"But you want t' catch an' punish the thief, don't you?" urged Isa.
"I want to catch and punish the low-down skunk who murdered my deerhound," declared Kiddie, his eyes flashing in the vehemence of his anger.
"Kiddie," said Rube, now entering the room, "I'm some puzzled."
"What about, Rube?" asked Kiddie. "What's your problem?"
"It's this," answered Rube, scratching the back of his ear. "Allowin' that Nick Undrell entered by the broken winder an' carried off the valuables you've just bin figurin' up, why, when he went into th' other room, did he take the cigarettes an' leave the tobacco?"
"That's a very interestin' proposition which has already occurred to me," said Kiddie.
"You see," pursued Rube, "Nick ain't a cigarette smoker. He looks on a cigarette as a childish plaything. He smokes strong tobacco, the same as we found in his pipe. Then why did he take the cigarettes an' leave the tobacco?"
"Dunno," said Kiddie, "unless it was with the idea of leavin' a false clue--a blind. If he had taken the tobacco, I, who know his contempt for cigarettes, might the more readily have identified him."
"Thar's a lot in that notion," Rube acknowledged; "but it's just a bit too cute fer a man like Nick. The galoot that would scatter his footprints around an' leave his pipe in the canoe ain't clever enough ter lay a false trail. Seems to me it's more likely Nick didn't see the tobacco. He was hustlin' to get away with the loot."
"Yes," answered Rube. "I've got the whole thing straightened out."
"Good," nodded Kiddie; "then sit down an' give me your theory, from beginnin' to end."
Isa Blagg appeared to consider it preposterous to appeal for an explanation to a mere boy. Nevertheless, when Rube stated his case the sheriff was constrained to agree with it in every particular.
"To begin with, then," said Rube, "Nick Undrell knew about your valuables--knew that you kept 'em here in your cabin; and he coveted them. He'd made up his mind weeks ago to get hold of 'em. He admitted as much to you yourself, an' he put you off suspectin' him by makin' out that he'd started on a new trail by givin' up drink an' gamblin' and thievin'. That's where he was artful. Then he knew that you'd gone away on a campin'-out trip. We've bin told as he's bin spyin' around here an' tryin' to make friends with the dog.