"I'd help," whispered Dalton, "if I only knew what you were doing."
"Suppose, George, that somebody wanted to see the Curtis house, and yet
not be seen, wanted to observe as well as he could, without detection,
what was going on there. He'd watch his chance, jump over the fence as
we have done and enter this group of pines. He could ask no finer point
of observation. We are perfectly hidden and yet we can see the whole
rear of the house and one side of it."
"So we can. I infer that you are looking for some one who you think has
been acting as a spy."
"Ah! here we are. The earth is a bit soft by this pine, and I see the
trace of a footstep! And here is another trace, close by it, undoubtedly
the imprint of the other foot. It's as plain as day."
Dalton knelt, looked at the traces, and shook his head. "I can't make
out any of them," he said. "I see nothing but a slight displacement of
the grass caused by the wind."
"That's because you haven't my keen eye, an inherited and natural ability
as a trailer, although you may beat me out of sight in other things.
The shape of these traces indicates that they were made by human feet,
and their closeness together shows that the man stood looking at the
house.
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