The Camp Fire Girls Solve a Mystery; Or, The Christmas Adventure at Carver House

ver plans they had formed were driven entirely out of their minds by the appearance of the footprints on the stairs. Nyo

d a runner to cover the front stairs to keep them from being scratched. The stretch from the upstairs to the landing she had covered with a strip of rag carpet, a

ith startling distinctness. They began on the third step from the top and appeared on every other step from then on to the bottom. All three were the prints of a right foot. No heel

er search revealed him down in the basement, coaxing up the furnace, and there was nothing the matter with his feet. The Captain was with him and he likewise disclaimed a cu

ey both called out

ou has the cut

Not I," s

im. "Did somebod

pointing to the mark

nd, or the Captain," said Jus

yoda. "I asked them. They're down in

with a shoe on," said Ju

last night!" exclaimed Nyoda in a startled

tone, and the Captain came hard on his heels. The girls came running down from above to see what the commot

ed Hinpoha with

nothing was amiss. Every piece was still in its place. Neither had the sterling silver candlesticks on top of the sideboard been disturbed. A thorough search through the house revealed

he thing had resolved itself into a mystery, and everyone looked at

point, the man was going downstairs, but they begin in the middle of the stairway. Cle

anding closely, but soon looked around

in this way." He examined all the rest of the windows on the first floor, and found them all latched and their latches undisturbed. The doors, too, were locked from th

Nyoda. "There were about a dozen open in the various bedrooms. The window

at the thought of the mysterious intruder comi

me down from upstairs; he must have come in through this window on the landing," she said decidedly, going up to the window and looking it over sharply for a

ore no marks of an instrument. The mystery grew deeper. How could those footprints have

brain had been working hard on the puzzle, "but his foot didn't begin

his toe off, probably," suggested Just

cts in the case. A man goes down a stairway. The first half of his descent is shrouded in oblivion; half way down he begins to leave bloody footprints. There is only one answer, gentlemen; the one which occurred to me immediately. It is this: Upon reaching the landing the mysterious descender suddenly remembe

d Katherine, and then she laughed with the r

argument that disproves my

your theory was correct we'd have

ears with their hands. The Captain

hwah. "Your man went barefoot after he cut

stice. "Now you've 'done

leed through his shoe?" a

ed shoe, like a sneaker, and stepped on some broken glass that went right through t

d Nyoda, puzzled. "There isn't

him supply missing details. "The man undoubtedly got in through the upstairs window and out the same way. H

ing plane coming after him," said Justice, and then dodged

e called it a day when that happened and went off withou

ht, "do you think it could have been Hercules? H

ts like Robinson Crusoe looking at Friday's, and talking about burglars, and wracking our brains wondering where he came in, and it must have been Hercules all the while. He cut his foot and came in to get som

there was a stamping of feet on the back doorstep, a tapping on the do

thless smile at the sight of her. "Mighty nippy dis mawnin'." He shi

lapping felt slippers which Hercules invariably wore, bursting out on all sides, would have left a mark twice the size of the myst

ifteen could hurt

t there was no possibility of Her

use, looked around for the breakfast which should be set

" he inquired good-

le excitement this morning and forgot all about b

cules anxiously. "Did

thought at first it might have been you, coming to get something for your cold, but I see now that it is imp

hot drink you-all gave me to take, an' never woke up till de sun starts shinin' dis mawnin'. Feelin'

truth. When Hercules was trying to conceal somethi

kindly. Then, as Hercules hobbled toward the stove sh

old jints is gittin' plumb rusted." He launched into a detailed description of the various pains caused by hi

ed in and took a look at t

e said, scratching his

h the window on the stair landing, but that hadn't been touched, so we decided he must have come in through one of th

lling wildly in his head and his legs threatened to collapse under him. He sat heavily down on a chair and began to r

after old Herc'les for takin' dat shutter down. Debbil

fright. Nyoda and Sherry looke

th him?" asked Nyoda,

fence. You remember Uncle Jasper mentioned in his diary that he told Jasper if he ever took that shutter down the devil would come in through the

e table, but he ate scarcely anything, and still tremb

ull of superstition. If he throws many more such fits, I suppose I'll

ore holes in that casement. Hercules will be all right ag

akfast, and forget all abo