nzy of anxiety.
"We've nothing to go on!" he fumed. "The description's meaningless. It
could fit any one of a thousand men in this area. We don't even know
where to start to hunt."
"Excuse me, major--" gulped Henry.
The military man whirled on him.
"What is it? Have you thought of something else?"
"Why, about where to start to hunt--"
"Yes?"
"Why don't you try the nudist camp?"
"The nudist camp?" Professor Paulsen exploded. "Are you completely
crazy, Henry? Why would a spy be in a nudist camp?"
Henry glared back at him.
"No, I'm not completely crazy," he snapped peevishly. "And I don't know
what a spy is doing in a nudist camp, but that's where he was when I
sold him my glasses." He sniffed. "Really, Joseph, I get awfully tired
of your acting like you were the only one around here who was half
smart."
But Major Coggleston interrupted.
"Let's get this straight," he pleaded. "Where did you meet this
red-headed man? How'd you come to sell him the glasses?"
"Oh, that?" Henry sniffed so hard his glasses slid down his nose. "Why,
he was one of the men who was out peeking at the nudists." He turned to
Professor Paulsen. "You remember, Joseph. He's the one who said I was
telling the truth about my X-ray eyeglasses being able to look through
the fence."
"Yes, heaven preserve me, I remember!" groaned the professor. "But why
didn't I think--"
"So he asked me to sell him my glasses," Henry continued. "And when
Joseph told me to get rid of them, I took them over to the nudist camp
and sold them to him for fifty dollars."
"But how'd you know he was in the nudist camp?"
"How?" Henry's goatee jerked with contempt. "How would I know anyone was
there? I saw him. He was right behind the blonde with the cute--"
"Henry!"
"Oh, all right. Anyhow, he was right behind a blonde girl. I saw him
when I looked through my glasses while I was showing Joseph how to use
them."
* * * * *
Again Major Coggleston paced the floor. His face was lined with worry.
He bit nervously at his lip.
"I'll be damned if I know what to do!" he exploded. "I've got to find
that spy. But I can hardly seize a whole nudist camp just because a
red-headed man bought a pair of binoculars."
"Couldn't you ask that all red-headed men be brought to the gate?"
suggested Professor Paulsen.
"No." The officer shook his head. "If the man we want is there, that
would tip him off."
"Excuse me, sir,
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