the nervous cook hastened to say in apology; “first off the pan shouldn’t be eaten, I always claim. But you did give me a jolt, Elmer, when you said that.”

“How do you know?” questioned Wee Willie; “run across the sign, did you?”

“He walked completely around the cabin twice,” stated the other. “From the indications I’d say he must have been a heap surprised to discover that it had occupants; for I take it, he could hear some of us breathing pretty hard.”

“Huh! needn’t all look right at me,” Wee Willie hastened to snap, as he colored up amidst his freckles. “I made out to lie on my side the whole live-long night, I’d take my affidavy on that. I admit that once in a while I do snore; but that’s when I roll over on my back, and have been gorging at supper on such things as mince pie and other heavy stuff. Go on, Elmer!”

“I know what you are thinking,” Elmer continued; “how could I decide that the man didn’t make those marks before we came? I’ll tell you what proof I have right now. In the first place there isn’t much dew in the tracks, which I reckon would indicate that the footprints were made shortly before dawn. Am I right there, Wee Willie? You’re well up in woodcraft, and ought to be able to say.”

“Sounds good to me,” grunted the other, wagging his head violently in the affirmative, while a pleased expression on his thin face told how much he felt complimented by having Elmer defer in this fashion to his judgment.

“Well, I had another good proof,” Elmer went on to say, with one of his reassuring smiles. “Where the tracks crossed the marks left by Collins and his pal they overlapped; that is, this footprint broke into the ones made by the two guards from the asylum!”

“Splendid work, Elmer!” cried Perk, this time succeeding brilliantly in tossing up his second flapjack, which alighted successfully in the pan, with the browned side up. “Guess he did come prowling around then, and like as not tried the door more’n once. Say, I’m real glad I fastened it as well as I did.”

“What do you suppose he wanted?” queried Amos, looking even more serious than was his habit.

“Not being a mind reader,” Elmer told him, “I couldn’t say; but to make a stab at it I’d guess he hoped we’d gone along, and he could have his old cabin to himself again.”

“Well, it’ll always be a big mystery who 

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