"The first thing I unearthed was this story of the church social provisions. There had, then, been a thief of some sort in the neighborhood just at the time of Colonel Gaylord's murder. The further theft of the boots fitted very neatly into the theory. If the fellow had been tramping for a couple of days his shoes, already worn, had given out and been discarded. The new ones, as we know, were too small--he left them at the bottom of the pasture--and went bare-footed. The marks therefore in the cave, which everyone ascribed to Mose, were in all probability, not the marks of Mose at all. Actual investigation proved that to be the case. The rest, I think, you know. The Four-Pools mystery has turned out to be a very simple affair--as most mysteries unfortunately do." "I reckon you're a pretty good detective, Mr. Patten," said Mattison with a shade of envy in his voice. Terry bowed his thanks and laughed. "As a matter of fact," he returned, "I am not a detective of any sort--at least not officially. I merely assume the part once in a while when there seems to be a demand. Officially," he added, "I am the representative of the New York Post-Dispatch, a paper which, you may know, has solved a good many mysteries before now. In this case, the Post-Dispatch will of course take the credit, but it wants a little more than that. It wants to be the only paper tomorrow morning to print the true details. We four are the only ones who know them. I should, perhaps, have been a little more circumspect, and kept the facts to myself, but I knew that I could trust you." His eye dwelt upon the sheriff a moment and then wandered to Pete Moser who had sat silently listening throughout the colloquy. "Would it be too much," Terry inquired, "to ask you to keep silent until tomorrow morning?" "You can trust me to keep quiet," said Mattison, holding out his hand. "Me too," said Moser. "I reckon I can make up something that'll satisfy the boys about as well as the real thing." "Thank you," Terry said. "I guess you can all right! There doesn't seem to be anything the matter with your imaginations down here." "And now," said Mattison, rising, "I suppose the first thing, is to see about Radnor's release, though I swear I don't know yet what was the matter with him on the day of the crime." "I believe you have the honor of Miss Polly Mathers's acquaintance? Perhaps she will enlighten you," suggested Terry. A look of illumination flashed over Mattison's face. Terry laughed and rose. "I have a reason for suspecting that Miss Mathers has changed her mind and, if it is not too irregular, I should like by way of payment to drive her to the Kennisburg jail myself and let her be the first to tell him--I want to give her a reason for remembering me." CHAPTER XXIV POLLY MAKES A PROPOSAL