"I don't believe that Frank had anything to do with it!" declared Garry heatedly. "I'll bet the Podders are charging Frank with it just because they know the Sherwoods are well off and will pay the money to get Frank out of trouble. I wouldn't trust either of those Podders any further than I could see them." "I don't know that I would myself," responded Mr. Grayson. "I hope you're right and that Frank is innocent. We'll know more about it after the examination this morning." Garry's heart was heavy when he met his chums on the way to school that morning. A quick glance told him that Bill was not among them. The rest of the bunch had learned of the matter too, and were as much upset over it as Garry himself. "I don't believe a word of it," said Nick Danter. "Nor I, either," echoed Rooster. "Frank may have been wild, but he's no thief." "That dirty crook, Sandy Podder, is at the bottom of this!" pronounced Ted. "Anything he's connected with smells bad," declared Garry. "Probably the chase was getting hot and he picked on Frank as the goat. I'd like to wring his neck!" Garry went through his work mechanically that morning, and the sight of Bill's empty seat sent a stab through his heart every time he looked at it. He knew that his father had planned to attend the examination that morning, and he could hardly wait till evening for his return. The moment Mr. Grayson entered the house Garry opened a fire of questions on him. "What about that matter of Frank Sherwood, Dad?" Mr. Grayson shook his head. "It doesn't look good," he replied, as he hung his hat on the rack and came into the living room. Garry's heart sank. "You don't mean that they proved anything against him?" "Not proved as yet," was the reply. "But there was enough evidence to justify the judge in holding Frank for trial. Of course, this was only a preliminary examination, and the evidence may be disproved when the real trial comes." "Just what did they say against him?" asked Garry. "Well," replied Mr. Grayson, "two witnesses testified that they had seen Frank take an envelope from Sandy's coat, open it, transfer something from it, and put the envelope back again." "Who said that?" asked Garry. "Gyp Mooney, the proprietor of the poolroom, and Piker Anson, as I believe he is called," replied Mr. Grayson. "Those bums!" exclaimed Garry hotly. "I wouldn't hang a yellow dog on anything they might say." "They've got an evil reputation, right enough," admitted Garry's father. "But when a theft takes place in a resort like Mooney's that's about the only kind of witnesses you expect to have. Unless it's refuted, their testimony goes for what the jury thinks it's worth. Then, too, there was Sandy Podder--" "Oh, that sneak testified against him too, did he?" sneered Garry.