“What time was it caught?” asked Teddy.
“Oh, along about midnight, I should say,” replied the candy-store lady. “I heard a noise in my garden then and I looked out. But I couldn’t see anything. I expect what I heard was the sliding door falling shut after the critter in the trap had pulled on the bait. I didn’t come down to look, but I expect that’s what it was.”
“That was it,” said the cobbler a bit proudly. “The deer nibbled the bait and the door fell, catching him.”
“As I said,” went on Mrs. Traddle who seemed to be hearing very well now, “as I said, I’m not sure it is a deer you’ve caught. I came out here as soon as it was daylight and peeked through the cracks as best I could.”
“What did you see?” asked Joe.
“I saw a critter with sort of brown and white fur and horns,” replied Mrs. Traddle. “Might be a cow for all I know.”
“A cow would be too big to get in my trap,” said the cobbler.
“Well, yes, maybe so,” admitted Mrs. Traddle. “Anyhow it’s a raging and plunging sort of a critter, whatever it is. Two or three times, when I came out to look before you arrived, I thought it would break out of the trap.”
“It can’t get out of the trap!” declared the cobbler. “I made it too strong.”
“Well, it’s cutting up something terrible,” went on the old lady. “I’m sure it will get free.”