Part 12 (1/2)
”Huh!” pursued Uncle Jason, with vast disgust. ”You fellers must have a high opinion of your own judgment, when you choosed Mr. Haley to teach this school. Did ye hire a nincomp.o.o.p, I wanter know? Why! if he'd wanted ever so much ter steal them coins, he'd hafter been a fule ter done it in this way.”
”There's sense in what ye say, Jason,” admitted Mr. Crawford.
”I sh'd hope so! But there ain't sense in what you fellers have done--for a fac! Lettin' sech a story as this git all over town. By jiminy! if I was Mr. Haley, I'd sue ye!”
”But what are we goin' ter do, Jason?” demanded Cross Moore. ”Sit here an' twiddle our thumbs, and let that feller 't owns the coins come down on us for their value?”
”You'll have to make good to him anyway,” said Mr. Day, bluntly. ”You four air responserble.”
”Hi tunket!” exploded Joe Pellet. ”And let the thief git away with 'em?”
”Better git a detecertif, an' put him on the case,” said Mr. Day. ”Of course, you air all satisfied that n.o.body could ha' got into the schoolhouse but Mr. Haley?”
”He an' Benny is all that has keys,” said Ma.s.sey.
”Sure about this here janitor?” asked Uncle Jason, slowly.
”Why, he was with us all the time,” said Crawford, in disgust.
”And he's a hardworkin' little feller, too,” Ma.s.sey added. ”Not a thing wrong with Benny but his back. That is crooked; but he's as straight as a string.”
”How's his fambly?” asked Uncle Jason.
”Ain't got none--but a wife. A decent, hard-working woman,” proclaimed the druggist. ”No children. Her brother boards with 'em. That's all.”
”Well, sir!” said Uncle Jason, oracularly. ”There air some things in this worl' ye kin be sure of, besides death and taxes. There's a few things connected with this case that ye kin pin down. F'r instance: The janitor didn't do it. Nelse Haley didn't do it. None o' you four fellers done it.”
”Say! you goin' to drag us under suspicion, Jase?” drawled Cross Moore.
”If you keep on sputterin' about Nelse Haley--yes,” snapped Mr. Day, nodding vigorously. ”Howsomever, there's still another party ter which the finger of suspicion p'ints.”
”Who's that?” was the chorus from the school committee.
”A party often heard of in similar cases,” said Mr. Day, solemnly.
”His name is _Unknown_! Yes, sir! Some party unknown entered that building while you fellers was down cellar, same as Nelson Haley did.
This party, Unknown, stole the coins.”
”Aw, shucks, Jase!” grunted Mr. Cross Moore. ”You got to give us something more satisfactory than that if you want to shunt us off'n Nelson Haley's trail,” and the other three members of the School Committee nodded.
CHAPTER IX
HOW NELSON TOOK IT
Something more than mere curiosity drew Janice Day's footsteps toward the new school building. There were other people drawn in the same direction; but their interest was not like hers.
Somehow, this newest bit of gossip in Polktown could be better discussed at the scene of the strange robbery itself. Icivilly Sprague and Mabel Woods walked there, arm in arm, pa.s.sing Janice by with side glances and the tossing of heads.
Icivilly and Mabel had attended Nelson's school the first term after Miss 'Rill Scattergood gave up teaching; but finding the young schoolmaster impervious to their charms, they had declared themselves graduated.