And as Teddy and his chums went out, they heard the store keeper telling her new customers something about the deer the Benson children had for a pet.

“No use bothering to explain,” Teddy said. “It’s too hot to have to talk loud enough for Mrs. Traddle to hear.”

Margie and Lucy had decided to go on a little picnic next day. Teddy asked Joe and Dick what they planned to do.

“Why not have another try for that deer?” asked Teddy as his chums had no particular place to go.

“Sure,” agreed Joe and Dick.

“If we’re going to solve the mystery,”66 Teddy went on, “we might as well start. Come over to my house right after breakfast.”

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“We’ll do that,” Joe promised and Dick agreed, adding:

“We can have a talk with Fatty Nolan and see if he found out anything about the man with the rope.”

“That’s a good idea,” Teddy assented.

The boys and girls soon separated to go to their several homes, all being in the vicinity of Teddy Benson’s house.

After spending an hour or two that evening making some repairs to his toy plane, Teddy went to bed. He thought with pleasure of what might happen next day, when he and his chums would start on the trail of the mysterious deer.

Once during the night Teddy was awakened by hearing a noise at the back door. He sat up in bed, thinking for a moment it might be the deer, coming to knock as, once, a mysterious pony rang the door bell. But67 then Teddy heard a clatter of milk bottles and knew what had caused the noise.

67

Teddy was at breakfast next morning when he saw Mrs. Traddle coming around the side of the house. She saw Mr. Benson, who was cutting the grass before he went to the office.

“Good morning, Mrs. Traddle!” greeted Teddy’s father. “What brings you out so early?”

“It’s your children’s pet deer!” said Mrs. Traddle in a loud voice.

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