"Detectin' iz the art of figgerin' out what the other feller did from what he didn't do." This might have been the working motto of "Willie Walrus, Detective," but it is not. Willie figures what the fellow didn't do from what he did do. Willie is the town constable with an office full of special formulas, special traps and special weapons for special varieties of crimes and misdemeanors. Willie is called upon to find Dolly, the missing bovine of Mr. and Mrs. Farmer Hicks. With true Hawkshaw instincts, Willie carries along a magnifying glass, his ally in the search for evidence. The glass reveals several strands of red hair. Willie sets out to find those who have or have not red hair. Finally when the embryonic Sherlock purloins a young woman's "store curls" she gives chase. He is pursued into his own trap. At the critical juncture a neighboring farmer returns to Mr. and Mrs. Hicks their missing provider of lacteal fluid. Willie escapes with a little rough handling by his victims.