"But you got the glue, didn't you? The bottle was one your brother brought from the pickle works."
Again Mike Nolan was astonished and aghast. Evidently the daylight had been shining in upon the dark doings of himself and his companions in crime.
"I didn't get the glue," he whined. "I got the bottle for Jackson, and he stole the glue from Peterson's carpenter shop. Oh, please don't have me arrested!"
"What did you do it for? Why were you so anxious to get Bell here in trouble?"
At first Mike Nolan would not answer these questions, but finally he admitted that Franklin's ways were not to the taste of himself and the others. He also said that his brother had been discharged from the pickle works, and that the others had promised to do what they could to get Larry Nolan the job should Franklin be discharged.
As soon as Nolan had finished, Felter and Bob Jackson were sent for and questioned. They were as much surprised as the Irish boy had been, and, covered with confusion, they made a sorry mess of the falsehoods they endeavored to tell in order to clear themselves.
Belden Brice's decision in the matter was short and to the point. He said he would not give Buckman the trouble to prosecute them in the courts,
