"Boys, keep cool," came from Captain Putnam. "Mr. Cotton, hadn't you
better do the talking for Mr. Fairchild?"

"I want 'em searched," burst out Aaron Fairchild. "If they robbed my
store they must have put the stuff somewheres."

"What makes you think we robbed you?" asked Dick.

"This," and he was shown the memorandum book and the envelope.

"Humph! I lost that book some weeks ago, when I had my fight with Lew
Flapp, Rockley, and the rest of that crowd that were dismissed from the
academy."

"And what of the envelope, Richard?" asked Captain Putnam.

"I don't remember anything about that. It probably came on a letter
from home and I must have thrown it away."

"The book and the envelope were found on the floor of the shop that was
robbed."

"Well, I didn't drop them there."

"And neither did I," came from Tom.

"Nor I," added Sam.

"Are you going to let us search you and your belongings or not?"
demanded the constable from White Corners.