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diff --git a/44059-8.txt b/44059-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3be0b84..0000000 --- a/44059-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5791 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Secret of Casa Grande, by -Helen Randolph and Virginia Fairfax and Helen A. Ripley - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Secret of Casa Grande - Mexican Mystery Stories #1 - -Author: Helen Randolph - Virginia Fairfax - Helen A. Ripley - -Release Date: October 31, 2013 [EBook #44059] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SECRET OF CASA GRANDE *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - -[Frontispiece: _Four strong arms caught her before her feet touched -the floor of the balcony._] - - - - - THE SECRET OF - CASA GRANDE - - - HELEN RANDOLPH - - - THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY - Akron, Ohio New York - - _Mexican Mystery Series_ - by Helen Randolph - - The Secret of Casa Grande - The Mystery of Carlitos - Crossed Trails in Mexico - - - Copyright, MCMXXXVI - The Saalfield Publishing Company - _Printed in the United States of America_ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I The Mysterious Window 7 - II The Search Begins 22 - III A New Discovery 36 - IV Jo Ann's Secret Quest 50 - V The Siesta Hour 66 - VI Jo Ann's Predicament 82 - VII The Promenade 99 - VIII The Señor's Library 116 - IX The Sealed Door 134 - X Through the Mysterious Window 148 - XI The Hastily Planned Merienda 162 - XII Florence's Surprise 173 - XIII Into the Unknown 185 - XIV Ghostly Figures 200 - XV The Black Box 220 - XVI More Precious Than Jewels 229 - XVII The Señor's Story 240 - - - - - CHAPTER I - THE MYSTERIOUS WINDOW - - -Aroused by a slight noise in the room, Jo Ann sleepily tossed back the -turbulent black curls from her forehead and slowly opened first one eye, -then the other. She lay staring half dazedly as the solid doorlike -shutters swung back, letting the rays of the morning sun filter into the -room through the iron bars of the window. Where was she? Why the iron -bars? - -Slowly her gaze traveled over the room, taking in the high, heavily -beamed ceiling, the bare plastered walls, and finally resting on Peggy -sleeping peacefully beside her. Everything floated again before her -mind's eye: their long trip to Mexico, their midnight arrival at this -great old stone house, and their warm welcome by Peggy's friend, Florence -Blackwell, whom she had never seen before. - -The next moment the Indian woman, who had wakened her by opening the -heavy shutters, noiselessly crossed the room and began arranging dishes -on a small table beside the bed. - -"_Buenos dias, señorita_ [Good morning, miss]," she said softly in -Spanish as she noticed that one of the girls was awake. - -"Ah--_buenos dias_," stammered Jo Ann. - -Again the woman spoke to her, but Jo Ann shook her head. After the woman -had repeated her words very slowly, she was able to understand a few -phrases. - -Disturbed by their voices, Peggy suddenly sat up in bed, opening wide her -dark-fringed hazel eyes. She, too, was startled for a moment by the -unfamiliar surroundings; then, noticing the servant and the expression on -Jo Ann's face, she burst out laughing. "What's the matter, Jo?" she asked -teasingly a moment later. "Can't you understand what she's saying?" - -"I think she's trying to tell me something about Florence, but I'm not -sure. I wonder where she is." - -Almost simultaneously there burst into the room a small trim girl with -smooth fair hair and gentian-blue eyes. "Good morning, sleepy-heads," she -laughed, dropping down on the foot of the bed and fanning herself with a -large sun hat. "Girls, this is Juana. Did she deliver my message?" - -"She tried to," Jo Ann replied, "but I'm afraid she wasn't very -successful." - -Turning to the servant, Florence spoke rapidly in Spanish. - -Juana grinned broadly, bowed to the girls, and jabbered something they -could not understand. - -"She's trying to tell you how happy she is that you have come to stay -with her Florencita," explained Florence. - -"Tell her that we're delighted to be here," put in Peggy promptly. - -"How I envy you--being able to speak Spanish that way, Florence," Jo Ann -sighed. "I'd give anything to do half as well." - -Florence smiled. "Oh, you'll get on to it in no time." As she had lived -more than half of her sixteen years in Mexico, Spanish was perfectly -natural to her. It seemed so simple that sometimes she found it easier to -express herself in Spanish than in English. - -"Though I've studied it two years, I have my doubts about ever being able -to speak it fluently," said Jo Ann slowly. Noticing Florence's flushed -face she added, "Where've you been? What time is it?" - -"Almost ten o'clock. I've just been to market." - -"To market? Why didn't you call us?" - -"Well, I knew you girls would be tired and sleepy after your trip, so I -didn't disturb you. I go to market early every morning. I like to do the -buying myself." - -"Promise you'll call me next time. I didn't come down here to lie in bed -and sleep all the time. There's too much to do and see." - -"All right, then; I'll call you tomorrow. But come on, let's have -breakfast. I'm ravenous after my walk, and I know you two must be -starving." - -"If having breakfast served in bed is your idea of our helping you to -keep house, then I'm all for it," declared Peggy gaily as she flopped her -pink-pajamed legs over the side of the bed. "It suits my taste exactly." - -Florence nodded smilingly toward Juana. "It wasn't my idea. It was hers. -She'd be terribly hurt if we didn't let her wait on us. After you two get -rested from your trip, though, I'll set you to work planning meals and -cooking--and everything." - -"Well, I'm going to enjoy being waited on as long as I can," laughed -Peggy. - -Sitting on the side of the bed, clad in their gay pajamas and eating -their breakfast from an exquisitely inlaid tea table, Peggy and Jo Ann -felt very sophisticated indeed. - -"This is the most delicious orange juice and the best toast I've ever -tasted," declared Jo Ann, a moment later. - -"It's the best breakfast I've ever eaten in my whole life," added Peggy -with her usual exaggeration. - -Florence turned to the servant, who had just returned with a plate of hot -toast, and repeated their remarks in Spanish. - -From that moment Juana was their devoted slave, anticipating their every -wish. - -As soon as they had finished breakfast, Jo Ann and Peggy dressed for the -street, Florence insisting, much to their disapproval, that they wear -hats. "The sun is too hot here in the middle of the day to go out without -something on your head," she explained. - -While Peggy was arranging her hair in neat auburn waves, Jo Ann, who had -finished her hasty toilet, stepped to the door leading into the hall and -stood taking in every visible detail of the strangely constructed -building. The immense rooms, each opening onto the long central hall, -seemed dark and gloomy, owing to the thick walls, the concrete floor, the -heavy doors, and the iron-barred windows. Though the bright-colored rugs, -the gay-flowered chintz, and a few well-chosen pictures added a cheerful -homelike note, the general effect was one of austere simplicity. - -Having noticed Jo Ann's interest, Florence came up beside her and, -slipping her arm around her waist, asked, "How do you like our house? -It's very old, you know." - -"I love old houses," Jo Ann replied quickly. "This one is extremely -interesting--so different from anything I've ever seen." She hesitated, -then added, "I've been thinking of studying architecture when I go to -college." - -"Would you care to see the rest of the house? There are some rather -unusual features about it." - -Jo Ann's dark brown eyes sparkled. "I'd adore it!" - -"I, too," put in Peggy, who had come out in time to hear Florence's -words. - -Florence pointed to the open door on the right. "This is the sitting -room, but Mother and I stay in the office with Dad more than in here. -Come on and I'll show you the office." She led the two girls across the -hall, but stopped a moment later, saying, "The office door's closed--Dad -probably has a patient--but I can show you the other rooms. The kitchen -is the most interesting room in the house, I think." - -She took them into the dining room and on to the end of the long hall, -then turned into an immense room having three large windows all heavily -barred. - -"My goodness, you could 'most put our whole house into this one room!" -exclaimed Peggy. "I've never seen such a huge kitchen before in a private -residence. Why do you suppose they built it so large?" - -"I don't know, I'm sure. It's the strangest house I've ever seen. Just -look at that fireplace, for instance." Florence motioned toward one side -of the room, which was entirely taken up by a huge fireplace set back in -a broad arched recess. "It's large enough to belong to some big -hotel--and yet we've only two bedrooms in the house." - -"But why did they build the fireplace in three sections? All the -fireplaces I've ever seen were built on a level with the floor. This one -reminds me of the 'Three Bears.' This section belongs to the great big -bear; and this one----" - -Florence broke into a peal of laughter at Peggy's whimsical idea. "No one -but you would have thought of that," she said. - -Juana glanced up from her preparations for lunch, smiling to herself. She -had not seen her Florencita happy for months--not since her mother had -been taken ill and had been sent to a sanitarium for a several weeks' -stay. - -As their laughter died away, Florence went on to explain, "You see, the -lowest section--in the middle--was where they built their fire to cook -the food; this section here, of medium height, was where they made their -_tortillas_. It's just the right height for the _metate_, the stone on -which corn is rubbed or ground into a paste. There's room here for -several women to work at the same time." - -"But what was the great big bear's section used for?" interrupted Peggy. - -"The highest one was used for draining the dishes and earthen cooking -utensils. Each section is covered with smooth hard stones, and here in -the corner is a small hole left to let the water drain off. It was a very -well-equipped kitchen in its day." - -Florence was delighted to find that her guests were so interested in the -old house which had been her home for many years. She went on to explain -that although modern equipment had been installed wherever possible, they -had tried to leave the quaint old atmosphere undisturbed. - -While she was answering Peggy's questions about the new equipment, Jo Ann -was busily taking in the details of the architecture, especially noting -the absence of woodwork in the queer windows that had iron bars and no -glass. - -As her gaze wandered to the window at the end of the room, she caught a -glimpse of something which sent a little thrill of excitement over her. -She crossed the room quickly and stared through the iron bars at what -seemed to be the ruins of an ancient building. Could this be the ruins of -one of those old cathedrals which she had read about and had wanted to -see for so long? - -"What's this old building back of your house, Florence?" she asked -eagerly. - -Peggy rushed over to the window to see the building that had caused the -note of excitement in Jo Ann's voice, while Florence merely smiled and -replied, "That's a part of a very old church, now used only by the -poorest peons." - -Jo Ann's eyes opened in surprise. "I don't see how they can use it--it -looks as if it were falling down." - -"The main part of the church is all right, but they never use the other -part. I don't know whether it was partially destroyed in a war or whether -it just caved in from old age." - -"How old do you think this church is?" - -"I don't know exactly, but it's several hundred years old. I've heard -that it's one of the oldest buildings in this part of Mexico. All the -better classes of people attend the large modern cathedral across the -Plaza." - -"May we go over to the old church? I'd love to see it." - -"Why, yes, we'll have time to go over there before lunch. There isn't -much to see, so it won't take us long." - -Florence turned and said something in Spanish to Juana; then the three -girls started out of the kitchen door. "Before we go," Florence added, -"I'll show you this other room just across the hall--there's nothing -interesting or unusual about it, though. It has only one window looking -out on the back street. There's nothing but the back of that old church -to be seen from it." - -After glancing about this room they hurried on down to the street, Jo Ann -in the lead. She could scarcely wait to visit the old church. - -As they started across the street, Peggy looked longingly toward the -Plaza and the crowded streets of the business section of the city. She -much preferred sightseeing in that direction, but she knew Jo Ann had set -her heart on seeing the old church and that there was no changing her. - -A few minutes later the girls passed under the old stone arch and into -the vestibule with its font of holy water, then walked softly on into the -church. - -Having come in from the bright sunlight, they were unable at first to -distinguish anything except the candles burning on the altar. A reverent -silence lay over the entire building. With her finger to her lips -Florence motioned Jo Ann and Peggy to a bench. They sat down quietly, -careful lest they disturb the peacefulness of the place. - -As their eyes became accustomed to the dim interior, they noticed several -figures with black shawls about their heads and shoulders, kneeling at -the altar. A woman with a baby in her arms and a tiny, half-naked tot -beside her was kneeling before the statue of Mary, Mother of Jesus, her -lips moving in silent prayer. Direst poverty was evident among all the -worshipers. - -Many minor details that had escaped Peggy's eyes caught and held Jo Ann's -attention. The benches, altar rail, and pedestals, she noticed, were hand -hewn and decorated with exquisite carving; the statues were different -from any that she had ever seen; and even the candles were -unusual--probably, hand dipped, she decided. - -For almost an hour they sat there silent, Jo Ann intent in absorbing the -atmosphere of this ancient building. - -"I feel as if I'd actually stepped back through the centuries into the -Mexico of ages past," she thought dreamily. - -By this time Peggy had begun to get restless. To her the place seemed -close and stuffy, the odor and fumes of the candles suffocating. Without -saying a word she rose and went outside. Leaning against the wall in the -shadow of the stone arch, she waited for the girls and amused herself by -gazing idly at the rear of Florence's home across the street. - -"Florence, I don't like to make remarks about your house," she said, half -smiling as Florence and Jo Ann drew near, "but from the rear it looks -more like a fort or a prison than a home." - -"It reminds me of an old castle with its high stone walls and heavy iron -bars at the windows," added Jo Ann, gazing over at the house. - -Florence smiled good-naturedly. "It doesn't look very homelike, I'll -admit. I don't believe I've ever noticed it before from this viewpoint. I -never come to this old church--at least, I haven't been here for several -years. As I said before, only people of the lowest classes attend this -church." - -"I didn't see a window in your hall," Jo Ann suddenly remarked to -Florence. "I thought I noticed a shaded light burning on that little -table at the end of the hall." - -"There isn't a window in the hall--it's dark as pitch there, and we have -to keep a light burning day and night." - -"Then how do you account for that little narrow, crosswise opening up -there in the wall? There it is on a level with the top of the kitchen and -back bedroom windows." - -"I don't know." Florence gazed puzzledly at the small opening. "I've -never seen a window like that on the inside of the house, and I know I've -seen every inch of the walls inside." - -"Well, there it is--a tiny window, just as plain as the nose on your -face." - -In silent amazement Florence stared at this narrow opening high up in the -bleak stone wall. - -"That certainly is strange!" she said finally, her brows drawn together -in a thoughtful frown. - -"It certainly is," agreed Jo Ann and Peggy, equally mystified. - -Everything was forgotten now except this queer window. Why was it there? -Into what did it open? - - - - - CHAPTER II - THE SEARCH BEGINS - - -"This is the strangest thing I've ever heard of," declared Florence as -they hurried back to the house, eager to examine the rear wall from the -inside. - -"How long have you lived here, Florence?" asked Jo Ann. "I'm sure I'd -have seen that window long before this if I'd been in your place." - -"We've lived here about eight years, but, as I told you, I've only been -in that church a few times, and I've never walked down that back street." - -"Lived here eight years and never walked back of your own house!" -exclaimed Jo Ann in surprise. "Who ever heard of such a thing?" - -"But you don't understand," Florence replied. "It isn't exactly proper -for me to wander down that back street." - -Both girls opened their eyes wide in astonishment. - -"Not proper to go back of your own house!" ejaculated Peggy. "The very -idea!" - -"Yes, you see it's only a narrow street leading to one of the poorest -sections of the city. Only the very lowest class of people live on it. -Mother and I drive down on the next street sometimes, accompanied by -Felipe, to carry food and clothes to the destitute families, but I've -never been down that narrow street." - -"It must be something like it is on the street cars at home," Jo Ann said -thoughtfully, coming to Florence's assistance. "You know how they are, -Peggy--one section marked 'Colored,' and you never sit there." - -Up the long flight of stairs they ran to the Blackwells' apartment, each -girl eager to be the first to solve the mystery. Jo Ann's long legs -carried her ahead of Florence and Peggy, who arrived a moment later out -of breath. - -There stood Jo Ann staring blankly at the solid plastered wall at the end -of the hall. - -"I'm sure this is where that window ought to be," she said finally in a -perplexed tone. - -"There certainly isn't any sign of one that I can see," added Peggy, -while Florence gazed silently at the spot where she thought the opening -should be. - -Just then Juana ran in from the kitchen to see what had caused so much -commotion in the silent old house. "Florencita! _Que es_ [What is it?]?" -she asked in alarm. - -"It's nothing," replied Florence in Spanish. Understanding the -superstitious nature of the Indians, she thought it wiser not to tell -Juana about this mysterious window for the present. - -Juana stared in shocked surprise. Something was wrong, she was sure. -Young ladies of the best families did not deport themselves in such a -manner. Her Florencita had never acted this way before--racing into the -house like mad. Finally, shaking her head and mumbling to herself, she -returned to the kitchen to finish her preparations for lunch. - -The moment she disappeared through the kitchen door, Jo Ann hastened -through the one opposite and called to Florence and Peggy, "Come on, -maybe we can see something from the window in this back room." - -Much to their disappointment, the iron bars, set in the deep recess of -the thick walls, prevented them from seeing anything except a part of the -ruins of the old church directly across the narrow street. - -"And so the mystery deepens," laughed Jo Ann. "I've heard of bumping your -head against a stone wall, but I've never understood what it meant till -now." - -"Do you know what I think it is?" remarked Florence as they wandered back -to the hall. "At one time there probably was an opening here"--she -motioned toward the solid wall at the end of the hall--"then, sometime -when they were fixing the house over, they closed it up. This house is -very, very old, you know." - -"But why would they leave a hole on the outside?" Peggy asked. - -"Oh, they probably didn't think it mattered on that back street, and -maybe the stones didn't fit or something. These walls are so thick, you -know, it wouldn't make any difference. It's too small to be a window, -anyway." - -"Maybe so," commented Peggy, "but it sounds funny to me." - -Jo Ann was silent. She was thinking--thinking hard. She thoroughly agreed -with Florence that the house was old, but she was sure that the opening -had not been left by a careless mistake. - -"There's a reason for it," she told herself, "and I'm going to find out -what it is." - -Just then Florence's father, Dr. Blackwell, a tall, -distinguished-looking, gray-haired man, came up the stairs. "Good -morning, young ladies," he greeted them pleasantly. "You look quite fresh -and rested after keeping such late hours." - -"We're feeling the best ever," Jo Ann answered. - -"Well, you certainly look it," he declared, glancing from one to the -other. "Florence, you have more color in your cheeks than I've seen for a -long time. Miss Jo and Miss Peggy are having a good effect on you -already." - -"Oh, Daddy, we're having a wonderful time! But did you know there's a -mystery about our house? We've just made the queerest discovery!" - -Dr. Blackwell laughed. "What is it, may I ask--some mysterious writing on -the wall, or a pot of gold?" - -"Neither. We've found a window that isn't a window. It opens on the -outside of the house but not on the inside." - -"Well, now, that's strange, isn't it?" he replied smilingly, as though -humoring a small child. - -"Really, Dr. Blackwell, there's a mysterious window that should open at -the end of this hall!" exclaimed Jo Ann, "but we can find no trace of an -opening ever having been there." - -At that moment Felipe, combination chauffeur and house boy, announced -lunch, and the subject was dropped as they all hastened into the dining -room. - -Peggy and Jo Ann were surprised to find, after their late breakfast, that -they were quite hungry. As Felipe and Juana passed back and forth waiting -on the table, Jo Ann thought how convenient it was to have servants who -could not understand what you said. You didn't have to be nearly as -careful as you did at home with the Negro servants. - -"I thought you girls might like to see something of our city," Dr. -Blackwell remarked as they were eating their dessert. "I've arranged for -Felipe to take you for a drive this afternoon. I'd thought I'd be able to -accompany you, but a doctor's time's never his own, so I'll have to -depend on Florence and Felipe to show you the city." - -"That'll be fine!" exclaimed Peggy. "But we're sorry you can't go with -us. Aren't we, Jo?" - -Jo Ann nodded an emphatic assent and then went on to remark to Dr. -Blackwell, "We saw something very interesting this morning--the old -church back of your house. I've been reading early American history a -good deal lately, and this church seems very much the same type as the -old missions in California." - -"Well, well!" smiled Dr. Blackwell in surprise. "I thought the modern -young girl used her pretty head solely for thinking of frocks and -furbelows." - -Peggy laughed. "Jo Ann hates dress-up clothes. She'd live in jodhpurs or -knickers and shirts, if her mother didn't make her get out of them -occasionally. Jo's enthusiastic over horses and dogs and swimming, but -her chief hobby is nosing around old buildings." - -"There's so much mystery and romance connected with historic buildings," -Jo Ann put in, shining-eyed. - -"If you're looking for mystery and romance," Dr. Blackwell remarked, -"there's plenty of it to be found in this part of the country--that is, -if you can only find the key to unlock it. I've been so busy studying the -ancient system of sanitation--or lack of it--that I've had no time for -anything of that sort." - -"If you get Jo started along that line she'll never stop," put in Peggy -with a teasing glance at Jo Ann. - -Dr. Blackwell smiled. "Then I'll turn her over to a friend of mine--a -prominent lawyer, who'll be delighted to discuss the early history of -this country with her. You know whom I mean, Florence--Señor Rodriguez." - -Florence nodded. - -"He has the best equipped library in the city," continued the doctor, -"and you can dig into the past to your heart's content, Miss Jo." - -"That'll be wonderful!" cried Jo Ann excitedly. "I know I'll enjoy -meeting him and seeing his library. I adore books--especially about old -historic buildings." - -As they rose from the table Peggy remarked, "Jo and I want to run across -the Plaza to buy some postcards to send home. Do you want to go with us, -Florence?" - -Florence and her father exchanged smiling glances as she replied, "You -can't buy postcards now--the stores close for an hour or two in the -middle of the day." - -"Oh, I forgot I'm in Mexico," laughed Peggy. - -"In tropical countries it's the custom to take a siesta after lunch," Dr. -Blackwell explained. "People sleep in the hottest part of the day and do -their work in the cool of the evening. It's a very good custom, too, -since the sun has a tendency to cause fever if one is in it too much." - -On hearing this the girls meekly followed Florence to their room, and -when she removed her dress and shoes and dropped down on the bed, they -followed her example. - -"How still it is!" thought Jo Ann. Not a sound floated up from the street -below; not a leaf stirred on the trees in the park across the way. Even -nature seemed to be sleeping, so deep, so intense was the stillness. - -Florence, from habit, was soon sound asleep. The other two girls -whispered quietly for a while; then Peggy's eyelids drooped, and she, -too, succumbed to the restful quiet. - -But Jo Ann could not sleep. There were too many things to think about. A -visit to the Señor's library--she'd love that. And that old church across -the street--there must be some very interesting facts connected with it. -She'd find out more about that later from the Señor's books. But that -window! It still puzzled her. There was something curious about it. What -was that Dr. Blackwell had said about finding the key to unlock the -mystery? - -"That's what I'll do--find the key and unlock the mystery of this strange -window," she told herself. "Won't Dr. Blackwell be surprised when I tell -him I've solved it?" - -Acting on a sudden impulse she slipped out of bed quietly so as not to -disturb Peggy and Florence. What she was going to do, she wanted to do -alone. She put on her dress and some rubber-soled shoes, then, picking up -a large sun hat from a chair, softly opened the door. - -There at the head of the stairs sat Felipe, sound asleep. She hesitated -only a moment, then crept softly past him and on down the stairs. - -"One good thing about these houses is there's no danger of a loose board -or a creaky step giving you away," she thought. - -Not a soul was in sight outside--not even a dog. Quickly she ran down the -street and around the corner, but drew back as the terrific heat struck -her face. Heat waves radiated from the cobblestones, and the white stone -walls, acting as double reflectors, turned the narrow street into a -veritable furnace. - -But nothing could stop her now. There was something she wanted to find -out about the rear wall of the house. Pulling her hat down farther over -her face, she squinted her eyes and gazed up at the glaring white walls -above her. Quickly she scratched three marks on the wall, one directly -below the kitchen window, one beneath the back room window, and the third -beneath the mysterious opening; then she paced off the distance between -the marks. She was positive now that she could mark the exact spot on the -inner side of the wall where the opening should be. - -Eager to escape from the intense heat, she hastened back to the house. - -"Whew, it's hot!" she exclaimed to herself. "These Mexicans show good -judgment in sleeping at this time of the day. I don't blame them in the -least." - -Fanning herself with her hat, she dropped down on the lower step to cool -off a moment. How refreshing was the coolness of the great hall! She -wondered how it was possible to be so cool here and so hot outside. - -She listened intently for a moment, but not a sound came from above. -Apparently everyone was still asleep. - -Softly she slipped up the stairs, step by step, till she caught a glimpse -of the sleeping Felipe just as she had left him, his chair tipped back -against the wall and his head dropped forward. - -There was only one more step now. Holding her breath, she lifted her -foot; then suddenly there was a loud bumping noise. She was so startled -she almost lost her balance. Clutching at the wall, she stared before -her. Felipe, roused by some strange instinct, had let his chair down with -a bang. - -"No--no--no! _Muy mal_ [Very bad]!" he exclaimed, pointing to her face. -He patted himself on the head and talked rapidly in Spanish in an effort -to make her understand that the sun was "bad for the head," as he -expressed it. - -Much disgusted with herself for getting caught, and eager to escape, she -called back "_Sí, sí_ [Yes, yes]," and hastened on to her room. Now that -her plan to measure the hall had been interrupted, she would have to wait -till a more opportune time for that. Searching for paper and pencil, she -decided to do the next best thing--put the outside measurements down so -there'd be no danger of forgetting them. - -She was sitting by the window busily drawing a plan of the house when -Florence called in a surprised voice, "Why, Jo Ann! Where have you been? -Your face is as red as a beet." - -"It's nothing," she replied. "I just went down and measured the position -of those windows on the back wall. And was it hot!" - -"You mean you've been down there in the sun!" Florence could hardly -believe her ears. "Jo, you shouldn't have done that." - -At the sound of voices Peggy opened her eyes, then sat up in bed to stare -at Jo Ann. "For goodness' sake, Jo, what've you been up to now?" she -asked. - -"Oh, nothing," Jo Ann answered crisply. Why couldn't they leave her -alone? She hadn't committed a crime. - -"But, Jo, your face! You're so hot." - -"Well, if you must know, I've been searching for the key with which to -unlock the mystery--as Dr. Blackwell suggested." - - - - - CHAPTER III - A NEW DISCOVERY - - -Looking cool and dainty in their fluffy summer dresses, the girls came -lightly down the stairs, ready for their drive around the city. - -Florence smiled as she noticed the car waiting at the curb. It had been -rubbed and polished till it shone, and Felipe, beaming like a child with -a favorite toy, was leaning over, brushing a speck of dust off the hood. - -Snatching off his hat on seeing the girls and grinning widely, he -hastened to open the door of the car; then, standing very straight, he -waited for them to be seated. His effort to uphold the dignity of his -position as chauffeur was amusing. After tilting his hat--an old one of -Dr. Blackwell's--at a rakish angle, he proudly took his place at the -wheel. Although the car was not as new and expensive as some they passed, -he was sure none carried more beautiful passengers. - -To the girls' delight it was much cooler now; soft breezes were stirring, -and the heat was vanishing with the sun, which was sinking behind the -high range of mountains to the west of the city. - -Slowly Felipe passed the cathedral and circled the attractive little -plaza, while the girls gazed admiringly at the formal beds of brilliant -blooming flowers and drank in the perfumed air, heavy with the fragrance -of wild orange and oleander. Now and then through the foliage of the -trees they could catch a glimpse of the bandstand in the center of the -trees. - -"They have band concerts two nights a week here," Florence explained. -"We'll promenade awhile tomorrow night. I know you'll enjoy it." - -"Promenade? What do you mean?" asked Peggy. - -"Why, walk around the Plaza. On the nights when the band plays, the -people of the better classes gather here and either promenade around the -broad walk outside the square or sit on the benches to talk and listen to -the music." - -"That sounds as if it'd be lots of fun," approved Peggy. - -At this moment the car came to a sudden stop. In attempting to turn off -the broad drive around the Plaza into one of the old narrow streets of -the business section, they were held up by the congested traffic. The -enforced rest did not bother Felipe in the least. Calmly resting his -elbows on the steering wheel, he waited for the way to become cleared. - -"Why doesn't he blow his horn?" asked Jo Ann. "Maybe that'd make them -move." She noticed, however, that of all the persons in the near-by cars -held up in the traffic jam, not one seemed the least bit impatient. - -"These people must have the patience of Job," said Peggy. "If this were -at home, you'd hear the horns blowing all down the line." - -"It takes more than a little thing like this to ruffle the slow, -easy-going Mexican," explained Florence. "He's never in a hurry." - -In a short time they were on their way again, moving slowly through the -narrow, busy streets. All classes of people and many nationalities were -here, their different modes of dress interesting Peggy and Jo Ann, as did -the stores with their queer signs and window displays. Although this was -the busiest time of the day, they noticed that there was none of the -bustling rush characteristic of American cities. - -On through the less crowded streets Felipe steered the car into the -residential section, passing several beautiful cathedrals and small -parks, artistically laid out around the statue of some noted general or -other war hero. - -Near the outskirts of the city Jo Ann noticed with the keenest interest -that there were all types of architecture, from plain stone structures -built centuries ago and looking dull and drab, on to modern bungalows, -gay with bright-tinted stucco and tiled roofs. Now and then she could -catch glimpses of richly furnished rooms behind the iron bars of a -window, and a flower-adorned courtyard or patio through an open door. - -"I love the courtyards," she remarked. "The great arches, the fountain in -the center, and the tropical plants make them beautiful and -restful-looking." - -"Yes, they are delightful," agreed Florence. "Señor Rodriguez, the lawyer -Daddy told you about, has one of the most beautiful patios in his house -that I've ever seen. You'll enjoy seeing it when we go over to see his -library. I've wished many times that our house had a patio." - -"I've been wondering why it doesn't, since all the other old houses have -them. There's something strange about the way your house is built. I -believe when we solve the mystery of that queer little window, we'll find -out some interesting things about the rest of the house." - -"Is that the cathedral and the Plaza already?" asked Peggy in surprise -just then. "How did we get here so soon? I've had such a wonderful time -that it seems that we've only started." - -"May I ask a favor, Florence?" asked Jo Ann as they drove up before the -house. "Let's drive down that street back of your house before we go in." - -"Why--I--I don't think----" began Florence stammeringly, then stopped, -hardly knowing what to say. - -"You said we couldn't walk down there, didn't you?--and I do so want to -see it," Jo Ann urged. - -After talking to Felipe a few moments Florence answered with a -half-apologetic smile, "Felipe says _mañana_ he'll take us." - -"_Mañana?_" repeated Jo Ann. "Oh, you mean tomorrow?" - -"Yes, it's too late now." - -Jo Ann turned to Felipe, who was opening the door for them. "_Por favor_, -Felipe," she begged. - -"Please, Felipe," added Peggy quickly. She was not particularly -interested in going down that back street, but it was so pleasant to be -out at this time of the evening that she disliked the idea of going back -into the gloomy house. - -"He says he'll take us if we insist," translated Florence a moment later, -after talking to Felipe again. "But really, girls, I feel that we -shouldn't go now. It'll be better to go some morning." - -"I can't see what difference it'd make when we go. Come on." Jo Ann could -not understand the Mexican's way of putting off till tomorrow anything he -did not care about doing. When she made up her mind to do a thing, she -wanted to do it _right now_. "It's silly to make so much fuss about such -a simple thing," she thought. "Why can't you drive down a street when you -want to?" - -"Well--all right," Florence reluctantly agreed at last. - -Dusk was falling as they turned into the cobblestoned street back of the -house. Slowly they made their way over the stones--century-old stones, -worn smooth by the tread of many feet. - -The farther they drove the more thickly populated the street became. Jo -Ann and Peggy were shocked by the utter wretchedness and abject poverty -which they saw on all sides. Dirty, half-clad peons with their empty -baskets or trays were shuffling homeward after their day's labor in the -city; old crippled men and women, who had begged all day on the streets, -were wearily dragging themselves to a place of shelter for the night. The -small windowless adobe huts which lined each side of the street seemed -overflowing with people. Women with babies in their arms squatted in the -narrow doorways, while dogs, pigs, and goats wandered in and out of the -houses at will, as much at home as the children. As for children, they -were everywhere--dirty, naked, half-starved looking. - -"I never imagined anything could be so terrible," shuddered Peggy. "Did -you, Jo?" - -Jo Ann shook her head soberly. "I didn't realize there was such poverty -anywhere." - -A shout rose down the street: "_Americanas! Americanas!_" - -Children appeared from every direction. They crowded around the car. Some -of the larger ones climbed up on the running board and the fenders. - -"_Centavo, mees! Centavo, mees_ [A penny, miss! A penny, miss]!" they -cried, holding up dirty, scrawny little hands to them. - -"Oh, Florence!" begged Jo Ann. "Let's stop and give them something." - -"If we stopped now, we'd never be able to start again." Florence -explained quickly. "They'd climb all over us. Let's throw some pennies -out the windows." - -Hurriedly they emptied their purses of all the pennies they could find -and threw them far into the street. - -Such shouting and scrambling as followed! The children fought and knocked -each other down in their effort to find the pennies, the tiniest ones -crying because they could get nothing. - -"It's pitiful--heartrending--these children fighting over pennies as -starved little animals over a bone," thought Jo Ann. How was it possible -for such things to exist, almost at your very door, and yet to be -absolutely unseen and unknown? Was this really a part of the beautiful -city they had enjoyed seeing such a short time ago? - -Felipe could scarcely drive without hitting some of the children, yet he -dared not stop. He had not wanted to bring the girls down here, as he -felt sure Dr. Blackwell would object, but since they were here he must -take care of them. While the children were busily searching for the -scattered pennies, Felipe managed to escape the crowd. Quickly he drove -to the end of the street and turned down an old, dry, rocky river bed, -the car bumping and swaying as it sped along over the rough cobblestones. - -"Florence!" shouted Jo Ann above the noise as she clung to the side of -the car to keep from falling over on Florence. "I take back everything--I -said--about you coming down--here alone. I understand--a lot that I -thought foolish--before I saw this with my very own eyes." - -"We won't have to go far--on this rough river bed," Florence called back -a moment later. "We'll turn--at the next corner." - -"This is the--widest river bed I ever saw--to have so little water in -it," put in Peggy above the noise. - -As the car turned into the next street Florence replied, "Sometimes when -it rains hard in the mountains this river's full of water." She paused -and added, "This is the street Mother and I've come down frequently to -bring clothing for the poor families." - -Just then some ragged little children near by began to wave their hands -and call out, "_La Señorita! La Señorita!_" - -Florence smiled and waved back. "Those are some of the children we've -given clothes. They look as if they need some more." - -"I wish we had some pennies to give to these children, too," said Jo Ann. -"Let's come back here sometime and bring them something." - -In a few more minutes the adobe huts were left behind, and they began -passing the plain stone houses of the middle class. With long-drawn sighs -the girls settled back against the cushions, each thinking of the -distressing poverty she had seen. - -Suddenly down the street directly in front of them Jo Ann spied a tall, -ungainly object against the high stone wall. - -"What's that, Florence?" she asked. - -"That? Oh, that's a scaffold the workmen are using in doing some repair -work on a house." - -"But why don't they use ladders?" - -"They'd have a time to get a ladder long enough to reach the top of these -houses. When they build them, they use big derricks to lift the heavy -stones." - -"Then why do they build their houses so high?" asked Peggy. - -"It makes them cool," Florence answered as the car turned off the narrow -street onto the pavement around the Plaza. - -"Why, we're almost home!" exclaimed Jo Ann in surprise. "Is it possible -that this is part of your house?" - -"Not exactly, but it's all connected into one long building," she -replied, wondering at Jo Ann's interest. - -"Oh, then that's the very thing!" Jo Ann cried, beaming. - -"Whatever are you talking about, Jo?" asked Peggy. - -"Why, how to get up on top of the house, of course! Don't you see--I can -climb up that scaffold to the top of the house; then it'll be easy to let -a rope down to the mysterious window. I've been wondering how I'd ever -get on top of the house--it's so high." - -"But, Jo, you can't do that!" gasped Florence in alarm. "It's too high, -and anyway----" - -"You're not going to do it," declared Peggy emphatically. "You might get -hurt." - -"Don't be silly," scoffed Jo Ann. "I haven't broken my neck yet." - -"No, but it isn't your fault," Peggy retorted. - -"But, Jo, suppose someone should see you!" exclaimed Florence. "You must -give up this foolish idea." - -"Would it be a disgrace if someone did see me?" - -"Well, it isn't considered proper here for a young lady to do anything on -the street which would attract attention. You'd be a regular circus, -climbing that scaffold. The street'd be jammed with people before you'd -get halfway to the top." - -"I'll promise not to give a free performance for the natives," laughed Jo -Ann. "But what's to keep me from climbing up there when I wouldn't have -an audience? There are times, you know, when people sleep." - -"You couldn't go out in the street at night--alone!" The very idea of -such a thing was shocking to Florence. "That scaffold's nothing but some -rough poles fastened to the wall, and it's so high it'd be dangerous--not -at all like climbing a ladder." - -The car drew up before the house, and Florence and Peggy jumped out and -hurried up the stairs without waiting for Felipe to open the door for -them, but Jo Ann lingered a moment to thank him for granting her request. -She knew he couldn't understand a word she said, but from the broad grin -which spread over his face she felt she had made her meaning clear to -him. - -The ride had meant much more to her than she had expected, since she had -discovered a way of getting up on the roof. All she needed now was a -length of rope so she could lower herself from the roof. - -"It isn't going to be hard to do," she told herself as she went up the -stairs. Of course, she would not do anything to disgrace Florence or Dr. -Blackwell--they had been so kind to her--but give it up now? Never! Not -with her goal almost in sight. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - JO ANN'S SECRET QUEST - - -According to her promise to take the girls to the market with her, -Florence called Peggy and Jo Ann the next morning as soon as she awoke. -It was only half-past six, but the sun was already making a geometric -pattern across the floor where it shone through the iron bars of the -window. - -Jo Ann was impatient to start the minute she had finished dressing. -Yesterday she had looked forward to the trip only because it would be -interesting, but now she was eager to find a store where she could buy -the rope she needed for exploring the mysterious window. She knew that it -would be difficult to make this purchase without Florence's finding out -about it, but if she could only find where to get the rope she could -return later, alone, and buy it. - -"Oh, hurry up, Peg," scolded Jo Ann as she stood in the doorway, waiting. -"You've primped long enough. We're just going to market--no one'll see -you." - -"But what's the hurry?" calmly inquired Peggy as she patted the waves of -her auburn hair into place. "It wouldn't hurt your appearance any if you -spent a little more time primping, as you call it." - -"Well, if I were as fussy as you are----" Jo Ann began; then, leaving the -sentence unfinished, she disappeared into the hall. There was no use -arguing with Peggy. She just wouldn't hurry--every hair must be in place. - -A few minutes later, when Peggy and Florence joined her in the hall, Jo -Ann asked with a meaning glance toward Felipe, who was waiting with a -split-cane basket on his arm, "Do we have to take him along?" - -"Why, yes; he always goes with me to carry the basket," explained -Florence in surprise. - -"I'll carry the basket for you, and we won't need him," Jo Ann -volunteered quickly. - -Florence shook her head vigorously. "You're not a servant, Jo. I wouldn't -think of letting you carry the basket. That would never do." - -"Oh, well--all right, then. Just as you say." - -Although she had smilingly agreed with Florence, she realized that it -would be more difficult to carry out her plan with Felipe along. His keen -eyes saw everything. - -"Felipe reminds me of a faithful watchdog," she remarked as they started -down the stairs. "I'm glad he can't understand English--there's some -consolation in that." - -This would complicate matters considerably, having Felipe along; still, -she could not say more about leaving him at home. - -"He's just eager to be of service, that's all," explained Florence. - -"You should've seen him yesterday when he caught me slipping up the -stairs. You'd have thought he was a contortionist or something, from all -the motions he went through in trying to tell me the sun was bad for my -head." - -"I can easily imagine how he looked," smiled Florence. "He is comical -when he gets excited. I hope you girls don't mind walking," she added as -they reached the street. - -"No, we don't mind, only I won't be responsible for my appetite when we -get back," replied Peggy lightly. - -"I think it'll be wonderful to walk this morning," put in Jo Ann. "It's -so cool and pleasant, and we can see more when we walk--not that I don't -like to ride, of course." - -Although the sun was painting the tops of the buildings with gold, the -narrow tunnel of a street still held the cool freshness of the night. As -Jo Ann drew in deep breaths of the invigorating morning air, she wondered -what Florence would say if she knew her real reason for wanting to walk. - -Chatting gaily, they strolled arm in arm, while Felipe followed a short -distance behind. - -All along the way there were many curious, interesting things that caught -both Peggy's and Jo Ann's attention--peons with trays or baskets either -balanced on their heads or set on little portable stands; women squatting -on the sidewalks selling flowers and fruits, _tortillas_, _tamales_, and -other foods; beggars waiting on every corner trying to rouse the sympathy -of the shoppers. - -While the lively, talkative Peggy plied Florence with question after -question about the people and their strange customs, Jo Ann had an -opportunity to peer into each of the queer little shops they passed. She -even stared at all the little stands in the street, almost expecting to -see a rope dangling from one of them, so intent was she upon her search. -Even though everything imaginable seemed offered for sale, she found -nothing that in any way resembled a rope. - -"Where do they sell rope in this curious place?" she wondered. If she -could persuade Florence to return home along another street, perhaps -she'd find a store there where she could get it. - -Her perplexing problems were forgotten a moment later as the market -loomed before them. It was a huge old building occupying an entire block. -The immense roof was supported by heavy stone columns and broad arches -which showed signs of having been, at one time, tinted in bright colors -but now looked dull and faded. The plaster was cracked and soiled, and in -places great slabs had fallen off, leaving the bare stones exposed. - -"Oh, I love this!" exclaimed Jo Ann. "It's one of the most interesting -places I've ever seen. The people--their dress--their customs--the very -atmosphere is different. It's hard to realize this is the twentieth -century when you look around here." - -"Yes, it is very old and much the same as it was centuries ago," replied -Florence. - -Stalls had been set up in every inch of available space inside the -building. Some were piled high with golden tropical fruits--oranges, -mangoes, guavas, bananas, pineapples; others were festooned with strings -of onions, garlic, and red chili peppers--all very necessary to add a -piquant flavor to the limited fare of the Mexican. - -Slowly they made their way along the narrow, crowded passageways between -the stalls, Peggy and Jo Ann stopping every few minutes to question -Florence about the different things they saw. - -Finally, after glancing at her watch, Florence stopped abruptly and -exclaimed, "Gracious! It's after nine o'clock--I'll never get through at -this rate--not if I stop to answer all of Peggy's numerous questions." -She laughed and gave Peggy's arm an affectionate pat. "Would you girls -like to wander around and take in the sights while I finish my -marketing?" - -"Yes, we'd love to," promptly answered Jo Ann. "Wouldn't we, Peg?" - -"Yes, indeed!" - -"If you're sure you don't mind being left alone, I'll hurry on. Stay in -this section of the building so I can find you." In a moment Florence and -the faithful Felipe disappeared in the crowd. - -Jo Ann was delighted to be free to carry on her search for a rope without -fear of being questioned. Although she felt sure that Peggy would enter -into her plans, she decided not to tell her about them just yet. - -Grabbing her by the arm, Jo Ann jostled and pushed their way through the -crowd, up one aisle and down another. - -Suddenly the breathless Peggy halted. "Say--where's the fire?" she -scolded. "I can't see a thing, trying to keep up with you. Why the rush?" - -"I'm sorry--I didn't mean to hurry so fast," Jo Ann replied; then, -realizing she dared not waste time arguing if she was to accomplish what -she had started out to do, she added, "Can you keep a secret, Peg?" - -"A secret!" repeated Peggy staring at her in surprise. "Of course I -can--why?" - -"Well, I'm trying to find a shop or a store--or whatever it is--where you -buy rope in this place. You see, all I need is a rope--then I can explore -the mysteries on the other side of that curious window." - -"But why so secretive about----" Peggy stopped abruptly, it having dawned -on her why Jo Ann had acted so strangely all the morning. "So that's why -you didn't want Felipe along, is it?" - -"Yes, he gets on my nerves. All the way here I could feel his eyes boring -into my back every time I craned my neck to see something." - -"You're imagining things, Jo. It's just your guilty conscience. He's -really the perfect servant--very quiet and accommodating, but not -inquisitive." - -"Maybe you're right--but still I'm glad he's out of the way. Come on, -we'll have to hurry, or they'll be back." She caught hold of Peggy's arm -to keep from getting separated in the crowd, then continued, "You -remember how horrified Florence was yesterday when I mentioned my plan to -climb that scaffold--well, I don't want her to find out what I'm doing. -It'd only worry her, and I have no intention of giving it up." - -A dubious expression crept into Peggy's hazel eyes. "I still think you're -foolish to risk breaking your neck for something no more important than a -hole in a wall." - -"You never can tell, though, what might be behind the hole," said Jo Ann -with an air of mystery. - -"But, Jo, how're you going to get a rope without Florence's seeing it? -It'll make a bulky-looking package, won't it?" - -"If it does, I won't get it now. If we can only find where to buy it, we -can slip back later. You've got to help me get it without Florence's and -Felipe's seeing it." - -"Well, all right, I suppose I'll have to do it if you're determined to go -on with your plans--but really I feel terrible about doing anything -Florence doesn't approve of. She and her father've been so lovely to us." - -"But I'm not going to do anything to disgrace them. I wouldn't do that -for anything. I really feel that they won't object at all after I've -solved the mystery. Florence is just afraid I might get hurt climbing up -on that roof. You know well enough I've done lots more dangerous things -many a time." - -Suddenly spying an Indian woman with a basket of exquisite roses, Peggy -stopped, saying, "Forget about your old rope for a minute, Jo, and help -me buy some of these beautiful roses. Aren't they the most gorgeous -things you've ever seen? Ask her how much they are." - -Jo Ann quickly raked her memory for the proper Spanish words to use in -buying the flowers. "_Cuanto rosas?_" she asked finally. - -While talking rapidly in Spanish, the woman picked up a long-stemmed, -beautifully shaped bud of shell-pink color edged with silver, and then -held up three fingers of her left hand. - -"She says they're three _centavos_ each," explained Jo Ann. - -"Tell her I'll take a dozen." - -"_Un dosena_," she repeated in Spanish. - -"Is that all you do--just add an a to the English words--rose-a, dozen-a? -I could do that," laughed Peggy. - -"Don't ever think it's that simple, but there are several Spanish words -which are much like the same words in English," Jo Ann explained, feeling -quite proud of her superior knowledge. - -As the woman had seldom sold more than three or four flowers at a time, -she had great difficulty now in figuring the cost of a dozen. Finally Jo -Ann offered her assistance, and after arguing for some little time, Peggy -received her change and the roses, and they started on their way again. - -"Gracious! I feel like a bride with all these flowers," laughed Peggy. -"Suppose you take half of them." - -"All right--that's the very thing." Jo Ann's eyes sparkled. "If I can -only find the rope now, I can carry the bundle under these flowers, and -it won't be noticed." - -A moment later Peggy called to Jo Ann to stop again. "Just look at these -beautiful blankets! Feel how soft they are and see how beautifully the -colors are blended." - -"Yes, they are lovely. I've heard that they're all hand made by the -natives--that the designs are handed down in the families for -generations. But, Peg, we haven't time to stop here now." - -"Just look at that blanket hanging over there! It looks like the rainbow, -the way the colors are shaded into each other. Don't you love it?" - -On receiving no answer from Jo Ann, Peggy turned around just in time to -see her disappear in the crowd. Quickly she began pushing her way to the -spot where she had last seen her. - -"I don't relish the idea of getting lost in this crowd of people who -can't understand a single word I say," she told herself, as she darted in -and out among the slow, deliberate Mexicans. - -After looking about in all directions, to her great relief she spied Jo -Ann standing before an enclosed booth, piled high with baskets, -_sombreros_, hand-made chairs, and various other articles. Coming nearer -she saw what had attracted Jo Ann's attention--several long coils of rope -hanging near the back of the booth. - -"Jo Ann Cutrer, what do you mean by running off like that!" she scolded. - -With only a nod at Peggy, Jo Ann stood gazing at the rope, her forehead -wrinkled in deep thought. - -"Oh dear!" she murmured. "I can't think of the Spanish word for rope. -What can it be?" - -"Why don't you add an a to rope as you did before," suggested Peggy, -smiling. - -"Rope-a, rope-a," repeated Jo Ann several times; then her face -brightened. "I believe that is the word. I'm sure I've heard that word -before." - -Turning to the man in charge of the booth, she repeated in Spanish, -"_Cuanto la ropa?_" - -The man looked amazed at first, then stared blankly at her. - -"I want _la ropa_," she repeated impatiently. - -With a shrug of his shoulders, the man shook his head and pointed to -another booth farther down the aisle. The next moment his face -brightened, and, reaching over, he handed her a basket. - -"No--no!" exclaimed Jo Ann, frowning more deeply than ever. - -"Maybe he doesn't understand what you're saying, Jo," Peggy suggested, -smiling. "Maybe that's not the right word for rope." - -"Something's wrong, that's certain," Jo Ann replied. - -Turning to the man again, she pointed to the back of the booth behind a -stack of _sombreros_. "See, I want that rope back there." A broad smile -spread over his bronze face as he picked up several of the hats and -handed them to her. - -Jo Ann shook her head vehemently. "No--no." - -Since the only thing left near the hats was the coil of rope hanging on a -peg behind them, he handed her the rope. - -"_Sí, sí_," she replied, and reached over to take the rope from him. "How -much is it?" she asked in Spanish. - -As soon as he replied she answered promptly, "_Bien_--I'll take it," and -handed it back to him to be wrapped. - -To her amazement he unfastened the coil and spread the rope out before -her to show her how long it was, then jerked on it to show its strength. - -"_Sí, sí_--that's all right, but wrap it up--and hurry, please." - -"He's the slowest person I ever saw," she murmured to Peggy. "I'm afraid -Florence'll find us before I get it wrapped. I hardly think she'll notice -it under these roses, do you?" - -Once more the Mexican handed her the rope without any sign of wrapping -and with one long end dangling from the loose coil. - -"Jo, look!" Peggy put in quickly, pointing to the next booth. "They don't -wrap their packages here. That's why he didn't understand you." - -"Horrors! I can't carry it this way--what'll I do? I'd like to----" She -stopped suddenly as a familiar voice behind her exclaimed, "Oh, here you -are! I've been searching everywhere for you." - -Jo Ann dropped the rope as if it were a hot coal. - -"I was beginning to think you girls were lost," Florence went on. - -"Not lost, just misplaced," put in Peggy quickly to cover Jo Ann's -confusion. - -"Come on, we'll have to hurry now," Florence urged. "I know Juana's had -breakfast waiting for us for a long time." She turned and led the way out -of the market. - -When they had gone only a few steps, Jo Ann suddenly gave a little gasp -and catching Peggy by the arm exclaimed in a low voice, "Gee! I made a -ridiculous mistake. I've just remembered what the word _ropa_ means--it's -clothes. I was asking the man for clothes! No wonder he couldn't -understand what I meant!" - - - - - CHAPTER V - THE SIESTA HOUR - - -All the way home from the market Jo Ann kept wondering what excuse she -would make to Florence so that she might go back after the rope. - -To her delight the opportunity came sooner than she expected. While the -three girls were at the table lingering over their late breakfast, Felipe -entered with a message for Florence from her father. - -"Daddy needs my help for about half an hour in the office," she -explained. "I often assist him in the simple cases. You girls amuse -yourselves any way you wish while I'm busy." - -"All right," Peggy answered promptly. "I believe I'll run across the -Plaza to that curio store we saw yesterday and buy some postcards. I'd -like to look at the curios, too." - -"The sun's getting so hot now that you'd better carry my parasol, if -you're going out," Florence suggested over her shoulder as she left the -room. - -Although Jo Ann had not said a word, she immediately decided that here -was her chance to go back to the market after the rope. - -Jo Ann got the parasol and then hastened out the door, Peggy at her -heels. - -"Let's go back to the market for the rope first before we go to the curio -store," Jo Ann suggested as soon as they reached the street. - -"All right, but let's hurry so I'll be sure to have time to stop and get -the cards," replied Peggy. - -When they reached the market the crowd had thinned considerably, and -without much difficulty they found the booth and bought the rope. - -Peggy smiled widely as they left the booth and remarked teasingly, "I -notice you didn't ask for _ropa_ this time." - -Jo Ann grinned good-naturedly. "No, I looked it up in my dictionary and -found the right word for rope." - -As it had taken longer to make the trip than they had anticipated, Jo Ann -hurried Peggy along. - -"I've got to get this rope inside the house and hidden before Florence -finishes helping her father." - -Just as they turned the corner by the Plaza, Jo Ann halted abruptly. -"Peg, look, standing there in the doorway--Felipe! I can't go past him, -carrying the rope loose like this." - -"Well--I'll tell you, Jo. We've forgotten the postcards. Let's go to the -store and get them, and maybe by the time we get back he'll be gone." - -To their vexation, when they returned to the same corner fifteen minutes -later, they found that Felipe was still standing in the doorway. - -"Look, Peg! The watchdog is still there. I'm not going to throw this rope -away now that I've got this near home with it. What shall I----" She -stopped abruptly. "I've got it! I'll slip it inside the parasol." - -Putting her words into action, she closed the parasol and slipped the -coil of rope inside. - -Peggy laughed, "That's a funny-looking parasol, I must say." - -"I don't care if it is funny. You walk close to me, and I'll carry the -parasol between us. Now, how's that?" - -"All right, I suppose--only I'm sure Felipe is wondering why we're not -carrying it over our heads as we're supposed to do." - -With an effort to conceal their amusement, they hurried on past Felipe -and up to their room. - -Quickly snatching the rope from its hiding place, Jo Ann threw it into -her trunk and slammed the lid down with a bang. - -"There now--I'm glad that much is done," she remarked with a sigh of -satisfaction. "I hope I don't have as much trouble using this rope as -I've had getting it." - -Even as she spoke these words she began thinking of the many problems she -still had to solve before she could reach the mysterious window. Would -she be able to climb the crude scaffold? How would she be able to fasten -the rope after she got to the roof? And how could she manage to do all -this without being seen? - -All through lunch and later that afternoon during the siesta hour these -questions kept racing through her mind. - -Just as they had done the day before, Florence and Peggy quickly -succumbed to the heavy, drowsy stillness. But not Jo Ann. The harder she -tried to sleep, the more wide awake she became. - -Finally in desperation she got up and sat gazing out of the window. How -could she stand this quiet and inaction so long? Glancing down at her -watch, she realized it would be at least an hour before Florence and -Peggy were awake. - -"Even being outdoors in the hot sun's better than sitting here doing -nothing," she told herself. - -No sooner had this thought entered her mind than she decided to go -outside and examine the scaffold on the building at the end of the block. - -"It'll take only a few minutes, and I'll be back before the girls are -awake," she thought. - -Quickly she rose and slipped noiselessly out of the room and past the -sleeping Felipe at the head of the stairs. Once outside she hastened on -around the corner and looked anxiously down the street to the farther end -of the block to see if the scaffold were still there. - -"Good! It's there!" she exclaimed to herself the next moment. - -Without a thought about the extreme heat she ran down the street to the -corner. As she gazed up at the high, crude scaffold made of peeled poles -fastened together, a slight tinge of fear passed over her. How high it -looked! And what a blank wall it was fastened on! There wasn't a sign of -a window or opening--not even a ledge--to break the smooth, regular -surface of the wall. - -"That's the crudest scaffold I've ever laid eyes on," she thought, as she -examined the hardwood poles which were fastened to the wall in several -places by wooden pegs. - -Near the top of the poles she noticed that there was a rough platform -from which dangled a long rope with a bucket attached to the end. - -"I wonder how the workmen get up to that platform," she thought. - -Going over to the other side of the scaffold she discovered that deep -notches had been cut at regular intervals in one of the poles, for -footholds. "So this is the way they get up! These notches look awfully -far apart, though. I wonder if I could reach them." - -Carefully she pulled herself up to the first notch, and then on to the -second and third. - -"Sure, I can climb this!" she exulted. "This is more fun than I've had in -a long time." - -Up she climbed to the platform and then scrambled over onto it. - -While she was sitting there resting a moment, she was busily examining -the rest of the scaffold to see if she could reach the top of the -building. She noticed that, although there were no more notches cut in -the pole, there was a crosspiece near the top to hold the scaffold in -position against the building. - -"If I can only reach that crosspiece, I know I can climb up on the roof," -she told herself. - -Cautiously she rose and, wrapping her legs and arms around the pole, -slowly pulled herself up to the crosspiece; then balancing herself on it -she climbed over the edge of the roof. - -However, hot as she was, she knew that she had no time to cool off, since -the siesta hour was almost over, and the girls would soon be awake. - -"I must not get caught again," she told herself. - -She looked hastily around the curious roof, noting with surprise that it -resembled a flat cement floor with a low, thick stone wall around it. - -"How on earth can I fasten a rope to a roof like this?" she asked herself -in dismay. "While I'm up here I've just got to see the roof over that -mysterious window. If it's like this, what will I do?" - -Hurrying to the division wall, she scrambled over it, only to be -confronted by another wall. Undaunted, she climbed over it, and then over -still another, till she came in sight of a chimney. - -"This must be the chimney of the big fireplace in the kitchen," she told -herself. - -Climbing up on the broad outer wall of the roof she peered over, trying -to find the position of the mysterious window. - -"Why don't they have window casings or something to show where their -windows are?" she thought in disgust. - -She lay flat on her stomach and leaned farther out over the edge of the -building. Although the hot stones burned her, she kept on persistently -examining the surface of the wall below till she made out the outlines of -the mysterious opening. - -"Whew!" she exclaimed aloud. "I know I'm scorched." - -She sprang down quickly, took a pin out of her hair, and tried to scratch -a mark with it on the wall directly in line with the window. To her -disgust the hairpin proved to be too frail a tool to have any effect upon -the old plaster of the wall. Tossing the pin away, she looked about for -some other object with which to mark the spot, but on finding nothing she -hurried off toward the scaffold. - -"I've got to rush, or the girls'll be awake and miss me," she told -herself as she vaulted the first division wall. - -In a surprisingly short time she reached the end of the building. Leaning -over the wall, she looked about for the crosspiece on which she must get -a foothold before sliding down to the platform below. - -The next instant she gasped and drew back. Surely her eyes were deceiving -her. - -Cautiously she peeped over the wall again. Yes, there on the platform -only a few feet beneath her sat a Mexican with a bucket of paint beside -him. Just then loud, coarse laughter sounded from the street, and peering -down she saw several workmen applauding one of their number who, poised -at the bottom of the scaffold, was dramatizing a love scene. Pulling out -a piece of white material from his girdle, he pressed it first to his -lips, then to his heart, talking rapidly all the time. - -Only two words floated up to her--_señorita_ and _amor_. As the actor -waved the white material in response to the applause, an expression of -consternation came into Jo Ann's eyes. That was her handkerchief! She -must have dropped it when she was climbing. The señorita of this silly -farce was no other than herself. - -Horrified, she drew back out of sight. What must she do now? She dared -not climb down with those awful men there. If her handkerchief had caused -such guffawing, what would happen when they saw her? - -Alarmed by these thoughts, she fled back toward the chimney. It would -offer a little shelter, at least. - -"What a mess I've made of things!" she thought as she ran. "Peggy's right -about my curiosity getting me in trouble. I'm in it now." - -Huddling behind the chimney in an effort to hide from the workmen should -they come up on the roof, and to escape the direct rays of the sun, she -racked her brain for a way to get out of this predicament without -disgracing herself. - -"I must not do anything that will hurt Florence or her father," she told -herself. "Florence said it would never do for a girl to do anything -that'd attract attention in any way. If I were back home and these were -American workmen, I wouldn't have a bit of trouble getting out of this -predicament. But down here--! I'd have a time trying to make them -understand me. They might think I was crazy or something, but I wouldn't -care if it weren't for the Blackwells. There must be some way out of this -embarrassing situation." - -At the same time that Jo Ann was puzzling over her problem Peggy was -arousing from her siesta. With half-opened eyes, she stretched lazily and -looked about the room. Florence was beginning to stir, but where was Jo -Ann? - -"These lazy, quiet hours are hard on a girl of Jo's temperament," Peggy -mused. "I wonder where she is and what she's doing?" - -The next moment Florence sat up, yawned two or three times, then asked -drowsily, "Where's Jo?" - -"That's what I'd like to know. I just woke up and discovered the bird had -flown." - -"Maybe she got tired waiting for us to wake up and went down to the -drugstore for a drink. She ought to be back in a few minutes." - -As Florence slipped out of bed she remarked tentatively, "I've planned a -shopping tour for this afternoon. I thought you'd be interested in seeing -some of the souvenirs and drawnwork in the stores." - -"We'd love it," replied Peggy promptly, rising at once. "I'll hurry and -get ready so we'll have a long time to shop. I want to get some of those -dainty little handkerchiefs like you sent me for my birthday." - -"I'm so glad you like them. The Mexicans really do beautiful handwork, -but unless you see something you especially want this afternoon, you'd -better wait and get the handkerchiefs directly from the women who make -them. They'll be much cheaper that way." - -A half-hour later Peggy announced proudly, "I'm all ready--how about you? -Don't you think it's time Jo was back?" - -"Yes, I do. I don't see what's keeping her. I'll ask Felipe how long -she's been gone." - -When Florence returned a few minutes later there was a look of -bewilderment on her face. "Felipe says he hasn't seen her," she -announced. - -Peggy's eyes opened wide. "Where do you suppose she can be, then?" - -"I'm sure I can't imagine," replied Florence, shaking her head dubiously. - -"Do you suppose--she surely wouldn't----" - -"What in the world are you talking about?" broke in Florence, seeing the -alarm on Peggy's face. - -"I was just wondering if she'd slipped down that back street again. She -can't get that mysterious window out of her mind, you know." - -"That's so, but, surely, after getting caught yesterday, she wouldn't -risk it again. I'm afraid for her to be in the sun so much when she's not -used to it." - -"Jo doesn't really mean to do anything that isn't right," Peggy defended, -"but when she makes up her mind, there's no stopping her." - -A little frown appeared on Florence's forehead. "I'm really worried about -her going on with this scheme. I don't see how she can carry it out -without being in great danger. Isn't there some way you could persuade -her to give it up?" - -"No. She isn't afraid of anything, and she's the most determined person -I've ever seen." - -"Let's go into Dad's office and out on his balcony so we can watch for -her," suggested Florence a moment later. "She'll surely be back in a few -minutes." - -"I'm going to give her a piece of my mind," fumed Peggy. "She ought to -know better than to go off that way. Something might happen to her." - -Looking in every direction, the girls were dismayed at seeing no signs of -Jo Ann. - -"She seems to have disappeared in thin air," said Peggy anxiously. -"Something must be wrong. She wouldn't stay away this long." - -Almost simultaneously Florence turned her head, listening. "What was -that? Didn't you hear someone whistle?" - -The next moment a faint but distinct whistling note sounded. - -"That's Jo's whistle," exclaimed Peggy. "But where is she?" - -"Here I am!" called a low voice. "Up on the roof." - -"What!" The girls gasped in amazement. - -Blankly they stared above them as a red, flushed face, framed with -tousled hair, peeped over the edge of the roof. - -"What in the world are you doing up there?" called Peggy, finding her -tongue. - -"I didn't mean to do it," Jo Ann called down, "but I'm caught and can't -get down." - -"Well, how did you get up there in the first place, and why can't you get -down?" - -"I climbed that scaffold--it was easy--but while I was up here the -workmen came, and now I can't get down. It's hot as the mischief up here -in the sun." - - - - - CHAPTER VI - JO ANN'S PREDICAMENT - - -"What are you going to do?" called Florence. "You'll be sick if you stay -up there in the hot sun all the afternoon." - -"Well, I don't see anything else to do till the workmen leave," answered -Jo Ann. "If you'll get me that parasol, it won't be so bad. There's a -nice breeze, but the sun's terrific." - -"How in the world do you think we can get the parasol up to you?" asked -Peggy. "Do you think we can fly up there with it?" - -"Silly! Just get my rope--it's in my trunk--and throw one end up to me -and tie the parasol on the other; then I'll pull it up." - -"That sounds easy enough," Peggy admitted. "I'll run and get it right -away." - -She was starting away when Florence put in, "Wait a minute; I'll go with -you. Felipe might be at the door, and we mustn't let him see the rope. It -might rouse his curiosity." - -"Choke him--chloroform him!" called down Jo Ann crisply. "Anything, only -get the parasol, qu-i-ck. I'll be done to a turn if I stay up here much -longer without it." - -The two girls hurried on to their room. As soon as Peggy had taken the -coil of rope from the trunk, she slipped it inside the parasol, saying, -"This is the way we brought the rope into the house without Felipe's -seeing it, so we can do it again." - -As they were entering the hall Felipe stopped them. "Have you found Miss -Anita?" he asked, using the Spanish word for Jo Ann's second name, -Annette, rather than the longer name of Josephine. - -"Yes, she's here," Florence answered quickly, hurrying off. - -On reaching the balcony Peggy whistled softly several times, and Jo Ann's -head appeared over the ledge. - -"Got it? Fine! Pitch it up to me," she called in a loud whisper as -Florence put her finger to her lips and motioned toward the office. - -Straightening out the rope, Peggy tossed one end of it into the air. Up -it sailed, then fell dangling over the balcony rail. - -"It's a good thing I had hold of the other end," she laughed. "This grass -rope is so stiff, it won't go straight." - -"It would if you'd throw it straight," scoffed Jo Ann. "Coil it up again. -I believe it'll be easier to throw that way and pitch it straight up." - -Obeying directions, Peggy tried again, only to fail once more. Seeing how -far Jo Ann was leaning over the wall in her effort to catch the rope, she -exclaimed, "Oh, Jo, don't lean over so far! You make me nervous." - -"Well, it looks as if I'll have to hang by my feet to catch anything you -throw. If you just knew how hot it was up here!" - -"Don't fuss! I'll try again, but this balcony is so narrow that I can't -swing my arm. Now, ready? Here goes!" - -Up sailed the coil of rope, straight into Jo Ann's outstretched hands. - -"Whew! It's a good thing I didn't miss again," gasped Peggy. "That was -work, believe me!" - -Quickly she fastened the parasol to the lowered end of the rope, and Jo -Ann drew it up over the edge of the roof. - -Perched on the wall of the roof, high above the city, her feet dangling -and the parasol over her head, Jo Ann presented a queer, almost -ridiculous appearance, but to Florence and Peggy her position seemed -anything but amusing. - -So dangerous did it look that Peggy cried out in alarm, "Jo! For -goodness' sake get off that wall! Haven't you got into enough trouble for -one day?" - -"Oh, this would be great," Jo Ann called back, "if the wall weren't so -hot. There's a gorgeous view and a delightful breeze--what more could you -ask for?" She drifted gaily into one of the popular songs of the day. - - "_Just picture a penthouse, 'way up in the sky,_ - _With hinges on chimneys, for clouds to go by._" - -"How can you joke about anything so serious?" asked Florence in a -troubled voice. "Oh, here comes Dad with a patient! We'll have to leave." - -"I'll give you the signal as soon as we come back," Peggy called softly. - -Since the office opened with full-length, double doors directly onto the -balcony, making it almost a part of the room, they hurried toward the -door. Before they reached it, however, they met Dr. Blackwell and a tall, -dignified man, who, with true Mexican courtesy, bowed politely and begged -their pardon for having disturbed them. - -As soon as the two girls were inside the bedroom, Florence asked -anxiously, "What are we going to do about Jo Ann? I'm afraid she'll be -sick if she stays up there much longer in that hot sun." - -"I am, too," Peggy replied, "but I don't know what on earth we can do. -Isn't there any other possible way except the scaffold that she can get -down?" - -Florence shook her head. - -Every few minutes they stopped talking long enough to peep out to see if -the coast were clear. After what seemed a long time to them, they heard -voices in the hall, and to their relief they saw Dr. Blackwell and his -patient disappear down the stairs. In a few minutes Felipe followed with -the bag. - -"Except for Juana we have the house to ourselves now," Florence remarked -as they hurried into the office. - -On reaching the balcony Peggy gave the signal to Jo Ann. - -"I thought you'd never come back," Jo Ann called down softly almost -before the sound had died away. "And I'm dying to tell you something." - -"You don't have to whisper now," Florence put in. "Dad and Felipe have -gone out, and we can stay here and talk to you without fear of -interruption." - -"Fine! Luck seems to be with me at last," replied Jo Ann. "While I've -been up here alone, I've done some serious thinking, and I have a -wonderful plan worked out." - -"It's about time you did some serious thinking," returned Peggy. - -"I'm sorry I got in this mess, but if you can only get me the things I -need, I'll be standing down there beside you in a jiffy." - -Peggy grinned up at her. "If it's a sheet for a parachute, I won't get -it." - -"Silly! I want an iron bar and a hammer, or something heavy." - -"You're not going to drop them on the workmen, are you?" queried Florence -with a half smile. - -Jo Ann laughed. "I'm really quite harmless, but while I was climbing up -here I noticed that the scaffold was held in an upright position by pegs -driven into the wall, and that gave me an idea. Why can't I drive a peg -into this wall and fasten the rope to it, and then let myself down to the -balcony? Doesn't that sound simple?" - -"Why--yes--it does," Peggy admitted slowly. "But where'll we find the -iron bar and something heavy enough to drive it with?" - -"There ought to be a hammer around here somewhere," Florence put in -quickly. "Come on, and we'll see if we can find it and the iron bar." - -"If you can't find an iron bar," called Jo Ann, "maybe I could use an old -broom handle, if you'd make a point on one end of it." - -"All right," they called as they disappeared into the room. - -Entering the kitchen, they found Juana huddled in a chair by the -fireplace, asleep. - -Slipping by her, Florence took a small hammer out of a cupboard, and -handed it to Peggy, saying in a low voice, "Now, if we can find an iron -bar, we'll be fixed." - -Peggy smiled and whispered, "Why, Florence, this is only a little tack -hammer. You couldn't drive anything into a stone wall with this--not in a -thousand years." - -"I'm sure that's the only one we have," Florence answered in a troubled -voice. "You see, since we can't use nails in this house, we seldom have -any use for a hammer." - -Peggy began staring around. "I'll look and see what I can find." - -"Sh!" warned Florence. "Let's not wake Juana if we can help it." - -Together they slipped quietly about the room, picking up first one object -and then another, only to lay it down again in disgust. - -At the very moment that Peggy spied something that would do, Juana opened -her eyes and asked in Spanish, "What is it, Florencita? Do you wish me to -make you the _merienda_?" - -"Why--no, we don't care for anything to eat now," Florence replied -slowly. "But we would like to have something to drink. Please go down to -the drugstore and get some limeades." She turned to Peggy. "I've ordered -limeades. I know Jo'd like to have a cold drink." - -The minute Juana disappeared through the door, Peggy stepped over to the -middle section of the fireplace. "Here's the very thing," she said, -picking up one of the stones Juana used to set her earthen griddle on -when cooking on the fireplace. "And look here," she added excitedly, -"Here's a piece of iron--the very thing we need. Now let's hurry. I know -Jo's tired waiting." - -"How silly of me not to think of these things!" exclaimed Florence. -"Juana uses that piece of iron to poke her fire with. Let's hope she -doesn't decide to make _tortillas_ any time soon, or she'll miss the -stone." - -Together they rushed out into the hall, then stopped on catching a -glimpse of Felipe at his post just outside the office door. - -"What in the world is he doing back?" whispered Peggy as she stopped. "Is -Dr. Blackwell in his office, do you suppose?" - -Slipping into the dining room, they stared blankly at each other. How -could they get the things to Jo Ann now? - -"I know what we can do!" exclaimed Florence, running to the china closet. -"Put the stone on this plate." She placed a plate on the table. "Now I'll -spread a napkin over it; then it'll look as if you're carrying a plate of -sandwiches out on the balcony. I'll hide the piece of iron under my -dress, like this." - -"Fine!" approved Peggy, her lips curving into a wide smile. - -On entering the hall Felipe appeared and explained that _el doctor_ had -sent him back to take the young ladies for a drive, as he would not need -the car for one or two hours. - -"I'll ask the girls and let you know," Peggy replied in Spanish, and -added, "Call me when Juana brings the limeades." - -Peggy hastened onto the balcony and, resting the plate on the rail, -whistled twice. As Jo peeped down from above, she called up gaily, her -eyes twinkling, "Just see the plate of sandwiches I've brought you. -Aren't you hungry?" - -"Well--yes, I could enjoy a sandwich," Jo Ann replied, trying to cover -her disappointment, "but didn't you get any of the other things I asked -for?" - -"This is all we could find." Laughing mischievously, Peggy lifted the -napkin. - -"Oh, Peg, you big tease!" Jo Ann exclaimed. "I might have known you were -up to some mischief. Didn't you bring the piece of iron or a broomstick?" - -"Here it is," called Florence, slipping the piece of iron out and holding -it up. - -"That's the very thing--but why all the secrecy?" - -"Well, Felipe was at the door, so I thought we'd better use this -camouflage." - -"I see. I'll let my rope down now; but how in the world are you going to -fasten the rock to it, Peggy?" - -"I don't know," Peggy replied thoughtfully. "Even if I tie the rope -around it a couple of times, it's likely to fall out, and a stone as -large as this is heavy enough to kill anyone if it should hit him on the -head." She gave a little sudden start. "I know what to do!" - -Spreading the napkin on the floor and placing the stone in the exact -center, she picked up the opposite corners of the napkin and tied a tight -square knot; then tied another one with the other corners. When she had -slipped the rope under both securely, she heard Felipe coming in the -office door. - -She sprang to her feet while Florence ran into the office to keep him -from coming onto the balcony. - -"I'll take the limeades, Felipe," she told him, taking the tray he was -carrying. - -Instead of leaving immediately he lingered a moment to ask how long it -would be before they would be ready to go for a drive. - -For a few seconds she hesitated, then replied, "I think they'll be ready -in about half an hour." Jo Ann had seemed so sure she could get down, but -maybe---- "If they're not ready by that time, I'll let you know." - -As soon as he had left the office Florence hastened back to the balcony. -By that time Jo Ann had successfully pulled the stone up to the roof and -had lowered the rope for the iron bar. - -The moment she had the piece of iron in her hands, she hopped off the low -wall and eagerly set to work. Kneeling on the flat surface of the roof, -she held the iron bar firmly against the inside of the wall with her left -hand and struck it a heavy blow with the stone. - -The next instant the iron bar sprang back, knocking the stone out of her -hand and striking her foot a glancing blow. - -"Oh--my foot!" she cried in muffled tones, hopping around the roof on the -other foot. - -"I can't stop for a little thing like this," she decided shortly, setting -resolutely to work again. - -Less confident of her success, she struck the iron lightly and carefully -this time, but without making the slightest impress in the wall. Driving -a peg into a stone wall was not the simple thing she had imagined it to -be. - -"I know it can be done, and I'm going to do it," she told herself -determinedly. "If I can only find the seam between the stones, I know I -can drive it into the mortar." - -After slowly chipping the plaster away over a foot or more in diameter, -she found an upright seam. Her arms ached from the unusual strain; her -hands and face were covered with grime and plaster dust; and perspiration -trickled down her face, streaking it. - -Nevertheless, she worked on persistently and at last found the -cross-seam. Eagerly placing the bar in position, she began driving it -into the mortar between the stones. She struck it very carefully at -first, then harder and harder. - -"No wonder these houses last forever," she thought. "I never saw anything -so hard in my life. This one'll stand here several centuries more and not -show the least signs of wear." - -With a last effort she struck the iron several more blows; then, putting -her whole weight on it to test its strength, she heaved a sigh of relief. -It did not budge a particle. Fastening the rope securely, she threw the -end over the wall. Everything was ready now. - -While waiting for Florence and Peggy to return with the implements, she -had tied several knots in the rope and made two loops near the upper end, -and now, lying flat, she peered over the edge of the wall to see if the -loops came in exactly the right place, just over the edge of the roof. - -"All set! Here I come!" she called joyously to the girls waiting below. - -"Oh, Jo, do be careful! You might fall," urged Florence. - -So intent was Jo Ann in getting over the edge of the roof that she paid -no attention to Florence's warning. Climbing over a wall two feet or more -thick was quite a different proposition from getting over a board fence. -She could not back off, and the smooth plaster offered a poor fingerhold -while she was catching the loops in the rope. - -Finally, sitting on the edge of the wall, she leaned forward and reached -for the upper loop. Grasping the loop firmly with one hand and pressing -the fingers of her other hand against the plaster, she stretched her foot -toward the other loop. But when within an inch or two of it, she suddenly -slipped off the wall. - -She gasped in terror. Down she dropped. Her arm felt as if it surely -would be pulled from its socket as the entire weight of her body jerked -on it. Could she hang with one hand? What if the sudden jerk should pull -the rope loose from the peg? Desperately she clung to the loop. Then, -regaining her balance, she wrapped her legs around the rope. Slowly, -carefully she slipped from knot to knot. Four strong young arms caught -her before her feet touched the floor of the balcony. - -"Oh, Jo! Jo! I thought you'd be killed, sure," cried Florence, tears -streaming down her cheeks. "I was so frightened!" - -"I was so scared I shut my eyes tight to keep from seeing you killed," -added Peggy tremulously. "I hope that taught you a lesson and you'll be -satisfied to stay where you belong after this." - -"Girls, look at the spectators!" exclaimed Florence the next moment. - -In the street, about thirty feet below, several peons had stopped to -watch this unusual performance, while others were running to see what was -going on. - -After one hasty glance below Jo Ann fled into the office. - -"Can't you do anything here without an audience?" she asked a moment -later in disgust. - -"Not anything like that," replied Florence. "I do hope they leave before -Felipe sees them, or he'll have the whole story in a few minutes." - -"Anyway, I'm glad I'm down here." Jo Ann drew a sigh of relief. "I hope I -never have to stay so long in such a hot place again." - - - - - CHAPTER VII - THE PROMENADE - - -"Jo, you're hurt!" cried Florence. "Look at the blood." - -"Oh, that's nothing," she replied. "I just left a little skin up there on -the wall when I slipped, but it isn't enough to worry about." She stopped -abruptly, then added, "Oh dear! I was in such a hurry to get down, I -forgot and left your parasol up on the roof." - -"Well, let it stay there," put in Florence quickly. "I'd rather lose the -old parasol than have you climb up there again." - -"But I am going up there again," announced Jo Ann emphatically. "If I can -climb down the rope, there's no reason why I can't climb back up, is -there?" - -"N-o--I suppose not," admitted Florence hesitatingly. "But Jo--you might -get hurt--and----" - -"Oh, but I know exactly how to fix that rope now so it won't be so hard -to get off the roof next time. I'll pick a time of day when we won't have -so many spectators, for your sake, Florence." - -Peggy handed Jo Ann a glass of limeade, saying, "Drink this and stop -talking about that next time. I'm afraid most of the ice has melted, but -it'll be cool and refreshing, anyway." - -Jo Ann reached over for the glass. "Nothing could be more appreciated -right now, though I'm 'most too dirty to drink it." - -"You are a sight, all right," laughed Peggy. "Soot--blood--dirt--all over -your face and arms. We can scarcely tell what color you are. You look -more like an Indian in full war paint than anything else." - -"For all my war paint, I'm really quite harmless. I've had enough -excitement for one day." Jo Ann sipped the cooling drink. "My, this -tastes good! Driving that iron into the wall was harder work than I -expected. I can easily understand why these houses are so old. Nothing -short of an earthquake or a bomb could destroy them." - -"Here, I'll take the glass if you've finished," said Florence, placing it -on the tray. "I'll send Felipe down to the drugstore with these things, -and that'll give you a chance to slip to your room and get a bath and -change your clothes. We'd better not let anyone see you like this." - -"Poor Florence!" laughed Jo Ann as Florence carried the tray to the door -and gave it to Felipe. "Doesn't she have a time trying to keep me from -disgracing the family?" - -"You are a problem sometimes," agreed Peggy. "Especially when you get -your head set on a thing. You seem to forget everything else then." - -"I heard what you said just now," interrupted Florence coming over and -putting her arm around Jo Ann as they started for their room. "I know you -sometimes think I'm fussy, but there're some queer customs here that we -must recognize. You know the old saying: 'When in Rome do as the Romans -do.'" - -Having reached their room, Peggy and Florence hastened to bring Jo Ann -the necessary toilet articles for removing all traces of her escapade. - -"Here, Jo, you'd better use this cleansing cream first," said Peggy. -"You'll never get all that grime off without it. Wait, I'll help you," -she added, rubbing some of the cream on her neck. - -"Ouch! Be careful! You're rubbing the skin off," cried Jo Ann, dodging. - -"Why, I'm not! I'm being just as careful as can be. You're sunburned, -that's the trouble--you're red as a beet." - -"You're blistered!" added Florence. "Just look at your arms and face now -that we've got some of the dirt off! I was afraid of that when you had to -stay up there so long. You don't know the penetrating qualities of a -tropical sun." - -"I believe you look worse with the dirt off than you did with it on," -laughed Peggy. "What are we going to do with her, Florence?" - -Florence shook her head dubiously. "I don't know. If Daddy sees her like -this we'll have to explain what's happened, and I don't want to do that." - -"And I don't want you to, either," Jo Ann put in quickly. "I want to -surprise him by solving the mystery of that window. He doesn't seem to -think there's anything strange about it--he didn't even look at it." - -"You must promise to be very careful, whatever you do," Florence warned. - -"Didn't I just tell you, Jo, that sometimes you're quite a problem?" -added Peggy teasingly. - -"You just wait till I've had my bath," Jo Ann replied as she started out -of the room. "When I finish dressing, I'll look all right." - -When she returned a little later and preened herself triumphantly before -them, Peggy burst into a peal of laughter. - -"She looks exactly as if she'd stuck her head in the flour barrel and the -flour had stuck in spots, doesn't she?" she remarked to Florence. - -"Well, her skin does look queer--a little like parchment or canvas," -reluctantly admitted the more polite Florence. - -Jo Ann grimaced. "I like that--after all my efforts." - -"Let me fix your face," offered Peggy. "I promise to touch your face as -lightly as a butterfly touches a flower." - -"Listen to the poet!" scoffed Jo Ann. - -"Poet and artist," added Peggy, smiling widely. "Watch how skillfully -this artist works on her canvas now." - -Lightly brushing most of the powder off Jo Ann's face, she applied a -generous amount of vanishing cream, then dusted it with just the right -amount of powder so that enough of the red in her cheeks would show -through to look natural. - -When she had finished, she waved her powder puff with a flourish. "Behold -the transformation from Indian to a member of the white race!" - -"You really don't look bad at all now, Jo Ann," smiled Florence. "If you -stay out of the bright light, I don't believe anyone--not even -Daddy--will notice how sunburned you are." - -"Is that the best you can say--to tell me I won't look bad if I stay in -the dark?" put in Jo Ann. "How're you going to manage to keep me in the -dark? If I stay in my room and don't go to dinner tonight, your father'll -be sure to dose me with pills and tonics." - -"I'll use candles on the dinner table tonight--I often do--and in their -soft light your sunburn won't be noticeable." - -To Jo Ann's vast relief Dr. Blackwell did not make any comment about her -complexion at dinner, even though Peggy teasingly hinted that she had -taken unusual pains with her toilet this evening. - -Unconscious of anything amiss, Dr. Blackwell asked pleasantly, "Are you -girls going over to the Plaza tonight to join in the promenade?" - -"Yes, I can hardly wait," replied Peggy. "Florence told us about the -promenade yesterday while we were driving around the Plaza." - -Dr. Blackwell exchanged glances with Florence, his eyes twinkling. - -"I understand," he chuckled, "that if you want to catch a suitor, all you -have to do is pick out the young man you prefer, then throw him a rose as -you pass. You can deliver your message by the color of the rose you use." - -"That'd be lots of fun," replied Peggy laughingly. "Where'll I get the -rose, and what color shall I use?" - -"Why, P-e-gg-y!" cried Jo Ann in consternation. "You wouldn't really do a -thing like that--would you?" - -"If I should, I'd only be doing in Mexico as the Mexicans do--and that's -more than you've learned to do yet," she finished, smiling teasingly at -Jo Ann. - -Jo Ann subsided instantly. A little more, and Dr. Blackwell might see -through Peggy's veiled remarks and begin asking questions about what she -had been doing. - -To her relief Peggy turned to Florence, saying, "Tell me some more about -the why and wherefore of the rose-throwing custom"--her eyes -sparkled--"so I can introduce it in the States for Jo's benefit." - -Smilingly Florence explained that this was a very old custom but was -seldom used now. "The Spanish girls and their _caballeros_ have very few -opportunities of meeting each other. When they pass on the promenade--you -remember I told you how the girls all walk in one direction and the men -in the other--they take advantage of this chance to say a few words or -deliver a message." - -"If you've finished dinner, let's sit out on the balcony a while with Dad -before we go down to the Plaza. We can listen to the music and watch the -crowds from there." - -The Plaza, which only a short time before had been almost deserted, began -to present a festive appearance now. Clusters of electric lights shone, -making it bright as day; lines of cars passed back and forth; and crowds -thronged the broad promenade. - -To Jo Ann it seemed as if the balcony were a box at the theater, and from -it she was watching a play being enacted on an immense stage. The -beautiful, exquisitely dressed girls, who arm in arm were slowly and -gracefully strolling along on the outside of the promenade, were the -actresses of the play; the _caballeros_, handsome and well groomed, -passing on the inside and never losing an opportunity to bow and smile at -the _señoritas_ as they passed, were the actors; as for the background, -there were the trees and shrubbery, and the benches filled with -chaperons. All the time, the music, soft and rhythmical, was floating up -to her--"the orchestra" she told herself, though she knew it was the -notes of the wind instruments of the band that she was hearing. - -Peggy broke into her thoughts just then with, "Can't we go down there -now? I've never seen anything quite like this before. I love it!" - -"It is fascinating," put in Jo Ann, "but we can really see better from -here." - -"Oh, I know, but you miss half the fun up here," Peggy replied quickly. -"I want to promenade, too--be a part of the gaiety." - -"All right, we'll go now," said Florence. "Do you mind, Daddy, if we -leave you?" she asked solicitously as she stooped to kiss his forehead. - -"Of course not, my Florencita," he replied, pinching her cheek -affectionately. "Run along now and have a good time. Don't forget, Miss -Peggy, what I told you about catching a suitor," he teased. - -"All right, Doctor, I won't," she laughed, "and if I do anything to -disgrace Florence, it'll be all your fault." - -"I'll take the consequences," he returned lightly. - -The three girls ran to their room a moment to add the finishing touches -to their toilet, and for once Peggy was ready as soon as Jo Ann. All -excitement, she caught Florence and Jo Ann by the arms to hurry them -along. - -"O-h, Peg--don't! My arm's sore!" cried Jo Ann, holding the injured arm -away from her. - -"Oh, I'm so sorry," said Peggy sympathetically. "Your camouflage is so -good I'd forgotten about your blisters. I'll remember hereafter, and -we'll walk one on each side of you, so no one'll bump into you and hurt -you again." - -They crossed the street and joined the gay promenade around the Plaza. - -While Peggy was enjoying looking at the crowds, Jo Ann kept glancing back -across the street at the front of the building in which the Blackwells -had their apartment. Since their entrance was on the side street she had -never before had an opportunity to examine the front of the house -closely. The lower floor, she saw, was occupied mostly by different kinds -of stores. - -Shortly after passing opposite the drugstore beneath Dr. Blackwell's -office, she noticed a broad-arched doorway about halfway down the block. -As she gazed through this doorway and into the brightly lighted space -beyond, she suddenly gave a little gasp of surprise. - -"Isn't that a patio I see through that big doorway across the street, -Florence?" she asked. - -"Yes; there's a small patio there." - -"Then that explains it," Jo Ann went on eagerly. "This afternoon while I -was up on the roof I noticed a queer, oblong walled-in place right in the -center of the building. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time--I -was so worried about getting off the roof, but I believe now that this -wall must've been around the opening for that patio. I'm wondering if -that patio wasn't at one time a part of your house." - -Florence's eyes opened in surprise. "What makes you think that?" - -"Why, because there wasn't a division wall between that oblong opening -and your part of the house. If it were originally one big house with many -rooms, that would explain the reason for the huge kitchen and the immense -fireplace." - -"That sounds reasonable enough, but why would they have built such a -large house--a _casa grande_, as they say in Spanish?" - -"I don't know, but that's what it's been--_casa grande_." - -"Oh, there you go again, talking about that house," put in Peggy. "Let's -forget it and enjoy the promenade." - -"All right, I won't say another word about it now, but as soon as we get -back to the house, I'm going to look around and see if I can find -something that will prove that I'm right." - -"You're hopeless, Jo--the idea of thinking about an old house when -there's all this lovely music to listen to, and all these beautiful girls -with their Paris gowns, and the handsome young men to see!" - -After they had strolled around the square for over an hour, Jo Ann -remarked a little impatiently, "Don't you think we've walked long enough? -I think it's time we were going back to the house." - -"Oh, don't let's go back yet!" Peggy replied quickly. "Let's stay till -the concert's over. That house'll still be standing there--patio and -all." - -"That won't be long," put in Florence. "The band'll probably only play -another piece or two. You can't do any exploring about the house, anyway, -Jo, till Daddy goes to his room," she added. - -So it was that they did not start homeward until the band had played the -last number and the crowds were leaving. - -After reaching the house the girls talked for a few moments with Dr. -Blackwell, then went on to their room. It was not long afterward that Jo -Ann's keen ears caught the clanging sound of metal as Dr. Blackwell -bolted the outer door. She waited impatiently a little longer, then -slipped out into the hall, and silently stood at the head of the -stairway, trying to figure out how these rooms had been connected with -the patio and the other part of the house. - -"I know that patio is in about the center of the house," she thought. -"Then this wall opposite me would be in a direct line with the patio." - -Since she could not see distinctly in the dim rays of the night light, -she turned on a brighter one, and tilting it upward, threw its rays -directly on the wall opposite. - -To her disappointment she could see nothing but the plain surface of the -plastered wall. - -"This hall must've been connected in some way with that patio," she told -herself. "There's bound to be something somewhere to show how it was -connected." - -Tilting the light first at one angle and then another, she gazed at the -wall intently, searching for some sign of a former opening. - -All at once she caught a glimpse of the dim, shadowy outlines of a broad -arch. - -Tiptoeing to the bedroom door, she called softly, "Girls, come here -quickly! I've found it--I knew I was right!" - -Quickly she led Peggy and Florence to the spot in which she had been -standing, and again tilting the light, pointed to the wall. - -"Don't you see the outlines of an arch over there?" she asked, as she -threw the rays of the light back and forth across the wall. - -"Your imagination's running away with you, Jo," scoffed Peggy. "I can't -see a thing but a blank wall." - -"I do see something--a faint shadow," put in Florence slowly. "Why, Jo! I -do believe you're right! There was an arch there." - -"Sure I'm right," declared Jo Ann triumphantly. "This arch is the end of -a wide hall that connected this back hall with the patio and the rest of -the house. I believe your father's office was the dining room. Can't you -just imagine a long banquet table down the center of that huge room -and----" - -"But why would they have such a huge dining room?" Florence asked -quickly. "What could the house have been used for?" - -"That's exactly what I'm going to find out." Jo Ann's chin took on a -determined tilt. "Maybe I can find something in Señor Rodriguez's books -that will help me to solve the problem. I believe that mysterious window -has something important to do with it--at least, that's the way it looks -to me." - -"Sh! Not so loud, Jo; you'll wake Daddy." - -Quietly the three girls slipped back to their room to talk far into the -night about the unexplained mysteries of the old house. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - THE SEÑOR'S LIBRARY - - -In spite of all the ointment and salve Jo Ann had applied to her face, -neck, and arms, she spent a restless night. By morning some of the -soreness had disappeared, but her appearance was not much improved. -Before venturing out of her room she carefully put on some make-up and -viewed the effect critically in the mirror. - -"I may be able to cover up my sunburn from the servants, but not from Dr. -Blackwell," she told herself. "His trained eyes'll be sure to penetrate -my mask in the daylight. Here's hoping he doesn't eat lunch with us -today. Florence says he's nearly always late." - -To her inward consternation, no sooner had she stepped into the hall than -she saw Dr. Blackwell coming toward her. Immediately she slowed her -steps. "If he comes any closer. I'm sunk--even if this hall is dark." - -The next moment Dr. Blackwell called a cheerful "Good morning" to her and -disappeared into his office. - -Jo Ann smiled in relief as she thought whimsically, "A guilty conscience -is certainly a bad companion." - -As on the previous morning, she and Peggy went with Florence to market, -and, as before, she made only one purchase. This time it was a roll of -very slender but strong hand-twisted rope. - -"Now what are you going to do with that heavy cord?" Peggy promptly -asked. - -"Use it to conceal that big rope I left hanging from the roof." - -"Use a string to conceal a heavy rope?" Peggy asked in amazement. "Ah, -the magician!" she added mockingly. - -"Don't be silly, Peg. There's nothing mysterious about it. I've got to do -something with that big rope before anyone sees it." - -Peggy shook her head dubiously. "Well, I hope you know what you're -talking about--I don't. Here comes Florence--she must be ready to leave." - -"And the faithful watchdog following, as usual. You know, I believe he's -getting suspicious. Several times I've noticed him looking at me with the -queerest expression." - -"You know Florence said he never misses a thing. He's probably wondering -what you've done to your face." - -On reaching home the girls found breakfast waiting, but Jo Ann could -scarcely eat in her eagerness to get to the balcony before Felipe cleaned -the office. - -While Florence went to the kitchen to discuss menus with Juana, Jo Ann -and Peggy slipped to the balcony. The rope, they found, was hanging just -as they had left it the day before, and while not very conspicuous -against the dull gray color of the wall, Jo Ann felt that it ought to be -put completely out of sight. As she studied the wall, she unwound the -roll of heavy cord she had bought earlier in the morning. - -"Look down the street, Peg," she ordered. "Do you see anybody?" - -"No, it seems practically deserted right now," Peggy replied. "Why?" - -"I have to climb part way up that rope again, and I don't want any -spectators," she explained while fastening the cord to the end of the -rope. "If you see anybody coming, let me know." - -"All right." - -As soon as she began climbing up the rope, Jo Ann realized how sore her -muscles were from the unusual strain she had put upon them the day -before. Would she be able to make it to the top? she wondered. "I've got -to do it," she told herself the next moment, tightening her lips into a -firm line. - -Inch by inch she pulled herself up, slipping the cord through each of the -loops in the rope as she went. On reaching the roof she found it -extremely difficult to steady herself while passing the cord through the -highest loops, but as she was determined to pull the rope up as high as -possible, she kept on trying. Having succeeded at last in getting it -through the loop at the roof's edge, she took the end of the cord between -her teeth and began to slip slowly down the rope. - -When she was a little over halfway, Peggy suddenly cried, "Hurry, Jo! -Here come some people! I believe they see you--they're looking this way. -Hurry!" - -Instinctively Jo Ann turned her head to see the people. As she did so, -her elbow scraped the rough plastered wall. A sharp pain instantly shot -through her arm, and slightly loosening her hold on the rope, she slipped -rapidly to the floor. - -"How silly of me to do that!" she grumbled, examining her arm. Her -sleeve, she saw, was torn, and blood was running from a place where the -skin had been scraped off. "It looks as if I'll have to be packed in -cotton wool to keep from getting hurt--but this is not finishing my work, -and Felipe may come out here any minute." - -Hurriedly she searched for an inconspicuous place to fasten the end of -the cord. Finally noticing the hand-wrought hinge on the door, she -decided that this offered a good hiding place. - -She began at once to wind the cord into a small tight ball, and as she -pulled the end of the cord, the heavy rope attached to it started to -crawl snakelike up the wall. When at last the rope hung in several long -loops at the edge of the roof, she fastened the cord to the door hinge -and jammed the ball into the crack above. - -"That'll be all right as long as the door isn't closed," she said, "and -it seldom is--at least, it hasn't been closed since we've been here. It -doesn't show much from here, and it can't be seen from the inside of the -office." - -Leaning against the balcony rail, she and Peggy surveyed the wall -approvingly. The string was almost invisible, and the loops of rope at -the top were scarcely noticeable, so high were they above the street. - -"No one would ever see that unless they were looking for it," agreed -Peggy. "But how're you going to get it down? Didn't you say you were -going back up there?" - -"Sure I am, but that's simple enough," Jo Ann replied. "When I loosen the -string the rope is heavy enough to drop down of its own accord." - -Hearing a sudden noise behind them just then, they started guiltily. -There stood Felipe in the doorway. Immediately Jo Ann wondered how long -he had been there and how much he had seen. - -"I'm glad he couldn't understand what we were talking about," she said to -Peggy. "He's the perfect watchdog, all right." - -Smiling now as they realized how nearly they had come to giving -themselves away, they strolled nonchalantly around the balcony and -entered the room from the farther side. - -"You want to clean the room?" Jo Ann asked, pointing to the broom and -mop. - -Felipe grinned and nodded his head, "_Sí_, señorita." While not -understanding the exact words, he had understood their meaning. - -Could Peggy and Jo Ann have seen him a few minutes later, they would have -been very much amused and not a little worried. The minute they were out -of sight he stepped out on the balcony and stood gazing up and down the -street, then turned and searched the balcony, but in vain. - -"_Muy curioso, las Americanas_ [Very curious, these Americans]," he -muttered, shaking his head. - -After the injured arm had been bandaged with Peggy's assistance, the -girls wandered to the back of the house in search of Florence. Finding -her in the kitchen in the middle of baking a cake, they stayed to help -her. - -To Jo Ann's relief Dr. Blackwell did not appear at lunch, but when he -came in an hour later, she happened to be passing through the hall. On -seeing her Dr. Blackwell stopped to call to her that he had met Señor -Rodriguez and that the Señor had sent a special invitation to her and the -other girls to visit his library that afternoon. "Does that conflict with -your plans?" he asked. - -"Not at all," Jo Ann answered quickly, forgetting all about her sunburned -face. "I've wanted to meet Señor Rodriguez and talk to him ever since you -told me about his library. Maybe I can find out more about your house and -the old church this afternoon." - -The moment Dr. Blackwell left she remembered her previous anxiety about -his seeing her sunburned face. "I forgot all about my face," she smiled -to herself. "Well, I'm going to Señor Rodriguez's this afternoon, sunburn -or no sunburn. Surely in such a fine library as his I can get some -information that'll help me find out more about this house, especially -about that mysterious window." - -When, after the siesta, the girls began getting ready to go to Señor -Rodriguez's, Peggy applied cream and powder to Jo Ann's face with the -most painstaking care. - -"I believe I'll start a beauty shop," she declared as she stood back and -gazed approvingly at Jo Ann's face. "You actually look pretty now." - -Jo Ann grinned. "Only a real artist could have performed that miracle. I -don't care much about the pretty part, though. All I want is to pass -muster under Dr. Blackwell's inspection." - -"You will--don't worry." - -Dressed in fresh dainty frocks, the three girls were waiting on the -balcony when Dr. Blackwell drove up in the car to take them to Señor -Rodriguez's. - -Since Florence had told her about the Señor's beautiful patio, Jo Ann -gazed eagerly about when they entered the cool, spacious corridor of his -house. The mosaic tiles of the floor seemed to her to reflect all the -bright colors of the flowers in the beds beyond and of the potted plants -clustered about the stone pillars which supported the graceful arches of -the court. - -The servant immediately ushered them into the _sala_ or drawing room, a -room of immense size and well-proportioned lines. Several large mirrors -in heavy, gold-leaf frames, she noted, filled much of the wall space and -gave the room the appearance of even greater size. The full-length double -windows next caught and held her attention, curtained as they were with -exquisite hand-made lace, which contrasted strangely with the iron bars. - -The next moment their host and his wife entered: Señora Rodriguez, short, -plump, and motherly, and the Señor, tall and distinguished-looking. - -At first glance Jo Ann's hopes sank. How could she ask this austere, -dignified gentleman all of the questions which had been uppermost in her -mind? Was the visit she had looked forward to with so much pleasure going -to be in vain? Since the introductions were in Spanish, she felt a little -ill at ease--all the more so when she saw Señora Rodriguez kiss Florence, -first on one cheek, then on the other, and pat her on the back. - -"If she kisses and pats me that enthusiastically on my sunburned skin, -I'll be sure to flinch," she told herself. - -The next moment Señor Rodriguez turned to her and, smiling, asked in -broken English, "Are you de young lady who speak de Spanish?" - -"Oh, no, señor, I can't speak Spanish," she answered timidly. - -"_El doctor_ say you have study de Spanish," he insisted. - -"_Sí_, señor, I studied Spanish two years," she replied, "but I speak -very little." - -"Ah, my dear young lady," he said pleasantly, "if you do not try, how can -you learn? You must speak to me in de Spanish. You see, my Ingles ver' -bad. I am too old to learn de Ingles now." - -"Oh, no, señor," quickly replied Jo Ann. "You speak very good English. -Much better English than I do Spanish." - -"_Gracias_, señorita," he replied, smiling. "But how can I know?--you -have not speak de Spanish. My son, Joaquin, speak de Ingles perfect-ly. I -send him to college in de States. You know--Harvard--I t'ink you call -it?" he asked, pronouncing it Arvard, since the h is always silent in -Spanish. - -"Oh, yes, indeed! I know Harvard. It is a college of very high standing. -Does he like it there?" - -"_Sí_, he likes it ver' much. Dis year he finis, den he come home, and I -take him in de office wid me. If he vas here now he could help you. De -doctor say you are interes' in de history of my city." - -"_Sí_, señor, I am," she answered quickly. "I want to find out all I can -about that old church across the street from Dr. Blackwell's house. Both -it and the house are so old, I feel sure there must be some very -interesting things connected with them." - -"I t'ink you are right, and I shall be ver' happy to assist you," he -offered. "We feel proud to t'ink you are interes' in our city. Did you -not want some books?" - -"I'd like to see some that contain old records and accounts of the early -history of the city, about the time that church was built." - -"If you come dis way, please," he said, bowing, "we shall see what we can -find." - -By this time Jo Ann had completely forgotten the feeling of doubt and awe -she had felt at first. The Señor was a very gracious host and had not -laughed at her strange idea. Eagerly she followed him across the hall to -a room only slightly smaller than the drawing room. Bookshelves lined -most of the wall space, and a long table and several chairs were the only -furniture. - -"It's decidedly a man's room," she thought: "restful--quiet--just the -kind of a room in which to study." - -Soon she and the Señor were oblivious of everything. They had something -in common--books--even if they were in Spanish. In a short time they were -chatting pleasantly, unconsciously using a mixture of English and -Spanish. Together they searched old books and records, laying aside -several for her to take home so that she might study them at her leisure. - -In the meantime, Señora Rodriguez had taken the other guests to the patio -to see her flowers, and after about half an hour she came to the library -door and called softly to her husband, "Papa, you must not keep the young -lady here so long--she will get tired." Addressing Jo Ann she asked, -"Perhaps you like to see my flowers, eh?" - -"I'd love to," replied Jo Ann, unconscious of having spoken in Spanish. - -"We have the _merienda_ first, then I show you the flowers," she said, -leading Jo Ann to where the girls and Dr. Blackwell were seated in the -cool pleasant court beside the flower garden. - -"What could be more beautiful and restful?" Jo Ann thought as she gazed -across the patio with its stuccoed wall overhung with flowering vines, -its fountain tossing sparkling sprays of water into the sunshine, and its -roses, jasmine, and orange blossoms filling the air with their mingled -fragrance. - -By this time the servants had noiselessly brought in the refreshments and -placed them on an exquisitely inlaid tea table. While Señora Rodriguez -passed rich little cakes and sweet buns with squares of _jalea_, a stiff -jelly, the servants served thick black coffee and delicious, rich -chocolate beaten to a froth. - -"Jo, isn't this simply gorgeous!" sighed Peggy happily. "I've never -enjoyed anything more in my life." - -Jo Ann nodded an emphatic assent, adding, "And I've never seen such a -beautiful patio before." - -After Señora Rodriguez had proudly shown Jo Ann her flowers, Dr. -Blackwell announced that he had several calls yet to make and that they -would have to leave. Silently the girls rose to go. With true Mexican -courtesy Señora Rodriguez loaded them down with flowers and kissed each -girl on both cheeks, but to Jo Ann's relief there was no patting on the -back. - -Laden with books and flowers, they drove home through the soft, tropical -twilight, Peggy and Jo Ann completely charmed by the dignity and -friendliness of the Rodriguez family. - -"I've never met finer people," declared Jo Ann enthusiastically to -Florence on their way home. "I admit I was a little afraid of the Señor -at first. He was so tall and dignified, but I forgot all about that when -I'd talked to him a few minutes. It's easy to understand why he's such a -good lawyer, isn't it?" - -"Yes, he's a very remarkable man," agreed Florence. "I was sure you would -enjoy meeting him and his wife. By the way, Jo, did you get any -information this afternoon that will help you?" - -"Yes, I found out several things," she replied. "From the old records we -found that the city was founded in 1560. The Señor said that the old -Mexican towns were always built around the church. That and the Plaza -formed the hub around which the city grew. If that is the case, then it -is possible that the church was built even earlier than 1560, before the -founding of the city." - -"You mean that the church is three--no, four hundred years old!" -exclaimed Peggy. - -"Yes, and since Florence's house is between it and the Plaza, it was -built at the same time or before. It seems to be the very center of the -hub. I'm more convinced than ever that its history is in some way -connected with that of the church." - -After Dr. Blackwell had gone on his calls and Florence and Peggy were -chatting together, Jo Ann studied the books she had brought home. Page -after page she read, slowly and with much difficulty, about the Aztecs -and the coming of Cortez; of the growth of the Spanish territory until it -reached from ocean to ocean, and from Panama to Vancouver Island on the -north; about Hidalgo, Morelos, and General Iturbide; of rebellions and -civil wars. The wars might explain the reason for these thick walls, she -mused. They always used the church as a place of refuge. Perhaps this -house was used for the same purpose. - -To her disappointment, however, she could find no reference to either the -house or the church in the books. She threw down the books at last, -exclaiming, "It'll take me ages to get much help from these! It's worse -than hunting a needle in a haystack. In Spanish they go all around the -bush before coming to the point, and while it's beautiful to read, it's -difficult to find what you want." - -"Calm yourself, my dear--calm yourself," said the astonished Peggy. -"You've been talking for days about these books, and now that you have -them, you go all up in the air. What a changeable person you are!" - -"I'm not changeable. I'm glad I have the books, and I'm going to study -them--very carefully, too, but I can't stand this suspense any longer. I -want to find out something definite about this house _right now_. I know -exactly how to get the information I want, and I'm going to get it--maybe -tomorrow. I'm almost tempted to do it this very night." - -"What are you talking about?" cried Florence, alarmed by the determined -expression on Jo Ann's face. "What wild thing are you planning to do?" - - - - - CHAPTER IX - THE SEALED DOOR - - -The stillness of the night was suddenly shattered as a booming noise -vibrated through the silent old house. There it was again. Boom! Boom! It -echoed and re-echoed through the great hall and high-ceilinged rooms. - -"What was that?" whispered Peggy as she and Jo Ann sprang up in the -darkness, wide awake in an instant. - -"I don't know," Jo Ann whispered back. "It sounded like shooting. Do you -suppose someone's starting a revolution? You never know what to expect -next down here." - -"I knew you shouldn't have read those old histories last night, Jo," -murmured Florence drowsily, with a hint of amusement in her voice. "You -seem to have war on the brain." - -"Well, what in the world was that noise, then?" retorted Jo Ann. "I know -perfectly well I did hear something that sounded like a gun or a----" - -Before she could finish her sentence the booming noise sounded again in -rapid succession. - -"Now! I suppose I'm imagining things, am I?" she scoffed. - -Florence broke into a peal of laughter as she rose and began hastily -putting on her robe and slippers. "I'm really surprised, Jo, that you -could be fooled by anything about this house--you've studied it so -thoroughly," she added over her shoulder as she ran out of the room. - -"Now what do you know about that!" exclaimed Peggy with a quizzical -expression on her face. "I fail to see the joke, don't you?" - -"Well--I believe--I'm beginning to see it," replied Jo Ann slowly. "That -was only someone knocking on the door downstairs, but I can't see why -Florence had to answer it. I don't believe Dr. Blackwell would expect her -to go down there alone--in the middle of the night--to answer the door." - -"No, I'm sure he wouldn't," agreed Peggy, "but why did she rush off like -that, then?" - -A few moments later Florence burst into the room, still smiling. "Well, -I've stopped the revolution," she announced, her eyes twinkling. "I -assure you everything is quiet and peaceful, and you won't be disturbed -again. Go back to sleep. You're perfectly safe now." - -"I know I sounded silly, but I was half asleep, and it startled me," Jo -Ann explained apologetically. "I know now it was someone knocking on the -door, but why did you have to answer it?" - -"I suppose it did look funny, the way I rushed out there alone," Florence -replied, "but I knew it was only someone coming for Daddy. I always go -downstairs with him to bolt the door after he leaves." - -"To bolt the door!" repeated Peggy. "Can't he use a key? I never heard of -the whole family having to get up in the middle of the night to escort -someone to the door." - -"Well, I'd much rather bolt the door after him," Florence laughed, "than -go along to carry the key for him." - -"How ridiculous!" Peggy retorted. "People usually carry their own keys, -don't they?" - -"Yes, that's true--but this is an unusual house, you must remember. -You've never seen this key, have you?" - -Peggy and Jo Ann shook their heads. - -"Well, it's solid brass, about that long"--she held up her hands eight -inches apart--"and weighs a pound or more. In olden days they took the -_mozo_ along just to carry the key--when it was necessary to carry it. -We've found that the key makes a better parlor ornament than anything -else." - -"What's a bozo--or _mozo_, or whatever you call it?" asked Peggy. - -"That's what they call a manservant," explained Florence. - -Peggy then turned to Jo Ann and remarked teasingly, "The key--weren't you -hunting for a mysterious key? There you are! Your wish has been granted." - -Disregarding Peggy's remarks, Jo Ann asked eagerly, "Florence, where's -that key? I want to see it." - -"It'll keep till morning," Florence returned, snuggling into bed. "Come -on--it's 'most four o'clock, but we can get a nice little nap before time -to get up." - -"Tell me where the key is, and I'll get it," persisted Jo Ann. "I -couldn't go to sleep for thinking about it--not that it'll help me -though, as Peggy suggested. That's not the kind of key I'm looking for." - -"I don't know exactly where it is," replied Florence. "I'll have to hunt -for it, but if you're that anxious to see it, we'll get it." - -With flashlights blinking, the three pajama-clad figures crept across the -hall and into the parlor, a room that was seldom used. After searching -among several other old relics in a cabinet, Florence finally unearthed -the huge key, tarnished and black from disuse. - -"Here you are," she said, handing it to Jo Ann. "You can look at it the -rest of the night if you want to, but I'm going to bed. Come on, put it -under your pillow or anywhere you wish." - -She led the way back to their room, and she and Peggy quickly crawled -into bed. But Jo Ann sat under the light, turning the key over and over -in her hand, musing. "What a key! Who ever heard of a key so large you -needed a servant to carry it--but how typical of the time when this house -was built. Everything--the walls, the windows, the doors--practically -impenetrable. What a place of refuge in times of war and strife!" - -"Turn out that light," growled Peggy, startling Jo Ann out of her -reverie. "Can't you dream as well in the dark? We want to go to sleep, if -you don't." - -"Oh, I'm sorry--I didn't mean to disturb you," Jo Ann answered, and, -turning out the light, crawled into bed. - -It seemed to Jo Ann that she had scarcely closed her eyes before there -was a knock on the door, and she heard Florence talking to someone. "What -is it this time?" she thought drowsily. "Such a night--just one thing -after another." - -She turned over and dozed off again, but again a voice broke into her -slumbers: "Jo, come on." - -"Why couldn't they leave her alone--or was she dreaming?" - -"It's time to get up, Jo," the voice urged. "Hurry! Juana's not coming -today, and we've got to do the cooking." - -Forcing one eye open, she saw the room filled with sunlight, and Florence -and Peggy already almost dressed. - -"O-oh, I'm so sleepy!" she mumbled between yawns. "I'll get up in a -minute." - -"That's what you get for keeping us awake half the night," scolded Peggy. -"Now hurry up. We've got to get breakfast." - -"What d'you say?" she asked lazily. - -"Come on, Florence, let's pull her out," put in Peggy. "We'll get even -with her for last night." - -Without another word Peggy made a grab for Jo Ann's feet. But Jo Ann was -wide awake in an instant. Like a flash she reached out, and catching -Peggy around the neck, pulled her down on the bed beside her. Laughing -and shrieking, the tussle continued while Florence dropped in a chair, -convulsed with laughter. Over and over the two rolled, first this way, -then that, till they finally landed on the floor, panting for breath. - -"Well--you're awake--now!" gasped Peggy. - -"Did I dream it or did I hear you say something about Juana not coming -today?" Jo Ann asked when she could get her breath. - -"I'm sorry to inform you that you were not dreaming," replied Florence. -"No, she's not coming, and if we eat today we'll have to cook. Her -husband's sister's child died, and she went over there till after the -funeral. Juana's so good I hate to say anything when she misses a day now -and then. The Mexicans have such large families, someone is always dying. -That's why black is almost a uniform with the peon women. They're always -in mourning for someone." - -"Gracious! I'd hate to wear black all the time," shuddered Peggy. - -"Well, this won't get breakfast or clean up the house," said Jo Ann, -dressing rapidly. "Come on, let's get busy. This is just the opportunity -I've been waiting for." - -"Why the sudden ambition?" inquired Peggy quizzically. "It's strange I -have no recollection of your having demonstrated your talent for -housework before." - -"Oh, I don't mind cooking," returned Jo Ann. "But that's not what I'm -talking about. I've been trying to get in that kitchen without Juana -there so I could poke around in all the corners to my heart's content." - -"Oh, I see!" laughed Peggy. "While we work, you search out the mysteries -of----" - -"Girls! Girls! Whatever shall I do with you?" put in Florence, laughing. -"Which would you rather do?" she added as the trio trooped gaily to the -kitchen. "Go to market or have breakfast first? Since Daddy's already had -his breakfast, it makes no difference which we do." - -"It's all the same to me," replied Peggy. "I'm not the least bit hungry, -and I'd rather enjoy the walk." - -"Someone has to stay here to look after the house and answer the door," -Florence went on. "Since you girls can't very well do the marketing, I'll -go with you, and we'll leave Felipe here. This will be one morning you -won't have to be bothered with him, Jo." - -"Wait a minute," cut in Jo Ann. "I have a better plan than that. Let's -have breakfast right now; then, while you and Felipe go to market, Peg -and I'll stay here and wash the dishes." - -"I can't let you do that!" exclaimed Florence in dismay. "And, anyway, -what'd you do if someone came to see Dad?" - -"Oh, I'd say _en un momento_ [in a minute] and sit them down in the -office till you got back," Jo Ann answered lightly. "You see, what I -really want is to get rid of the watchdog for a little while, and that -seems to be the only way of doing it." - -"Well--under--one condition," said Florence hesitantly. "If you'll -promise not to do anything daring or dangerous in any way, then I'll let -you stay here." - -"I'll do my best to keep her straight," promised Peggy. - -"You do have a time with me, don't you?" laughed Jo Ann. "I'll promise to -be good this time." - -As soon as breakfast was over, Florence started off to market, with the -faithful Felipe trailing along behind. At last Peggy and Jo Ann had the -house to themselves. They stacked and carried the dishes to the kitchen, -and then Jo Ann quickly placed her stack on the table and walked to the -door. From there she started across the room in front of the huge -fireplace. - -"One--two--three," she counted, pacing the distance to the wall across -the room, "four--five." Then, turning, she measured the distance back -again. - -"I guess that's right," she mumbled to herself. - -"What in the world are you doing now?" asked Peggy disgustedly from -across the room. "Have you lost your mind?" - -"Don't bother me. Seventeen--eighteen----" - -"Josephine Annette Cutrer, are you going to help with these dishes?" -insisted Peggy. - -There was no response from Jo Ann. By that time she had gone out the door -and was pacing the length of the hall. - -"Peg! Oh, Peg! Come here quick!" she called excitedly in another moment. -"I knew I was on the right track. Look!" Again she paced the length of -the hall from the door, back. "You see," she explained, "there's about -eight feet difference in the distance on this side of the wall and that -in the kitchen." - -"What do you mean?" asked Peggy in surprise. "It's bound to be the same." - -"But it isn't. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Now, if the wall -measures less on this side, wouldn't you figure there was some reason for -it?" - -"Why--yes, I suppose so." - -"Well, then! What would you call a space eight feet deep--and with a -window in it?" - -Peggy stared, wide-eyed. "Why, Jo! You mean--there's a room back there?" - -"Exactly! It couldn't be anything else," Jo Ann replied, taking the shade -off the light. "Here, hold this light at this angle so it'll shine on the -middle of this wall." - -"Is that right?" asked Peggy, trying to do as she was told. - -"No, shine it over a little to your left." The next moment Jo Ann -exclaimed in disgust, "Oh, gee! It's so dark in this corner, even that -doesn't do much good. Wish I had a light 'way back here." - -"Wait a minute. I'll get my flashlight," called Peggy, running quickly to -her room. - -"Now, is that better?" she asked a moment later. - -"Yes, but--here, hand me the flashlight." Jo Ann reached over for the -flashlight. "Now you hold the other one. Two lights ought to be better -than one," she added, gazing intently at the wall from first one angle -then another. "Peg, am I seeing things, or is there a shadow across the -wall?" she asked a few minutes later, holding the light close. - -Peggy shook her head. "I can't see a thing." - -"Put that light down and come here! Now, look--right here!" Jo Ann -pointed, running her hand across the wall. "And over here! I can feel a -sort of dent in the wall. Don't you see it?" - -"Oh--I--believe--I do," Peggy answered slowly, then, "Yes, I do see it -now. I'm sure I do!" - -"There used to be a narrow door right here!" cried Jo Ann excitedly. "I -knew it! I knew it! I told you the key to the mystery lay behind that -window." Grabbing Peggy, she danced her hilariously around the hall. - - - - - CHAPTER X - THROUGH THE MYSTERIOUS WINDOW - - -Their dance came suddenly to an end when Peggy exclaimed, "Jo, stop! -Hush! There's someone coming up the stairs." - -"Oh, do you suppose it's Florence? We haven't washed a dish." - -"And whose fault is it, I wonder?" Peggy retorted teasingly. - -In a few more moments a decrepit, half-blind old man, led by a small, -wizened-faced boy, appeared at the head of the stairs. - -Jo Ann gave a long sigh. "They must be patients for Dr. Blackwell. I'll -have my troubles now trying to talk to them." - -"Can't you ask them what they want?" - -"I'll try. Let's see. Ah--_que queres_ [what do you want]?" she finally -managed in Spanish. - -The old man mumbled a reply, but Jo Ann could not understand a single -word. - -"Do you want _el doctor_?" she asked again. Once more the old man mumbled -an unintelligible reply. - -Jo Ann turned to Peggy. "I can't make out a thing he says. What'd we -better do? Take them into the office and let them wait? Florence always -tries to persuade the patients to wait for her father." - -"I don't know what to say," replied Peggy doubtfully. "I've never seen -such pitiful-looking specimens of humanity in my life. They look like -charity cases to me, but maybe you'd better try to hold them." - -"Well, I'll try--if I can make them understand." - -With renewed efforts Jo Ann struggled to make herself understood, using a -mixture of Spanish and English and gesturing vigorously with her hands. - -Not the slightest change came over the expressionless faces of the man -and boy. - -In despair Jo Ann turned again to Peggy. "They're hopeless," she -declared. "I give up. Let's just leave them standing here." - -As soon as she had stopped talking, the boy took the old man by the hand -and led him down the stairs and into the street. - -"I'm sorry I couldn't hold them," sighed Jo Ann, dropping down on the -steps to rest after her strenuous efforts. - -"Come on," urged Peggy. "Let's finish the dishes before Florence gets -back." - -"All right. We'll have to hurry." - -Returning to the kitchen, they attacked the dishes energetically, though -talking over the discovery of the hidden room all the time. - -"While you put things away," offered Jo Ann, "I'll sweep, and -everything'll be straight in a jiffy." - -When they had almost finished, Florence appeared in the doorway. - -"How smart you've been!" she praised, glancing around the kitchen -approvingly. "You didn't have time to get into mischief, did you?" - -"We've had time to make a wonderful discovery!" exclaimed Jo Ann quickly. -"Guess what we've found!" - -"What--the family skeleton?" - -Ignoring Florence's sarcastic remark, Jo Ann went on rapidly, "We've -found the door to a mysterious room at the end of the hall!" - -"A door! A room!" Florence gasped. "What're you talking about?" - -With her words tumbling over each other in her excitement, Jo Ann began -explaining the details of their discovery. - -"It seems almost unbelievable that there's a hidden room in this house," -Florence exclaimed, wide-eyed as she wheeled about to examine the shadow -of the doorway by the flashlight. - -"There's a door there, all right--I can see it," she agreed finally. "But -what--why do you imagine anyone sealed it up?" - -Peggy shook her head dubiously and replied, "I haven't the slightest -idea." - -"I'm not sure about that either," put in Jo Ann, "but I do know that the -mysterious window opens into this hidden room." - -"I believe you're right," Peggy agreed quickly. "I believe it does." - -"I do, too," added Florence. "But what do you suppose is inside this -hidden room? That _is_ a mystery!" - -"I'll be able to explain that before long," declared Jo Ann. "I'm going -to look through that window this very day." - -"Oh, Jo, do be careful," warned Florence. "I'm afraid you'll be----" - -Before Florence could finish her sentence, Peggy broke in with, "If you -go, Jo, I'm going up on the roof with you." - -"All right--that suits me. If things work out right, I'm going during the -siesta hour. I slipped past the watchdog once--surely I can slip into the -office without getting caught----" She stopped suddenly. "Mentioning the -office reminds me that two patients came while you were gone, Florence. I -did my best to hold them, but I didn't succeed--I couldn't make them -understand a word. They looked stupid to me." She went on to give a vivid -description of their appearance. - -Before she had finished, Florence began to smile. - -"What's the joke?" Jo Ann demanded. - -"I'm glad you didn't hold them--they weren't patients at all," Florence -replied, still smiling. "That was just a poor old beggar who comes by -every few days." - -Peggy burst into laughter. "That makes Jo's efforts to hold them all the -funnier. I wish you could have seen her--she talked with her hands as -much as she did with her mouth." - -"She's a true Mexican, then," laughed Florence. "That's the way they do. -But this won't get us anything to eat. We're going to have your fried -chicken today. How does that suit you, Peg?" - -Peggy nodded approval. "Fine! Who says I don't rate high in this -household?" - -"Don't get so conceited," teased Florence. "I just thought that'd be the -easiest thing to fix." - -Joking and laughing over their work, the morning passed quickly. - -As soon as lunch was over and the girls had gone to their room for the -siesta hour, Jo Ann pulled a pair of knickers from her trunk and began -putting them on. "It'll be much easier to climb in these, and I won't be -nearly as conspicuous," she remarked to the girls. - -"Since I'm not going to do as much climbing as you are, I won't bother -about changing," put in Peggy. - -"Peep out the door, Florence," Jo Ann ordered a moment later, "and see -where Felipe is. If he's awake, get him out of the way. We can't wait any -longer--we'll have to hurry, or we can't get through before the city -wakes from its siesta." - -"W-ell," she agreed hesitantly, walking over to the door. The next moment -she called over her shoulder, "He's awake. I'll have to put him to work -at something." She disappeared into the hall. - -"I'm so excited I can scarcely wait," Jo Ann went on as she finished -dressing. "Let's see--I'll need my flashlight. By the time I get in that -narrow opening, there won't be much space left for the light to filter -through." - -"Have you the rope?" asked Peggy. "Do you suppose it'll take you as long -to fasten it as it did before? Gee, I hate to think of that sun!" - -"You forget the parasol's still up there. I've got everything I need. Are -you ready?" - -Just then Florence returned and announced that she had sent Felipe to -sweep the kitchen. - -Thus assured that Felipe was out of the way, the girls slipped quickly to -the balcony. - -Unfastening the string from the hinge where they had left it, the rope -dropped within reach. With the flashlight fastened to the back of her -belt, Jo Ann climbed, hand over hand, up to the roof. - -As soon as she had helped Peggy over the ledge and slipped the rope off -the iron bar, the two girls hurried on across the roof. They did not want -to stay in the sun longer than necessary or climb back to the balcony -before a crowd of spectators. - -"Isn't this view gorgeous!" exclaimed Peggy, running first to one side of -the building and then to the other, to gaze down on the city lying -quietly below. - -"Yes," nodded Jo Ann, busily making the necessary preparations for her -hazardous adventure. "Bring me the parasol a minute, will you?" - -"All right, but what in the world are you going to do with a parasol?" - -"Wait a minute and you'll see. I've got to fasten this rope to the wall -by poking it through this little hole--left here for a drain I suppose. -You'll notice the roof slopes down this way a little." - -"Yes, I see, but how'll that fasten it?" - -"Well, I'll tie this stick"--Jo Ann held up a piece of wood--"to the end -of the rope, then push it through the hole." Suiting her words to action, -she began poking it with the parasol. "Climb up on the wall and tell me -when it comes through, will you?" - -"All right," said Peggy, scrambling up on the wall. "It's through!" she -called a moment later. - -"Now--you see the stick hangs across the opening, making sort of an -anchor for the rope," Jo Ann explained. "Isn't it lucky for me that hole -was in the right place? I'd surely hate to drive another iron bar in this -wall. It's terrible!" - -"Wh-ew!" Peggy gasped as she looked down over the wall. "It's so high on -this side of the house, you'd break every bone in your body if you fell -on these cobblestones!" - -"Cut out the dramatics, Peg," scolded Jo Ann. "I'll be careful. Tell me -if the loop on the end of the rope comes just a little below the window," -she added, testing the knots in the rope. - -"Yes, it's all right." - -"Fine! Everything's ready, then--ready for the great adventure--the -solving of the mystery." The next moment Jo Ann was over the edge of the -wall. - -Peggy watched, breathless, till Jo Ann disappeared; then, throwing -herself across the wall and oblivious of the intense heat of the stones, -she watched anxiously as Jo Ann descended the sheer side of the building. - -With the utmost caution Jo Ann slowly made her way down the rope. -Carefully she lowered herself from knot to knot. A false move might be -dangerous. "It's lots more dangerous than I realized," she told herself. - -On a level with the window she stopped. Then, while standing in the loop -on the end of the rope and clinging tightly to it with one hand, she -tried to get a fingerhold in the opening. Unfortunately, on a wall that -was over two feet thick and perfectly smooth, it was not possible; -moreover, it was exceedingly difficult for her, while clinging to a rope -high in the air, to crawl into an opening only two feet high and four -feet across. Holding tightly to the rope with both hands, she finally -swung her feet into the window, but could get no further. In this -half-sitting position her head and shoulders came above the top of the -opening. - -"To think I'm in the window and yet can't look inside!" she exclaimed -aloud. - -"What's the matter?" called Peggy anxiously. - -"Oh, I'm just too big to get into this hole!" she answered disgustedly. - -"Well, come back up here, then. Give up this foolishness while you're all -in one piece." - -"What! Give up when I'm this near? I should say not!" Jo Ann's voice was -emphatic. - -She began wriggling and twisting more determinedly than ever, and at -last, after repeated efforts, she managed to stretch herself across the -broad ledge, with her feet dangling in the air. After resting a moment, -she worked herself around till she faced the mysterious room. - -Immediately she felt cold air against her face and caught whiffs of a -dank, musty odor. - -Her heartbeats quickened as she realized how near she was to solving the -mystery. What secret lay concealed within these walls? - -Unfastening the flashlight from her belt, she threw its rays around in -the darkness. Blank walls, stained with age, loomed before her. As nearly -as she could judge, this tiny, high-ceilinged room was only about six by -ten feet, and the window in which she lay, about fifteen feet from the -floor. - -The room appeared perfectly bare. Not an object of any sort was to be -seen. For what had it been used? Since it had at one time been connected -with the rest of the house, there was bound to have been some reason for -its construction. - -"Peggy and Florence'll have the laugh on me if there's nothing in this -room and I've had all this work for nothing," she thought. "There ought -to be something to show what it was used for." - -Again casting the rays of her light over every inch of the room, she -stopped suddenly on noticing the curious appearance of the floor. One -half of it was the dull gray color of the cement, and the other half, -black. - -Taking the string from her belt, she fastened it securely to the -flashlight and carefully lowered it down the wall into the room. As the -rays shone directly on the floor, she gasped in surprise. The black strip -was an open shaft! - -"Why is it there?" she asked herself. "Where does it lead?" - -Peggy called down just then, "Jo! Oh, Jo! Come on. It's time to go, and -I'm roasting." - -Jo Ann kicked her feet in response. Why would Peggy interrupt her at such -a time? - -By twisting and turning the string she was able to throw the light back -and forth along the shaft. Carefully she examined it. There was some -object at one end of it, she was sure, but in the dim light she could not -distinguish what it was. - -Again Peggy's impatient voice floated down to her. - -"Oh dear, there's Peg calling again," she groaned. "I suppose I'll have -to go now, but I'm coming back--with more light and more rope." - -Just as she started to wind up the string, it suddenly slipped through -her fingers. Down fell the flashlight to the floor, then rolled over and -disappeared down the black hole. - -As its rays shone on the sides of the shaft, Jo Ann caught sight of -something which made her gasp in surprise. In her excitement she almost -fell off the ledge in her attempt to get a better look at this object. - -"Why! This is a bigger mystery than I ever dreamed!" she ejaculated -aloud. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - THE HASTILY PLANNED MERIENDA - - -Thrilled with delight over what she had discovered, Jo Ann could scarcely -wait to share the secret with Peggy and Florence. Things were working out -to her entire satisfaction at last. - -With the utmost caution she eased herself around on the stone ledge. -Nothing must happen now to prevent the further investigation of this -mysterious room. - -As soon as Jo Ann's head appeared outside the opening, Peggy called -eagerly from the roof, "Jo, did you find anything?" - -"Why, of course!" she called back. "Isn't that what I came for?" - -"What is it?" - -"Wouldn't you like to know!" - -"Jo, don't be so mean. Was there a room?" - -"I'll tell you later." Lying flat on her stomach, Jo Ann reached for the -rope. - -Getting out of the opening, she found, was much more simple than getting -into it. With little difficulty she pulled herself out of the window and -slowly climbed to the roof. - -"What'd you discover? Tell me, Jo," pleaded Peggy. "Was it worth the -trouble?" - -"I should say so. I'll tell you all about it when we get off the roof. -Let's hurry down before the people begin to stir in the streets." - -"All right. I'm about roasted." - -"I've found a real mystery this time," Jo Ann added as she pulled the -rope up over the edge of the roof. - -"If you say any more, I'll die of curiosity before we get off this roof." - -"And I'll leave you right here, too," Jo Ann returned lightly. "Before -that happens, though, push the rope in that hole a little to loosen it so -I can catch hold of the stick with the parasol." - -Obediently Peggy dropped to her knees and began pushing the rope while Jo -Ann reached for the other end with the hooked handle of the parasol. -After working for several minutes she managed to get hold of the rope and -slip the stick out of the knot at the end. Peggy easily pulled the rope -through the hole then, and off they started across the roof. - -"I'll have this rope fixed back on the bar in a jiffy now; then we can -get off this hot roof," Jo Ann remarked. - -As soon as she had tied the rope on the bar and tested the knot she -added, "You first, Peg. You've been in the sun longer than I have. Let me -help you. It's a little hard getting over the wall." - -"What do you think I am--a baby?" asked Peggy with injured dignity. "I -can do it if you can." - -"Oh, I beg your pardon," laughed Jo Ann. "When you get down I'll lower -the parasol to you. Be sure to keep a sharp lookout for Dr. Blackwell and -Felipe. I don't dare to let them see me in these knickers--they'd know -I'd been up to something unusual. I'm more anxious than ever now to keep -our adventures a secret till we solve the whole mystery." - -Peggy nodded assent as she leaned over the wall and looked down. The next -moment she exclaimed in surprise, "I wonder where Florence is! I thought -she'd surely be waiting for us on the balcony, didn't you?" - -"Yes. She's probably worried frantic--we've been gone so long. Be sure to -be as quiet as you can now till you find out whether anyone's in the -office." - -Quietly Peggy slipped over the edge of the wall and down the rope to the -balcony. Tiptoeing to the door, she peeped into the office. To her -consternation there was Dr. Blackwell dozing in his chair by the desk. - -After waving an excited warning to Jo Ann she hesitated a moment, -debating whether to stay on the balcony or to slip by Dr. Blackwell and -see if Felipe were asleep in his chair by the door. - -"If Felipe's still asleep, I'll signal Jo to come on," she told herself. - -Softly she crept into the office. When she had almost reached the hall -door, Dr. Blackwell suddenly gave a little start and looked around. - -"Why, Miss Peggy--I thought you were asleep!" he exclaimed. - -"Well--I--I didn't want to sleep this afternoon," she stammered. "I'm -sorry I disturbed you. Do go on and finish your nap." - -As she hastened out of the room she saw Felipe turn and look at her in -surprise. - -"He's wondering where I've been--how I got into the office without his -seeing me," she thought. "Poor Jo's in bad luck again, with both Dr. -Blackwell and Felipe awake. I knew we were staying up there too long. I -wonder how on earth Florence and I'll ever manage to get both the doctor -and Felipe away from the office long enough to give her a chance to get -to her room." - -As she was crossing the hall she met Florence coming from the rear. - -The moment they got inside their room Florence asked anxiously, "Where's -Jo--is she all right? I've been worried to death over you girls." - -"She's caught up on the roof again. Your father's in the office, and -she's scared to come down for fear he'll ask her some embarrassing -questions. Those knickers'd give her away. If I hadn't had on a dress, -I'd have been caught." - -Florence nodded understandingly. "I know he'd be shocked if he saw Jo in -knickers. Girls never wear knickers in the city. He'd know she'd been up -to something." - -"What'll we do? We can't let her stay up there all afternoon. Can't you -think of some plan to get your father and Felipe out of the way a few -minutes?" - -Florence wrinkled her brows in a thoughtful frown. "I don't know what to -say. Let's see. The only thing I can think of is to make some coffee and -invite Dad to our _merienda_ in the dining room." - -"That's fine, but what about Felipe?" - -"We'll have to decide that later. Come on; we'll fix the coffee, and by -the time it's ready maybe we can think of something for him to do." - -Hastily they prepared coffee and dainty sandwiches, then went to the -office for Dr. Blackwell, who promptly accepted the invitation to the -_merienda_. - -"We'll join you in the dining room in a minute," Florence told him. - -As soon as Dr. Blackwell had left the office and Florence had sent Felipe -to the drugstore for some ice cream, Peggy grasped this opportunity to -call Jo Ann. She flew to the balcony and whistled softly. The moment Jo -Ann's head appeared over the wall she called, "The coast's clear. You'll -have to hurry, though." - -Jo Ann needed no urging to get off the roof. She literally dropped to the -balcony, drew the rope up and fastened the cord in its accustomed place, -then ran to her room. - -In an amazingly short time she emerged looking cool and fresh in a soft -green dress. Meeting Felipe in the hall with the ice cream, she offered -to carry it to the dining room. - -When they were almost through their lunch Felipe announced that a patient -was waiting to see _el doctor_. - -The moment Dr. Blackwell was out of hearing Peggy burst out, "Jo, tell us -quickly, before anything else happens, what you found in that room." - -"I found plenty. There's a bigger mystery than we ever dreamed of." - -"Well, tell us--what is it?" insisted Peggy. - -"Yes, do hurry, Jo," added Florence. "I can't wait another instant." - -"Well, I'll start at the beginning," Jo Ann replied. "When I finally got -in that window--I had to lie on my stomach to do it--all I could see was -a small dark room. There was the odor of decaying wood or something--it -smelled old and stale." - -"Oh, do you s'pose they could've used that room as a sort of dungeon or -cell and left people in there to die?" gasped Peggy, wide-eyed. - -"I hardly think so--there wasn't a thing to suggest that. It was -perfectly bare. I thought for a while you girls had the laugh on me this -time. I hated to admit I'd gone on a wild-goose chase. I was just about -ready to turn around and climb back to the roof when I decided to look -again, and then----" She paused dramatically. - -Both girls waited breathlessly, then Peggy ejaculated, "Go on! Don't keep -us in suspense any longer." - -"Then I threw the light over the floor again and noticed one half of it -was black while the other half was gray. Now what do you suppose that -black strip was?" - -Peggy and Florence shook their heads. "How do we know?" said Peggy. "Go -on." - -"I couldn't tell either, in the dim light. Then I tied my flashlight on a -string and lowered it down as far as possible. That black strip -was--a--black--_hole_!" - -"I don't see anything wonderful about that," scoffed Peggy. - -"Why do you suppose they'd have a hole like that in a house?" put in -Florence. - -"That's just what I was wondering," said Jo Ann. "When the string slipped -out of my hand and the light fell bumping down the hole, I----" - -"How could it bump down a hole?" broke in Peggy skeptically. - -"Well, it did--and that's what I got so excited about." She paused again. - -"Cut out the dramatics," Peggy ordered impatiently. - -"Now, young lady, if you don't like the way I'm telling this, I'll stop -right here." Jo Ann smiled teasingly. - -"Oh, do go on," begged Florence. - -"Well, then--as the light bumped over and over, I saw remnants of a crude -ladder or steps of some sort. There seemed to be some rough heavy -poles--something on the order of that scaffold the workmen used--but it -looked as if there were steps between the poles. I couldn't see very -well." - -"But how could there be pieces of wood left in there if this house is as -old as you said it was?" demanded Peggy. "It'd all be decayed long ago." - -"Not in this climate," put in Florence quickly. "Are the doors of the -house decayed? You see the air in this country is so dry that things do -not deteriorate as they do in the ozone belt." - -"Why should they have a ladder in such a place?" queried Peggy. - -"Use your head, Peg," advised Jo Ann. "You know the door to the hidden -room opens right at the end of this dark hall." She gestured toward the -hall. "Think how convenient it'd have been to have a secret passage -leading from there!" - -"Oh, I see what you mean!" Peggy exclaimed. - -"But what would they want a secret passage for?" asked Florence. - -"At the time this house was built," replied Jo Ann, "there were -rebellions and wars going on much of the time, and that secret passage -may have been the means of escape, or it may have led to a hiding place. -I can imagine several reasons why it would have been convenient." - -"Where do you suppose it goes?" Peggy asked curiously. - -"I have a very good idea about that right now, but I'll tell you later. -I'm going down there and find out." Jo Ann tilted her chin at a -determined angle. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - FLORENCE'S SURPRISE - - -"Felipe certainly did look funny when you marched in with this big -package in your arms," laughed Peggy as she and Jo Ann entered their -room. "He was probably wondering why you hadn't taken him along to carry -it for you." - -"So I noticed. His eyes were big as saucers, and he seemed to be trying -to bore through the wrapping paper." Jo Ann smiled complacently as she -removed the paper from the package and took out a coil of rope twice as -long as the one she had slipped into the house inside the parasol a few -days before. "It seems strange, doesn't it, to have to carry paper to the -market with you to get your package wrapped, as I did this morning." - -Peggy nodded. "It's a good thing you had that paper in your trunk. How -are you going to fix that rope now that you have it--make a rope ladder?" - -"No; I'm going to make loops in it as I did in the other piece. This -hand-twisted _ixtle_ rope--that's the Mexican name for it--is so wiry -that I'd have a time trying to make a ladder out of it. Florence said the -Aztecs made this same kind of rope before the Spanish came to this -country. It's so stiff we'll have no trouble getting our feet into the -loops, and it'll be almost as easy to climb as a ladder." - -With deft fingers Jo Ann began tying the loops in the rough fiber rope. - -"It seems to me you'll have to make lots of loops so you can climb 'way -down in that black hole--or shaft, as you call it," Peggy observed. - -"I know that. I'll have to figure out the depth of the shaft so I'll be -sure to have enough rope to reach that far." - -When Florence came into the room a few minutes later, Jo Ann turned to -her and asked, "Do you know how high the first floor of this building -is?" - -Florence shook her head. "I haven't the slightest idea." - -"Well, I'll have to figure it out some way. I can't afford to get 'way -down there in that shaft and find out I haven't enough rope." - -"Why don't you talk about what _we're_ going to do instead of _I_ all the -time?" put in Peggy. "If you think you're the only one who's going to -explore that shaft, you're badly mistaken--I'm going too." - -Jo Ann half smiled and answered slowly, "Well--all right--if you aren't -afraid." - -"Afraid! Why should I be afraid, any more than you? I can go anywhere you -can. I don't go around hunting for trouble the way you do, but I don't -lose my head when I get in a tight place. You'll probably need me, at any -rate, if you're going down in that shaft." - -"That's true," Jo Ann admitted. - -"Just to prove how helpful I can be," went on Peggy, "I'll tell you how -to find out the height of the first floor. Drop enough rope from the -balcony to touch the street, then pull your rope up and measure it." - -"Good headwork," approved Jo Ann, to Peggy's delight. "I--no, we--will do -that the first chance we have. Since you were so kind as to solve that -problem, I'll give you a much harder one to figure out. It's this--how -and to what are we going to fasten this rope so we can go down into the -shaft? There's nothing in that room to which we could fasten it." - -Peggy silently considered this puzzle for a few minutes, then said -slowly, "I can't answer that right now, but I'll keep on thinking till I -do." - -Florence, who had been unusually quiet up to now, spoke up encouragingly, -"Jo's always managed so far to do what seemed impossible, and she'll be -sure to find a way to fasten the rope, if you don't." - -"I hope your prophecy comes true," Jo Ann said, smiling over at Florence. -"I believe I'd better go out and take a look at the back of the house -before it gets dark and see if I can't figure out a way right now. I'm -ready to stop, anyway. This rough rope has almost blistered my hands. -Don't you girls want to go with me?" - -"I do for one," Peggy replied quickly. "I'm tired of the house--and it's -lovely outside now. There's a gorgeous sunset." She pointed out the -window to the rose and gold clouds floating across the azure sky. - -"Let's all go," agreed Florence. - -With one accord the three girls hastened down the stairs. - -"Let's go on out to the Plaza and watch the sunset a few minutes before -we go back of the house," Peggy urged when they reached the door. - -The girls nodded assent, and arm in arm they started walking slowly -around the square, drinking in the beauty of the slow tropical sunset as -they went. - -"I've never seen a more beautiful sight," declared Jo Ann as she gazed at -the towers of the ancient cathedral and the rugged mountains beyond, -outlined against the western sky. "It looks as if golden flames were -bursting from each peak and touching everything with gold." - -Just as she had finished speaking, a dark-robed figure moved from the -arched gateway of the church and came slowly toward them. - -"Isn't that the _padre_ coming from the church, Florence?" Jo Ann asked. -Nothing, no matter how beautiful, could keep her mind long from the one -thing which had become an obsession with her. "Maybe he can give us some -information about the church. Let's ask him." - -"It won't hurt to try, of course," replied Florence, "but I hardly think -it'll do any good." - -They crossed the street and met the _padre_ on the corner. - -"How do you do, Padre Ignacio," said Florence in Spanish. "May we speak -with you a moment?" - -"May the Mother of Jesus bless you," the _padre_ replied. As he passed -her house several times a day, he knew Florence, although she did not -belong to his church. "It will give me the greatest of pleasure to be of -assistance to the señoritas." - -"Ask him if he knows anything about the early history of the church," -begged Jo Ann. "You know my Spanish isn't anything to brag about." - -After introducing Peggy and Jo Ann, Florence carefully explained that -these American girls were very much interested in his church on account -of its great age, the type of architecture, and its connection with the -early history of the city. "This señorita," she said, placing her hand on -Jo Ann's arm, "is studying the history of our city and is eager to get -all the information she can on the subject, and we would appreciate it -very much if you could tell us anything that will be of assistance in -making this study." - -The _padre_ listened attentively until Florence had finished, then shook -his head and replied, "I am very sorry, my dear young ladies, that I -cannot help you, but I have been in this part of the country only a few -years--only since the change in government, when the priests and teachers -of God were expelled. Ah, _Madre de Dios_, but that was bad, very bad!" -he added sorrowfully, shaking his head. "It pains me greatly not to be -able to help you but, though I feel very much honored that you are -interested in my humble church, I know nothing about its early history." - -"We thank you very much, Padre," replied Florence. "We shall come over to -visit your church again. A _muy buenas tardes_ [a very good afternoon]," -she added, and Peggy and Jo Ann echoed, "_buenas tardes_." - -"_Buenas tardes, señoritas._" With a bow the _padre_ continued on his -way. - -"Too bad we couldn't get any help from him," Jo Ann remarked after he had -passed out of hearing distance. "It certainly is hard to find out -anything about that old church. Let's go now and look at the back of the -house and try to figure out a way to fasten the rope." - -They crossed the street and stood gazing intently at the back wall of the -house. - -"It looks as if we'll have to tie the rope to the iron bars of that -window in the back room," declared Jo Ann finally. "You see the top of it -is almost on a level with that narrow opening that we've been calling the -mysterious window." - -"But how're you going to get the rope from that back window to the -opening?" queried Florence. - -"Oh, Jo thinks she's a fly or a scorpion and can crawl across the wall," -cut in Peggy. - -Ignoring Peggy's remark, Jo Ann continued, "We'll fasten the rope -securely to the iron bars in that window; then I'll drop down to the -opening as I did before. I believe by sticking my fingers in the crevices -of the rough plaster I can pull myself across the wall near enough to the -window to catch hold of the rope." - -"It's mighty high up there," said Florence, "and that looks like a -difficult thing to do." - -"Those bars are absolutely the only thing to which it can be fastened," -replied Jo Ann. "By standing in the loop on the end of the rope it won't -be as difficult as it looks." - -"Come on; it's almost dark, and we can't stand here on the street any -longer," said Florence. "Dad may be waiting for us to come to dinner, and -he'll be worried." - -"Listen! Why can't we explore the mysterious shaft tonight?" Jo Ann -exclaimed suddenly. "It won't take long to tie the rest of the loops and -test the knots. Everything else is ready--the flashlights and all." - -"Tonight!" gasped Florence, whether in consternation or surprise, Jo Ann -could not decide. - -"Yes, tonight. There's a full moon--it'll be as bright as day out, and -I'm afraid if we wait something'll happen to spoil the whole thing. I'd -just die if I didn't get to carry this out." - -"But why at night?" asked Peggy as they climbed the stairs. - -"Well, why not?" returned Jo Ann. "It won't be any darker in that shaft -at night than in the daytime. You couldn't see your hand before your face -down there right in the middle of the day. We'll carry our flashlights. I -got some more batteries and an extra globe for the one I dropped. I -thought we might need an extra one--that is, if that flashlight isn't -smashed all to pieces." - -"I wish I could go too," said Florence tentatively. - -Jo Ann and Peggy exchanged swift glances, but neither offered one word of -encouragement to Florence. - -Surprised at this request and not knowing how to answer it, Jo Ann and -Peggy were silent as they sat on the balcony waiting the call to dinner. -Lights like fireflies flashed here and there as darkness settled over the -city, and a slight breeze, heavy with the scent of orange blossoms, -stirred the trees across the way. - -Florence finally broke the silence. "Can't I go with you and Peggy, Jo -Ann? I'd be careful." - -Jo Ann and Peggy were thankful at that moment for the darkness. Florence -must not see the look of dismay on their faces. How could they refuse to -let her go with them when it was her house?--and yet both felt that they -dared not. - -"Peggy, ask her to let me go," Florence begged when Jo Ann did not -answer. - -"Florence--you see," began Jo Ann slowly, "it'll be rather dangerous, and -your father'd never forgive us if anything should happen to you." - -"We've had lots more experience climbing than you have," added Peggy. - -"I know, but I can climb that rope," Florence put in coaxingly. "I've -tried it." - -"Why, Florence, you shouldn't have tried it alone!" exclaimed Jo Ann. -"Why didn't you tell us?" - -"I didn't want you to know till I found out whether I could do it. I've -wanted so much to do the things you girls do, but I knew it wouldn't be -safe to go down in that shaft without some practice climbing a rope. I -feel sure I can climb down there now." - -"I can't picture you as a tomboy climbing on top of the house," put in -Peggy, smiling. - -"And here I've been thinking all the time that you were terribly shocked -at our behavior," added Jo Ann. - -Florence shook her head. "Not shocked--just envious. I've been practicing -going up and down that rope every morning before you girls were out of -bed. I can do it easily now. You know last summer at camp I got so I -could climb mountains as well as the rest of the girls, after I'd had a -little experience." - -"You're a plucky little rascal," praised Jo Ann. "If she wants to go with -us that badly, we'll have to let her go, won't we, Peggy?" - -Peggy nodded an emphatic assent. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - INTO THE UNKNOWN - - -After they had gone to their room that night, the girls continued to talk -over their plans for exploring the mysterious black shaft. - -"If we're going to get the benefit of the full moon, we'll have to go -down into the shaft in the next two or three nights, so we might as well -go down tomorrow night," Jo Ann said earnestly. "What do you say to our -going tomorrow night?" - -Florence and Peggy exchanged excited glances, then replied in unison, -"All right." - -The next morning they set to work early to get everything ready for their -great adventure. - -So it was that just as the bells in the cathedral tower finished chiming -the midnight hour, three lithe, knicker-clad figures crept one by one up -on the roof and over near the chimney. - -"We'll have to wait a little while," said Jo Ann, low-voiced. "The moon -isn't up far enough yet for it to throw much light on the rear of the -house. I can't get the other coil of rope out of that back window without -more light." She placed her gloves, flashlight, and rope on the roof -beside her, the other girls following her example. - -"I'm glad we have to wait," Florence remarked. "It's lovely up here in -the moonlight. Wouldn't this be a wonderful place for a roof garden? We -could come up here and enjoy it every----" - -"Listen!" broke in Peggy with her finger to her lips. "I hear music!" - -Obediently Florence and Jo Ann stopped talking to listen. - -"A _caballero_ serenading his lady love," Florence explained in reply to -Peggy's questioning look. - -The next moment Peggy began swaying to the rhythm of the music like a -graceful willow tree in the breeze; then catching Florence by the arm, -she danced her lightly across the roof. - -When they neared Jo Ann again, she called to them softly, "Better not -make so much noise!" - -"No one'd ever dream of looking up here," Peggy murmured over her -shoulder, dancing away and not stopping till the music ended. - -The spell being broken then, the three girls clambered to the top of the -wall and sat there for several minutes looking down on the city below. In -the brilliant tropical moonlight the winding gray paths and dark shadowy -trees and shrubbery of the Plaza were silhouetted against the -white-walled buildings beyond. High above all, like a sentinel on guard -over the sleeping city, rose the bell tower of the cathedral. - -They were still gazing at this enchanting, etching-like picture when the -chimes rang out again. - -Jo Ann gave a little start. "I didn't realize we'd been sitting here so -long. This moonlight's cast a spell over me--I'd almost forgotten what we -came up here for. I'm going over now to see if there's enough light -shining on that back wall for me to get the rope that we fastened to the -iron bars of the window." - -She sprang down lightly and crossed the roof. One glance showed her that -she still had a few minutes to wait before the rays of the moon would -light the back window. As she stood looking out over the rear wall of the -church, her gaze traveled on past the adobe huts toward the river. - -"The moonlight has worked magic," she thought in surprise. "It has -changed that ugly district into a thing of beauty; those dirty adobe huts -look white and shining, and that muddy river, silvery and peaceful. If -only something could transform the lives of the people who live there the -same way! I wish there were something I could do to help them." - -She shook herself slightly. "It won't do any good to stand here dreaming -about it," she said aloud, then turned and called softly to the girls, -"Come on. It's light enough now for me to see to get that rope." - -While she had been talking she had fastened her flashlight to her belt -and slipped on a pair of heavy gloves to protect her hands from the -scratchy fiber rope. That done, she lowered herself over the wall and -slipped down till her feet reached the loop on the end; then holding the -rope firmly under one arm, she dug her fingers into the rough plaster and -moved slowly across the wall. When she had almost reached the window, her -hands slipped. Like the pendulum of a huge clock, she swung back and -forth, clinging tightly to the rope. Simultaneously there was the sting -of fire across her shoulder and arm. Glancing around, she saw that her -shirt was torn and blood was oozing from her shoulder. - -"What's a little thing like that?" she thought. "There's no time to -bother with it now." Maybe if she'd take off her gloves, she could reach -the window. Jerking them off, she tried again and again to get a -fingerhold in the wall to pull herself across, but without success. - -"It's not as simple as I thought," she told herself, wondering what to do -next. - -Hearing a soft whistle just then, she glanced up where Peggy and Florence -were watching from the roof. Peggy was gesturing excitedly as if she were -trying to tell her what to do. What could she mean? - -The next moment she felt the end of the heavy cord dangling in her face, -and immediately she understood. She grasped the cord and fastened it -securely to the rope to which she was clinging; then with Peggy and -Florence pulling on the cord from the roof, she found it easy to move -across the wall. There was no danger of slipping now. Having braced -herself with one foot between the iron bars of the window, she unwound -the coil of rope which she had fastened there from the inside earlier in -the evening. After testing it to see that the end was securely fastened -to the bars, she whistled softly to the girls. At once the cord -slackened, and she swung slowly back with the end of the long, knotted -rope in her hand. - -On reaching the narrow window she pitched the rope through, then wriggled -herself onto the ledge. After turning on her stomach she had both hands -free to unfasten her flashlight. - -Anxiously then she waited for Florence to descend. By having her come -between them she and Peggy felt they could look after her better. But -now, to her amazement, she saw that Florence was fully capable of looking -after herself. She was climbing down slowly and cautiously, but not -timidly. - -Since the narrow window was very small and would hold only one, Jo Ann -knew she must hurry to get out of it. After a hasty examination of the -room below, she lowered herself to the floor, careful to avoid falling -into the open shaft which extended completely across one end. - -The moment she touched the floor she flashed the light upward so as to -help Florence and Peggy in their descent. In a few more moments they were -standing safely beside her. - -"What a strange place!" Peggy said, then added quickly in a whisper, -"I'll wake Dr. Blackwell at this rate." - -"No; talk as loud as you like," replied Jo Ann. "These walls are so thick -I believe you could yell down here without his hearing you." - -The girls stared at Jo Ann in amazement. It seemed -incredible--uncanny--that they could be within a few feet of home and Dr. -Blackwell, and yet he could not hear them. - -With the aid of their flashlights they examined the room from top to -bottom, only to find that except for the rough outlines of the sealed -doorway, it was bare and uninteresting. Half fearfully, then, they stared -down into the shaft. In the surrounding darkness the old ladder looked -white and ghostlike. - -"Why do you suppose they sealed up that door instead of closing up this -hole?" queried Peggy curiously. - -"Because it was much easier to close up the door," replied Jo Ann. "It'd -be hard to conceal as large an opening as this in a cement floor. I have -an idea that the door was sealed up in a hurry to prevent the discovery -of this secret passage. Let's see where it leads. Shine your lights over -this way so I can see," she ordered, climbing over the edge of the floor. - -Slowly she made her way down the rope into the shaft. Now and then she -stopped to kick off a loose step or a jagged splinter from the old ladder -lest it should injure Florence and Peggy, who would follow in a moment. - -Suddenly she gave a little shriek. There to one side of the shaft yawned -the mouth of a low, tunnel-like opening. "O-oh, hurry, girls!" she cried -excitedly. - -"What's the matter?" called Peggy in alarm. "Are you hurt? Be there in a -minute," she added as she started down the rope. - -"I'm not hurt, but I've found something important," Jo Ann called back. - -In a surprisingly short time both Peggy and Florence had dropped down to -the bottom of the shaft beside Jo Ann. With eyes straining to penetrate -the darkness, the girls peered into the tunnel. - -"Come on, let's go inside," urged Jo Ann. Even as she was speaking, she -stooped and entered the low, narrow tunnel. - -Obediently Peggy and Florence followed at her heels. No sooner had they -entered than they began coughing and choking. - -"Don't touch the----" Florence stopped in the middle of her warning to -sneeze loudly; at the same moment such a violent attack of coughing -seized Peggy that she leaned against the wall. - -"Don't lean against--that wall!" gasped Florence, catching her by the -arm. "Whenever you do"--she stopped to sneeze again--"it stirs up a fine -dust. See!" she added, rubbing her finger over the wall. In the rays of -the lights they could see a fine white powder which had formed on the -crumbling stones. "The air's very dry, and the least movement sets the -powder in motion." - -Careful to avoid touching the walls or making a sudden motion that would -stir up the dust, they began examining their surroundings. Before them as -far as they could see stretched the dark passageway, part of its walls -having apparently been cut through natural stone, while the other part -had been lined with blocks of limestone. It was the dust from these -limestone blocks which had choked them, Florence noticed. - -After they had walked a short distance the opening broadened and was much -higher. It was easy to avoid touching the walls now, and even Jo Ann -could stand without bumping her head. With Jo Ann still in the lead they -walked slowly in single file down the passage. All along the way they -kept flashing their lights on the walls and ceiling and floor, watching -carefully lest they overlook something. - -"Where do you suppose we are now, Jo?" called Peggy some minutes later. - -"I don't know for sure, of course, but I think we're headed toward the -old church. I had an idea we'd find something like this." - -"I believe you're right," agreed Florence. "This tunnel must've been used -for a secret exit through the church." - -"I think it's more than just an exit," declared Jo Ann. "They would never -have made this tunnel this broad and high or lined it with stone if it -were to be used merely as a way of escape." - -"What else could it've been used for, then--and who do you suppose ever -had it made in the first place?" Florence asked curiously. - -"I believe your house used to be closely connected with the church in -some way--maybe it was used as a home for the priests. Back in the days -when these buildings were erected, they were always having wars and -revolutions. This tunnel would make it possible for the priests to get -over to the church, no matter what was going on outside. Then just think -what an excellent place this would be to hide anyone or anything! I -believe it was used as a hiding place in war times as well as an----" She -stopped suddenly. "Oh, here's another tunnel!" she exclaimed as she -peered into another large opening in the side of the passageway. "And -this one goes on farther." - -"It looks as if there's a network of passages," put in Peggy excitedly as -she and Florence crowded near Jo Ann to see this discovery. "I wonder -where they go and what they were for." - -"We'll explore them and find out; but we must be careful not to get -lost," cautioned Jo Ann. "No one'd ever know what had happened to us. -They'd think we'd just evaporated in thin air." - -"Ugh!" shuddered Peggy. "Don't even mention such a thing. It gives me the -creeps." - -"Oh, look, here's a little niche in the wall!" exclaimed Florence. "And -look--what is this?" she asked, holding up a queer-shaped piece of dark -metal. - -"It looks like some sort of a candle holder to me," Peggy volunteered. -"The priests must have kept candles there to use when going back and -forth through the----" She stopped abruptly and sprang back, shrieking. -Something black and winged had struck her in the face. - -The next moment Florence cried excitedly, "What is that awful thing?" She -slapped madly at a passing object, then began to sneeze violently. - -For a few moments the air was white with dust about the girls as they -huddled together, choking and gasping. - -"That's--just--bats!" gasped Jo Ann at last, as the air became clearer. -"We frightened--them." - -"You mean--they--frightened us," corrected Peggy. "Aren't we brave, -though?" - -"I'll admit I was startled at first," acknowledged Florence. "I couldn't -imagine what those horrid flapping things were." - -Before venturing any further they looked anxiously all around, but to -their relief they could see no more of the terrifying little creatures. - -"Which way shall we go?" asked Jo Ann. "Straight ahead, or shall we see -where this side tunnel leads?" - -"I'll tell you what to do," suggested Peggy. "While you and Florence -explore that side passage, I'll wait here in this main tunnel. That way -you can't get lost--and if you get frightened, just call me, and I'll -answer so you'll know how to get back." - -"Are you sure you won't be afraid?" asked Jo Ann. "We won't be gone -long." - -"Why, of course I'm not afraid," bragged Peggy. "Anyway, there's nothing -to be afraid of--except those miserable bats, and we've frightened them -away." - -"All right, then," agreed Jo Ann. "You be sure to stay right here." - -Peggy grinned. "Don't worry about me. I'll be all right. It's you two -who're going into the unknown." - -Standing in the opening where the tunnels joined, she watched Florence -and Jo Ann disappear into the darkness. Finally only a dim light -flickered in the distance, then vanished altogether. She was alone--alone -with the dust of the centuries about her. - -Jo Ann's voice floated back just then with surprising clearness. -"Everything all right?" - -"Okay," Peggy called back, more cheerfully than she felt. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - GHOSTLY FIGURES - - -When Jo Ann and Florence had gone only a short distance, they noticed the -tunnel curved so that they could not see Peggy's light. - -"Poor Peg's alone now--she can't even see our lights," said Florence. "I -almost wish we hadn't left her back there." - -"If she'll stay right where we left her, she ought to be all right. But -this is the darkest place I was ever in--spooky, too." - -They walked slowly, stopping every now and then to examine the sides and -top of the tunnel. - -Jo Ann suddenly pointed to the top. "Look up there! There's a crack." - -"Let's go back--that looks scary to me!" Florence exclaimed quickly. "It -might cave in." - -"No, that small a crack couldn't be dangerous. Come on." - -Jo Ann started on again, and reluctantly Florence followed. In spite of -her seeming indifference to danger, Jo Ann was really examining the walls -and top more cautiously than ever. - -"Here's another crack!" she exclaimed a few minutes later. "Maybe there's -been an earthquake near here. They do have earthquakes down here -sometimes, don't they?" - -"Yes, now and then--slight ones," Florence replied. "Don't you think we'd -better go back? Poor Peg may be getting lonesome, and we told her we -wouldn't be gone long." - -Jo Ann half smiled. "Maybe she is, but let's go a little farther. Surely -we'll come to the end of this tunnel soon." - -"There's no telling how long it is--it might be miles long. Let's go -back." - -"In a minute. I see something ahead--something whitish. Maybe it's a -little opening and the moonlight's shining through." Jo Ann stopped and -pointed directly ahead. - -"Oh, I do see it!" Florence exclaimed. "It does look white." - -Eagerly Jo Ann led the way onward, but not without watching for anything -that might be dangerous. When they had gone a few yards farther, she -suddenly cried, "Why, it's a cave-in!" - -"You see--I told you we'd better go back. Come on." Florence turned -around and started toward the entrance. When she had gone only a few -steps she noticed that Jo Ann was not following her. Looking back, she -saw her leaning over, examining the pile of debris and fallen stones. - -"Look! The tunnel's almost blocked by this cave-in!" Jo Ann called. -"There's only a small opening left over here on one side." - -"Well, we can't go any farther, so let's get out before it caves in some -more," insisted Florence. - -"I don't believe there's any danger of that. Look at the dust on these -stones. They've been here for years and years. Maybe a cannon ball -shattered this part of the tunnel in one of the wars." - -"Maybe so, but I'll feel better when we get away from here." A moment -later she cried out in alarm on seeing Jo Ann climb up toward the hole. -"Jo, you mustn't crawl in there!" - -"Why not? I want to see if this is the end of the tunnel. There isn't any -danger. These stones are solid. See, I've felt every one of them." Jo Ann -pushed first one stone, then another, to show that there was no danger of -their slipping; then with her flashlight ahead of her she thrust her head -and shoulders into the opening. - -To her disappointment she could see only a short distance. Eager to see -as far as possible, she wriggled carefully over the jagged stones, -farther into the opening, and held her flashlight at arm's length. - -"Oh, this is nothing but a little cave-in!" she called back in a muffled -tone. "The tunnel goes on a long way. There's no sign of the end of it. -Let's crawl on through." - -"No indeed, I'm not going in that hole," Florence replied promptly. "And -you'd better get out right a----" - -A muffled shriek from Jo Ann broke into her sentence. "Oh, I've dropped -my flashlight on the other side! Now I've--" she stopped to cough -violently--"I've got to crawl through--and get it." - -"Don't crawl clear through--you might not be able to get back!" -Florence's voice was full of anxiety. "Let me hold your feet while you -reach for the flashlight." Without waiting for an answer she grasped Jo -Ann's feet firmly. - -Slowly then Jo Ann wriggled still farther into the hole. The farther she -crawled, the nearer Florence was pulled to the opening. With a sudden -jerk Jo Ann reached over to get her flashlight. In her effort she threw -Florence against the pile of debris and stirred up the fine dust, which -set both of them to coughing and struggling for air. - -"Hurry up--and--crawl--out," begged Florence between gasps. - -"Coming--this instant. Pull me--back. I--can't--make it--by myself." - -Florence laid down her flashlight and began pulling at Jo Ann's feet. - -"Pull harder," Jo Ann grunted. - -"I'm pulling--as hard as I can." - -"I haven't budged. Pull again--and I'll wiggle as hard as I can. These -sharp stones hurt like fury." - -Once more Florence braced herself and pulled with all her strength. The -next moment one of Jo Ann's oxfords slipped off, and Florence was sent -sprawling backward on the floor. In the cloud of dust that arose, -Florence caught a glimpse of Jo Ann's feet disappearing in the hole. - -But Jo Ann and Florence were not the only ones who were having their -troubles. Peggy, too, was having her share. No sooner had the girls' -lights disappeared than she began to get restless. Everything looked so -much more gloomy and alarming in the faint glow of one flashlight. When -she threw its rays directly in front, they penetrated the darkness only a -short distance and cast eerie shadows on the walls near by. - -"It's silly to get scared of the dark and shadows this way," she scolded -herself. - -With an effort she tried to concentrate on the persons who had built -these tunnels. Patient people they must have been to cut these passages -through solid stone with their old crude tools. They were probably Indian -workmen, experienced in cutting stone. It must have taken them years and -years to make these. - -All at once it seemed to her that the shadow on her right took the form -of a crouching Indian. - -"Here I am being silly again," she thought. "It's because I'm standing -still here that I'm nervous. It's lonesome as well as scary, staying -still in a spooky place like this." - -Looking around for something to divert her mind, she noticed the -queer-shaped piece of metal in the niche and wondered what Florence had -done with the other one. "Perhaps she dropped it when the bats frightened -her," she thought. - -She cast the rays of her light over the floor till she finally found the -piece of metal, then placed it back in the niche with its mate. "Jo and I -can use one of these for a candle holder on the little table beside our -bed, and Florence can use the other," she decided. - -Not seeing anything else of interest, she grew more restless than ever. -"I wonder where this tunnel leads. I believe I'll walk down it a little -way. Florence and Jo probably won't be back for several minutes. There's -no sign of their lights yet. I won't go but a few steps. They might call, -and I couldn't hear them." - -She walked slowly a short distance, looking carefully on all sides. When -she had gone about twelve feet she came to a narrow opening on her right. - -She stopped and peered into it as far as her light would permit. "This -place is certainly a network of passages," she thought. "I wonder what -this narrow one's for." - -Her curiosity aroused, she turned into this new passage and kept straight -ahead for a little way. Then as she flashed her light about, she caught a -glimpse of another opening, to her left. Glancing into this opening, she -saw at the farther end what appeared to be a door half ajar. - -Her eyes began to shine. "Surely I'll find something important behind -that door," she thought. "It'd be a rich joke on Jo and Florence if I -should be the one to make some great discovery." - -With her heart thumping rapidly she walked down to the door, peeped in, -then cautiously opened the door wider and stepped inside. To her great -disappointment the room was absolutely bare. - -"Just my luck!" she groaned. "I thought surely I was going to find -something interesting to show the girls." - -Disgusted, she hurried out of the room and back to the passage, then -turned quickly to her left and hastened on. - -"One more turn, and I'll be back in the main tunnel," she told herself. - -When she had gone a short distance, she discovered that the passage -apparently ended a few feet ahead. - -"Why, this isn't the way I came!" she cried in alarm. Her heart seemed to -leap up into her throat, and her eyes dilated in horror. "Why, I'm lost! -Lost!" - -The next moment she ordered herself sternly, "Don't lose your head! Go -back and retrace your steps to that opening. You've taken the wrong -turn--that's all." - -With a fresh grip on her emotions she wheeled about and walked to the -opening from which she had just emerged. - -"Oh, here's where I made my mistake!" she exclaimed in relief. "I turned -to the left instead of the right. What a stupid I was!" - -She started on again and kept straight ahead till she reached the -entrance to the main tunnel. - -As her light shone on the wall directly in front of her she suddenly -halted in surprise. There, a little to her right, was a recess in the -wall with a long, solid-looking panel in the back. - -"That's strange!" she thought. "I wonder what that panel's for." - -She flashed her light straight into the recess this time. In the circle -of light a black metal ring stood out distinctly. Could this -queer-looking panel be a door? If it were, then there was another room -here only a few feet from her. - -Timidly she caught hold of the metal ring the next moment and pulled; to -her disappointment, the panel did not move. - -"There must be a reason for this ring and this panel," she told herself. -"I'll try again, harder." - -Putting her shoulder against the panel, she pushed with all her strength. -There was a sudden, loud, grating noise; then the door swung open with -such force that she lost her balance and fell full length on the floor. - -Her first thought was about her flashlight. What a terrible plight she -would be in if it were broken! Trembling with anxiety, she pressed the -button of her light. Out flashed its rays as brightly as ever. Half -curiously, half timidly she stared into the lighted area. - -The next instant her eyes dilated in terror. What was that -horrible-looking creature directly in front of her! - -"O-o-oh!" she shrieked. "Jo! Jo!" - -After that one shriek her throat contracted with fright, and she lay as -if paralyzed. - -That horrible thing was so near she could almost touch it. Was it man--or -beast--some prehistoric animal? She had never--not even in her wildest -imagination--seen anything like this hideous monster. It stood in an -upright position like a man and had long scrawny arms and legs, and huge -frightful claws which seemed to be reaching out to grab her. Its head was -hunched between its shoulders, and over the whole thing was a long, -scraggly, hairlike covering. - -With eyes fastened on the creature Peggy waited breathlessly. If only the -thing would move or do something! Anything would be better than this -suspense. But still it stood--motionless. If only she could manage to -slide or crawl out of the room! But that monster would be sure to follow -stealthily. Yet she must do something. She _must_ get out of this room. - -Forcing her eyes for a second from the monster, she glanced toward the -door. The next instant she shuddered in fresh terror. There beside the -door, almost at her feet, loomed another monster, taller and more -horrible than the first. - -Almost simultaneously there came a soft thudding sound from the tunnel. -What could that be? Some other menace? It was getting nearer--nearer. - -Suddenly above the thudding sounded a high-pitched voice--Jo Ann's voice! -Jo and Florence were running to her rescue! They had heard her scream. - -"You must get out of this room this instant and warn the girls of their -danger," she commanded herself sternly. - -Carefully, slowly, almost without seeming to move, she backed feet first -toward the door. To reach it she had to pass so close to this other -taller and more horrible creature that she would almost touch it. She -held her breath. Already she could feel the clutch of those clawlike -hands. - -Steeling herself, she inched her body a little nearer. Out of the corner -of her eye she watched those threatening claws. Brown leathery claws they -were--dried--wrinkled--ghastly. - -All at once the reason for their ghastly appearance darted into her -mind--the hideous creatures were _dead_! - -With a cry of relief she sprang to her feet and stumbled through the -door. Just as she stepped into the tunnel, Jo Ann and Florence rushed up, -panting. - -"Peg--what's--the matter?" Jo Ann cried, throwing her arms around Peggy. -"I was afraid something dreadful----" - -"What did happen, Peg?" urged Florence between gasps for breath as she -flashed her light full upon Peggy. - -Struggling to make her voice sound natural, Peggy replied slowly, -"I--was--just scared. I'm--sorry--I frightened you." - -"What frightened you?" Jo Ann put in quickly. "You're white as a ghost." - -"That's what I've been seeing--ghosts! Ugh!" Peggy shivered. - -"This is no time for foolishness. What scared you?" - -"Peep through that door and see for yourself, then," Peggy replied. - -All curiosity, Jo Ann turned quickly toward the open door, Florence at -her heels. The next moment both girls drew back with cries of fright. - -"Horrible!" ejaculated Florence. - -"Horrible!" echoed Jo Ann. "No wonder you were frightened, Peg," she -added quickly. "They're only mummies, but if I hadn't read about them I'd -have been paralyzed. But what made you come up here after you said you'd -stay where we left you?" - -"I got tired waiting for you--I thought you'd never come--so I decided to -explore this tunnel a little way. I got lost for a while; and then on my -way back I found this door. It wouldn't open at first, so I pushed -hard--and then I tumbled head foremost into that room. When I turned on -my light and saw those horrible creatures--well, I 'most died from -fright. I thought they were alive." - -"You poor child," comforted Florence. "We should never have left you -alone." - -"What made you two stay so long?" - -"We went farther than we expected, and Jo got stuck in a hole." - -Peggy turned to Jo Ann. "You would do something like that! What kind of a -hole was it?" - -"Just a little opening in a cave-in. I wanted to see what was on the -other side. I dropped my flashlight over there and got stuck trying to -get it." - -"I had to pull her out--I had a time doing it," Florence added. - -"That wasn't nearly as much trouble as I got into," said Peggy with a -gesture toward the door. "How'd those hideous things ever get in there?" - -"I don't know, I'm sure," replied Jo Ann. "I've read that they've been -found in some parts of Mexico, and that they're different from the -ancient Egyptian mummies in that no preservatives were used. The air in -certain parts of this country has such drying qualities in it that -centuries ago people discovered that they could keep bodies perfectly -without the use of preservatives." - -"Ugh! They don't look perfect to me," put in Peggy. - -Jo Ann stepped to the door, saying, "I'd like to examine those mummies -more closely, but----" - -"That's the way we feel, don't we, Florence?" Peggy said with a half -smile as she and Florence crowded into the doorway. "What is that whitish -stuff on them?" she asked the next moment. - -"I imagine they were wrapped in a sort of shroud when they were put in -there," said Jo Ann, "but it's almost evaporated." - -"Why do you suppose they're standing straight up, Jo?" Peggy queried -curiously. "I should think they'd be in coffins, or something." - -Jo Ann shook her head dubiously. "Some ancient custom, perhaps." - -"Didn't you start out to find the family skeleton, Jo?" asked Florence, -with a twinkle in her eyes. "It seems to me Peggy found it, and all of -its ancestors, for you." - -Peggy shuddered. "It's a good thing I didn't know there were so many -mummies in this room. Let's get away from here. I've seen enough of these -horrible-looking things to last me a lifetime. You have, too, haven't -you, Florence?" - -Florence nodded an emphatic assent and added, "Surely you've looked at -them long enough, Jo. Come on." - -Reluctantly Jo Ann turned to leave. "I'd like to go inside and look over -the room, but since you insist, I s'pose I'll have to go." - -Peggy took a few steps down the passage, calling back over her shoulder, -"Shut the door, Jo. I found it closed, so we'd better leave it that way." - -"All right." Jo Ann caught hold of the ring and pulled on it, but the -door would not budge. - -After pulling on it several more times without success she called out, -"The door's stuck--I'll have to try pushing. Catch hold of the ring and -pull, Peg, while I push, and, Florence, you shine your light in here so I -can see," she added as she stepped into the room. - -Bracing herself against the wall, she slipped her arm into the narrow -space behind the door and began pushing. With one wary glance at the -ghostly figures back of her, Peggy pulled vigorously on the ring. - -Suddenly the door gave a loud grating noise and swung so quickly that -Peggy lost her balance and fell back against the mummies. With a -terrified shriek she sprang back. - -At the same instant Jo Ann felt something hard bump against her leg as -she tumbled back against the wall. Guessing what had happened to Peggy, -she reached for her flashlight hanging to her belt. No sooner had she -flashed on the light than Peggy was by her side, shivering and pale with -fright. - -"Ugh! I fell against those hideous mummies!" she exclaimed. "Let's get -out of here this instant." - -"Something struck me, too," said Jo Ann, glancing down in the corner back -of the door. - -There before her eyes lay several large candelabra. - -"Oh, look here, Peg!" she cried excitedly. - -"They're just old iron candlesticks," Peggy replied shortly. "Come on." - -Not heeding Peggy's words, Jo Ann reached down and picked up one of them -and began examining it closely. "I believe this is gold--a golden -candelabrum!" she exclaimed admiringly. "Look at the lovely design on the -base--and aren't the branches beautifully shaped!" - -Just then Florence peered around the half-open door and called out, -"What's happened to you two? Why don't you come on out?" - -"We've made a wonderful discovery," replied Jo Ann. "Come here and see." - -As soon as Florence came inside Jo Ann pointed triumphantly to the -candelabra. "They're gold--maybe solid gold!" - -After a moment's tribute of silence Florence remarked, "They're -beautiful. I don't believe they're all gold; those darker ones are -probably silver and tarnished with age." She reached down and lifted one -of the duller-looking candelabra. "It certainly is heavy. Isn't this -design on the base exquisite?" As she placed it back on the floor she -added, "I believe all these belong to the church." - -"Probably they were hidden here long ago during some war or revolution -and then forgotten," Jo Ann said thoughtfully. "Maybe the persons who put -them here were killed, and so----" She stopped abruptly, then began -again, "I shouldn't wonder if there were more valuable things hidden down -here. I want to see, too, if there aren't steps leading up to the church. -Come on." - - - - - CHAPTER XV - THE BLACK BOX - - -Past the ghostly figures the three girls made their way, nervous shivers -running up and down their spines in spite of the fact that they knew -these figures would not harm them. - -As they threw the rays from their lights on the rear wall of the room, Jo -Ann suddenly halted. "This wall's different from the others," she -announced. "It looks as if it's made of stone panels." - -"It certainly does," agreed Florence. - -Eagerly Jo Ann began examining one of the panels, testing it to see if it -would move. Following her example, Peggy and Florence began trying to -move the ones nearest them. Each panel, they discovered, had a slight -depression carved in the top, which served as a fingerhold. - -After they had worked for several minutes without success, Peggy said -disgustedly, "Let's stop this foolishness and get out of this awful room. -These panels look like vaults or tombs--like the ones we saw in that old -St. Roch's Cemetery in New Orleans. I've seen enough spooks and family -skeletons to do me for ages." She tugged at Jo Ann's arm impatiently. - -Almost simultaneously Jo Ann exclaimed, "Oh, I've found a panel that -moves! Shine your light this way, Peg, while Florence helps me to shove -it up." - -Together Jo Ann and Florence pushed vigorously on the panel. - -"Fine! It's moving!" ejaculated Jo Ann finally. "Once more, -Florence--hard, now!" - -Peggy threw the rays from her flashlight directly into the narrow crack -now appearing below the stone. "Oh, I see something--something white! -Push the stone up a little higher, can't you?" Turning suddenly to -Florence, she ordered, "You hold the light and let me push. I'm stronger -than you." - -In a few more moments there was a loud grating sound as the stone moved, -and the crack below widened several inches. - -"There's something in there, all right," agreed Florence. "If you promise -not to let that stone drop on my hand, I'll reach in and get it. Can you -hold it?" - -"Let's get a better hold first!" cried Jo Ann. "My hand's slipping. Now, -are you ready, Peg?" - -"Okay." - -Quickly Florence reached through the crack. "Feels like a box!" she -exclaimed excitedly. "But I can't get it out. There's a roll of paper or -something, too." - -"We'll push a little harder," said Jo Ann. "Push, Peg--with all your -might. Now--can you--get hold--of them?" - -"I've got them!" Florence's voice was triumphant. "Hold it just another -second so I can see if there's anything else." She flashed the light into -the opening again. - -"Hurry!" cut in Peggy. "We can't--hold this thing--much longer. It weighs -a ton." - -"I can't see anything else," Florence said a moment later. "Let it go." - -With sighs of relief Jo Ann and Peggy let the slab drop into place. - -"Whew--that stone was heavy!" gasped Peggy. She glanced disappointedly at -the small black box and roll of paper which Florence held in her hand. -"And all that hard work for nothing but a little insignificant-looking -box and a piece of paper! I told you these were nothing but grave vaults. -Let's get out of this cemetery." - -After one last glance around the room Jo Ann followed Peggy and Florence -to the door. - -"I'm glad the door's not stuck this time," she remarked as she pulled it -shut. - -As she turned to join the girls Florence called, "Look right down this -passage, Jo. There's another cave-in." - -Flashing her light in that direction, Jo Ann exclaimed, "You're -right--that is a cave-in. There've been steps there, too. This must've -been the passage leading up into the church. It looks as if the whole -side of the building has fallen down." - -"I know where we are, then," Florence put in. "We're right under that -section of the church that's partly in ruins. That's the reason no one's -been down here in years and years." - -Now that her curiosity was satisfied about the passage to the church, Jo -Ann turned to Florence. "You still have the box and the paper you took -out of that vault, haven't you?" - -"Yes, but they don't look at all interesting or valuable." - -With one glance at the dull black box Jo Ann reached out and took the -roll of papers from Florence. - -"Oh dear," she sighed a moment later, "they're all in Spanish, of course. -This is the queerest writing--all fancy flourishes and curly-cues. I -can't make anything out of it, can you, Florence?" - -Florence looked down at the papers a moment, then shook her head. "All -that I can make out of it is that it's some kind of old record." - -"Let me have a look at the box, then. Maybe it'll explain something." - -As Florence handed it to Jo Ann she remarked, "If you can find out -anything from this old black box, you're a good one." - -"I thoroughly agree with you. It doesn't look at all interesting." Jo Ann -turned the box from side to side. "It's unusually heavy, though, for such -a small box." She shook it vigorously. "Listen! There's something inside -that makes a little rattling noise." - -"It can't be anything much--not in that small box," commented Peggy. - -"I wish we could open it," said Jo Ann, studying the box while Florence -held the light. "It must have a secret spring--there's no sign of a -keyhole." - -"A secret spring!" Peggy's interest was instantly aroused. "Let me see -it, will you?" - -When Peggy reached out to take the box, its weight took her by surprise, -and she let it slip out of her hands and fall crashing to the floor. - -Dropping down on their knees, Jo Ann and Peggy reached for the box at the -same time. - -"O--oh!" gasped Jo Ann, her voice quivering with excitement. - -"O--oh!" echoed Peggy. - -"What is it?" Florence asked quickly as she leaned over their shoulders. - -Spellbound the three girls gazed before them. The insignificant black box -lay on its side, wide open, part of its contents spilled out on the -floor. There was the gleam of old gold and the brilliant sparkle and -flash of fire. All the colors of the rainbow seemed reflected in that -circle of light. - -"How perfectly magnificent!" ejaculated Peggy in an awed voice. - -"Wonderful! An old jewel case!" exclaimed Jo Ann, entranced by the beauty -before her. - -"Gorgeous!" added Florence. - -One by one, as though afraid of touching them, the girls picked up the -jewels from the floor. Rings set with precious stones--diamonds, rubies, -sapphires, opals gorgeous as the sunset--necklaces, earrings, and chains -of gold. Queer, antique-looking, all of them. - -"Isn't this the loveliest thing you ever laid your eyes on!" cried Peggy, -holding up a filigree necklace of such delicate workmanship that it -resembled a piece of fine old lace. - -"It's exquisite," agreed Florence. - -"And look at this ring--isn't it the most beautiful one you ever saw?" Jo -Ann held up a ring that had one large exquisite opal circled by tiny -diamonds. "I love opals. The opal's my birthstone. When my ship comes -in--if it ever does--I'll try to buy me a ring just like this." - -"It is lovely. They all are--the diamonds, rubies, all of them," added -Florence. "They must be very valuable. I wonder why they were hidden -here. Oh!" she cried suddenly, an expression of horror passing over her -face. "These belong to the church. We can't take them--that'd be -stealing. We must put them right back where we found them this minute." - -"Not I," said Peggy emphatically. - -"What would be the sense of leaving these things hidden for another -century or more?" put in Jo Ann quickly. - -"I don't know, but I still feel that we'll be stealing if we take them," -insisted Florence. - -"I know what we'd better do!" exclaimed Jo Ann as a sudden solution of -the problem occurred to her. "We can take them to Señor Rodriguez and let -him dispose of them in the proper legal manner. Don't you think that -would be best?" - -"Yes--perhaps so," slowly agreed Florence. "He ought to know what would -be right." - -While Florence and Jo Ann had been arguing about what to do with the -pieces of jewelry, Peggy was putting them back in the black box. - -"I can't get all these things back in this box," she sighed finally. "How -in the world did they ever get so much in such a small box?" - -"Wait! Don't close it. We might not be able to get it open again." Jo Ann -reached over and took the box. "Let me tie this string around it so -nothing'll spill out." - -In a few minutes the box was securely tied. Holding it tightly, Jo Ann -hastened back to the entrance to the tunnel, the other girls following -closely. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - MORE PRECIOUS THAN JEWELS - - -At the very moment that Peggy was lying terror-stricken at the feet of -the mummies Dr. Blackwell had just made an alarming discovery. - -He had been wakened from a deep peaceful sleep by the sound of vigorous -knocking on the outer door and had quickly scrambled out of bed and into -his clothes. He well knew that this knocking meant that someone was in -distress and needed his professional services. Louder and louder had come -the sound. Fearing that everyone in the house would be awakened, he had -hurried down to answer the door. - -When he had not seen Florence at the head of the stairs, waiting to bolt -the door as usual, he had gone to her room and found it empty and the -beds undisturbed. Immediately he had run from room to room, calling the -girls, but had heard only the echoes of his own worried voice. All three -girls had utterly disappeared! - -A terrible fear swept over him--they had been kidnaped! But no, that was -impossible, he told himself the next moment. Three strong, healthy girls -could not be carried off without making a sound. - -What should he do? Call the police? Something must be done immediately, -but there was so much red tape connected with governmental affairs in -this country that it would be hours before anything could be done. -Perhaps it would be better to call his good friend Señor Rodriguez. He -would advise him the best steps to take. - -Quickly, his hand shaking so he could scarcely write, he scribbled a note -to the Señor. It was almost illegible, but the words, "Come at once" were -plain, and that was all that was necessary. - -Rushing down the stairs, he hurried past the man waiting at the door, -without speaking. The man stared after him in blank amazement. What was -the matter? Was the _Doctor Americano loco_? - -On across the street ran Dr. Blackwell to the corner of the Plaza, where -a taxi could be found at any hour of the day or night. - -He shook the sleeping taxi driver by the shoulder. "_Hombre, hombre_, -wake up! Take this letter to the Señor Rodriguez and bring him back with -you. _Muy pronto, sabe?_" - -The lazy, easy-going Mexican straightened in surprise. He had carried -this American doctor on many an urgent call, but he had never seen him so -nervous and excited before. This must be something very important. Very -well, he would show _el doctor_ how he could hurry. There was a roar, the -grinding of gears, and the car was off like a shot. - -In an amazingly short time Señor Rodriguez rushed into the office. He -found Dr. Blackwell slumped in a chair, his face in his hands. - -"Doctor, what has happened? What is the matter?" he asked in Spanish. - -In a few halting words Dr. Blackwell told him of the girls' -disappearance. "What shall I do, señor?" he ended, his voice vibrant with -emotion. - -Before the amazed Señor could take in the situation and answer this -question, there was the sound of light, flying feet on the balcony floor. - -The next moment, after one swift glance at her father, Florence dropped -on her knees at his feet, exclaiming, "Daddy! Are you sick?" - -Startled at the sound of her voice, Dr. Blackwell almost jumped out of -his chair. "Florence!" he cried. "Florence!" - -"What's the matter, Daddy?" she asked anxiously. - -In the moment of silence that followed her question she turned to Señor -Rodriguez. "Tell me what's happened, señor." - -"Where'd you come from?" Dr. Blackwell put in before the Señor could -speak. "How'd you get here? Oh, child, I've been so frightened and -worried! I thought something terrible had happened to you and the girls. -Where are they?" - -"Right here," answered Jo Ann, who had just come running in with Peggy. -"Don't--blame Florence--it's really--all my fault." - -"Why, Dad, there's nothing the matter with us--we're all right," said -Florence, rising. "We just went up on the roof and----" - -"What _are_ you girls talking about?" he demanded, noticing for the first -time their disreputable appearance--their grimy faces, Jo's bloodstained -shirt, and their knickers. "What have you been doing?" - -"We've been solving the mystery," eagerly explained Florence. - -"What mystery?" - -"Why, the mystery of that strange little window in the back of the -house." - -"But how did you get out of the house without unbolting the door? You -know better than to go out at this hour of night." - -"Don't scold, Dad," begged Florence. "We haven't been down on the street. -We climbed through the little window and found a tunnel under the -street." - -"A tunnel!" he repeated, bewildered. "What in the world are you talking -about?" - -"Why, there's a long tunnel that starts under the back of our house and -goes under the street, clear to the church--and I don't know how much -farther--there's a regular network of passages, and----" - -While Florence stopped to catch her breath, her father turned to Señor -Rodriguez. "Do you know anything about a tunnel under the street?" - -Señor Rodriguez shook his head, a puzzled expression on his face. - -By that time Florence had started talking again, her words tumbling over -each other in her hurry. "And we've found lots of valuable -things--candelabra--old papers--and jewels! Real jewels! -Diamonds--rubies. Open the box, Jo, and show them!" - -With fingers fumbling in her haste Jo Ann was already untying the string -about the box. Her eyes shining, she turned its contents upon a chair in -front of Dr. Blackwell. Under the bright lights the jewels sparkled far -more brilliantly than they had in the tunnel. - -In the silence that followed, the three girls waited breathlessly. What -would Dr. Blackwell and the Señor say about their discovery? Would they -be forgiven now for the anxiety they had caused? - -After a long pause Dr. Blackwell gently pulled Florence down on the arm -of his chair. "They're beautiful," he said, "but I shudder to think of -the risks you three took to get them--of what might have happened to you. -No one would ever have known where you were. I'm so thankful to have you -all back safe and sound. You're far more precious to me than these -jewels." - -"Oh, but, doctor, it wasn't as dangerous as it sounds," put in Jo Ann -eagerly. "We were very careful." Recalling some of her moments of anxiety -in the past few hours, she hesitated and added a little less confidently, -"Perhaps it was more dangerous than we realized, but we're all right now, -and we wanted so badly to solve the mystery of that window and to -surprise you." - -A smile passed over Dr. Blackwell's face. "You surprised me all right." - -Encouraged by this change of expression on the doctor's face, Jo Ann went -on, "I'm sorry you were worried. We thought we'd get back before you -discovered we were gone. You'll forgive us, won't you?" - -"Yes," Dr. Blackwell replied slowly, "provided you all promise never to -risk your precious lives that way again." - -"Oh, we'll promise that, won't we, girls?" - -Florence and Peggy nodded an emphatic assent. - -With a wave of her hand toward the jewels Jo Ann added, "Now that we've -explored that tunnel and found all these, we're satisfied." She turned -then and handed Señor Rodriguez the old yellowed papers. "I'm sure you'll -be interested in these papers. They look like old records." - -Curiously the Señor unrolled one of the old documents and began reading -it. Soon he was poring over them, oblivious of everything else. - -In the meanwhile the girls examined the jewels more closely and reveled -in their beauty. - -Dr. Blackwell interrupted their chatter finally, saying, "I haven't been -able to piece together all your disjointed account of your adventures. -Suppose you begin at the first, Jo, since you were the originator of the -whole thing, and tell the whole story." - -Jo Ann needed no second invitation. She began at once to give a vivid -account of their getting the rope and their climb to the roof; then went -on to their descent into the hidden room and the tunnel; and finally to -the discovery of the candelabra, papers, and jewelry. With the help of -Peggy and Florence not even the smallest detail was left untold. - -"An amazing tale," Dr. Blackwell commented when they had finished, "but -I'm still shuddering about the risks you took." - -Eager to change the subject, Jo Ann turned to Señor Rodriguez and asked, -"Can you make anything out of these papers?" - -"Yes, Mees Jo." There was a tinge of excitement in the Señor's voice in -spite of his attempt to appear calm. "Dey are ver' old records and I -t'ink may be ver' valuable. One hab de name of my gran'modder's family. -If dey are what I t'ink--ah, dat would be wonderful! Somet'ing dat has -been lost for many, many years--how you say in Ingles?--de missing link? -Wid your permission I would like to take dem to my office and study dem." - -"That's just what we want you to do. I can hardly wait to find out more -about them. We would like your advice, too, about what to do with all -these beautiful things." She gestured toward the jewels and then, -reaching over, picked up the opal ring that had so fascinated her. "This -is the most beautiful opal I've ever seen, and it's set so artistically. -I'm glad my birthday's in October, so it's not unlucky for me to wear an -opal, since I'm particularly fond of that stone." - -The Señor smiled. "Since it's your lucky stone, try this ring on, Mees -Jo." - -Obediently Jo Ann slipped the ring on her finger. "Oh, señor, it's -lovely." - -While she was still admiring it, Peggy picked up the filigree necklace. -"This is the daintiest piece of all, I think," she remarked. - -"And this is the most beautiful, according to my notion," smiled -Florence, pointing to a bracelet of old gold set with sapphires and tiny -diamonds. "The sapphire is my birthstone." - -Señor Rodriguez was much pleased by the girls' admiration. "De people of -my country are ver' artistic," he said. "Dey make many beautiful t'ings." - -"To whom do you think all these jewels and things belong?" Jo Ann asked. -"And why were they put in that room under the church?" - -"Mees Jo, I do not know. I am ver' sorry dat I cannot answer you dat. I -have heard dat long ago in de wars de people carried der most valuable -t'ings to de church for safe keeping. I may be able to find out who owns -dese from de papers." - -"I'm sure these jewels are very valuable," Dr. Blackwell remarked in -Spanish to the Señor. "I'm away so much that I don't like to leave the -girls alone with them in the house. Would you take charge of them till -you find out to whom they belong?" - -Señor Rodriguez nodded. "Yes, if you wish, doctor. I will be glad to take -them and put them in my safe till I find out to whom they belong." - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - THE SEÑOR'S STORY - - -In the days that followed the discovery of the papers and jewels the -girls were all impatience to hear from Señor Rodriguez. Jo Ann especially -was restless. Always she had disliked inaction, and now she wanted to -find out everything "right straight away." She failed to realize that the -Señor was having to search through scores of old city records for -information, and that, like a true Spaniard, he was -thorough--painstakingly accurate in every detail. - -Again and again the three girls talked over that eventful night and the -unanswered questions--Why had those things been hidden in that -underground room? Why had no one found them before? To whom did they -belong? - -"Since we found those things under the church, they probably belong to -the church," Jo Ann declared thoughtfully one morning in one of these -discussions. Her eyes suddenly began to shine as she added, "I know what -I wish they'd do if the jewels belong to them--sell them and take the -money to restore that part of the building that's in ruins. The people -are too poor to have it repaired. Such an old historic building ought not -to be allowed to fall into decay. Then, if there were any money left -after the repairing was done, it could be used for a special relief fund -for the poor people." - -"Those are both fine ideas," approved Florence. - -"I wish I had enough money to buy that lovely filigree necklace, if the -jewels are sold," put in Peggy. Her face lengthened. "I know, though, -it'd be more expensive than I could afford." - -"I'd love to have that beautiful opal ring," spoke up Jo Ann wistfully. - -Florence half sighed as she added, "That bracelet with my birthstone and -the tiny diamonds was so attractive." - -To the girls' delight at lunch that day Dr. Blackwell announced that at -four o'clock Señor Rodriguez was coming over to tell them what he had -found out about the records and jewels. - -"My, but I'm glad!" exclaimed Jo Ann. "I was beginning to think he'd -never come." - -By half-past three the girls were waiting eagerly in Dr. Blackwell's -office for the Señor's coming. Peggy and Florence chatted gaily with Dr. -Blackwell, but Jo Ann kept glancing nervously at her watch. She felt that -this was one of the most important events in her whole life. If only she -could be instrumental in restoring that old church--that would be -wonderful! - -At last voices were heard in the hall, and Felipe ushered in Señor -Rodriguez and, to their surprise, Padre Ignacio. - -As soon as greetings had been exchanged, Señor Rodriguez placed the -yellowed papers on the table and beside them the jewel box, which no -longer was black, but bright and shining. - -"Why, the box is silver!" thought Jo Ann, amazed, "He's had it polished -till it's beautiful." - -Señor Rodriguez was all lawyer now--dignified and formal. "My dear young -ladies, I haf de honor of congratulate you on de wonderful discovery you -haf made," he began in his broken English, bowing to each of the girls. -"Dese are ver' valuable papers which you haf found--ver' valuable to de -city, ver' valuable to de church and to my family," he added, smiling. - -The girls smiled back happily. They didn't understand all that he was -talking about or why they should receive so much praise, but evidently -their discovery was more important than they had realized. - -He then went on to explain how, after searching through the archives of -the city, studying old records, and checking names and dates, he felt -that he could give some authentic information about the papers. - -They were records dating before 1846 of some of the oldest most prominent -families of the city. Several of the older inhabitants with whom he had -talked remembered having heard their parents tell of the exciting times -when the city had been besieged by the American forces under General -Zachary Taylor. As soon as they had realized they could hold out no -longer against the Americans, they had hidden their most valuable -possessions, of which only a small part had ever been recovered. Tales of -vast treasures hidden under the city had been handed down from generation -to generation, but few of them seemed to have any foundation. - -"Dis General Guerrero whose name you see on dis paper," continued the -Señor, picking up one of the papers, "was de fadder of my esteemed -gran'fadder. Dey are de records of de families of Guerrero and Rodriguez -before 1846. Finding dem will clear de titles to some ver' valuable -property which belong to my family." - -"Oh, señor, I'm so glad!" exclaimed Florence. - -"We are, too, aren't we, Peggy?" added Jo Ann. - -The Señor went on to say that when he showed the jewels and papers to his -grandmother, she recalled a story told to her in her childhood by her -mother just before she died. According to this story her husband, General -Guerrero, at the time of the siege, had given her some important papers -which he had told her to guard above everything. When the general had -realized that the city could no longer hold out, he had sent a messenger -with a hastily written note telling her to send those valuable papers and -their jewels to him by this man. She had reluctantly handed the papers -and jewels to the messenger, but that was the last she had ever heard or -seen of them. As the general had been killed that same day, she supposed -the things had been either lost or stolen. For that reason no effort was -ever made to recover them. - -"And dese are de papers dat were lost," finished the Señor. "How ver' -fortunate it is dat you find dem!" - -"But how could they have ever got in that secret underground room?" asked -Florence. - -Señor Rodriguez shook his head. "Dat I do not know. I t'ink perhaps -someone carry dem to de _padre_, and he hide dem along wid odder valuable -t'ings which had been sent to him. De tunnels under de church had been -used for carrying reinforcements and food to de army at de outskirts of -de city. Dat is why dey could hold out so long against de American -forces." - -"No wonder we couldn't find the other end of the tunnel!" exclaimed Jo -Ann. "It must be several miles long." She turned to Señor Rodriguez. "Do -the jewels belong to your family, too?" - -"Ah, dat I do not know. Some of dem I t'ink belong to my family, but it -is impossible to be sure. My gran'modder say she sure dis little -ring--dis little ring you admire so much, Mees Jo--was her Gran'modder -Guerrero's ring." - -He went on to explain how, since they had no way of finding exactly to -whom the jewels had belonged, they had decided it would be better to -return them to the church, as it had been very poor for years. - -"Oh, señor!" exclaimed Jo Ann, her eyes shining. "Will there be enough -money then to repair that old ruined part of the church? I think an old -historic building like that ought to be restored." - -The Señor smiled approvingly. "Dat is a ver' good plan, Mees Jo. De -_padre_ and I haf already discuss dat." He went on to add that the jewels -alone would not be sufficient to furnish funds for the restoring of the -building, but that some of the old papers cleared up titles to valuable -property belonging to the church, and that from this property enough -could be secured for that purpose. - -"I'm so glad you're going to do that!" rejoiced Jo Ann. "That old church -has held a fascination for me from the first time I saw it. To think that -we girls will have a part in restoring it--that is wonderful!" - -"And they can use those beautiful candelabra we found," put in Florence. - -"When they restore that part of the building, they'll open the passage to -those underground rooms, and it'll be easy to get the candelabra out -then," said Jo Ann. She turned to the Señor and the _padre_. "You might -find more valuable things down there--we didn't search thoroughly." She -stopped a moment, then added, "Won't there be enough money to help those -poor people who attend the church?" - -Señor Rodriguez nodded. "We hope so--we want ver' much to do that." He -turned and translated Jo Ann's words to the _padre_, who also nodded -approvingly. "Padre Ignacio and I are ver' happy dat you young ladies are -so much interes' in our people," the Señor added then, "and we would like -to do somet'ing to show you how much we appreciate what you haf -done--so--we haf decide to give you each what you like best of de -jewels." - -The girls exchanged swift glances of surprise. - -He poured out the jewels on the table. "I believe Mees Peggy like dis -necklace--is it not so?" He handed her the filigree necklace she had -admired so much. - -"Oh, señor!" gasped Peggy, staring wide-eyed at the bit of loveliness in -her hands. "You mean this is really mine?" - -"_Sí_, Mees Peggy. It is wid much pleasure dat I present it to you." - -"And, Mees Florencita, did you not say you like dis bracelet?" He placed -the jewel-set bracelet in her hands. - -"Oh, but señor, that is too valuable to give to me," protested Florence. - -"No--no," he replied, patting her on the shoulder. "It is of no value -compare to what you haf done for us." - -"And now, Mees Jo, will you please to come here one moment?" - -With cheeks flushed from excitement Jo Ann rose from her chair and came -over to the Señor's side. - -"To you, my most estimable friend," he began, "you who haf been so much -interes' in our city--in de history of our country, and who--how do you -say it?--ah, figure t'ings out--who haf accomplis' somet'ing dat seem -impossible and restore to us dese ver' valuable papers, we want to give -dis token of appreciation--dis little ring." He held up the beautiful -opal and diamond ring that Jo Ann had selected as her favorite of all the -jewels. "I t'ink that this once belonged to my great-great-gran'modder." - -Jo Ann's eyes shone starlike. "It's beautiful--beautiful--but it's such a -valuable heirloom--to give to me." - -"Because it is an heirloom, I want all de more to give it to you, my -friend." The Señor smiled warmly over at her. "Let me put it on your -finger." - -All happiness, Jo Ann held out her right hand, and the Señor slipped the -ring on her third finger with all the dignity of a ceremonial. With equal -dignity she bowed and said slowly, "I thank you very much for this -wonderful gift and for the honor of wearing your ancestor's ring." - - - THE END - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---Added a list of the Mexican Mystery Series. - ---Added a Table of Contents. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and - dialect unchanged. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Secret of Casa Grande, by -Helen Randolph and Virginia Fairfax and Helen A. 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