“Why, no, I haven’t heard a thing except the church bells ringing, and people going past our house early this morning for mass.  You know we live on a street that is largely used by those who have to get out shortly after daybreak Sunday mornings in winter.  What’s happened during the night?  There couldn’t have been a fire, because I’d have heard the bell, and been out with the rest of the boys.”

“Oh! you couldn’t guess it in a dozen trials, Hugh.  It was a regular down-right burglary that was pulled off, even if the stuff taken consisted of candy, cigarettes, and the like, as well as some sporting goods and several revolvers.”

Hugh looked interested.

“From the way you talk, Thad, I should say it might have been Paul Kramer’s Emporium that had suffered; because he’s really the only man in Scranton who keeps sporting goods.”

“A good guess, Hugh, because Paul is the chap.  They got in through a back door, and everybody says it was a pretty slick job, too,” Thad went on to say.

“Let’s see what you’re telling me,” Hugh remarked thoughtfully.  “If they took candy and cigarettes and sporting goods it would look to me pretty much as if the robbery was the work of unprincipled boys, rather than men.”

Thad stared hard at his companion.

“Well, you are a wonder, Hugh, at seeing through things!” he hastily declared.  “Why, that was what Chief Wambold said right away.  And, Hugh, he followed it with the declaration that he guessed he could put his finger on the guilty fellows without much trouble.  You know who he had in mind, of course, Hugh?”

“It goes without saying that one of them would be Nick Lang,” came the quick reply, while a small cloud crept over Hugh’s face.

“Sure thing,” continued Thad, shrugging his shoulders.  “When a fellow has built up a nice reputation for himself along those lines he can’t blame folks for suspecting him of every single tricky piece of work that is pulled off in town.  In the past Nick has been ring-leader in lots of lawless doings, and the Chief was dead certain he’d get him with the goods on this time, as he called it.”

“Perhaps he may, but I hope that for once Chief Wambold will find himself mistaken,” said Hugh soberly, and then adding:  “How did you happen to hear about it, Thad?”

“Oh!  I chanced to be out early this morning on an errand for mother, taking some things over to that sick colored wash-lady we have do our weekly work, and passing through the public square on my way back I saw a crowd around Kramer’s place.  Of course I stayed on the job, and heard all sorts of things said.  But, Hugh, they’ve got one of the thieves, all right.”

“Who was he, Leon Disney?” asked the other, quickly, as he suddenly remembered the actions of the boy in question when he twice approached Nick Lang on the ice during that intermission for rest in the hockey match; and when he, Hugh, fancied Leon was entreating his former pal to do something which Nick refused to entertain.