have a look about,
if I may."

"Yes, sir." Painfully anxious to escape any suspicion of withholding
more information, Nelson hurriedly related the incident of the previous
afternoon when he and Simon Varr had examined the tracks left by the
incendiary. "There was some light rain last night, sir, but those I
put the box over will be plain enough."

"Good. Show us where they are at once."

The watchman obeyed with alacrity.

Together the three men stood by the edge of the sluggish little brook
and contemplated the tracks that Nelson indicated. The detective did
not even take his eyes from them as he accepted and mechanically
lighted one of the cigars that Krech offered his companions.

"Big feet!" said Krech presently.

"That's what Mr. Varr remarked yesterday, sir."

"Um." Creighton slowly came out of his trance. He pointed to a small
piece of wood that lay down by the water's edge. "Krech, will you step
down there and get that for me? I want to look at it."

"Sure." Astonished but amiable, the detective's willing assistant
strode to the object indicated and retrieved it handsomely. His
astonishment increased when Creighton, after turning it over two or
three times in his hands, suddenly pitched it into the water. "Don't
like it?"

"No. That's all I want here just now."

They returned to the office building, where Creighton patiently
questioned Nelson at some length about the various phases of the
strike. It was not until they had left the tannery and were walking
back up the hill that Krech was able to put an eager question.

"What was the racket with that piece of wood?"

"That was a stunt to cover my real interest from the watchman. No use
letting the whole world in on what I'm thinking about."

"You didn't fool him any more than you did me. Please explain why I'm
going home with over an inch of mud on my expensive shoes."

"I wanted you to make a set of tracks alongside those of the
incendiary. I didn't want to ask you right out loud to do it, so I
asked you to get me that bit of wood. When you did so, you left a very
nice set of footprints parallel with his. Thus I was enabled to
compare them, as were you, if you happened to think of doing so."

"Well, I didn't! Why should I?"

"Suppose you were a small man about to commit a crime and wished to
disguise yourself past recognition. What would you do?"

"Make myself look like a large man," said Krech slowly.

"Exactly. Suppos