant?”
“I went out and looked around,” Johnny said truthfully, “I didn’t see a soul.”
“Breakin’-an’-enterin’,” the Chief repeated slowly. “Pretty bad. Thirty days, I’d say.”
“But, Chief,” the coach appeared to protest, “that would be rather hard. Perhaps—
“Got any relatives, son?” he turned to the intruder. “Anyone a hundred miles away or so?”
“Yes—yes I got an uncle in Springer,” the boy’s tone was eager.
“Would you stay there three days if you were sent there?”
“Yes—yes I would,” his eagerness increased.
“Fine! Will you see him on his way, Chief?”
The Chief and his prisoner passed through the door, to enter a car and go rolling away.
“Snooping, that’s what he was,” said Dynamite indignantly. “Trying to get on to our plays and signals. Oh well, we’ll not be bothered with him tomorrow, and, old son,” he turned to Kentucky, “you won’t have to choke him for calling names. He won’t be there to call ’em.”
“I shore am right smart ’bliged to hear that,” Kentucky drawled. “That there is the name-callin’est feller I might-nigh ever seed!”
At that every boy in the room burst into a hearty laugh.
“Perhaps,” said the coach thoughtfully, “that was taking an unfair advantage of the enemy.”
“Not a bit of it!” Dynamite exploded. “They beat us out of that last game because he wasn’t penalized for a foul. Besides, all spies should be shot at sunrise. You let him off easy.”
“Glad you think so,” the coach heaved a sigh of relief.
“But what about this giant?” he wrinkled his brow. “How many of you really saw him?”
“I—I—I—sure! Sure we saw him,” came in a chorus.