bonfire at night."

"But who did put the brushwood up against the garage?" demanded Senator
Morr.

"I'm sure I don't know," put in the chauffeur. "But what James says,
sir, is true--he put the heap out there--I was working around the garage
when he did it."

"Do you mean to insinuate that this fire was set by somebody?" cried the
senator, quickly.

"I don't know about that, sir," answered the chauffeur, while the
gardener merely shrugged his shoulders. He was an old man and one who
had been trusted by the Morrs for years.

"If what you say is true, I'll have to look into this matter," remarked
Senator Morr. "I don't propose to have my garage burnt down, with two
automobiles worth five thousand dollars,--not to say anything about the
danger to the rest of the place. If I find----"

Bang! It was an explosion like a cannon and made everybody jump. As Dave
looked, he saw a corner of a distant fence fly apart, and bits of fire
seemed to fill the midnight air. Then followed utter silence.

[Illustration: AS DAVE LOOKED, HE SAW A CORNER OF A DISTANT FENCE FLY
APART.]

"The cannon cracker!" gasped Phil.

"What could have made it go off?" asked Roger.

"Some sparks from this fire--or else it was lit when Phil took it out,"
answered Dave.

"What are you talking about?" asked Senator Morr, and when he had
been told he shook his head and smiled, grimly.

"Well, I'm glad it didn't go off in the garage," he said. "But after
this you must keep your explosives in a safer place. Jake, James, bring
some buckets of water and put out that fire from the explosion. It isn't
much, but we want no more sparks flying around here."

The water was brought, and soon every spark had been extinguished. Then
the crowd went back to the garage, to make sure that no more fire
lingered in that vicinity.

"It certainly looks as if somebody had set this fire," mused Senator
Morr. "Perhaps a tramp. Have you seen any such fellows around here?" he
asked, looking at the others.

The boys had seen no tramps at all, and James said he had seen none for
over a week.

"I saw one day before yesterday," said the chauffeur, "but I know he
left town that night--I saw him board a freight train."

"Well, it is strange. Keep your eyes open," said Senator Morr, and then
he returned to the house, to quiet his wife and retire once more.

"It's mighty queer about that fire," remarked Luke, when the boys were
undressing. "It certainly does look as if it