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Show 117 I'm afraid I wasn't very sympathetic. He left a note saying he and Cap were going away. It's been two days and I'm worried sick." Mrs. Sutherland turned an icy stare toward the mayor. "They're missing, Eustice, and you're doing nothing about it?" Faced with this new antagonist, the mayor cringed. Didn't he already have problems enough? Yet Mrs. Sutherland wielded a great deal of influence in town. "Uh. . . of course we're all concerned. We're doing everything we can, Mrs. Sutherland." "And what's that, Eustice? What are you doing about it?" He shrugged an apology. "Of course, every available man is working on this terrible gold robbery. Do you realize," he said, his voice becoming louder than he intended, "that as of this moment this town is nearly bankrupt?" Mrs. Sutherland stared stonily, unimpressed. "You're busy looking for gold, Eustice, when there are two lost boys?" "Well, dang it, Mrs. Sutherland," he said in exasperation, "it isn't like those boys are really lost. Right after the robbery Horace Wolsey talked to them-said they was going camping. The boys even saw those crooks run with the gold." With a gasp Mrs. Sutherland threw up her hands. "And with those thieves still loose somewhere-and the boys as eyewitnesses-you're still not worried? Is that it?" Weakly the mayor sat back down. Mrs. Sutherland stood straight as a pine tree, looming over him. Mrs. O'Tosh still had her hands on her hips. "I never thought of that," Mayor Okleberry almost whispered. "Well, it happens that Josh is a particular friend of mine," Mrs. |