farmer. Can't you understand? He had Sam, and he was
begging to be let go."

"Sam was?"

"Sure."

"Say, George," advised Tom. "Calm down and tell me the whole thing.
There may be something big in this. I guess I won't go out to-night
after all," and, grasping the human question box by the arm, Tom led
him back toward the room of the chums.

CHAPTER XIX

DISAPPOINTMENT

"Hello! What's up?"

"What's the excitement, Tom?"

Thus his two chums greeted our hero when he entered with the human
interrogation mark in tow.

"Something doing," responded Tom briefly.

"Did you trace the empty bottle so soon?" asked Jack.

"No, I didn't have time. But George here--out with it! Tell 'em what
you told me."

"I was coming along," began George, "when Tom ran into me and
knocked------"

"Never mind those horrible details," advised Tom, reflectively rubbing
that portion of his anatomy that had come in contact with George. "Cut
along faster."

"Well, I was coming to tell Tom that I saw Sam Heller being taken to
the doctor's office by old Appleby," went on George.

"Get out!" cried Bert, incredulously.

"Sam Heller!" gasped Jack. "I wonder if Appleby's found out that it
was Sam who poisoned his horses, and set the hay on fire?"

"That's it, I believe," said George. "That's why I came to tell Tom.
You're cleared all right now, old man."

His chums looked at him, but Tom only shook his head. "No such luck,"
he said in disappointed tones. "Sam may have been corralled by the old
farmer, but it's for something else besides the fire and poisoning."

"What makes you think so?" asked Jack. "Why won't you believe Sam
Heller guilty, Tom."

"Because I know he isn't."

"You do? Then you must know who is."

"No, that doesn't follow."

"Look here!" cried Jack, coming close to his chum, and placing his
hands on his shoulders, the while looking him squarely into the eyes.
"I can't understand you. Here you go and say Sam isn't guilty, and you
know it. And yet you say you don't know who did the business. You
didn't do it yourself, I'm sure, and yet------"

"Say Jack," spoke Tom gently. "Believe me, if I was _sure_ of what I
only _suspect_ now I couldn't really tell who poisoned those horses.
There's a mystery about it, and I'm trying to get to the bottom of it.
I want my name cleared more than anything else in the world, but I want
it done in the right way. I don't want to cast suspicion on the wrong