CHAPTER XXII
RUBE CARTER'S THEORY--AND KIDDIE'S
"To begin with, then," said Rube, "Nick Undrell knew about yourvaluables--knew that you kept 'em here in your cabin; and he covetedthem. He'd made up his mind weeks ago to get hold of 'em. He admittedas much to you yourself, an' he put you off suspectin' him by makin'out that he'd started on a new trail by givin' up drink an' gamblin'and thievin'. That's where he was artful. Then he knew that you'dgone away on a campin'-out trip. We've bin told as he's bin spyin'around here an' tryin' to make friends with the dog.
"Naturally, he didn't know just when we should be back. Anyhow, hereckoned that last night would be safe, there bein' no moonlight. Incase he should be heard movin' through the bush, he took the loan ofour spare canoe an' dropped along silent by water. I'm figurin' thathe calculated on the dog knowin' him an' not barkin'. But he wantedter make sure, an' he crept up towards the kennel.
"Sheila was free; she wasn't chained up or locked in; an' she met him.Whether she fawned on him or attacked him, an' so got that thread ofyaller wool on her claw don't greatly signify, though I guess sheattacked him, an' he shot her dead, going up to her afterwards t' makesure, an' leavin' his footprint."
Kiddie nodded in satisfaction at the boy's narrative.
"And then?" he said.
"Then Nick made a bee-line for the cabin, broke the pane of glass,opened the winder, an' crawled in. Here he collected all the valuableshe c'd lay his hands on--money, trinkets, jewels--hundreds and hundredsof dollars' worth, an' packed the lot into the gunny sack that he foundin that there corner."
"Ah, I didn't remember that gunny sack," said Kiddie. "I had wonderedhow the things were carried away. Well?"
"Well," continued Rube, "after that, he went through the sittin'-roomt' escape by the front door. He looked around the room an' caughtsight of the cigarettes and tobacco. Before decidin' which ter take,he thought he'd try one of the cigarettes, so he smoked one, leavin'the scent of it hangin' in the air. I reckon he enjoyed it, so he tookthe cigarettes an' left the pipe tobacco."
"They are very good cigarettes, I believe," commented Kiddie. "I'venever smoked one myself."
"Still, I wonder at Nick Undrell leavin' all that tobacco on theshelf," put in Isa Blagg. "What d'you figure he did next, Rube? Wentaround to the stables, helped himself t' the best hoss thar, an' rodeoff, I should say."
"That's about it," concluded Rube.
"My theory exactly," declared the sheriff, "an' now I calculate thefirst thing t' do is ter get on Nick's tracks an' arrest him."
"Wait," said Kiddie. "There's one thing that Rube has not explained.What about the canoe? We found it tied up in Grizzly Notch. How didit get back there?"
"Ar-rum!" ejaculated Rube. "I forgot the canoe; but I suppose Nicktook it back an' tied it up 'fore he went to the stable."
"Not at all," said Kiddie. "Your theory is wrong from beginnin' toend. The canoe was never used. The paddles were in the boat-house asdry as a bone. The tobacco pipe, the dead matches and the footprintwere planted there purposely as a blind to put us on a false trail. Idon't deny that the pipe was Nick Undrell's, or the boots, or that thethreads of yellow worsted came from Nick's vest. But in spite of theseclues, yes, even because of them, I believe that Nick Undrell hadnothing to do with this robbery."
"Git!" exclaimed Isa Blagg, with a derisive laugh.
"S-shoo!" whispered Rube in amazement.
"You say you didn't touch the dead dog," pursued Kiddie, "didn't lookinto her eyes an' see how the pupils were dilated; didn't handle herlimbs an' feel how rigid they were. You've seen many an animal killedwith a bullet, Rube, but you never saw one lookin' as Sheila looks.Why? Because she wasn't shot. It was poison that killed her--a quickan' deadly poison, injected on the point of a dart, a spear, or,perhaps even an arrow. And the bootprint was made purposely by the manwho went up to her to recover the weapon and to fix the thread ofyellow worsted to her claw, just as he afterwards fixed the thread onthe splinter of window glass, as an intentionally misleading clue. Asto the cigarettes and tobacco, there need have been no hesitation. Thecigarettes were taken in preference by a man who never smokes a pipe,but is peculiarly fond of cigarettes."
"Gee!" cried Rube. "You are clever, Kiddie."
Kiddie had disappeared into his bedroom. When he came out again someminutes afterwards, he was dressed as a western cowboy.
"Hullo!" exclaimed Rube. "Where're you off to?"
"Along to Laramie ter locate Nick Undrell," drawled Kiddie, fixing hissix-shooter in his belt.
He hastened out to the stables, saddled and mounted a pony, and startedoff through the woodland towards the trail.
Hardly had he got out from among the trees when he heard the clatteringof a horse's galloping feet. He dropped the bridle over his pony'shead, leapt from his saddle, gathered the coils of his lariat in hisfist, and crept to the side of the trail. The galloping horse cameswiftly nearer. Kiddie peeped out over the edge of a boulder andrecognized his own bay hunter Regent.
The rider's face was hidden under his wide hat, but as he raised hiswhip hand there was the gleam of a yellow and black striped vest.Kiddie gripped his lariat ready to throw, but he did not throw it.Instead, he whistled loud and shrill, and, as the horseman came abreastof him, he called out--
"Nick--Nick!"
Nick Undrell drew rein, and, swinging sharply round, rode up to Kiddie.
"The very man I wanted to see," said Kiddie, dropping his lariat, andseizing the hunter's palpitating muzzle in his hands. "Where is he,Nick?"
"He?" echoed Nick Undrell, with a laugh. "Well, if your lordship'sreferrin' ter Broken Feather, he's a prisoner in my shack, wearin'handcuffs an' a pair of my boots, an' with two o' my boys standin' overhim with loaded revolvers. An' the boodle--the loot--the swag that thegreasy skunk stole from your cabin last night, it's all fixed up rightan' tight in Laramie Bank."
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