“Land sakes!” exclaimed Mrs. Nixon as Dick turned from the telephone. “What’s all this? You must excuse me,” she went on, “but I couldn’t help hearing what you were saying to Mrs. Benson. So it’s been a deer that’s been rampaging around in my garden, eh?” “Has that deer been around here?” asked Dick eagerly. “Some sort of a critter has,” stated the farmer’s wife. “Two or three nights ago it got into our melon patch and did a lot of damage. We didn’t exactly know what sort of an animal it was. But it must be the deer you’re talking about.” “It got in Mrs. Traddle’s garden, too,” Dick said. He gave a short account of the animal, and Mrs. Nixon said: “This must be the critter that cowboy fellow is after.” “Was there a cowboy here after the deer?” asked Dick, now more excited than before. “Yes, there was, a couple of days ago,” replied Mrs. Nixon. “At least, he said he was a cowboy and he was looking for a lost deer. That was before our melon patch was raided. And I didn’t think any more about it until now when I heard you talk to Mrs. Benson.” “What sort of a cowboy was he?” asked Dick. “Did he have stars on his heels?” “Stars on his heels? Why, how you talk!” exclaimed the farmer’s wife. “I never heard of such a thing! Stars on his heels!” “I mean did he have heel plates with stars on them?” “I don’t know,” said Mrs. Nixon. “But when I told him I hadn’t seen a deer he went away. He took a short cut across my flower beds, too. But I must say he didn’t step on any.” “Has it rained since then?” asked Dick. “Rained? What’s that got to do with it? No, it hasn’t.” Dick ran to where he could see several beds of flowers at the side of the house. Anxiously he bent over to look at the soft ground. “Yes, it’s the same cowboy!” he exclaimed. “I can see the marks of his star heel plates. That’s why I asked if it had rained. Rain would have washed them away. But they are plain yet.” “Land sakes!” exclaimed Mrs. Nixon. “What you boys don’t do!” “Did this cowboy have a lasso?” asked Dick. “I didn’t notice it if he had,” said Mrs. Nixon. “And did he say why he was looking for a deer?” asked Dick. “No, he didn’t say that. I probably would have asked him more about the critter only I was busy. And up to then our melon patch hadn’t been raided. “Now you’d better sit down and rest until Mrs. Benson gets here. And wouldn’t you like a nice glass of cool milk and some molasses cookies?” “Yes’m, I would,” said Dick. “Thanks a lot.” He had finished his little lunch, and was telling Mrs. Nixon more about the hunt for the mystery deer, when Mrs. Benson drove into the yard. The auto contained blankets, food and other items needed for the night camp Teddy had planned on. After a brief talk with Mrs. Nixon and Dick, Mrs. Benson, with Dick on the seat beside her, started for Bailey’s Corners. There they found Teddy and Joe had just arrived. “Thanks a lot, mother, for helping this way,” Teddy panted.