"Oh, no use asking _him_!" declared Steve. "As soon as he tries to
tell he gets to tumbling all over himself. He saw a pair of staring eyes,
and imagined the rest. For my part, I've made up my mind 'twas only a
little old owl."

Bandy-legs laughed, while Toby grunted his disgust.

"Huh! think so, d-d-do you, Mister Know-it-all? J-j-just you wait and
s-s-see," he remarked.

"Wait for what?" demanded the scoffing Steve.

"Why, Max is g-g-going to find out," asserted Toby. "G-g-guess owls don't
leave tracks, d-d-do they? Well, Max c-c-can soon tell us. Huh! an owl!"

"Oh, I reckon we'll soon be able to settle that part of it, all right,"
said Max, soothingly, for he saw that his two friends were growing a little
too earnest in their dispute.

"T-t-told you s-s-so," chuckled Toby.

"Now, first of all, Toby, answer me a few questions, please," began Max,
steadily.

"S-s-sure I will; just c-c-crack away," the other piped up, cheerfully
enough.

"Sit down again in exactly the same place where you were at the time you
saw these yellow eyes staring at you--they were yellow, all right, I
suppose?" Max continued.