“No, he didn’t,” said Joe. “If he had, Mrs. Traddle’s garden wouldn’t have been spoiled.”

“Did the deer do that?” exclaimed Fatty. “Oh, gosh!” he said, when told this had happened. “Now we’ve got to get that deer. It might spoil dad’s garden. Come on—this way. I can take you right where I last saw that lasso man. Come on! Hurry!”

Fatty Nolan, in spite of his unusual size,77 could walk almost as fast as he could talk. He kept ahead of Teddy and his chums as they made their way to the meadow where they had first seen the man with the lasso.

77

Teddy, Dick and Joe hardly expected to see the strange man again but luck was with them. They had just reached the place where they had noticed him the day before when, suddenly, Fatty Nolan shouted:

“There he is! There he is! The lasso man!”

78

CHAPTER IX TEDDY IS LASSOED

TEDDY IS LASSOED

Hurrying at his usual fast pace, as if to keep up with his fast thoughts and talk, the fat lad ran after a man of whom Teddy and his chums had only obtained a glimpse.

Hurrying

“Are you sure it was the same man, Fatty?” asked Joe.

“Oh, sure. Didn’t you see he had a rope?”

“Yes,” spoke Teddy, “but anybody could have a rope.”

“Maybe he’s after a stray cow,” suggested Dick.

“No, I’m sure he’s after the mysterious deer,” declared Fatty Nolan. “Nobody around here goes after cows with a rope. Cows are easy to drive. I drive ours. This is the lasso man. Come on, before he gets away. He’ll take us to the deer!”

79 Teddy and his chums were not so sure of this. But they followed the stout lad, smiling at his rapid manner of speaking. On the whole, they rather liked him.

79

The man with the lasso had appeared so suddenly, seemingly 

 Prev. P 36/94 next