Page:Castlemon--Joe Wayring at Home.djvu/195

 of us. Your lunch and your fine bait-rod have gone off to keep Joe's canoe company. He took all our rods and his pick of the fish, too, and it is a great wonder to me that he was good enough to leave us our paddles."

Tom was really surprised now, and he was deeply in earnest when he said:

"If I ever meet the man who did that I'll have him arrested if I can find any one to make out a warrant for him." Then suddenly recollecting that he was not supposed to know who the thief was, he added: "Do you suspect any body?"

"No, we don't suspect; we know," answered Joe. "Look at that!"

"Can you tell a man's name by looking at the print of his foot in the mud?" asked Tom.

"I can tell that man's name, for I know how he was shod the last time I saw him," replied Joe. "It was Matt Coyle. He made a good many threats before he left the village, and he has begun to carry them out already. He has put up his shanty somewhere in the vicinity of this pond, and will make it his business to