"Now it is over, I am going down to the river and wash up," said Snap to Shep, and they walked to the edge of the stream, followed by Whopper and Giant. "I feel dirty from head to foot." "Your father can be thankful that the mill didn't go," said Whopper. "Gosh, what a blaze! I thought the whole county was going to burn up. I got burnt in about 'leventeen hundred spots." "And I let a bucket of water drop on my foot," put in Giant. "Say, but didn't the edge of the bucket feel nice on my little toe!" and he limped along to the water's edge. Having washed up, the boys returned to the scene of the fire. They found the mill master, Tom Neefus, in earnest conversation with Mr. Dodge. "You saw the rascal do it?" asked Snap's father. "I certainly did," replied Tom Neefus. "I started to catch him, but then I came back to put out the blaze. I made up my mind it would be better to stop the fire than catch the man, even though he was such a villain." "Who's a villain, father?" asked Shep. "The man who started this fire." "Did a man start it?" asked the boy, while several others drew closer to listen. "So Mr. Neefus says. He caught the fellow at the office desk. In a corner the fellow had thrown a pile of shavings and saturated it with oil. As he ran away he threw a handful of lighted matches into the shavings and they caught instantly." "I suppose he did that so that he could get away. He knew the men around here would try to save the property instead of going after him." "Exactly, Charley. He must have been a cold-blooded villain to do such a thing, for it might have been the means of burning down everything," continued Mr. Dodge. "What was he doing at the desk, Mr. Dodge?" asked Shep. "He was evidently looking for money or something of value." "Did he get anything?" "Nothing, so far as Mr. Neefus knows. The safe was locked up, I believe." The strong-box mentioned stood in a corner of the office, and the fire had swept all around it. It was quite hot, but after some more water had been poured over it the master of the mill threw it open. "The books are all right---the fire wasn't hot enough to touch them," said Tom Neefus. "I don't think---Ha!" He stopped short, gazing into a small compartment of the safe. Then his brow contracted. "What have you discovered?" questioned Mr. Dodge, quickly. "The money is gone---and also those papers to that tract of land at Spur Road!" "The money? How much money?" "Three hundred and fifty dollars." "But I thought you said you had the safe locked," went on Mr. Dodge. "I did have it locked. He must have opened it and then shut it up again before he went at the desk."