neasily.

Of course, that proved the driver had gotten out of the wagon and left
the horse alone. Doubtless there was but one thief--for it was
positive that the turkeys had been removed by a two-footed--not a
four-footed--marauder.

"And who would be mean enough to steal Sister's turkeys? Almost
everybody in the neighborhood has a few to fatten for Thanksgiving and
Christmas. Who--did--this?"

He followed the wheel marks of the wagon to the road. He saw the track
where it turned into the field, and where it turned out again. And
it showed plainly that the thief came from town, and returned in that
direction.

Of course, in the roadway it was impossible to trace the particular
tracks made by the thief's horse and wagon. Too many other vehicles had
been over the road within the past hour.

The thief must have driven into the field just after night-fall, plucked
the ten young turkeys, one by one, out of the coop, tying their feet
and flinging them into the bottom of his wagon. Covered with a bag, the
frightened turkeys would never utter a peep while it remained dark.

"I hate to tell Sister--I can't tell her," Hiram said, as he went slowly
back to the house. For Sister had been "counting chickens" again, and
she had figured that, at eighteen cents per pound, live weight, the ten
turkeys would pay for all the clothes she would need that winter, and
give her "Christmas money", too.

The young farmer shrank from meeting the girl again that night, and he
delayed going into the house as long as possible. Then he found they had
all retired, leaving him a cold supper at the end of the kitchen table.

The disappearance of the turkeys kept Hiram tossing, wakeful, upon his
bed for some hours. He could not fail to connect this robbery with the
other things that had been done, during the past weeks, to injure those
living at the Atterson farm.

Was the secret enemy really Peter Dickerson? And had Pete committed this
crime now?

Yet the horse and wagon had come from the direction opposite the
Dickerson farm, and had returned as it came.

"I don't know whether I am accusing that fellow wrongfully, or not,"
muttered Hiram, at last. "But I am going to find out. Sister isn't going
to lose her turkeys without my doing everything in my power to get them
back and punish the thief."

He usually arose in the morning before anybody else was astir, so it
was easy for Hiram to slip out of the house and down to the field to the
emp