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Authors: Joan Lowery Nixon
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watch," Gunter announced.
"No! I didn't!" Mike cried.
"Yes, you did! I saw you!" Gunter turned so only Mike could see his face and smirked.
Marta ran up the stairs, squeezing to see around Mrs. Friedrich's shoulder. Reuben was right behind her.
Mike tried to squirm from Mr. Friedrich's grasp. *Tou're hurting my shoulder!" he cried.
"You will feel more pain than that before I am through with you!" Mr. Friedrich grunted.
"But I told you—I didn't steal your watch!"
*Tell me where you hid it," Mr. Friedrich demanded.
"I didn't!"
Gunter stepped forward. "I'll tell you. Papa I saw him hide it under the mattress in his bed."
"Oh, my!" Mrs. Friedrich cls^jped her hands to her cheeks, her face pale with shock.
Marta gasped, her eyes wide with horror, but the expression on Reuben's face didn't change.
^That's not true!" Mike shouted.
"Isn't it? I'll show you," Gunter said. He led the way into Mike's room and lifted the edge of the mattress.
For a moment everyone just stared, until Gunter turned to Mike and furiously screeched, "Where is it? What did you do with it?"
"I told you!" Mike said. "I didn't take it!"
"It's got to be here!" Gunter tore the covers from the bed, then rununaged through the chest, but he came up empty-handed.
Mrs. Friedrich let out a long sigh of relief and said,
'The watxrh must be where it always is when Hans isn't wearing it—on the dresser in our room. Each night he careftiUy winds it and— "
"Be quiet, Irma!" Mr. Friedrich continued to scowl.
"I'll look!" Marta said and slipped from the room before anyone else could speak. In just a moment she returned, her right hand pressed to her chest as she tried to catch her breath, her words tumbling out in a rush. 'The watch isn't where it should be!"
*Then where—"
Mr. Friedrich hadn't finished his question before Reuben stepped forward. "What is that bulge in your shirt pocket, Gunter?"
Surprised, Gunter clapped a hand over his pocket. Then he flushed a dark, mottled red. With all eyes on him he reached into the pocket and pulled out his father's watch.
"I didn't put it there!" he exploded. "Michael did! He must have found it and—" Gunter quickly started over. "He found it in Papa's room and put it in my pocket!"
"How could he do that?" Reuben asked. "Had you taken off your shirt and left it where Mike could get to it?"
"No," Gunter whined.
"I don't understand this at all," Mrs. Friedrich complained. She leaned back and fanned herself with her right hand.
Mike held his breath, hoping that none of them would understand how he'd made the switch.
"What were you doing with your papa's watch, Gunter?" his mother continued.
"Papa!" Gunter wailed. "Who are you going to believe—^me, or Michael, who's a New York guttersnipe and a pickpocket?"
"I—I would believe my son," Mr. Friedrich grumbled,
but he let go of Mike's shoulder. Gratefully, Mike rubbed the sore spot.
"But Mike didn't have the watch. Gunter did," Marta said.
*This does not concern you. You will speak no more about it." Mr. Friedrich glared at Marta.
Reuben stepped forward. "I think it was just a boyish prank," he said.
"A boyish prank?" Mr. Friedrich began to bristle even more. *There is danger in allowing evil behavior to persist"
*Wo aber Gefahr ist, wdchst Das Retten da auch,'' Reuben said.
Mrs. Friedrich gasped, and for just an instant Mike saw terror in Mr. Friedrich's eyes. "What did you just say?" Mike whispered to Reuben.
Reuben must have seen the Friedrichs' fear, too. "It was just a line from a poem," he replied aloud. "It's translated as, *But where danger is, grows also that which saves.' Mr. Friedrich is a churchgoing man. He'd understand that."
"I think I do understand," Mr. Friedrich said, so slowly and quietly that Mike's skin crawled. "You've never mentioned you speak German." Mike didn't understand what either of the two men were talking about.
Reuben quickly put an arm around Mike's shoulders and another around Gunter's and herded them
"No! I didn't!" Mike cried.
"Yes, you did! I saw you!" Gunter turned so only Mike could see his face and smirked.
Marta ran up the stairs, squeezing to see around Mrs. Friedrich's shoulder. Reuben was right behind her.
Mike tried to squirm from Mr. Friedrich's grasp. *Tou're hurting my shoulder!" he cried.
"You will feel more pain than that before I am through with you!" Mr. Friedrich grunted.
"But I told you—I didn't steal your watch!"
*Tell me where you hid it," Mr. Friedrich demanded.
"I didn't!"
Gunter stepped forward. "I'll tell you. Papa I saw him hide it under the mattress in his bed."
"Oh, my!" Mrs. Friedrich cls^jped her hands to her cheeks, her face pale with shock.
Marta gasped, her eyes wide with horror, but the expression on Reuben's face didn't change.
^That's not true!" Mike shouted.
"Isn't it? I'll show you," Gunter said. He led the way into Mike's room and lifted the edge of the mattress.
For a moment everyone just stared, until Gunter turned to Mike and furiously screeched, "Where is it? What did you do with it?"
"I told you!" Mike said. "I didn't take it!"
"It's got to be here!" Gunter tore the covers from the bed, then rununaged through the chest, but he came up empty-handed.
Mrs. Friedrich let out a long sigh of relief and said,
'The watxrh must be where it always is when Hans isn't wearing it—on the dresser in our room. Each night he careftiUy winds it and— "
"Be quiet, Irma!" Mr. Friedrich continued to scowl.
"I'll look!" Marta said and slipped from the room before anyone else could speak. In just a moment she returned, her right hand pressed to her chest as she tried to catch her breath, her words tumbling out in a rush. 'The watch isn't where it should be!"
*Then where—"
Mr. Friedrich hadn't finished his question before Reuben stepped forward. "What is that bulge in your shirt pocket, Gunter?"
Surprised, Gunter clapped a hand over his pocket. Then he flushed a dark, mottled red. With all eyes on him he reached into the pocket and pulled out his father's watch.
"I didn't put it there!" he exploded. "Michael did! He must have found it and—" Gunter quickly started over. "He found it in Papa's room and put it in my pocket!"
"How could he do that?" Reuben asked. "Had you taken off your shirt and left it where Mike could get to it?"
"No," Gunter whined.
"I don't understand this at all," Mrs. Friedrich complained. She leaned back and fanned herself with her right hand.
Mike held his breath, hoping that none of them would understand how he'd made the switch.
"What were you doing with your papa's watch, Gunter?" his mother continued.
"Papa!" Gunter wailed. "Who are you going to believe—^me, or Michael, who's a New York guttersnipe and a pickpocket?"
"I—I would believe my son," Mr. Friedrich grumbled,
but he let go of Mike's shoulder. Gratefully, Mike rubbed the sore spot.
"But Mike didn't have the watch. Gunter did," Marta said.
*This does not concern you. You will speak no more about it." Mr. Friedrich glared at Marta.
Reuben stepped forward. "I think it was just a boyish prank," he said.
"A boyish prank?" Mr. Friedrich began to bristle even more. *There is danger in allowing evil behavior to persist"
*Wo aber Gefahr ist, wdchst Das Retten da auch,'' Reuben said.
Mrs. Friedrich gasped, and for just an instant Mike saw terror in Mr. Friedrich's eyes. "What did you just say?" Mike whispered to Reuben.
Reuben must have seen the Friedrichs' fear, too. "It was just a line from a poem," he replied aloud. "It's translated as, *But where danger is, grows also that which saves.' Mr. Friedrich is a churchgoing man. He'd understand that."
"I think I do understand," Mr. Friedrich said, so slowly and quietly that Mike's skin crawled. "You've never mentioned you speak German." Mike didn't understand what either of the two men were talking about.
Reuben quickly put an arm around Mike's shoulders and another around Gunter's and herded them
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