“I wish you luck,” called Mr. Mason. “I say!” he called as he turned back. “I just happened to think maybe that deer got loose out of a railroad car. He might be one of a large shipment of deer from one place to another and he got out. Ask the railroad freight or express agent.” “We will,” promised Joe. The three boys walked slowly across the big meadow back toward the road that led to Oakdale. They were talking of what had happened and Joe and Dick were wondering what had become of their planes. Dick and Teddy were also rather anxious about their sisters. But since Mr. Mason had laughed at the idea that the deer might have carried the girls off on his back, the boys no longer gave it any serious thought. “I guess the girls just got scared at seeing the deer and ran away,” suggested Joe. “What about our planes?” asked Dick. Joe didn’t answer. But there was no need. For a little later the three boys heard their names called from beyond a fence. Lucy and Margie bobbed into sight, each one with a plane in her hands. “Oh, so that’s what happened?” asked Dick. “Yes, we found your planes,” Margie said. “And did you get chased by a deer?” asked Lucy. “No, the deer didn’t chase us. We chased the deer,” said Teddy. This was not strictly true, for there was a time when the deer seemed very much to be chasing the boys. But at least the chums had seen Mr. Mason make the deer run away. “Whose deer is it?” asked Lucy. “That’s what our club is going to find out,” said Teddy. “Your club?” chorused the two girls. “The Mystery Club,” explained Joe. Then, of course, the girls had to be told more about it. They teased to be made members but, for a time, the boys refused. Then Joe, who had no sister and was rather neutral, said: “Couldn’t they be sort of extra members? You know lots of clubs have women and girls as extra members.” “Oh, yes! Could we be that?” begged Margie. After further discussion the boys agreed to this. The five walked along together, out of the meadow, talking about the mystery deer when, just as they were about to go from a lane into the main road, a fat boy, whom none of them knew, came out on the run, very much excited. “Hello! Hello!” he greeted Teddy and the others. He talked very fast, as if he were having a race with words. “Did you see him?” he asked. “The man--the man with a rope--a long rope like a lasso? He was running over to the woods--I thought he was a cowboy and he asked me if I had seen him and I said who and he said a steer and I thought he was trying to make fun of me so I said no I hadn’t and say--Oh, gosh! Did you see him? He came this way and--oh, but you don’t know who I am, do you? Well, I’m Charlie Nolan. Everybody calls me Fatty Nolan and you can if you like. Oh, say, there he is now! The man with the rope. Look! I’m going to run after him!” CHAPTER VII MRS. TRADDLE’S GARDEN