"What, me? Locked up?" cried the hotel man.

"Certainly. Why not? It's as reasonable as your charge against us--more reasonable, in fact, for you kept his money and gave him nothing in return," went on our hero, warmly.

"Well, now what do you know about that?" grumbled Jason Sparr, turning to the driver of the covered wagon. But the lockup man merely shrugged his shoulders. Privately he was of the opinion that the boys were not such rascals as had been pictured.

"If those fellows wasn't guilty, why did they run away?" continued Jason Sparr, after an awkward pause.

"Because you scared them," responded Roger. "I would have run away myself if it hadn't been for Dave."

"Humph!"

All looked along the road. Constable Hickson had disappeared, having followed the runaways down to the river. Presently he came back, out of breath from his exertions.

"Did you get 'em?" queried the hotel-keeper, eagerly.

"No, they got away in a motor-boat."

"A motor-boat!" repeated Dave and Roger, and looked at each other in astonishment.

"Yes, went up the river out of sight," said Paul Hickson. "Too bad!

But we've got two of 'em, anyway," he added, looking at our hero and the senator's son.

"I wanted Lawrence more than I did the others," grumbled Jason Sparr.

He was doing some deep thinking and his face showed that he was much disturbed.

"Mr. Sparr, just remember what I said," remarked Dave, pointedly. "If you go ahead, take my word for it, it will cost you dear."

"Say, Hickson, we'll drop this matter for the present," said the hotel-keeper, in a low tone.

"Drop it?" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the constable. "Ain't you goin' to have these two took up?"

"Not just now. I--er--I want to get more evidence first, if I can. We can get them any time we want them."

"But who is going to pay me for my trouble? I've got them warrants to serve right in my pocket, and----"

"I'll fix that up with you," answered the hotel man, in a whisper.

"Come on. We can come back later." And then the hotel man said something to the driver of the wagon. The latter merely nodded and got back to his seat. Jason Sparr climbed up beside him, and the constable slowly followed.

"I don't understand----" went on the constable; but Jason Sparr merely pinched his arm, and he stopped short.

"Just remember, this ain't settled yet!" cried the hotel-keeper, to Dave and Roger. "I'm going to look into it a bit deeper before I make a move, that's all. I know some of you done it, and I'll have you in prison for it yet, see if I don't!" And he shook his head grimly; and then the covered wagon was turned around, and the three men drove off in the direction of Oakdale.

"Oh, Dave, do you think they'll come back?" cried Roger, when the men were out of hearing.

"There is no telling what they will do, Roger. But you can make up your mind to one thing--Sparr won't come back until he has more evidence than he has at present."

"But how can he get evidence? Surely you don't think Phil and the others guilty, even if they did run away."

"No, I think Phil and the others are as innocent as we are. But I can't understand some things. Somebody used that dynamite and somebody wrote a letter to Sparr about us. The question is, Who was it?"

"Could it be Nat Poole?"

"I don't think Nat would be bad enough to try to blow up a hotel."

"It certainly was an awful thing to do." Roger drew a long breath.

"What shall we do now, go back to school?"

"We might as well. If we don't, old Haskers will be after us again."

"Do you think Phil and the others will come back?"

"Why not? As soon as they have time to think it over they'll realize it is best to face the music," answered Dave.

He and Roger returned to Oak Hall. They had missed one cla.s.s, but fortunately that was one presided over by Mr. Dale, and he readily excused them when they said they had had some personal matters of importance to attend to, and would explain later.

"It is bound to come out, sooner or later," said Dave to his chum. "So we might as well take Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale into our confidence."

"I suppose you are right," answered the senator's son. Nevertheless, he heaved a deep sigh, as he thought of what might be the outcome of the trouble. What if, after all, Jason Sparr should concoct some sort of evidence against them and send them all to prison?

CHAPTER XIX

LOOKING FOR THE RUNAWAYS

When Dave and Roger went to the midday meal in the dining-room they looked all over for Phil, Ben, and Buster, but the three were not in sight.

"Dave, they haven't come back yet."

"So I see," returned our hero, and he was much disturbed. He ate sparingly, and the senator's son also had but little appet.i.te for the meal.

"Say, what's become of those chaps?" questioned Shadow.

"I'll tell you later," answered Dave. "Don't say anything now--and tell the others to keep quiet, too."

But such a happening could not be kept quiet, and soon it was whispered around that Phil, Ben, and Buster were missing. This presently got to the ears of Andrew Dale, and the head a.s.sistant teacher sought out Dave for an explanation.

"I understand you went out with Lawrence, Ba.s.swood, and Beggs this morning, Porter," said the teacher. "They are not yet back. Do you know where they went?"

"They went off in a motor-boat, that is all I know about that part of it, Mr. Dale. Roger Morr and I would like to speak to you and Doctor Clay in private. It is very important," went on our hero.

"Very well. Come at once to the office and I will call the doctor."

A little later found the two youths in the office with Doctor Clay and his head a.s.sistant. There, as briefly as he could, Dave told his story, and Roger corroborated what was said. The head of the school was deeply interested and not a little alarmed.

"This is certainly serious," he declared, with a grave shake of his head. "It reflects not only on you but on this school. I must look into this at once." And then he asked many questions, and Andrew Dale did the same.