Look innocent." From behind a heavy hand descended abruptly on either coat collar, taking firm hold.
"Here are the young apes who played the trick!" roared an angry voice.

"I just heard them whispering about it, and when I was finishing supper I remember that I looked out of the window and saw these boys fooling about the pile." "What did you put on the fire ?" demanded a man, stepping in front of the now frightened youths, who were hemmed in so that they could not escape.
"Red pepper," returned Ripley sullenly.

He spoke before he thought, thus admitting his guilt and Dodge's.
"You idiot!" hissed Bert.
"You're both of you idiots," retorted the captor, who had now released both young men.

"Besides being a mean, detestable trick, it's as old as the world.

That red-pepper trick was invented by some stupid lout who lived thousands of years before the Flood." "What shall we do with these imps ?" demanded a voice.
"There must be some High School boys here," said the man who had first seized the humiliated pair by their collars.