"But they couldn’t work quick sawin’ them bars. That would take just so much time, however smart they was." "Well?" "Why," said Tobias, "I don’t see how they could have done it all in one night." Ezra Crouch laughed raucously. "O’ course they done it last night," he said. "If they’d cut the bars before, somebody would have seen it." "Not so sure," Tobias rejoined. "I give it as my opinion that they must have worked here before—mebbe on several nights. Almost sawed through the bars and smutched dirt over the cracks to hide ’em. About all they had to do last night was to force the bars apart after Bill was asleep. And then they got in and worked on the safe." "But why didn’t Bill Purvis see ’em the other nights?" Compton wanted to know. "Like enough because he was sleeping like he was last night," Tobias rejoined promptly. "Nobody had to drug his tea. You always see Bill Purvis wanderin’ around before folks go to bed. But who ever kept tabs on him after ’leven or twelve o’clock? I cal’late Bill rolled out of the hay this morning ’bout his usual time and found the bank robbed." "I swanny!" murmured Ezra. "It might be like you say, Tobias," agreed Mr. Compton. "Yes. It might. Huh! What’s this?" The lightkeeper stooped and picked something out of the sand just under the forced window. It was a small, flat, gold penknife. There were a few gold links attached to one end. It had been torn from a watch chain. "I give it as my opinion," murmured Tobias, "that it was scraped off as the feller worked his way in over that winder-sill. I reckon, Mr. Compton, here is a real clue." "Huh!" muttered the doubting Ezra. "I don’t believe Arad Thompson ever wore that dinky little thing." "Oh, sugar!" exclaimed the amused lightkeeper. "I don’t guess Arad was anywhere hereabout when the burglars crawled in at that window. And he never wore this here doo-dad on his watch chain, nohow." He shook his head, staring at the penknife reflectively. He had seen that knife—or one much like it—before. In whose possession? "Cal’late I better see Arad about this," he said finally. "When the perlice come to take holt on this case, Arad will want to give them all the help he can." "Then," said Compton, the storekeeper, with growing admiration, "you don’t believe this robbery was done by nary couple of burglars that come to town last night and got clean away before morning?" "I don’t know about their getting away," said Tobias. "Maybe it would be well to look about to see who’s missing. But these burglars must have been in town some time and knowed all about the bank and Bill Purvis. No doubt o’ that, Mr. Compton." "Wal," croaked Ezra Crouch, his eyes like big porcelain buttons, "who’s gone away since last night? _I_ dunno, ’less ’tis old Miz Janey Ring that’s gone down to Harbor Bar to visit with her darter-in-law." "Oh, sugar!" snorted Tobias.