"By telling the truth," Dick smiled.

Soon after the Grammar School boys came out on the road.
"See that group 'way ahead there ?" asked Tom, pointing down the road.
"Yes," nodded Dick.

"That's Rip's crowd, so we know they didn't get hurt." "Then the only one who did get hurt," Tom added, "was the man who was very soon able to take mighty good care of himself." "So we don't need to bother about the matter any more," Greg hinted.
"And, gracious! I hope mother has saved some supper for me." "It'll be a cold hand-out for me," groaned Hazelton.
The Grammar School boys were soon on Main Street now.

They hurried along, as they had not yet come to the point of parting.
"Look at that crowd down the street," called Dave.

"There's some excitement in the wind." "I'm not nosey," observed Tom.
"No," scoffed Darrin; "you're too hungry." "I'm going to see what the excitement is about, anyway," muttered Hazelton, starting forward off a run.
One by one the other boys yielded to curiosity and started at a jog-trot for the corner where the crowd was gathered.
"No; the poor fellow isn't crazy in the ordinary sense of the word," Dick heard a tall man, finely dressed in black, say to some of the bystanders.