Cyrus E. Toohey was sitting on the ve randa of his summer cottage looking dream ily over the water, when a handsome cabin cruiser, all white. blue, and varnish. drew abreast of him. And a middle-aged man. with a sunburned bald head. wearing a white appeared at the cruiser rail and sweatshirt. 2 dumped a large pail of garbage overside Now. Mr. Toohey is a just man. We love and respect him Mr. Toohey leapt to his feet. grabbed the binoculars that hung on the iron-wood behind him, and pecker door knocker trained them on the cruiser. He took its reg- istered number off the bow. and its name off the stern, And he wrote them down on the veranda railing. in pencil. grey-painted Hah!" said Mr. Toohey. hanging the binoculars and heading for his row boat. I saw him one hundred yards offshore apparently picking things out of the water Mackenzie neighbor, and Mrs. another Turnbull were down on the beach. watching So I joined them. Some goon," said Mackenzie in a cabin cruiser. chucked a pailful of garbage overboard. It's going to drift in on the beach In a few minutes Mr. To rowed ashore. In the boat he had some tin cans. half-orange skins. some soaked papers. a limp three pop bottles As near as I can figure said Mr Toohey, taking an old envelope from his pocket. he dumped the following, though some may have sunk: three bean cans tomato cans. two peach cans, three pop bot skins, six soiled pa tles. eight half-orange per napkins, one carton. one paper box that had contained potato chips. and a wad of coffee grounds. apple newspaper containing parings. grease, and the remains of severa scraped plates 10 ..So?'" said Mrs. Turnbull You are my witnesses. said Mr Toohey And I thought he had a very unfamiliar expression on his face He went up the beach to his cottage returned with a basket in which he put all his flotsam, and carried it back to the cottage Never saw him mad before said Mackenzie Monday noon. back in the city after the weekend. I was called on the phone by Mr Toohey Well I cried and what are you 16 doing back in town? Mr. Toohey spends the whole summer at 12 he beach Will you come to my office Wednes. day, around three thirty? asked Mr Toohey Certainly. I said 10 Mackenzie w already in Wednesday. 20 Mr. Toohey's office when I arrived From the registry. said Mr. Toohey I have obtained the name of the owner of he cabin cruiser whose number and name I took last weekend. Maisie. my secretary got me a picture of the gentleman from the newspaper files. He is the bald-headed, sun. burned gentleman who dumped the pail of garbage. without any doubt Harrrumph." said Mackenzie Ah said I Maisie has also obtained. through the department of the newspaper, the society news that the gentleman is entertaining with his wife, a small select party at tea and cocktails in his city residence. On the side awn. at five o'clock today. Wednesday Mr. Toohey touched a button. Maisie appeared Have you the basket? And the ton asked Mr. Toohey. gently. "Good and we Maisie returned with a basket full of tin cans, pop bottles limp mush that doubtless had been paper napkins. and paper boxes other debris was in a plastic shopping said Mr. Toohey Mr. Toohey drove to the rendezvous. neighborhood. The side was in a very choice drive was full of cars. so we had to park in front Come along said Mr. Toohey. the just man. You are my witnesses There were about thirty people on the side lawn around the bright metal tables and under the striped garden umbrellas. The bald-headed man. beaming. came to greet us Mr. Toohey, with a wide fling. flung the contents of the basket across the lawn bottles, cans. He took the shopping bag from Mackenzie, the dank carton from me and gave them a royal hoist through the The silence was paralyzing 'What in shouted the bald headed man, very sunburned If you examine that material closely said Mr. Toohey. you will discern tha exactly what you chucked overboard from your cabin cruiser last Saturday afternoon about four o'clock in front of our summer homes He turned We turned We walked out to the car Ha said Mr. Toohey with immense atis faction