“If we find the man who owns the deer we’ll make him pay for the damage,” promised Teddy. “Thanks,” murmured Mrs. Traddle as she turned and went back to her store. Teddy and Lucy started toward the house to finish their breakfasts. Mr. Benson returned to cutting the grass, saying: “So you have a new mystery, have you?” “Maybe it will be a mystery and maybe it won’t,” admitted Teddy. “I’m going over to see Fatty Nolan as soon as the fellows come.” A little later, when Dick and Joe arrived at Teddy’s house, they were told of what had happened to Mrs. Traddle’s garden. “Let’s go have a look,” suggested Dick. “What for?” Teddy wanted to know. “The deer isn’t there now.” “No. But maybe he left a trail,” said Joe. “If we’re going to find this animal we’ve got to follow his trail. Come on.” Mrs. Traddle’s garden was at the rear and to one side of her house and store. The boys found several men of Oakdale looking at the ruin caused by the deer. “Looks like a herd of elephants was in there,” commented Sam Kean, the grocer. “Guess that deer spoiled more than he ate,” said Luke Lanter, the butcher. “Looks like he lay down and rolled in the corn.” “Maybe he was sort of celebrating,” said Mr. Kean. “He probably never had such a free feast before.” When most of the curious ones had departed, Teddy and his chums asked permission of Mrs. Traddle to look in the garden. “Look as much as you like,” she said with a sniff. “There isn’t much left to see. Dear me.” “We want to see if he left a trail,” explained Teddy. “Left a _tail_? Land sakes, why would a deer want to go and leave his _tail_ behind?” asked the old lady. “I mean any marks so we could go after him and find him,” Teddy explained. “Oh, I understand. Like the Indians I used to hear my grandfather tell about. Well, look if you like. All you’ll see are a lot of paw marks. Or maybe I should say hoof marks, bein’ as how it’s a deer,” said Mrs. Traddle. The boys did find plenty of hoof marks but they were so jumbled up, it was impossible to determine which way the deer had come into the garden or gone out. “I know what we ought to do,” said Joe. “What?” asked Teddy. “Find that man with the lasso. If he wasn’t the owner of the deer he must have been after it. And maybe he would know how to trail it. Let’s go find him.” “Where’ll we look?” asked Dick. “Start with Fatty Nolan,” suggested Teddy. It did not take them long to reach the small farm house where the fat boy lived. Fatty, who had just driven the cows to pasture after they had been milked, hurried toward the three boys. “Hello!” he called with a good-natured grin. “Did you find that deer yet? I guess you didn’t. I didn’t either. I guess deers are hard to catch. I never chased one, but maybe that man with the lasso got him. Did you see him--whose deer was it--come on in, will you? I can go with you if you like and help look for the deer. He was a big one, wasn’t he?”