Fred Sheldon did not give much attention to Bud Heyland after he started in pursuit of his runaway horse, but, turning in the opposite direction, he moved carefully through the wood toward his mother's house.  
He did not forget that Cyrus Sutton was somewhere near him, and the boy dreaded a meeting with the cattle drover almost as much as he did with Bud Heyland himself; but he managed to get out of the piece of wood without seeing or being seen by him, and then he made all haste to his own home, where he found his mother beginning to wonder over his long absence.
 
Fred told the whole story, anxious to hear what she had to say about a matter on which he had made up his own mind.
 
"It looks as though Bud Heyland and this Mr. Sutton, that you have told me about, are partners in some evil doing."
 
"Of course they are; it can't be anything else, but what were they doing in the woods with the wagon?"
 
"Perhaps they expected to meet some one else."
 
"I don't think so, from what they said; it would have been better if I hadn't whistled to Bud, wouldn't it?"
 
[Pg 183]
 
"Perhaps not," replied the mother, "for it looks as if by doing so you prevented their perpetrating some wrong for which they had laid their plans, and were frightened by finding some one else was near them."
 
"I'm going to take a look through that wood to-morrow and keep watch; I think I will find out something worth knowing."
 
"You cannot be too careful, Fred, for it is a wonder to me that you have kept out of trouble so long——"
 
Both were startled at this moment by the closing of the gate, followed by a rapid footstep along the short walk, and then came a sharp knocking on the door.
 
Fred sprang up from his seat beside his mother and quickly opened the door. The fussy little constable, Archie Jackson, stood before them.
 
"Good evening, Frederick; good evening, Mrs. Sheldon," he said, looking across the room to the lady and taking off his hat to her, as he stepped within.
 
The handsome little lady arose, bowed and invited him to a seat, which he accepted, bowing his thanks again.
 
It was easy to see from the manner of Archie that he was full of the most important kind of business. He was in danger of tipping his chair over, from the prodigious extent to which he threw out his breast, as he carefully deposited his hat on the floor beside him and cleared his throat, with a vigor which could have been heard by any one passing outside.
 
"A pleasant night," he remarked, looking benignantly upon Mrs. Sheldon, who nodded her head to[Pg 184] signify that she agreed with him in his opinion of the weather.
 
After this preliminary he came to the point—that is, in his own peculiar way.
 
"Mrs. Sheldon, you have a very fine boy there," he said, nodding toward Fred, who turned quite red in the face.
 
"I am glad to hear you have such a good opinion of him," was the modest manner in which the mother acknowledged the compliment to her only child.
 
"I understand that he is the brightest scholar in school, and has the reputation of being truthful and honest, and I know him to be as full of pluck and courage as a—a—spring lamb," added the constable, clearing his throat again, to help him out of his search for a metaphor.
 
Mrs. Sheldon simply bowed and smiled, while Archie looked at his right hand, which was still swollen and tender from its violent contact with the stump that he mistook for the lion some nights before.
 
He remarked something about hurting it in the crack of the door when playing with his children, and added:
 
"Fred has become quite famous from the shrewd manner in which he captured the lion."
 
"I don't see as he deserves any special credit for that," observed the mother, "for I understand the animal was such an old one that he was almost harmless, and then he was kind enough to walk into the smoke-house and give Fred just the chance he needed. I regard it rather as a piece of good fortune than a display of courage."
 
[Pg 185]
 
"You are altogether too modest, Mrs. Sheldon—altogether too modest. Think of his stealing up to the open door of the smoke or milk-house when the creatur' was crunching bones inside! I tell you, Mrs. Sheldon, it took a great deal more courage than you will find in most men to do that."
 
The lady was compelled to admit that it was a severe test of the bravery of a boy, but she insisted that Fred had been favored by Providence, or good fortune, as some called it.
 
"What I want to come at," added Archie, clearing his throat again and spitting in his hat, mistaking it for the cuspidor on the other side, "is that I would be pleased if he could secure the reward which the Misses Perkinpine have offered for the recovery of their silverware, to say nothing of the money that was taken."
 
"It would be too unreasonable to hope that he could succeed in such a task as that."
 
"I'm not so sure, when you recollect that he saw the two parties who were engaged in the burglarious transaction. I thought maybe he might have some clew which would enable the officers of the law to lay their fingers on the guilty parties."
 
Fred was half tempted to say that he had such a clew in his pocket that very minute, but he was wise enough to hold his peace.
 
Once more the constable cleared his throat.
 
"But such is not the fact—ah, excuse me—I thought that was the spittoon, instead of my hat—how stupid!—and to relieve his mind of the anxiety which I know he must feel, I have called to make a statement."
 
[Pg 186]
 
Having said this much the visitor waited until he thought his auditors were fully impressed, when he added:
 
"When this robbery was made known to me I sent to New York city at once for one of the most famous detectives, giving him full particulars and urging him to come without delay; but for some reason, which I cannot understand, Mr. Carter has neither come nor written—a very discourteous proceeding on his part, to say the least; so I undertook the whole business alone—that is, without asking the help of anyone."
 
"I hope you have met with success," was the truthful wish expressed by Mrs. Sheldon.
 
"I have, I am glad to inform you. I have found out who the man was that, in the disguise of a tramp, eat a meal at the house of the Misses Perkinpine on Monday evening, and who afterward entered the building stealthily, and with the assistance of a confederate carried off all their valuable silverware and a considerable amount of money."
 
"You've fastened it on Bud, eh?" asked Fred, greatly interested.
 
The constable looked impressively at the lad, and said:
 
"There's where you make a great mistake; in fact, nothing in this world is easier than to make an error. I was sure it was Bud from what you told me, and you will remember I hinted as much to him on the day of the circus."
 
"Yes, and he turned red in the face and was scared."
 
[Pg 187]
 
"His face couldn't turn much redder than it is, and blushing under such circumstances can't always be taken as a proof of guilt; but I set to work and I found the guilty man."
 
"And it wasn't Bud?"
 
"He hadn't anything to do with it."
 
"But there were two of them, for I saw them."
 
"Of course; and I know the other man also."
 
This was important news indeed, and mother and son could only stare at their visitor in amazement. The constable, with all the pomposity of which he was master, picked up his hat from the floor and arose to his feet.
 
"Of course a detective doesn't go round the country boasting of what he has done and is going to do. Those who know me, know that I am one of the most modest of men and rarely speak of my many exploits. But I may tell you that you can prepare yourselves for one of the greatest surprises of your life."
 
"When is it going to come?" asked Fred.
 
"Very soon; in a day or two; maybe to-morrow; at any rate by Monday at the latest."
 
Mrs. Sheldon saw that the fussy officer was anxious to tell more and needed but the excuse of a question or two from her.
 
But she did not ask him anything, for with the intuition of her sex she had read his nature the first time she talked with him, and she had little faith in his high-sounding declaration of success.
 
Still, she knew that it was not unlikely he had stumbled upon the truth, while groping about; but she could[Pg 188] form no idea, of who the suspected parties were, and she allowed her visitor to bid her good evening without gaining any further knowledge of them.
 
Archie was heard walking down the path and out the gate, still clearing his throat, and doubtless with his shoulders thrown to the rear so far that he was in danger of falling over backwards.
 
Mrs. Sheldon smiled in her quiet way after his departure, and said:
 
"I can't feel much faith in him, but it may be he has found who the guilty ones are."
 
"I don't believe it," replied Fred, stoutly; "for, when he declares that Bud had nothing to do with it, I know he is wrong. Suppose I had taken out this knife and told him all about it, what would he have said?"
 
"It wouldn't have changed his opinion, for he is one of those men whose opinions are set and very difficult to change. He is confident he is right, and we shall know what it all means in a short time."
 
"Perhaps I will find out something to-morrow."
 
"More than likely you will fail altogether——"
 
To the surprise of both, they heard the gate open and shut again, another series of hastening steps sounded upon the gravel, and in a moment a quick, nervous rap came upon the door.
 
"Archie has come back to tell us the rest of his story," sa............