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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cb00c34 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #53198 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53198) diff --git a/old/53198-0.txt b/old/53198-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e6c2c24..0000000 --- a/old/53198-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5338 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Penny Allen and the Mystery of the Hidden -Treasure, by Jean Lyttleton McKechnie - -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/license - - -Title: Penny Allen and the Mystery of the Hidden Treasure - -Author: Jean Lyttleton McKechnie - -Release Date: October 2, 2016 [EBook #53198] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PENNY ALLEN AND THE MYSTERY *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - -FALCON BOOKS - - -_Penny Allen and the Mystery of the Hidden Treasure_ - -When the Allens--Philip, Jimmy, Penny and Marjorie--opened their -Michigan Lodge as a summer hotel, they decided to track down the rumor -of buried treasure. Other people, however, had the same idea, and -before the Allens could solve the baffling clues they discovered, they -found themselves in real danger. How they found the treasure, and how -Penny and Philip found romance with it, make an exciting and romantic -adventure everyone will enjoy. - - -_Other Falcon Books for Girls_: - - PENNY ALLEN AND THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED HOUSE - PATTY AND JO, DETECTIVES - JEAN CRAIG GROWS UP - JEAN CRAIG IN NEW YORK - JEAN CRAIG FINDS ROMANCE - JEAN CRAIG, NURSE - JEAN CRAIG, GRADUATE NURSE - CHAMPION’S CHOICE - - - - -[Illustration: “It looks like the note in the bottle!”] - - - - - _Penny Allen_ - - AND THE - - Mystery of the Hidden Treasure - - BY JEAN MCKECHNIE - - [Illustration] - - THE WORLD PUBLISHING COMPANY - CLEVELAND AND NEW YORK - - - - - Falcon Books - _are published by_ THE WORLD PUBLISHING COMPANY - 2231 WEST 110 STREET • CLEVELAND 2 • OHIO - - - W1 - - COPYRIGHT 1950 BY THE WORLD PUBLISHING COMPANY - - MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - -_Contents_ - - - 1. A New Adventure 9 - - 2. An Anonymous Letter 23 - - 3. The Abandoned Well 40 - - 4. A Night Prowler 53 - - 5. Another Threat 68 - - 6. Clues in a Bottle 85 - - 7. The Map 98 - - 8. Peter Is Worried 109 - - 9. Camping Out 121 - - 10. Jimmy to the Rescue 133 - - 11. The Missing Fragment 151 - - 12. Setting the Trap 166 - - 13. Philip Traps a Thief 179 - - 14. Forgotten Treasure 197 - - 15. Happy Ending 216 - - - - -_Penny Allen_ - -AND THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE - - - - -CHAPTER 1 - -A NEW ADVENTURE - - -A warm June breeze was blowing in from Lake Superior. It caught a -strand of Penny Allen’s blonde hair and blew it across her dark blue -eyes. - -Penny was out in the clearing behind the Lodge hanging blankets on -the line. “Help,” she called to her brother, Philip, who was working -nearby. “Help, I can’t see what I’m doing, and my arms are full of -blankets.” - -Philip, his clear, blue-gray eyes sparkling with laughter, hurried to -the rescue. He extricated Penny from the mound of blankets she was -carrying and helped her hang them on the line. - -As they worked together, fighting the capricious breeze that threatened -every minute to blow the blankets away, Penny said excitedly: - -“I can’t believe it, Phil. We’re practically ready to open the Lodge -for guests!” - -“Well, not quite,” Philip said soberly. He was twenty, a year older -than Penny, and usually wore a rather serious air. This was partly due -to his responsibilities as the head of the Allen family. - -Their Uncle John Allen had died suddenly a year ago leaving the four -orphans, Penny, Philip, Jimmy and Marjorie, to shift for themselves. He -had left the Lodge to Philip and a beautiful yacht, the _Penny Allen_, -to Penny. - -Recently, Philip had decided to turn his inheritance into a business -venture. The lovely house, situated in the Michigan woods near Lake -Superior, would make an ideal summer hotel. Ever since the first of -June they had all been busy helping to get it ready for many of their -old friends who planned to spend the summer there. - -“Don’t look so serious, Phil,” Penny cried. “We _are_ just about ready.” - -Philip’s eyes, under their straight, dark eyebrows, were thoughtful. -“We’re not even organized yet, Penny,” he said. “The winter just seemed -to go like lightning.” A quick smile dispelled his seriousness. “I -guess we spent too much of the holidays enjoying the winter sports.” - -“Pooh,” Penny said impulsively. “We were all together and we had fun. -We deserved that.” - -Orphans since thirteen-year-old Marjorie, the youngest, had been a -baby, the Allens had hardly known one another, for they had all gone -to different schools and summer camps. But in spite of that, they had -managed to maintain a merry and cheerful household. - -And now they were all bound and determined to make a success of their -summer hotel. “We’ve got plenty of time to get organized in,” Penny -argued. She pushed her light brown hair out of her eyes with one hand -and tucked the last clothespin in place with the other. “Here come -Marjorie and Jimmy. You can organize us all right now.” - -“Hi,” Jimmy called, striding toward them. He was the darkest member of -the family, contrasting sharply with Marjorie. - -She was very fair, with light golden hair and light-blue eyes. Her -slight figure and small delicate hands gave her an almost elfin grace -to which was added a delightfully mischievous quality. “She looks -delicate,” Jimmy often said. “But the kid’s as tough as nails.” - -Jimmy’s current aim in life was to reach at least six feet before he -stopped growing. Almost daily the slender, seventeen-year-old boy -insisted that Philip stand back to back with him in order to determine -whether or not he had finally become the tallest member of the family. - -Judging by the quantities of food he packed away, Penny felt sure that -he would never stop growing. Moreover, it seemed to her that he was -quite tall enough now. What he needed to do was to gain a little weight. - -“A summer here, spent mostly outdoors,” she said to Philip, “will do -both Marjorie and Jimmy a world of good. I hope they each gain a few -pounds before they go back to school.” - -Marjorie, who had been trailing behind Jimmy, called out then: “Now -that the blankets are airing, Penny, can’t we go through the stuff in -the storage room?” She broke into a run and arrived by the clothesline -almost out of breath. “I can’t wait to see what’s in those old trunks.” - -“Probably nothing but junk,” Jimmy said. “You know what Uncle John -always called this place.” - -When they had first come to the Michigan house early in the fall they -had expected to find a shack because their Uncle John had always -referred to it as the “Michigan Shack.” But in spite of its name, it -had turned out to be a very pretentious log structure evidently built -for just such a purpose as they were planning to put it to now. - -Allen Lodge was imposing with its wide front and its two-story porches. -The spacious living room was two stories high with the bedrooms opening -off a balcony which extended around three sides of the room. The large -dining room, kitchen and pantry, were on the Lake side. There were -great fireplaces in many of the rooms and Philip said that it must -have been planned as a summer hotel or a hunting lodge because the -arrangement was ideal for large numbers of people. - -The interior, with its lovely hand-hewn rafters and paneled walls was -a delight to the eye, and even better, it was easy to take care of. -Allen Lodge suggested nothing but comfort. No one knew of its secret -room except the Allens and their newly made friend. - -They had heard when they first came here that the house was haunted, -but it had not taken them long to discover that the ghost was only -Adra Prentice, a very nice girl whom they had discovered hiding in -the secret room. Adra, who was eighteen years old, had “haunted” -the Allen’s house when she had run away from her kidnappers. Their -adventures and the way they solved the mystery is told in _Penny Allen -and the Mystery of the Haunted House_. The four Allens were now ready -for a new adventure and they felt that their own house was the best -place to find it. - -“Those old trunks aren’t filled with junk,” Marjorie was saying to -Jimmy. “Penny and I looked into one of them and it’s positively -overflowing with fascinating old dresses that would be wonderful if we -give a masquerade. And there’s an old jewelry box--” - -“Filled to the brim,” Penny finished, smiling, “with costume jewelry -not worth a cent.” - -“See?” Jimmy demanded, grinning at Marjorie. “Junk.” He turned to Phil. -“Pat asked me to plant some beans in his garden behind the cabin the -Donahues are going to occupy. If you don’t need me, I’ll go do it now.” - -“Go ahead,” Phil said. “It won’t take long.” - -Pat Ryan, who had been Uncle John’s guide and the caretaker of the -Lodge, had just married Ann Mary. He and his new wife had voluntarily -taken over the responsibility of helping the Allens. Philip and Penny -realized they would be lost without the Ryans in this undertaking. As -Philip said, “They’ve completely spoiled us. I wouldn’t think of doing -anything without first consulting Pat. He seems to know everything -about everything and as luck would have it, we know next to nothing -about anything. Fate must have brought us together, or better yet, -Uncle John must have had us in mind when he first got Pat to work for -him.” - -Penny agreed wholeheartedly with Phil. - -“Pat’s orders,” she told Jimmy before he started off to plant beans, -“must always be obeyed.” She pointed gaily to the blankets that were -swaying and billowing in the sunny June breeze. “See what I’ve done -with our household chattels! To think I might have gone through life -only knowing about readin’, writin’ and ’rithmetic if Ann Mary hadn’t -taken me in hand and shown me how to run a house.” - -“Don’t feel so cocky, Sis,” said Jimmy, an impish grin on his face. -“You probably have lots more to learn. All I can say is, you’d better -hurry up and acquire the missing knowledge before Peter gets here.” - -Penny blushed at the mention of Peter Wyland’s name. Even though he -was an old friend and the Allens had known him for years, he had just -recently shown his preference for Penny’s company and Penny was still -not used to being teased about it. - -Phil shrewdly guessed that Penny had been in love with Peter ever since -last winter. That was when they had discovered that Peter was a secret -service man in the employ of Mr. Prentice. Phil had not talked to Penny -about Peter even when he noticed that she seemed to get letters from -Wyland quite regularly. Philip’s mind these days was much preoccupied -with thoughts of Adra Prentice. He seemed unable to get her out of his -mind, and he found that no matter what he was doing, his thoughts would -always go back to Adra. - -Both Phil and Penny knew that Jimmy and Marjorie would never stop -teasing them about their feelings, so, contrary to their usual method -of discussing everything among themselves, they had not said anything -about this. Nevertheless, it seemed to be more or less understood, and -although Penny couldn’t help blushing, she pretended to ignore Jimmy’s -teasing remark. - -“Get along with you,” Phil said to his younger brother. “If you don’t -plant those beans soon they’ll sprout in your pocket.” - -Jimmy departed, laughing. “Come on, lazy-bones,” he called over his -shoulder to Marjorie. “I’ll let you help me for a change. Even _you_ -can’t botch up a job as simple as planting beans.” - -“Thank you, no,” Marjorie said with dignity. “I weeded all day -yesterday while you were fishing.” Marjorie had not missed Penny’s -blush, and couldn’t resist a chance for teasing her older sister. “Why -are your cheeks so pink, Penny?” she asked carelessly. - -“She’s getting sunburned,” Phil said, quickly coming to Penny’s rescue. -“If you spent more time looking in the mirror, Marjorie, you’d see that -your own nose is as red as a beet.” - -Just then an old Ford drew up in front of the house. Pat Ryan got out, -followed by the new summer help. Theresa, who was Pat’s sister and -lived in the nearby village, had a smile on her broad Irish face. The -Allens loved her Irish brogue and her tremendous bulk. Marjorie said -she was worth her weight in gold. - -“It’s glad I am to be here working for the Allens,” she said. - -Penny welcomed her and said, “It’s we who are glad you could come, -Theresa, and the rest of you too. We’d never be able to swing this -experiment if it weren’t for the Ryans and you, and we think you’re -bricks to do this on a co-operative basis, because right now we don’t -know if we’ll make a profit, or lose money.” - -“Don’t you go worrying about a little thing like that,” answered -Theresa, and with a wink at Pat she added, “Anybody that finds out -about Ann Mary’s cooking will gladly pay double the fee you’re -charging, if Pat isn’t going to be too jealous to let anybody else -taste that good food.” - -“Okay with me,” said Pat good-naturedly. “Providing I get my share.” - -Slowly following behind Theresa were two people the Allens had never -met. Penny and Phil shook their hands as Theresa introduced them. - -“This is Mr. and Mrs. Mal Donahue, Ann Mary’s cousins. Mrs. Donahue -was Kathleen Doherty and we always call her Kitty. It’s a cinch your -help will all be getting along fine together since we’re all Irish and -all related. Seems as though all the Irish are related to each other, -doesn’t it?” - -This brought forth gales of laughter from Jimmy who had interrupted his -work in the garden to greet the new arrivals. - -“I hope you like your cabin,” he said to the Donahues. “All of our -vegetables are growing right in your back yard, so whenever you get -hungry all you have to do is reach out the window and pick some pole -beans.” - -They smiled at him while Philip said, “We hope you will be happy with -us, Mal and Kitty.” - -Mal Donahue cleared his throat. “We’d like the job, sir, uh--er,” and -he hesitated. “We were--ahem--curious, you see. We heard the house was -haunted last winter, and some people say there’s hidden treasure around -here. We hope it’s just a plain ordinary house. Kitty and I don’t like -surprises.” This speech was made with some effort and once again Jimmy -couldn’t control his amusement. - -He laughed and slapped Mal on the back. “If there’s any treasure, old -man, you and I will find it together.” This seemed to reassure Mal. - -When Philip and Penny walked toward the Lodge later, she said, “I think -we are lucky, Phil, to get these young folks. I like their looks, don’t -you?” - -“I certainly do,” Philip agreed. “And Pat and Ann Mary will need all -the extra help they can get. If things work out the way we hope they -will, we’ll have to hire more people from the village.” - -Penny nodded. “I’m very pleased with Kitty. She looks like a dear, and -she’ll make a nice appearance waiting on the table.” She sighed. “It’s -too bad anyone as attractive as Ann Mary must stay in the kitchen most -of the time.” - -“Don’t worry about that,” Phil said with a laugh. “I’m sure all our -guests will want to go back and tell her how good her food is and -they’ll get to know her that way. Besides,” he went on, “she won’t stay -in the kitchen all the time. Even if she’s supposed to do nothing but -cook, you know Ann Mary will pitch in and help the others whenever she -has any spare time.” - -“That’s true,” Penny said thoughtfully. “And I’m beginning to see -what you mean about our getting organized. We really should all work -according to some sort of schedule so we won’t be getting in each -other’s way.” - -“Exactly,” Philip said. “We must have a serious meeting this evening -and assign definite tasks to each one of us.” - -“Right after dinner,” Penny agreed. “Now, before we go back to work in -the house, let’s read the mail the postman left on the porch a while -ago. I--I,” she confided, “I’m sort of hoping I’ll hear from Peter -Wyland. He’s not sure he can take a vacation from his job until the end -of summer.” - -“Cheer up, Sis,” Phil said encouragingly. “Maybe there’ll be a letter -from him saying he can come sooner.” - -They hurried up the steps to the porch where a stack of letters was -waiting for them. - - - - -CHAPTER 2 - -AN ANONYMOUS LETTER - - -The first letter Penny opened was from the Curtises saying that they -would arrive in about a week, the first weekend in July. - -“That is,” Mrs. Curtis wrote, “if it won’t be rushing you too much, -Penny dear.” - -Mr. and Mrs. Curtis, whom the Allens fondly called Grandma and Grandpa -Curtis, had been old friends of Uncle John’s. Their daughter Mary and -their son Charles were the same age as Penny and Philip and they had -spent many summers together in camps. They were to be the first guests -at Allen Lodge and were planning to stay the entire summer. - -When Mr. Curtis had heard about the ideal fishing his family had -difficulty restraining him from coming up before the Lodge was really -open for business. - -“The Curtises are always doing something to help us,” brightly -asserted Penny as she finished the letter out on the big front porch. - -She and Philip looked out on the lawn, a wide, trimmed space in front -of the house, its grass thick, its masses of shrubbery and groups of -beautiful trees stately, and its flowers just beginning to bloom. -Truly, summer had come to the shores of Lake Superior, and Phil -surveyed the property with great pride. - -Watching the expression on his face, Penny said, “Uncle John certainly -had good taste, Phil. You have every reason to be proud of your -inheritance.” - -“I know it,” Phil said. “But don’t forget to give credit where it is -due. Jimmy and I have done a good job of lawn-mowing and tree-trimming, -if I do say so myself.” He stretched his long arms. “That kind of work -is a real muscle builder.” - -“I’ll bet it is,” Penny said. “And it’s grand to know that I’ll have -plenty of flowers for the dining room tables and for every bedroom -in the Lodge. Pat takes very good care of the cutting flowers in -his old-fashioned garden. If you and Jimmy take as good care of the -flowering shrubs, the Lodge will be a bower of blossoms inside and out -all summer.” - -Marjorie and Jimmy came out on the porch then with their hands full of -more mail that Pat had brought back when he went into town for Theresa -and the Donahues. - -“‘Lo,” said Jimmy. “Help us sort this out. Gobs came in today after the -postman left.” - -Jimmy sat down in one of the large, old-fashioned wicker chairs and -Marjorie drew up a little footstool in front of him. - -“Go ahead,” said Philip, “We’ll trust you and Marjorie to sort it all -out and hand it over, won’t we, Penny?” - -“Only too glad to have you do it,” replied Penny, slumping down in her -chair and pretending to relax. “Only don’t take too long, if anything -looks interesting,” she added. - -Jimmy’s answer to that was to toss a flat letter into her lap, and to -follow that closely with another slimmer one, carefully twirled by its -corner to insure its falling at the proper distance. - -“Oh, don’t, Jimmy,” protested Marjorie, over whose head the missives -were hurled. - -“That will keep her quiet, Marge,” Jimmy announced. But Penny was -already quiet, not even hearing Jimmy’s last remark. - -“You have the biggest pile, Phil,” Marjorie stated in a few moments. - -The pile in front of Phil was falling over with letters, papers, -advertisements and catalogues. The process of dividing the mail was -soon completed and silence reigned except for giggles from Marjorie as -she read a long letter from her best friend, Judy Powell. Penny, deeply -engrossed in one of hers, gave a slight exclamation once, and Philip -whistled as he laid aside a long envelope. But no one stopped to ask -questions. - -Penny looked at the absorbed group as she finished her last letter and -smiled. Marjorie stopped reading her letters and looked off into space. - -“Read me some of Judy’s letter, Marjorie,” said Penny. - -Marjorie turned with a smile to say that it was such a good letter and -so funny--“Judy wants to know by telegram when they can come.” - -“She shall, Marjorie,” Philip answered immediately. “I’m thinking of -getting a special telegram blank printed.” - -Marjorie looked at Phil to see if he really meant such an idiotic -thing; but as Phil only winked at her, she merely said, “Crazy!” and -turned to Judy’s letter: - - “Dearest Marjorie: - - I think it’s simply tops that we can be together this summer. - I was so afraid my parents would insist on sending me to camp - again. Not that I don’t like camp, but I know it’s going to be so - much more exciting to do things together, like exploring in the - woods. Will we be allowed to go through the woods by ourselves? - Are there secret cabins, or wonderful hiding places? Can we sleep - out at night? I’ll bet it’s wonderful swimming in Lake Superior! - Oh, couldn’t you telegraph and let me know right away when we - can come? I have so many questions to ask, I don’t know where to - begin. - - My brother Alf says he would rather come to Michigan than go on - the canoe trip in Canada. He says he always has fun with Jimmy. - Maybe the boys will let us help them build something or do some - of the things with them. Alf says they’ll never take us fishing - because girls talk too much, but maybe we can convince them that - we know how to keep quiet. - - I’m so excited that at last we are going to see the Lodge, and - all the Allens and especially you, that’s all I can write about. - - Do Charles Curtis and Peter Wyland both still like Penny? Does - Penny like either one of them? Maybe I should be minding my own - business, but I guess I am just bubbling over with questions. - Cincinnati is hot as it always is in the summer and we can’t - wait until we get to Michigan. Quick, quick, quick, send me a - telegram. It will be the first one I ever received. - - At present I just live in a bathing suit and we spend almost all - day at the pool. I’m glad school is out. Alf says I’m a nuisance - and a question box, and by now, you probably think the same. I - can’t wait until I see you, - - Forever yours, - Judy.” - -When Marjorie had finished reading Judy’s letter out loud, Jimmy -chuckled. “She’s a riot, that Powell kid.” - -Penny was already scribbling a message on the back of an envelope. -“Here,” she said to Jimmy, “go in to the phone in the office and send -this telegram to Judy right away. There’s no reason why the Powells -shouldn’t come the first weekend in July when we expect the Curtises.” - -“Hooray!” Marjorie shouted as Jimmy went in to send the telegram. At -that moment Kitty Donahue came out on the porch. - -“Hi,” Marjorie greeted her. “When do we eat in this Lodge?” - -Kitty came nearer. “I just wanted to ask Miss Penny about that. We’ve a -big fish baking and I wondered if you would be ready to eat in half an -hour.” - -“Hooray, food!” shouted Marjorie. “We’re always ready to eat, Kitty. -Are we going to have a conference tonight to assign various duties, -Penny?” - -“Yes, we are,” Penny answered. “Kitty, did you ever help in a summer -hotel, or anything like that?” - -“Yes, _ma’am_! And Mal helped the chef at one of the lake resorts right -near here. That is what made Ann Mary think about sending for us.” - -Philip had turned to look at Kathleen while she talked. “That is very -fortunate for us, Mrs. Donahue,” he said. “We’re going to have a family -confab tonight to decide what each of us should do and we’d like all -of you to come and help us make decisions.” - -“Yes, sir,” Kitty said. “We’ll not need much more help, only some -people from around the village to wait on table if there is a very -large crowd over weekends, or for some special occasions.” With that -bit of advice, Kitty went back into the house. - -Jimmy came out on the porch then and said to Marjorie: “I told the -operator to sign your name to the telegram. I thought Judy would get a -kick out of that.” - -“Thanks,” Marjorie said, smiling. “Sometimes you can be nice, Jimmy.” - -He ignored her and started gathering up his mail. “By the way,” he said -to Penny and Phil, “my old schoolmate, Brook, is coming that weekend, -too, if it’s all right with you.” - -“Fine,” Penny and Phil said together. - -Jimmy grinned. “Brook wrote that he is going to bring all of his old -clothes. He says he’ll bring one decent suit, but he hopes he’ll not -have to put it on. I’m right with him there! I think Judy Powell has -the right idea about living in a bathing suit all summer. Say, Alf -Powell, Brook and I will certainly have some wonderful fun this summer. -Maybe we can put up a shack for us to sleep in.” He went on, pacing up -and down excitedly, “Or part of that old barn. It would be fun if we -could be by ourselves.” - -“Calm down, Jimmy,” Phil said. “I don’t think Alf’s or Brook’s parents -will think their sons ought to be sleeping in a shack if they are -paying good money for rooms, do you?” - -Jimmy ran his hands through his short, dark hair. “Naw, I guess not. -But we could bunk out there sometimes, couldn’t we?” - -“Of course,” Penny told him. “It wouldn’t be much fun if you didn’t -rough it every now and then.” She went on seriously. “I’m counting on -you, Jimmy, to keep an eye on any kids who may come with their parents. -You and Marjorie must help to keep them amused, too. It will be rather -like running a summer camp, with you two as junior counselors. You’ll -have to supervise games and sports, and maybe, Jimmy, give some of them -swimming lessons.” - -“Ha!” Jimmy narrowed his eyes. “The plot thickens. Looks like I’m going -to have to work. But don’t worry, Penny. Brook, Alf and I will keep -the small fry busy.” - -“Grand,” Penny said approvingly. “You’ve taken a load off my mind, -Jimmy. Everyone has simply got to help me as much as possible if we’re -going to see to it that our guests are kept amused.” - -She glanced at Marjorie. “And that means you, too, imp. Don’t you dare -spend all your time with your chum, Judy.” - -“I won’t,” Marjorie promised. “Not unless Jimmy spends all his time -with Alf and Brook.” - -Philip glanced at his wrist watch. “Any objections to you two getting -washed up before dinner?” But he looked at Jimmy as he spoke. - -“Not a one,” returned Jimmy with a wide grin. “I wonder why Phil looked -at me,” he continued, still grinning. - -“Because, you’re practically just past the stage when getting you -washed behind the ears was quite a family problem,” said Marjorie. - -“Look who’s talking,” called Jimmy as he disappeared into the house. - -After they had all consumed the delicious baked fish which Pat had -caught that very day and Ann Mary had fixed in a delectable fashion, -all the Allens met around the council table. This was the big table in -the living room and here they were soon joined by the Ryans, Theresa -and the Donahues. - -Philip then outlined a plan which they all discussed and finally the -duties were assigned to everyone’s satisfaction. Pat was to continue -what he had always done and be a general overseer of the entire Lodge. -He would make arrangements for fishing parties, get boats and guides -and order lunches to be packed. He would lock up every night and do -many other things. - -Ann Mary was in complete charge of the kitchen and Mal and Kitty were -to be her assistants. Kitty would serve and Mal also had some outdoor -duties. Theresa was to do the cleaning, and Mal and Kitty were going to -pitch in and help with that too. - -Marjorie had offered to wait on table and help with the cooking, but -Philip told her that the family would have their hands full with the -entertaining of their guests. However, all the Allens planned to help -out every place, all of the time, whenever they were free from their -other assigned duties. Jimmy had lettered a large sign and hung it on -a temporary billboard. It read: - - MEETING OF - THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS - OF - ALLEN LODGE - -Marjorie now pointed to the sign and said, “I feel pretty important -being a director. Is that why I can get out of cooking and serving?” - -At this remark Phil guffawed and Jimmy and Penny joined him, much to -Marjorie’s chagrin. - -“Don’t you kid yourself,” Jimmy said, “Even if Phil says you’ll have -your hands full entertaining guests, you know you’ll have them twice as -full, because I’m sure we’ll all have to help each other when our Lodge -is running full force.” - -Philip, it was decided, was to be the official treasurer. He would keep -the books and have full charge of all receipts and disbursements. - -“That,” Jimmy loftily explained to Marjorie, “means money coming in -and money going out.” Marjorie sniffed. “Keep your definitions of such -simple words to yourself.” - -“Let’s be serious,” Phil said. “All hotels and inns have a rule that -unless their guests deposit their valuables with them for safekeeping, -the management is not responsible. Isn’t that right, Mr. Donahue?” - -Mal nodded. - -“Well then,” Phil went on, “I think we ought to keep our guests’ money -and jewelry in the safe in the secret room. And in order to safeguard -the secret, we ought to make it a rule that none of the guests is -allowed in the secret room.” - -“Right,” Jimmy agreed heartily. “If we let everyone run in and out of -there it won’t be a secret very long. I vote that for the rest of the -summer, only Pat is allowed to--” - -“Phil _and_ Pat,” Penny interrupted. “Phil has to go in and out to the -safe because he’s the treasurer.” - -“That’s right,” Pat agreed. “I’ll act as his substitute. Phil may not -be available at times when we receive money which should be put right -in the safe or when we need to take some out to pay bills. I’ll only go -into the secret room during such emergencies.” - -“Okay, thanks, Pat,” said Phil. “Then, as of now, it’s a rule that only -you and I press the button that opens the secret door. Said rule to -remain in effect until the end of the season.” - -Everyone agreed, and then it was decided that Penny was to be the -hostess and the housekeeper. Ann Mary was going to help make out the -shopping lists, while Penny did the actual shopping. Marjorie was to be -the assistant hostess as well as the secretary. Luckily she had learned -how to use a typewriter and would really be a big help when it came to -writing letters. Jimmy was the director of all sports, and even though -that sounded like an easy job, Penny assured him it would be more than -a full-time one. - -Penny, Ann Mary and Kitty decided it would be wise to make out menus -for a week in advance. “That means,” Penny said, “that right after -breakfast tomorrow morning we had better plan the first week’s menu. -An awful lot of guests are arriving the first weekend in July.” - -She sighed wearily. “I guess everything has been taken care of except -the laundry. We’ll all have our hands full after this week, so I don’t -see what we can possibly do about that.” - -“Got any ideas, Ann Mary?” Philip asked. - -Ann Mary thought for a minute. “There’s a new laundry-mat in the -village--just opened the other day. If we could find someone who would -come out twice a week, bring in the soiled linen, wash it in one of the -automatic machines, and bring it back damp dry, Kitty, Theresa and I -could handle the ironing.” - -“A swell idea,” Pat said. “I’ll ask around in the village when I go in -tomorrow. Anyone, even a mere man,” he added with a chuckle, “can run -one of those spin-dry slot machines. All we need to do is find someone -with a car who’ll tote the stuff back and forth for a fair price.” - -“I guess that takes care of everything,” Penny said. “Has anybody -thought of anything else?” - -Jimmy thought it would be a good idea to buy a sailboat, but that -suggestion was promptly vetoed. “We are going to try and make money -before we spend it, young man,” said Philip. “But if you and Alf and -Brook Sanders want to fix up one out of what we have, that’s all right -with me.” - -“Watch us!” retorted Jimmy and immediately suggested that a few canoes -wouldn’t cost much. But once again Phil put a damper on his ideas. - -At this point Jimmy wanted to know what kind of a suggestion he could -make that would not be vetoed, and Penny and Phil both chimed in at -once with, “Let’s call it a day.” - -“But, before the meeting breaks up,” Philip said soberly, “I want to -make an announcement. I don’t think it’s really important, but I think -you should all hear it.” - -He drew from his pocket the long envelope he had laid aside earlier -when they had been out on the porch reading their mail. “I got an -anonymous letter today,” he said, “and at first I thought I wouldn’t -bother you with it. Writers of anonymous letters are usually either -cowards or cranks. However,” he continued, “after thinking it over, -I’ve decided I have no right to keep from you the fact that we have -been threatened.” - -“Threatened?” Penny repeated. “But, Phil, who--?” - -For answer, Phil opened the envelope and took out a long sheet of dirty -paper which he laid on the council table. - -Everyone crowded around him to read the ugly scribbled words: - - MR. PHILIP ALLEN: IF YOU - KNOW WHAT’S GOOD FOR YOU - AND YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS, - GET OUT OF THE LODGE AS FAST - AS YOU CAN. I MEAN BUSINESS! - - - - -CHAPTER 3 - -THE ABANDONED WELL - - -Ann Mary was the first to speak. “Well, I never,” she gasped. “Who -could have written such an evil thing, Pat?” - -Pat shook his head. “A crank, of course.” - -“That’s what I think,” Phil agreed. “Someone who read the newspaper -stories about Adra Prentice’s kidnaping. Anonymous letters from people -who aren’t quite right mentally generally follow any kind of publicity.” - -“But,” Marjorie objected, “all of that happened last year.” - -“It makes no difference,” Jimmy told her. “People use newspapers for -lots of things besides keeping up with the news. They wrap china in -newspapers, line shelves and drawers with ’em, for instance. Whoever -wrote that dopey letter may have come across an account of Adra’s -kidnaping just the other day.” - -Penny nodded. “Let’s tear the ugly thing up and throw it away. Whoever -wrote it probably won’t ever bother us again.” - -“Right.” Jimmy tore the dirty sheet of paper to shreds and tossed them -into the fireplace. Phil set a match to them and they all watched the -scraps burn away to ashes. - -“Well, that’s that,” Penny said. “As if anyone could scare us Allens -away from the Lodge!” - -Then the meeting did break up, and four very tired, but not at all -frightened Allens, went upstairs to bed. - - * * * * * - -The next morning Jimmy’s first job was to overhaul the old bus and the -Bronc. The Bronc was an old station wagon that had seen better days. -It had served the Allens well, but right now it sputtered and rattled -and wheezed. The Bus was a small truck and was used for a multitude -of things. It hauled wood from the woods to the woodbin, it carted -supplies from the town to the Lodge and Philip planned to use it for -taking people on camping trips during the summer. Jimmy’s favorite -pastime was tinkering with cars, and he seemed to know the intricate -mechanics of the two old vehicles better than any trained mechanic. - -While Jimmy was tinkering with the motors, Phil and Mal combed the -nearby woods for timber. Some of it would be cut up into logs which -would blaze merrily in the huge fireplaces on cool evenings. The rest -of it, Phil planned to give Jimmy for his shack. Jimmy had picked a -spot on the lake shore where he and the other boys could build a fire -if they wanted. He also planned to build a little dock and rent a few -rowboats. This was to be the bachelor’s retreat. The site was in a bit -of a bay with some large rocks along the shore line that would make the -dock construction simpler. Among the trees a little way back, there was -a fairly open place where the shack could stand. When Phil and Mal had -gathered quite a pile of wood, they called Jimmy down to view the spot. - -“Now, all you have to do, Jimmy, is to go to it,” said Philip. - -“I can’t wait until the other boys arrive to get started,” he answered. -“I’m going to start preparing the logs and lay the floor. Won’t this be -ideal?” - -In the meantime, Marjorie began her secretarial duties by sorting mail -and answering as many of the letters as she could, while Penny went -into the village to shop in order to stock up on staples and to make -arrangements for her weekly orders. - -One afternoon Jimmy, Phil and Mal decided to have a look at the long -old shed in the back yard which they thought might be fixed up to house -the cars of their summer guests. The old shed had been there all the -time, of course, but somehow they had kept putting off the time when -they would examine it. There had been so many things to do when they -first came, they had not even opened all the rooms in the house until -they had decided to turn it into a summer hotel. - -Now the guest rooms must be cleaned and aired. Penny and Marjorie were -busy from morning to night helping Theresa and Ann Mary dust and make -beds. - -“This is so boring,” Marjorie complained. “The only room I’m interested -in is the old storage room, Penny. When are we ever going to go through -those old trunks?” - -“We’ve had a look at the contents of one of them,” Penny pointed -out patiently. “And we found that it contained nothing but some very -old-fashioned clothes and a few worthless, though pretty trinkets. Wait -till we have more time, honey. Then you may rummage around in there to -your heart’s content.” - -“I can’t understand your lack of curiosity,” Marjorie moaned. “I can’t -sleep nights thinking about what might be in the trunk we didn’t open.” - -Penny laughed. “I guess we’ve had too much indoor work for one day. -Let’s join the boys down at the shed.” - -“Goody, goody,” Marjorie cried, flinging down her dust cloth. “There’s -bound to be something more exciting than cobwebs out there.” - -At last they were hurrying down the concrete walk, past the Donahues’ -small cabin behind the Lodge. They caught up with Mal and the boys on -the old graveled drive, overgrown with weeds. This drive led among -bushes and trees and looked like an old horse trail, but it was wide -enough for a car to travel over it with care. - -Jimmy took one good look at all the weeds and said, “I don’t think -this is such a good idea, especially since I know I’ll be elected a -committee of one to cut down all these weeds.” - -“Why, how did you guess it, young man! You are getting keen,” laughed -Penny. “But this really does look like a big job, and I’m sure Phil and -Mal will lend a hand, too.” Jimmy looked relieved at this suggestion -and here they were at the shed. - -“Pat says that even your Uncle John never made use of this shed for -anything, and that it must have been a sort of stable back in the old -days,” explained Mal. “See, one of the side walls is pretty badly -broken up, but the roof has been patched and the framework seems -strong. There are a pile of boards and some poles behind this shed. -Looks as though somebody once had the idea of repairing it. That wood -back there is well seasoned and with the help of the repair man from -the village we could get it fixed up this week.” - -Penny took hold of one of the supports, to which a few boards were -clinging loosely. - -“Be careful how you lean against that,” Philip cautioned her. “That’s -the broken wall and we don’t want you to fall through it.” - -But just as he finished saying it Penny gasped and slipped out of -sight. For a minute the others stood there with their mouths open, then -Phil and Jimmy quickly went into action. Mal poked his hand through -the wall where Penny seemed to have disappeared and Marjorie called, -“Penny, Penny, answer--are you hurt?” - -Phil and Jimmy ran to the outside of the broken wall but there was -nothing there but the old pile of lumber Mal had mentioned. They called -Penny, and then there was a muffled sound that seemed to come from the -very wall itself. - -Phil climbed right up on top of the pile of lumber and reached over as -far as he could toward the wall when he noticed a sunken place between -the wall and the lumber. It looked like an old well and it was partly -covered. He called to Penny and this time he heard her answer. As -quickly as they could, they all started to move enough of the lumber so -that they could get closer to the old well. Now they were sure Penny -had fallen into it, and Marjorie ran back to the house as fast as her -feet could carry her to get a strong rope and more help. - -It seemed like hours, but it was only a few minutes before Phil and -Jimmy were able to lean over the well and start calling down to Penny. - -She answered them this time and they heard her say quite clearly: “What -happened?” - -“Whew!” Jimmy gasped, clutching his forehead with relief. “You fell -down an old well.” - -“Are you all right, Penny?” Philip asked anxiously. - -“I guess so,” Penny called back. “But it’s so dark I can’t see -anything.” - -“Don’t worry,” Phil said in a reassuring voice. “We’ll have you out in -no time.” - -Marjorie arrived then with Pat who had brought along a long rope. -Marjorie was very near to tears. - -“Don’t let Penny know you’re frightened,” Phil cautioned her. “Keep -calling down to her in a cheerful voice to keep her courage up.” - -Pat tied a big loop on the end of the rope, then Mal lowered it into -the well, and Phil called down instructions to Penny. Finally the rope -reached her, and she put the looped end around her waist and held on to -it as tightly as she could with both hands, while the men pulled her -up. When, after what seemed an interminably long time, Penny’s head -appeared, Marjorie burst into tears. - -Tenderly they lifted Penny out, and she immediately assured everyone -that aside from being bruised and shaky, she didn’t think she had any -broken bones or other injuries. Ann Mary and Theresa and Kathleen had -arrived on the scene with water and bandages, all of which were scorned -by Penny who said, - -“I did a foolish thing and I deserved what I got, but now that I know -I’m all right you can all just forget about me. If you keep on making -such a fuss I’ll feel like an idiot.” - -Of course they all ignored her pleadings and made her sit right down -for a few minutes while Ann Mary wiped her face with a cloth dipped in -cold water. Then she examined Penny carefully to make sure that she -could move her arms and legs without pain. The only real damage seemed -to be to her appearance which was quite ludicrous. Now that they knew -she was safe they had a good laugh about it. Penny’s face and hands and -hair were covered with cobwebs, her dress was ripped and her shoes were -sopping wet. When Phil asked her if there was any water in the well -she said she thought she had stood in water and, of course, her wet -shoes showed that she had. Then everybody went back to the house, and -Penny took a hot bath which Ann Mary said would serve to relieve some -of the aches and pains she was bound to develop later from such a fall. - -Phil and Jimmy were all set to go back and examine the well to see if -it was still in good working condition, and if they could find the -water source and perhaps get the well into good order. When they saw -Penny looking her fresh, well-groomed self again, they went back, -accompanied by Pat and Mal. - -“It beats me,” Pat said. “I never knew there was a well of any kind on -this property.” - -“I’ve heard rumors,” Mal said. “There’s always been a lot of talk in -the village about buried treasure in the bottom of an old dried-up well -around here.” - -“I know,” Pat said, “and from time to time when the house was empty, -people who had no business trespassing, came here and tried to find -that well. Had a lot of trouble with prowlers,” he told Phil. “Your -Uncle John did. But nobody ever found a well.” He stopped and stared -at the hole. “Well, now, here it is. And now I wouldn’t be surprised -at anything. I’ve lived around here all my life and never believed -there was a well here. I think we should caution everybody to try and -keep this a secret so we won’t have any prowlers coming around, and we -should get busy and try to dig up that old well to see if there really -is any treasure there.” - -“My gosh!” said Jimmy. “Do you really think there’s treasure there? -What kind of treasure is it supposed to be, Pat? Were there ever -pirates around here? Won’t Alf and Brook nearly die with excitement -when they hear about this!” - -Phil smiled. “I’m afraid we can’t let you say anything to them, or -anybody else, until we investigate this thoroughly and see if there -is any foundation to the rumor. I agree with Pat, since we don’t need -the well for water, I think we should dig it up at once and solve this -mystery of buried treasure.” - -Jimmy was all for going right back for picks and shovels, so Phil let -him go. Phil’s curiosity was aroused and he could understand Jimmy’s -enthusiasm. But Phil felt quite sure that they were not on the trail of -buried treasure. - -“The Lodge was supposed to be haunted,” he said to Mal, “and we proved -it wasn’t. Now we’re about to prove that there’s nothing of any value -at the bottom of this old well.” - -Jimmy came running back then with both hands full of an assortment of -picks, shovels and garden spades. They found that it was exceedingly -slow work since they first had to move the pile of old lumber and -debris that surrounded the old well. When they finally started digging -they found the stones that formed the well were impossible to move. Pat -guessed that the old well had been there a hundred years or longer. -Jimmy suggested that they use dynamite. - -After two hours of concentrated labor Phil commented, “I don’t think -even buried treasure is worth all this effort.” - -But Jimmy, who was obviously in high spirits over this adventure, -contradicted Phil with, “Of course it’s worth it, Phil, you wait and -see what we find.” - -Pat shrugged. “I’m not thinking you should set your heart on finding -anything, my lad, because there probably won’t be any treasure here, -any more than the house was haunted last year.” - -“Don’t say that, Pat,” countered Jimmy, “I’m not used to working like -this without any compensation.” - -“Not much,” said Phil. “But all kidding aside, Jimmy, I think Pat is -right. However, we’re going to finish this job, if for no other reason -than to keep anybody else from falling into it. The rope we lowered to -Penny went down about thirty feet and I would guess that we have dug -around the outside of this old well about ten feet deep. Is that right, -Pat?” - -Pat nodded. “Yes, that’s about right, and I think if we get out here -bright and early tomorrow morning, maybe we can finish the job before -night.” - -Very reluctantly, Jimmy joined the rest as they returned to the house -to tell Penny and Marjorie of their progress. - - - - -CHAPTER 4 - -A NIGHT PROWLER - - -That evening they all decided to have a picnic style supper in front of -the fireplace in the living room. - -“I’m beginning to feel my bruises,” Penny said cheerfully. “But I’m not -going to let a few aches and pains bother me. I was very lucky to get -off without broken bones or sprains.” - -“You certainly were,” Jimmy said. “And let me tell you, Sis, I thought -I’d go nuts until we finally heard your voice.” - -“Me, too,” Marjorie chimed in. “Gosh, Penny, it was just about the most -awful few minutes of my life!” - -“Well, let’s not talk about it any more,” Penny said. “The subject I -want to discuss is the bottom of the well. I can’t really--” - -“Gee,” Jimmy interrupted, “wouldn’t it be neat if we get to the bottom -of the well and find pieces of gold. We’ll be on easy street the rest -of our lives.” He added, more to himself than the others, “The first -thing I’ll do is get a sailboat. I’ve found out already that I don’t -know enough about naval architecture to build one.” - -“Ha, you don’t get on easy street that easily,” said Penny. “Besides, I -don’t remember feeling anything beneath my feet but slime, and if all -you want is a sailboat, you’d better work for it!” - -“I like that!” exclaimed Jimmy. “And what do you call digging away at -that well? If that isn’t work, I’d like to know what you’d call it.” - -“Oh, it’s work all right,” Penny said with a laugh. “But I think it’s -work without any purpose.” - -“So do I, in a way,” Phil said. “But the kids will never be happy until -we get to the bottom and prove that there isn’t any treasure buried -there.” - -“You just wait until tomorrow,” Marjorie said stubbornly. “When we -come running up to you, Penny, with our hands dripping with pieces of -eight, then you and Phil will eat those words.” She raised her voice. -“I know there’s something valuable hidden around here, and I, for one, -am never going to give up until I’ve gone over every inch of the place -with a fine-tooth comb!” - -“You don’t have to shout about it,” Jimmy said. “If there is something -valuable around here, let’s not encourage every Tom, Dick and Harry in -the village to come out and try to find it first. Although,” he went on -in a more sympathetic tone of voice, “I know how you feel, Marjorie. -When Alf and Brook get here, and we haven’t found any gold by then, -they’ll want to dig up the whole place, too.” - -“Dig, if you must,” Penny said, “but spare Pat’s flower beds. I--” She -stopped suddenly, her finger to her lips. “Sh-h.” She touched Phil’s -arm lightly and pointed to the window, whispering, “Someone’s out there -and I’m afraid he’s heard every word we said.” - -They all stared silently out through the vine-covered lattice that -partially screened the court from view. The moon was shining brightly, -and then from the shrubbery a shadow moved and melted into a little -clump of low spruces. In another second they saw the figure of a man -slip around the corner of the wing to disappear again in the shadows of -another trellis. - -It was a warm evening, and all of the doors and windows were wide open. -The man might try to get into the house. Penny started to rise. - -But Phil, with his hand on her arm, shook his head and whispered: “All -of you stay right here. I don’t want him to know that we’ve seen him.” -Swiftly he tiptoed across the room to take his pistol from the cabinet. - -Penny remembered with relief that Phil always kept his gun loaded. Just -then she saw Mal run into the court. He had obviously seen the prowler -from the kitchen window. Before Penny could shout a warning, the man -darted from the shadows and flung himself on Mal’s back, one arm around -his throat. - -At almost the same moment Phil leaped through the window and fired his -gun into the air. As the shot rang out, Penny closed her eyes. Opening -them immediately, she saw Phil running out of the court, with Mal close -at his heels, in pursuit of the prowler. Jimmy was just about to jump -through the window to join in the chase, but Penny held him back. - -“Stay here with us, Jimmy,” she said. “Phil and Mal can cope with that -eavesdropper.” - -Marjorie, who had for once been speechless, found her voice then. “Oh, -yes, Jimmy,” she begged. “Stay here with us. He might come back, and we -haven’t got a gun.” - -Jimmy looked disappointed, but he knew he could help Phil best by -staying with the girls. “Ah, that guy isn’t going to come back,” he -said. He stared gloomily out of the window as Pat ran across the court -to join the others. - -By this time, Kitty and Ann Mary had appeared, wide-eyed and -frightened. “Oh, oh,” Kitty cried. “I just know my Mal is going to get -shot.” - -Another shot rang out. Penny’s heart sank. Had the prowler fired the -second shot? Somehow she managed to disguise her fears and said in a -reassuring voice to Kitty: - -“Don’t worry, dear. Phil and Pat know how to handle their guns.” - -“They sure do,” Ann Mary said bravely although Penny could see that -she was almost as terrified as her cousin. “My Pat won’t let anything -happen to your Mal.” - -Theresa came in from the hall then, rubbing her eyes bewilderedly. “I -was asleep,” she said. “Did I hear a shot or did I dream it?” - -She looked so confused that everyone laughed, and the tension was -eased. “You heard two shots,” Jimmy told her. “I guess the first one -woke you up.” - -While he was explaining what had happened, they heard footsteps on the -graveled walk, and in another moment, they could see Phil, Pat and Mal -slowly approaching the house. Everyone ran out to meet them. - -“He got away,” Phil said ruefully. - -“Shouldn’t we notify the police?” Penny asked. - -Phil shrugged. “Probably only a tramp. I fired in the air to frighten -him when he jumped on Mal.” - -“But you fired a second time,” Marjorie said excitedly. “We were -terrified for fear one of you had been hurt.” - -“That’s right,” Jimmy said. “Say, Phil, how about giving us a play by -play description of what happened. I missed all the fun, remember?” - -Phil frowned. “We want to look around some more. We just came back to -be sure the rest of you were okay.” - -“We’re perfectly all right,” Penny said. “Go ahead with your search.” -She smiled. “As long as Jimmy stays with us we’re perfectly safe.” - -“I want to know what happened,” Jimmy complained. “Give, Phil.” - -“Well,” Phil said patiently, “from the minute that man disappeared into -the shrubbery, he slipped from one tree to another like an Indian, then -doubled around toward the lake.” - -“It certainly sounds as though he knows his way around here,” Marjorie -put in. - -Phil nodded. “Pat fired the second shot when we saw him trying to get -away in one of our boats. Although Pat fired into the air, it scared -the living daylights out of him, I guess. He jumped from the boat -and made for the woods below us.” Phil grinned. “I’ll bet he’s still -running. He may think we’re mighty poor shots, but at least he knows -we’re armed. I doubt if he ever comes back on our property again.” - -“But who could it have been?” Penny asked. “A tramp wouldn’t know his -way around our grounds.” - -“If anyone should ask me,” Pat said, “I’d say it was one of those crazy -villagers after the so-called buried treasure. I’ll bet the news is -all over town already that we found the old well near the shed.” - -“But,” Jimmy objected. “Nobody could have heard about it so soon.” - -“A lot of people could have,” Mal pointed out. “There were several -delivery boys out here during the excitement when Miss Penny fell into -the well.” - -Ann Mary nodded. “We were all so worried about Penny we didn’t pay -any attention to them. When Marjorie came running into the kitchen to -tell us about the accident, I dashed out of the house so fast I almost -knocked down one boy who biked out here with some groceries.” - -Pat shook his head gravely. “That rumor about buried treasure is going -to cause us a lot of trouble. We don’t want the place cluttered up with -night prowlers this summer.” - -“Let’s go have a look at the shed,” Jimmy said eagerly. “Maybe the guy -was down there snooping around and sneaked up to the house to make sure -we were all inside.” - -“All right,” Phil said. “But you have to stay with the girls.” - -“Oh, no, he doesn’t,” Marjorie said pertly. “The girls are going, too.” - -“We can’t all leave,” Penny said wisely. “After all, he might have been -a burglar. We would be playing right into his hands if we left the -house deserted with all the doors and windows open.” She glanced around -at the shadows with a little shiver. “Suppose he doubled back and is -watching us right now, waiting to see what we’ll do?” - -Marjorie moved a little closer to Penny. “Oh, isn’t it thrilling?” she -cried. “I wouldn’t be at all afraid to stay here and guard the house if -I had a gun.” - -“Not much you wouldn’t,” Jimmy jeered. - -“I for one,” Kitty said, “have no intention of going down to that shed. -I’m going into the house and Mal is going with me and we’re going to -lock ourselves in.” - -“Fine,” Jimmy said. “That solves the problem. Phil can leave his gun -with Mal just in case.” - -“Okay,” Mal agreed and stuck Phil’s little pistol into his pocket. -After the Donahues had gone into the house the others headed for the -shed. - -Jimmy had brought a flashlight with him, and when they got inside the -shed he flashed it all around. Just as they were about to leave, he -shouted, “Look!” and pointed to a spot near the broken wall where Penny -had fallen through earlier that day. - -The floor of the shed had been opened and plainly showing in the earth -under it was a footprint. “Someone has been here since we left,” Jimmy -cried excitedly. “That footprint was made by a man wearing a shoe with -a rubber sole. And we were all wearing sneakers.” - -“You’re right,” Phil said soberly. “But the man who made that footprint -might not have been our prowler. It could have been left by one of the -delivery boys whose curiosity was aroused when he heard about Penny’s -accident.” - -Penny nodded. “One of them might have biked back out while we were -having supper just to have a look. Kids are like that.” - -“But,” Jimmy argued, “they don’t have such big feet.” - -“Oh, yes, they do,” Marjorie said with a giggle. “Take a look at what’s -on the end of your own ankles.” - -“Maybe the prowler was just a curious kid,” Penny said suddenly. “Have -you thought of that, Phil?” - -Philip thought for a minute. “He had awfully broad shoulders, and I -don’t think a kid would have jumped on Mal.” He shrugged. “But I really -think whoever it was won’t come back.” He put the floor boards back in -place. “If he does, he won’t do any digging for buried treasure at this -spot. Jimmy, go and get the old Bus and park it right here.” - -Jimmy grinned with delight. “Right. And if our curious friend comes -back to search, he’ll have to move the Bus. And, unless he’s a Samson -he’ll have to start her up, and, when this thing starts running, he’ll -realize that he’s set off the loudest fire alarm in Michigan.” He ran -off to get the Bus. - -“If we don’t find any treasure when we dig up the well,” Marjorie said, -“let’s dig under the floor here.” - -“Definitely no,” Phil told her firmly. “We’ll dig up the well and let -it be known far and wide that we found nothing. That should put a stop -to all the silly rumors.” - -Pat nodded approvingly. “And night prowlers.” - -When they returned to the house they found that Kitty and Mal had -sandwiches and a large pot of hot cocoa waiting for them. - -“I think you men should take turns keeping watch tonight,” Kitty said -nervously. “And please, can’t we sleep in the house tonight instead of -in the cabin?” - -“Of course, you can,” Phil said. “And perhaps it isn’t a bad idea for -us to take turns keeping an eye on the place.” He smiled reassuringly. -“For the rest of tonight anyway.” - -“I’ll take one shift,” Marjorie said, suppressing a yawn. “I won’t -sleep a wink anyway.” - -But she did, the minute her head touched the pillow, and when she awoke -in the morning was very disappointed to hear that the night had been -uneventful. - -“At least I didn’t miss anything,” she said as they hurriedly ate -breakfast on the sunny porch. “Now, to find the buried treasure!” - -But the whole day proved to be a tremendous disappointment. They -finally dug all the way down to the bottom of the well and found -absolutely nothing but mud. And the source of the spring had evidently -gone dry. - -“All that labor for nothing,” Pat said in a very disgruntled voice. “A -wasted day.” - -Everyone had pitched in and helped at various intervals, although Jimmy -and Marjorie were the only ones who never gave up hope of finding gold -pieces deep in the mud. - -Wearily the men filled up the huge hole, and the rest of the week was -spent in what Ann Mary called “fruitful labor.” The shed was converted -into quite a presentable garage, and at last even Phil admitted that -they were practically ready to open the Lodge for business. They were -all so busy with final preparations they dismissed the night prowler -from their minds. - -Only Jimmy and Marjorie remained convinced that there was treasure -buried on the grounds. - -“What about the laundry situation?” Phil asked Penny the night before -the first guests were expected. “Have you been able to cope with that?” - -“I certainly have,” Penny told him proudly. “Several days ago a very -pleasant-looking man who looks strong enough to carry any amount of -damp linen, drove out to ask for the job. He’d heard in the village -that we wanted someone to tote a huge bundle into the laundry-mat twice -a week, and came right out without even waiting to telephone for an -appointment with me.” - -Phil looked puzzled. “I sort of took it for granted that you’d give the -job to a woman.” - -“I planned to,” Penny said, “in spite of what Pat said about anybody -being able to work those automatic machines. But there just aren’t any -women in the village who drive their own cars and who are free to help -us out.” - -“I suppose not,” Phil said. - -“This man, a Mr. Taggart,” Penny went on, “recently moved to town for -the summer and needs work badly. He offered to handle our laundry for -us at a flat rate of only fifteen dollars a week.” - -Phil whistled. “Say, that _is_ cheap!” He added teasingly: “Maybe he’ll -take the first batch in and never come back!” - -Penny laughed. “He’s already taken in one big bundle of sheets and -pillow cases and, according to Ann Mary, brought them back snowy white. -She’s terribly pleased. I had no idea we could get anyone to do it so -cheaply. When the place is filled with guests he’ll probably demand -more money, but let’s not object. Kitty says the laundry problem in all -summer hotels is usually the hardest one to solve.” - -Phil nodded. “If the place really fills up, we’ll not only have to -raise Taggart’s pay, but we’ll have to get some people from the village -to come out by the day and do the ironing.” - -“I’ve thought of that,” Penny said. “The same girls who are going to -help wait on the tables when we really get going are going to do some -ironing between meals.” - -“You think of everything,” Phil said approvingly. “I’m proud of you, -Sis.” - -Penny sighed. “You shouldn’t be. I couldn’t do a thing without the -advice of Ann Mary and Theresa and Kitty. And, frankly, Phil, I’m -getting cold feet at the last minute. What if the whole project is a -flop?” - -“It won’t be,” Phil said reassuringly. “You’re just tired and getting -a case of stage fright.” He tucked her hand through his arm and led -her toward the stairs. “After a good night’s sleep you’ll be your old -irrepressible self again. Full of vim, vigor and vitality!” - - - - -CHAPTER 5 - -ANOTHER THREAT - - -Rat-tat-tat on the door. - -“Who can that be?” Penny demanded. “We’ve simply got to get these clean -curtains up before the first guests arrive.” - -Phil, who was helping her, said from the top of the stepladder, -“Probably your laundry man, Mr. Taggart. Ann Mary or Marjorie can take -care of it.” He climbed down the ladder. “Now what?” - -“Draperies,” Penny said. “I’ve already put in the pin hooks so it won’t -take long.” - -Rat-tat-tat again. - -“Oh, dear,” she moaned. “Marjorie and Ann Mary are probably out in back -and can’t hear. Everyone else is in the village. That’s someone at the -front door so it couldn’t be Mr. Taggart. He always parks his car by -the Donahues’ cabin. I’d better run down and see who’s knocking.” - -Phil moved his ladder to the window where the draperies were to be -hung. “Wait a minute,” he said. “Just hand me up those things and then -go.” He stared out of the window as he climbed up. “Say, that must be -your laundry man’s car out there by the Donahues’ cabin now. Pretty -classy, isn’t it?” - -“It certainly is,” Penny agreed hurriedly. She gave him the draperies -and ran down the stairs from the balcony. At the bottom she stopped. -Someone was rummaging around in the storeroom in the back of the house. - -“Marjorie,” she called, rather crossly. “What are you doing in there? -This is no time to explore! And didn’t you hear someone knocking on the -front door?” She hurried down the hall muttering to herself: “With all -I have to do, it seems to me that child could at least stop looking for -hidden treasure long enough to answer the front door!” - -But, when she opened the door, Penny’s good nature was immediately -restored. For there stood Judy and Alf Powell with Mr. and Mrs. Powell -right behind them. - -Their first guests had arrived! - -Penny tried to hug everyone at once as she talked excitedly: - -“Why, Alf! You’ve grown like a beanstalk. Jimmy will be comparing -measurements with you in no time. And Judy, you haven’t changed a bit. -My, won’t you and Marjorie have a million things to talk about. You -can’t imagine, Mr. and Mrs. Powell, how pleased we were that you could -come. This isn’t going to be like a resort at all. We’re going to be -surrounded by all our old friends. Isn’t this fine! Come right in. How -did you get here? Have you a car to put away?” Penny peered around but -could not see a car any place. - -“No, Penny,” said Mr. Powell. “We decided to take a plane. Alf, as you -probably know, has flown a few times, but Judy had never been up.” - -“We flew to the closest airport,” Mrs. Powell added, “and took a bus -from there to the village. We left our luggage in the village and -walked out. It’s such a beautiful day. You won’t mind sending your -truck down for our bags, will you? A nice man in the village told us -you had one.” - -“Of course not,” said Marjorie, who suddenly appeared behind Penny in -the hall. “I’d drive it myself if only my mean old brothers and sister -would let me!” She laughed mischievously. - -“Imp!” Penny cried, pushing her straight into Judy’s arms. - -As the two girls hugged each other ecstatically, Mrs. Powell said to -Penny, “This is certainly a lovely spot. Even your description didn’t -do it justice. I know we’re all going to have a wonderful summer.” - -“We saw the lake as we flew over,” Mr. Powell said enthusiastically, -“and it looks large enough to hold a mighty lot of fish.” - -“There’s enough fish there to feed an army,” chimed in Jimmy as he came -running in from the driveway where he had parked the Bronc. “Alf and I -are going to catch our share.” - -Phil came down the stairs from the balcony and greeted everyone -cordially. “You couldn’t have arrived at a better time,” he told his -guests. “If Marjorie had had to wait one more hour for Judy, she would -have worn a path from the back door to the front. Ever since dawn she’s -been watching for your car.” - -“And yet,” Penny said with a laugh, “when they did arrive, she didn’t -hear them knocking on the door.” - -“I was busy,” Marjorie informed her sister airily. “Out in the -Donahues’ cabin helping Ann Mary get their laundry together for Mr. -Taggart.” - -Penny said nothing, but she made a mental note to scold Marjorie later -in private. Marjorie had not been helping Ann Mary; Penny had heard her -rummaging in the old storage room! - -“There’s something a lot better than fish around here,” Jimmy was -saying in an undertone to Alf. - -“I’ll say there is,” Marjorie told Judy. - -Penny smiled. She could see that the four of them were already scheming -and laying plans to dig up the entire place in search of buried -treasure. - -“I guess I’ll forget about Marjorie’s little white lie,” Penny decided. -“She didn’t mean any harm, and I know she’s been dying to poke around -in those old trunks for ages.” - -Jimmy took Alf to his room and Marjorie took Judy to hers. Philip and -Penny escorted Mr. and Mrs. Powell to the big airy room which had been -reserved for them. - -“Oh, Judy, isn’t it wo-o-o-onderful that you are here,” Marjorie said -with a sigh of happiness. “We haven’t got everything quite arranged -yet, so maybe, just for tonight, you and I can share a room. We’ll -stay up late and talk, and raid the icebox. We have the most wonderful -things to eat in it.” - -At this point they had to hug each other and dance a little jig in the -ecstatic joy of the occasion. Then their tongues began to catch up with -all there was to tell each other. - -As soon as Mal had brought the Powell’s luggage in from town and -Judy had changed into her blue jeans, she and Marjorie were all over -the place. They were like a couple of hummingbirds, here, there and -everywhere. They took a dip in the lake, a shower in the boathouse, and -afterwards, thoroughly content and full of excess spirits, they dressed -for the best dinner that Judy had ever tasted. Marjorie’s eyes snapped -and her round face was all smiles as she animatedly told the Powells -and Alf what she and Judy had seen and done. - -Then Alf and Jimmy related how they had spent the day first exploring -a little in the woods, then making plans for a camping trip that they -were to make later in the summer, and finally adding a little to the -construction of the shack. They were mighty anxious to complete the -bachelors’ retreat as fast as they could, and this was the only reason -why they accepted an offer of help from Marjorie and Judy. - -“I don’t suppose,” Alf said, giving Jimmy a nudge, “that they’ll really -be any help. But we’ll let them sweep up wood shavings and sort nails.” - -“You’ll do nothing of the kind,” Judy said briskly. “I’m going to put -up a wall all by myself or I won’t go near your silly old place.” - -The boys hooted and ran off to their headquarters. - -But not much work was accomplished the next day as more guests arrived. -Brook Sanders was greeted with hilarious shouts of joy by Jimmy and Alf -when Phil brought him in from the village in the station wagon. Poor -Brook was not even given a chance to go to his room. But his parents -were sure he preferred going down to see the shack with the boys. He -came back with a glowing description of the woods, the lake, the picnic -grounds, the shack and everything else he had seen. - -“Gee, Dad,” he said excitedly, “I wish you’d buy the place next door. -Jimmy says it’s for sale.” - -Mr. Sanders laughed. “I can see you are all enthused, Brook. But why -buy a place as long as we stand in with the Allens? This suits me.” - -“Me too,” said Brook. “Let’s do this every summer.” - -“Anybody want any fudge?” asked Marjorie and Judy. “We’ve just made -some.” - -“I never say no to fudge,” said Brook picking out the biggest piece -before Alf or Jimmy could get it. - -“You’d better leave at least one piece for me,” Alf said. - -“There’s plenty more in the kitchen,” said Judy, “and we’re bringing in -a big pitcher of lemonade, too.” - -Alf went into the kitchen with Judy to carry out the lemonade and -Marjorie brought in another dish of fudge. - -“Nut fudge,” gloated Alf. - -“Nuts to the nutty,” quoted Marjorie from one of her brother’s favorite -expressions, as she passed him the dish. - -Jimmy, Alf and Brook spent the afternoon out in the motorboat, to get -away from the girls and to make their plans. A great deal had happened -to all of the boys since they had last seen each other and they had a -lot of catching up to do. - -The next day the Curtises arrived, their car loaded with baggage, and -Mary said there was more coming by express. Now it was Penny’s and -Philip’s turn to get all excited and to catch up on old times with Mary -and Charles. - -Charles greeted Penny in his old devoted manner, and immediately asked -if Peter Wyland, his chief competitor, had arrived yet or if he was -going to have her to himself this summer. He made it very clear that -even if Peter came, he was planning to absorb all of Penny’s spare -time. Penny was cordial but elusive and all the more attractive. -Charles did not enjoy at all her enthusiasm over the different members -of his party. He felt that the kiss with which Penny greeted Mary -should have been planted on his cheek instead and he said so. - -Mary and Phil, on the other hand, acted like the two old chums that -they were. They both laughed heartily when Charles tried to kiss Penny -and she slipped hastily behind Phil. - -“I can see,” Mary said, “that we’re going to have a grand summer -watching those two fight.” - -Phil chuckled. “We’re delighted you all wanted to spend the summer with -us.” - -“That’s right,” Penny said, making a face at Charles. “Even you, silly. -I wouldn’t have considered the summer complete unless the Curtises were -here.” - -“I know we’re going to have the time of our lives,” Mary said -enthusiastically. - -“I hope so,” Penny said. “We’ve made all kinds of plans. We’ll hike -through the woods to the nearby places of interest, and have picnics -and all sorts of evening parties.” - -“And,” Phil added to Charles, “fish and hunt.” - -“The yacht,” Penny went on, “is in fine shape. We can go on overnight -trips on the lake. Oh,” she finished, “I’m just full of plans.” - -“Are you going to let me help you play hostess?” Charles asked. - -“I certainly am,” Penny told him briskly. “And for pity’s sake, start -right in with all that baggage. I’m sure Mal will be floored when he -sees it!” - -But all Charles could really get to carry up was one small bag, since -Mal, Pat, Jimmy and the other two boys made quick work of getting the -car unloaded. Penny suspected the rush act was put on because they were -all anxious to drive the beautiful, shiny Cadillac into the shed. - -For the next few days the Lodge was a beehive of activity. There was -much conversation and laughter and a great deal of coming and going -about the grounds. There were beach parties, hikes and picnics and an -impromptu evening party with everybody joining wholeheartedly in all -the games that were suggested. - -Jimmy arranged a “snipe hunt.” Phil was the only other person besides -Jimmy who knew there were no snipe around there. Everybody started out -at twilight with flashlights and paper bags to hunt for the elusive -snipe. And when they all came back, empty-handed, one by one, Jimmy -greeted them with a big stuffed bird in his hands. Brook said it was an -old logger’s trick, and everybody in New England knew about it, but he -couldn’t understand how he and all these other people would fall for -it. Nevertheless, they had all enjoyed their tramp through the woods -and the snack that awaited them when they returned. - -There was little rest for the Allens now. Penny would slip away when -everybody was being entertained to make out orders and menus. She also -found that she would have to make arrangements for some of the village -people to come in and help with the cleaning as well as the ironing and -serving when more guests arrived. - -Things were really getting down to quite a businesslike basis, however, -and Penny was pleased with the routine they seemed to have fallen into -partly by plan and partly by accident. They had planned to try and get -all of their actual work done in the morning, but the first few days -it had not worked out that way since most of the guests were up bright -and early. But after a few days, when the novelty of the Lodge had worn -off, and their guests had become quite settled, most of them slept -later, and this gave the Allens time for their work. - -Penny and Phil both had a disappointment in common when Peter Wyland -and Adra wrote that they would not be able to come to the Lodge until -the first week in August. Adra Prentice was spending some time with her -father, whom she had hardly seen all winter. And since Mr. Prentice -could not come to the Lodge at all as he had originally planned, Adra -had decided to spend July with him and then come to the Lodge for -August. Peter, of course, was in Mr. Prentice’s employ, and so he could -not come for the same reason. However, they both wrote in their letters -to Phil and Penny that they would be there in August and Peter hinted -that he might be able to come a week earlier. - -“It’s a good thing we haven’t much time to miss anyone these days,” -Phil said and Penny smiled. - -“Yes, keeping busy is a wonderful antidote for some things,” she said. - -The next few weeks were indeed busy ones. Some friends of Mary Curtis -arrived and a few friends of Charles dropped in for the weekends. -Marjorie and Judy were constantly on the lookout for new romances among -the young folks, and just as they were certain that one was developing, -something would happen which would prove that they were wrong. - -“Anyway,” Marjorie said to Judy, “there are two romances we can be -absolutely sure of. Phil is in love with Adra, and Penny is mad about -Peter.” - -“And,” Judy chimed in, “Adra is in love with Phil and Peter is wild -about Penny. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all engaged before -the end of the summer.” - -“Neither would I,” Marjorie said, her blue eyes twinkling. “Phil and -Penny can hardly wait for the arrival of Adra and Peter.” - -They had been helping Theresa by emptying all of the scrap baskets -from the various rooms in the Lodge into the big wire mesh one in the -clearing. Later, when the wind died down, Pat would set a match to the -papers. - -Right now the wind was blowing so hard that it lifted a crumpled ball -of paper from Judy’s hand and blew it smack against Marjorie’s face. - -“Fate,” Marjorie said with a giggle, “obviously meant for me to read -this before it got burned.” - -Assuming an exaggeratedly serious air, she smoothed out the paper on -her knee. Then she gave a little gasp. “Oh, Judy,” she cried. “It’s -another anonymous letter. Remember? I told you about the one Phil got? -This one was sent to Penny, and I’ll bet she crumpled it up and threw -it away without saying anything to anybody.” - -Judy nodded. “Penny’s like that. She wouldn’t pay any attention to a -letter she got unless it was signed. What does this one say?” - -“Th-this one,” Marjorie stammered, after reading it quickly, -“fr-frightens me.” And she read the crudely printed words out loud: - - MISS ALLEN: YOUR FALL THE OTHER - DAY WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT. I - PURPOSELY WEAKENED THOSE - BOARDS IN THE SHED SO THAT THE - FIRST ONE OF YOU WHO LEANED - ON THEM WOULD CRASH INTO - THE WELL. IF YOU DON’T CLEAR - OUT OF THE LODGE SOON, EXPECT - WORSE “ACCIDENTS.” I WARNED - YOU THAT I MEAN BUSINESS. - -Judy sniffed. “Well, it doesn’t frighten me. From the way you described -Penny’s accident, I’m sure it didn’t happen because someone had -tampered with the wall of the shed. Even if he had weakened the boards, -how could he be sure someone was going to lean on them?” - -“You’re right,” Marjorie admitted, completely over her nervousness. -“Penny herself said she was foolish to touch that broken wall.” - -She crumpled the letter and tossed it into the mesh basket. “A crazy -person who heard about Penny’s fall wrote that silly letter. Come on. -Let’s bring the empty baskets back to Theresa and forget the whole -thing.” - -But deep down inside, Marjorie was thinking about the footprint Jimmy -had discovered in the dirt under the shed floor. Had it been left there -before Penny’s accident, or after it? - -“After it,” she finally decided. “The floor boards were all in place -the first time we inspected the shed. The man who came snooping around -that night must have left that footprint. He probably meant to sneak -back and cover up the hole he made in the floor, but got frightened -away for good when Phil and Pat fired those shots in the air.” - - - - -CHAPTER 6 - -CLUES IN A BOTTLE - - -All during the hot July days that followed Judy and Marjorie did indeed -live in bathing suits. Mrs. Powell and Penny tried to make them dress -up for dinner, but they compromised by changing into clean shirts and -blue jeans. - -“Aren’t we ever going to do anything about the treasure that’s supposed -to be buried around here?” Judy asked one day. They had been in -swimming and were now lying in the sun on the shore of the lake. - -“I suppose we should do something about it,” Marjorie said lazily. “But -it’s been so hot I hate the thought of digging. Helping Pat hoe up his -potatoes was about all I could stand.” - -“I’ve still got some blisters,” Judy said with a grin. - -Marjorie raised herself on one elbow and squinted up toward the Lodge. -“Penny and Phil don’t think there’s any treasure buried around here any -more than there was a ghost haunting the place.” - -“I know _they_ don’t,” Judy said. “But Jimmy, Alf and Brook do. They’ve -been acting very mysteriously ever since we got here. They sneak off -early in the morning with shovels and things, and I’m sure they don’t -spend all their time fixing up their shack.” - -“I know,” Marjorie said thoughtfully. “And it would be simply awful if -the boys found the treasure, not us.” She scrambled to her feet. “We’ve -got to find it first. Let’s get out of these wet bathing suits before -we do anything else. While we’re changing into dungarees we can decide -where the best place to start digging is.” - -Ten minutes later the girls left the Lodge by the back door and, armed -with shovels, went down to the clearing. - -“Oh, golly,” Marjorie moaned. “I thought this would be a swell place to -dig because there’s no grass on the ground here. But just look. There’s -the wash hanging out on the line to dry. Mr. Taggart must have just -brought it back from the laundry-mat.” - -“Just our luck,” Judy complained. “We’d better not dig anywhere near -it. We’d be sure to raise clouds of dust. It hasn’t rained in ages.” - -“I tell you what let’s do instead,” Marjorie suggested. “Let’s go help -the boys with their shack. They promised to let us work on it, too. -Once it’s finished maybe they’ll go off on that camping trip with Pat. -Then we’ll have the whole place to ourselves.” - -“That’s right,” Judy agreed. “If they caught us digging, they’d be -sure to make fun of us. They pretend that we’re silly to believe that -there’s treasure buried around here, but I happen to know that they -believe in it too.” - -When they arrived at the shack, the girls’ offer of help was promptly -turned down. - -“_Help!_” Alf hooted. “Judy, you don’t know which end of a hammer is -the head.” - -“Neither does Marjorie,” added Jimmy with a teasing grin. “Scram, you -two. We men have work to do.” - -“But you promised,” Marjorie reminded him crossly. - -Jimmy waved her away. “Later, child, later. Right now we’re too busy -to teach you the rudiments of carpentry.” - -So Judy and Marjorie wandered forlornly off and returned to the -clearing where they had left their shovels. After that they spent a few -hours every day aimlessly digging here and there for buried treasure. -But it was tiresome work and since they knew the holes had to be filled -up, they never dug very deep or very long at any one spot. - -“This is hopeless,” Judy said one day toward the end of July. “What -we ought to look for are clues. Maps and things pirates may have left -around which will tell us exactly where to dig.” - -“I don’t think there were ever any pirates around here,” Marjorie said -dubiously. “Didn’t they always stick pretty close to the seacoasts?” - -“I guess you’re right,” Judy said disconsolately. “But whoever buried -the treasure should have left some clues or directions.” - -“Not necessarily,” Marjorie pointed out practically. “He might have -buried it in a hurry and then the Indians or somebody might have killed -him right afterwards.” - -“I give up.” Judy flung her shovel on the ground. “The boys can find -the treasure first for all I care. My hands are so sore I couldn’t -paddle a canoe. So let’s go swimming.” - -“All right,” Marjorie agreed. “I do want you to have fun while you’re -our guest, Judy,” she added worriedly. - -“Oh, I am,” Judy assured her with a quick smile. “It was my idea to dig -for the treasure, not yours. But let’s forget about it for awhile.” - -“Let’s,” Marjorie agreed. “Besides, I haven’t been much of a help to -Penny lately. I’m supposed to be assistant hostess, you know, and help -her entertain the guests.” - -“Well, I’m a guest,” Judy said with a giggle. “And you’ve entertained -me royally.” - -From then on Marjorie spent more time helping Penny and Ann Mary and -Theresa. - -By the first of August the boys had made great progress with the shack. -Mal, Pat and Phil helped out whenever they could and some of the guests -pitched in occasionally. The walls and the roof were now up, the doors -and windows were in place and the boys had even spent two nights -sleeping there on cots. They were now putting in the finishing touches, -and true to their promise they had let Marjorie and Judy help. - -Marjorie, in her enthusiasm over being allowed to put up a shower wall -all by herself, had banged her finger with the hammer and the boys -had suggested that she and Judy take some time off to recuperate. So -Marjorie and Judy were looking for shells down on the beach. - -“Oh, golly,” Judy said in disgust after awhile, “all the nice ones seem -to get as far under the rocks as they can.” - -“They certainly do,” Marjorie agreed. “But let’s keep looking. We might -find some really valuable ones which we could sell to collectors for a -lot of money.” - -For the next few minutes they were very busy pushing and shoving at the -rocks, upturning some and giving up others that were too heavy to budge. - -Finally they came across one huge stone that seemed to be imbedded in -the sand. Marjorie knew that even with Judy’s help she couldn’t move -it, and she was just about to crawl by it when she saw something. - -“Judy,” she cried excitedly. “Come here, quickly. Doesn’t it look as -though someone had been digging around this rock a little while ago?” - -Judy scrambled to her feet and joined Marjorie. “You’re right,” she -said. “Some one _has_ been digging here. I’ll bet whoever it was buried -something under that rock.” She flopped down on her knees beside -Marjorie and together the girls began to dig frantically with their -fingers. - -And then Marjorie’s sharp eyes caught a glimpse of something that -glittered in the sunlight. “Diamonds,” she gasped. “Judy, help me. -Let’s see if we can’t inch the rock up a little so we can see better. -Oh, wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was real honest-to-goodness -treasure buried here?” - -Judy, tugging at the heavy rock, could only pant, “There. Now we’ve got -it!” - -They both fell to digging with renewed vigor, and in another second -Marjorie could see that the glittering object was only a dark green -glass bottle. - -“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” she moaned disappointedly. “And I thought we -were at last going to find the buried treasure.” Crossly she yanked the -bottle out of the warm sand and raised her arm to toss it into the lake. - -“Wait a minute!” cried Judy, grabbing her arm just in time. “There’s -something in that bottle, Marjorie. When you held it up in the sunlight -I could see right through the dark green glass.” - -Marjorie held the bottle up again and stared at it. “You’re right, -Judy,” she said. “It looks like a piece of paper. Oh, golly, maybe it’s -a map which’ll tell us exactly where the treasure is buried!” - -As she talked, Marjorie was prying out the cork with a piece of broken -shell. - -“Hurry, hurry,” Judy cried impatiently, hopping up and down. “Now -you’ve got it out at last. Turn it upside down and shake it, Marjorie. -Oh, oh, it _is_ a piece of paper!” - -The piece of paper was battered and torn, and it had been crumpled into -a small ball. Carefully Marjorie smoothed it out, and together they -tried to read the smudged words. - -After half an hour of intensive studying they were able to figure -out that the scrap was a fragment of a message, and the message had -something to do with “the Log Cabin” and “a well that.” - -“Oh, Judy,” Marjorie gasped. “The well must be the one we dug up. If -we could only find the other fragment, I’ll bet the two together would -tell us where the treasure is buried!” - -“Who do you suppose wrote the message?” Judy asked wonderingly. “And -how did it get torn? And how did one half get into this bottle?” - -“I can guess what happened,” Marjorie said, her imagination completely -running away with her. “Two men knew about the buried treasure near the -old well. They wrote down just where they were supposed to dig. Then -they got into a fight when they talked about how they were going to -divide the loot. In the tussle, one man got off with one half, and the -other put his half in this bottle and buried it here for safekeeping.” - -Judy stared at her in admiration. “You’re wonderful, Marjorie,” she -said. “That’s just what happened. Now all we have to do is find the -other half.” - -Marjorie’s elfin blue eyes were bright with suppressed laughter. -“_All?_” she demanded sarcastically. “The other half of the message -could be anywhere in the world.” She stared thoughtfully down at the -scrap. “The two letters ‘tr’ might be part of the word ‘trunk.’ What do -you think, Judy?” - -“I think you’re absolutely right,” Judy said emphatically. “Aren’t -there some old trunks in the storeroom that you haven’t opened yet? Oh, -Marjorie, do you suppose there’s another clue in one of them?” - -“Let’s look anyway,” Marjorie said. “Tuesday when I was helping Ann -Mary get the soiled linen ready for Mr. Taggart to take into town, I -asked her if you and I couldn’t go through those old trunks some rainy -day. And she said we could. She laughed at me and said, ‘You won’t find -any treasure there. If you’re smart you’ll search for rare shells down -by the lake.’ That’s how I got the idea of trying to find some which -rich collectors might buy from us.” - -“Well,” Judy said, “we didn’t find any worth bringing back to the -Lodge. Let’s don’t waste any more time looking for rare shells. Let’s -go show this clue to the boys.” - -Marjorie hesitated. “Okay, but I’ll bet they just make fun of us. Jimmy -won’t even consider that it just might be a clue.” - -“But,” Judy objected, “he’s bound to realize that the message had -something to do with the well and the Lodge. Let’s go.” - -Marjorie carefully tucked the torn paper into the pocket of her blue -jeans. Then they raced back to the Lodge. - -Out in the shed the girls found that Jimmy, Alf and Brook had finished -closing in the shower. They banged on the door and Jimmy called out in -a dramatic voice: - -“Who invades our privacy? This is the bachelors’ retreat and we want -no women around here!” Marjorie heard him add in a loud whisper: “And -especially not dimwit girls!” - -She yelled at the top of her lungs: “Oh, come on out, Jimmy. Quit being -so mean to us. We have something important to show you.” - -But Jimmy was adamant. “_You_ quit banging on the door, dopes. We’ll -open it when we’re ready and not a minute before.” - -Marjorie turned to Judy. “Try Alf. He’s your brother.” - -“Alf Powell,” Judy screamed. “You’ll be sorry if you don’t come right -out. What we have is something really yummy!” She added quietly to -Marjorie, “That’ll get him!” - -“Yummy,” they heard both Alf and Brook repeat, and then from Jimmy as -he opened the door and stuck his head out: - -“Why didn’t you say you had food in the first place?” - -“Look,” said Marjorie, showing him the piece of paper. “Judy and I -found this in a bottle buried in the sand under a big rock on the -beach. We think it’s part of a message that has something to do with -the buried treasure.” - -“Oh, you dopey kids,” Jimmy said in a very condescending tone of voice. -“Your imagination works overtime. It’s fantastic,” he said over his -shoulder to Alf and Brook, “what they can think up in their spare time.” - -But Jimmy took the paper from Marjorie, and gave it a contemptuous -glance. “What a mess,” he said. “You know perfectly well you rigged -this up yourselves, but you can’t fool me.” - -“We didn’t, honest,” Marjorie said, tossing her blonde head. “But if -that’s the way you feel about it, give it back to me. Furthermore, -if we find any more clues you’ll be the last person in the world we -consult.” - -Jimmy tossed it to her with a grin. “Run along, kids. We haven’t time -for your monkey business. We’re going for a swim, and then we’re going -to get the Bronc ready for our camping trip.” He slammed the door in -Marjorie’s face. “Scram. Later, if we men haven’t anything better to -do, you can try to fool us with your phony clues.” - -“See?” Marjorie bitterly asked Judy. “That’s a brother for you! If we -do find anything in the storage room, let’s not tell a soul!” - - - - -CHAPTER 7 - -THE MAP - - -Marjorie and Judy entered the Lodge by the back door and found Mr. -Taggart in the kitchen with a big bundle of clean laundry. - -“Hello, girls,” he said pleasantly. “Find any buried treasure yet?” - -“No,” Judy replied, “but down on the beach we--” - -Marjorie nudged her and said quickly, “We found a lot of absolutely -worthless shells.” She grinned at Ann Mary who came into the kitchen -then with a bag of soiled linen. “You and your rare specimens! I’ll bet -you sent us off on that wild goose chase just to get us out of your -hair.” - -Ann Mary laughed. “Maybe I did.” She turned to Mr. Taggart. “I really -sent them down to the lake to keep them from digging up the whole -place. Pat and Mal worked hard on the vegetable garden behind the -cabin, and I’m not going to have the kids ruin it in their search for -something which they know perfectly well isn’t there.” - -“That’s right,” the laundry man said with a grin. “A carrot in the hand -is worth a diamond in the bush.” He picked up the bag and started for -the door. - -“Wait a minute, please,” Ann Mary said. “There’s more upstairs. Sit -down and make yourself comfortable while I gather up the bed linen.” - -“Do you want me to do it for you, Ann Mary?” Marjorie asked, hoping the -answer would be no. - -“Thank you, no,” Ann Mary said emphatically. “The last time you counted -the sheets you counted one of them twice.” - -Marjorie giggled, and the girls followed Ann Mary out into the hall. As -she hurried up the stairs to the balcony, Judy said: - -“I wish you’d show me the secret room sometime, Marjorie. I think -you’re mean to keep it a secret from me, your very best friend.” - -“Why, of course, I’ll show it to you,” Marjorie cried impulsively. “And -there’s no time like the present.” She led the way into the alcove and -said, “See those bookshelves? Now watch, while I press this button.” - -Open-mouthed with amazement, Judy watched as the shelves moved aside, -revealing a short flight of stairs that led down into a little room. - -“Why, that’s the most marvelous contraption I ever saw,” she said -enviously. “I wish we had something like it at home.” - -“We can’t go in,” Marjorie said. “It’s a law we passed at a meeting of -the Allen Lodge Board of Directors. Only Phil and Pat can go in. As -a matter of fact,” she added thoughtfully, “I guess I shouldn’t have -showed you how the door works without first asking their permission.” - -“I won’t tell a soul,” Judy promised. “But why all the secrecy?” - -“Well,” Marjorie explained, “we keep all the guests’ valuables and all -the money in that little old wall safe in there.” She stopped suddenly. -“Oh, gosh, I guess that was Ann Mary who just went by the alcove. She -must have heard us talking in here and now she’ll guess that I showed -you the secret room.” - -“Will she tell Phil and Penny?” Judy asked worriedly. “And will they -bawl you out? Oh, I hope not. It was all my fault! Curiosity killed the -cat,” she finished lamely. - -“You mean,” Marjorie said as she closed the door, “let the cat out of -the bag!” She grinned. “No, Ann Mary won’t tell. If she thinks I did -let the cat out of the bag, she’ll bawl me out herself. But she’s no -tattle-tale, and neither is Pat. They’re both grand people. And so are -the Donahues.” - -“Everyone at the Lodge is swell,” Judy agreed, and added cautiously: -“Since we’re probably already in Dutch, don’t you think maybe we’d -better ask Penny’s permission before we go through those old trunks in -the storeroom? I know Ann Mary said we could, but after all, Penny is -the housekeeper, isn’t she?” - -Marjorie nodded. “We’ll get her permission right now.” She glanced at -her wristwatch. “She’s probably out on the porch having tea with your -parents and Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. And I guess Mr. and Mrs. Sanders, too.” - -“I tell you what let’s do,” Judy said. “Let’s put on a fashion show. -Didn’t you say that the trunk you’ve already opened is full of -old-fashioned dresses and costume jewelry?” - -“What a wonderful idea!” Marjorie raced ahead of Judy down the spacious -hall to the porch. - -Penny, looking very lovely in a pale yellow afternoon frock, looked up -from the tea table with a smile. “Having fun, girls?” she asked. “I -don’t have to ask you if you’re hungry. Help yourselves to sandwiches -and cookies.” - -“We’re not hungry for once, Penny,” Marjorie told her with a laugh. “We -came out to ask you if it’s all right if we put on a fashion show for -you while you’re having tea. The boys have deserted us, and Judy and I -want to dress up and parade around in some of the old costumes in the -storage room.” - -“Go right ahead,” Penny said. “That’s the best idea you’ve had all -summer, Marjorie.” She turned to Mary Curtis who was sitting on the -other side of the table. “Don’t you think so, too, Mary?” - -Mary nodded. “Anything to keep those two out of mischief.” - -Marjorie and Judy hurried away to the storage room. “My, why haven’t -we poked around in here before?” Judy asked Marjorie. “What’s in all -those boxes and trunks anyway?” - -“I only know what’s in the trunk we already opened,” Marjorie told -her. “These are the old, old trunks.” She pointed to two little trunks -standing side by side. “After the fashion show we’ll go through them -carefully for clues. The other boxes all contain things of ours that -we’ve put away so we wouldn’t clutter up the house with things we -didn’t need.” - -Half an hour later the girls appeared on the porch and marched sedately -up and down, hoping they were behaving like professional models. - -It was all Penny could do to keep from laughing. To her they looked as -stiff as wooden puppets in a Punch and Judy show. - -“What period are you representing?” Brook’s mother asked, suppressing a -smile. “Jane Austen?” - -Marjorie relaxed enough to shrug. “We haven’t the faintest idea, Mrs. -Sanders. Let’s pretend that the audience has to guess.” - -“All right,” Mrs. Sanders agreed. “I’ll stick to _Pride and Prejudice_.” - -“I’d say that the black velvet was of the nineties, after the big -sleeves and hideous bustles had gone out,” Mrs. Powell said. - -Mrs. Curtis thought it was of a later period. She laughed and said, -“Wouldn’t it be funny if those bustles came back in again. I’m afraid -they wouldn’t look quite as cute on us as they do on those two young -ladies!” - -Mary told them she thought the blue satin dress was meant to be worn -with hoops and was probably from a period dating near the Civil War. - -“Let’s go see if we can find the hoop,” Marjorie said, taking Judy by -the hand and heading back to the storeroom. - -They had had enough of dressing up by this time, and they got back -into their blue jeans and proceeded to turn the contents of the trunks -inside out. They felt every part of the inside of the trunks for -hidden places, they shook all the clothes carefully and examined them -minutely, but all to no avail. - -“Maybe all of the costume jewelry in that box isn’t set with imitation -stones,” Judy said without much hope. - -“But it is,” Marjorie said. “Do you want to look at it?” She -impatiently yanked off the lid and the old velvet lining fell away. -Then they both saw it--an old map, pasted inside the cover! - -Marjorie was so surprised she sat right down on the storage room floor. -“Oh, my goodness,” she finally got out, “to think, if it hadn’t been -for you, we might not have even opened the jewelry box. I never would -have thought of looking here because I examined it so carefully when -Phil and Penny first opened this trunk.” - -But Judy wasn’t listening. She had hurried to a window with the lid -and was examining the map carefully. “Marjorie,” she groaned, “this is -positively the worst thing that ever happened to us!” - -Marjorie scrambled to her feet and hurried to peer over Judy’s -shoulder. In another minute she, too, was groaning. “There’s no doubt -about it,” she mumbled sadly. “This map tells exactly where the -treasure is buried. And where it is buried is right under the potato -hills in Pat’s garden!” - -“That’s the way it looks to me,” Judy said mournfully. “He won’t dig up -those potatoes until the fall. The vines have hardly begun to blossom.” -Very near to tears she added, “And--and you’ll find the treasure after -I’ve gone back to school!” - -Just then Penny appeared at the door. “What on earth is the matter -with you two?” she asked. “I could hear your moans and groans from the -balcony.” - -“We’ve found the map that shows exactly where the treasure is buried,” -Marjorie wailed. “B-but Pat won’t let us dig it up.” - -Penny’s blue eyes were dark with surprise. “Don’t be silly, Marjorie,” -she said. “Of course, Pat will let you dig it up.” - -Marjorie hurried across the room to show Penny the map. “See,” she said -pointing. “The big X is behind the Donahues’ cabin on the west side. -Judy and I know what’s planted there. We got blisters on our hands the -day we helped Pat and Mal hoe up those potato hills!” - -Penny glanced at the map and then she laughed. “You silly girls! Don’t -you know that this is a joke the boys played on you?” She went back -into the hall and called up the stairs: - -“Jimmy, come down here right away, please.” - -Jimmy took the stairs two at a time. “What’s up?” he demanded. “The -house on fire?” - -For answer Penny handed him the jewelry box lid. “Didn’t you paste that -map there to play a joke on the girls?” - -Jimmy stared at the map in amazement. “Honestly, Penny,” he said -soberly. “I never saw the darn thing before.” - -“How about Alf and Brook?” Penny asked sternly. “A joke’s a joke, -but this one might have caused serious trouble. If someone not as -thoughtful as Marjorie had found it and followed directions he would -have ruined Pat’s potatoes.” - -“I know,” Jimmy said, still staring at the map. “But neither Alf nor -Brook did it, Penny. They’ve never been inside the storage room, so -they couldn’t possibly have planted this map in the cover of the -costume jewelry box.” - -“Well then,” Penny said firmly. “The person who did, did it purposely -to annoy us.” - -“I don’t know how you can be so sure of that,” Marjorie objected. “_I_ -think someone put it in the lid long before Pat and Mal planted the -garden.” - -Penny gave her a fond pat. “I hate to disillusion you, honey, but the -map was pasted in the lid quite recently. Last week when I opened the -box to show Mary the costume jewelry the old velvet lining fell out. -And there wasn’t any map there then.” - -Marjorie sighed with disappointment. “Oh, dear,” she began, “then I -suppose the same mean person put that scrap of paper in the bot--” - -But she never finished what she had planned to say. For just then Phil -called out excitedly from the porch: - -“Penny, _Penny! Peter’s here!_” - - - - -CHAPTER 8 - -PETER IS WORRIED - - -Peter had arrived several days earlier than he had planned! For a -moment Penny stood stock still on the threshold of the old storage room. - -She was too thrilled to move, but she was very glad that she was -wearing her most becoming afternoon frock. Peter said that pale yellow -brought out the golden lights in her hair and turned her eyes to -violets. Or was it forget-me-nots? - -Marjorie’s giggle set her in motion. “Wake up, Penny,” Marjorie said -with a laugh. “This is no time to dream.” - -Her cheeks burning, Penny hurried down the hall. Peter Wyland was just -getting out of his car when she appeared on the porch. - -Penny’s heart beat a little faster as she greeted him cordially -and tried to look as casual as possible. Peter squeezed her hand -lingeringly and looked as though he were going to kiss her right in -front of all the people. - -“You’re looking wonderful,” Penny said. - -“So are you!” Peter’s eyes admired her smooth skin which the summer sun -had turned to a golden tan. Neither of them could think of another word -to say, and yet they had so much to say to each other! - -Philip came to the rescue with a cheery grin. “Hi, fella,” he greeted -Peter, shaking his hand as though it were a pump handle. “Good to see -you again.” - -Charles came running down the front steps to greet Peter -enthusiastically, too. Penny thought: - -“Good old Charles. He can be nice when he wants to. If it weren’t for -Peter, I think I could like Charles a lot.” She glanced shyly at Peter. -“Oh, he _does_ love me. I can tell!” Penny was in a whirl. - -The first thing Philip wanted to know was when Adra Prentice was coming. - -“You’re in luck, boy,” Peter said, clapping him on the shoulder. “She’s -arriving in a couple of hours by plane. Her dad--my boss--is planning -to spend a week here toward the end of the month.” - -Phil’s gray-blue eyes lighted up with anticipation. This would be the -most exciting day of the whole summer for Penny and Phil. - -“I’ll carry your bags up to your room,” he said to Peter. “No, I don’t -need any help. I know Penny is dying to show you all over the Lodge and -the grounds.” - -Marjorie watched them stroll off together arm in arm. She was glad -Peter was here and that Adra was coming soon, but she did so want to -be alone with Penny for a few minutes sometime that day. “We’ve got to -show her the clue we found in the bottle down on the beach,” she said -to Judy. “Maybe the map is a phony, but I’m sure the scrap of paper in -my pocket means something.” - -“I am, too,” Judy agreed. “And I’m not so sure that the map is a phony. -It looked so old and weather-beaten. Somebody might have found it just -the other day and put it in the jewelry box lid for safekeeping.” - -Marjorie stared at her thoughtfully. “Who do you suppose this somebody -is who is lurking around here, and writing anonymous letters? It must -be the same person, but how did he get into the storage room without -being seen?” - -Judy shrugged. “Don’t ask me. Let’s talk it all over with Penny the -first chance we get. Then she can discuss it with Peter. He’s sort of -an amateur detective, isn’t he?” - -Marjorie nodded. “Heaven knows when we’ll be able to say more than two -words to Penny.” - -Adra arrived just before dinner, and once again there was excitement -and tumult. Jimmy and Marjorie greeted the lovely, fragile-looking girl -with shouts of welcome. Penny hugged her affectionately, but Philip -could only hold her hand in his and stare down at her wordlessly. - -But the expression on his handsome face told Adra more than anything he -could have said. - -Penny’s duties as hostess and housekeeper kept her busy until late in -the evening. At last, when she was alone in the office planning the -next day’s program, Marjorie and Judy could stand it no longer. They -burst into the room, and Marjorie blurted: - -“We’ve been trying to see you alone all evening, Sis. But, golly, -you’re busy as triplets.” She stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled -out the worn scrap of paper. “Judy and I found this in a bottle buried -under a big rock down on the beach.” - -Penny frowned tiredly. “Oh, Marjorie, not another one of your clues!” - -Marjorie bit her lip. “I know you think we’re silly to keep looking -for buried treasure, Penny. But this is part of a message and it has -something to do with the Log Cabin and a well.” - -Penny laid the scrap on her desk and tried to read it. The girls showed -her what they had been able to decipher. - -“Oh, dear,” Penny said. “I’m too tired now to think about clues. I’m -sorry, girls. Go on to bed now. It’s late. Leave this with me, and -the first chance I get in the morning, I’ll show it to Peter. He’s -the detective of our group, and if anyone can figure what this is all -about, it’s he.” - -After the girls had gone up to their rooms, Penny added to herself: -“I’m glad Peter arrived today for more reasons than one. Something -mysterious _is_ going on. Who was our prowler? Who wrote those -anonymous letters? Who put the map in the lid of the old jewelry box? -And what sense does this scrap of paper make?” - -The next morning, right after breakfast, she was asking Peter the same -questions. He listened attentively as she filled in all the details. - -When she had finished, he said very seriously: “I don’t like any part -of this, Penny, especially the letter that threatened you. Frankly, -I wish you had turned it over to the police. Even if there were only -latent fingerprints on it, they could have sent it to the FBI in -Washington. Those experts don’t miss a thing, and if the man is a -criminal, his fingerprints will be in their files.” - -“But,” Penny objected, “if he _is_ a criminal, he would have been smart -enough to wear gloves.” - -“That’s true,” Peter admitted. “But there are other ways of discovering -who wrote those letters. For one thing, although he undoubtedly did his -best to disguise his handwriting, he couldn’t completely. No one can. -We all develop certain characteristics when we first learn to write, -and those characteristics stay with us forever.” - -“My,” Penny said admiringly. “You _are_ a detective, Peter.” - -Peter grinned, and then sobered. “Not really, Penny. And I wish you’d -let me notify the police now. Someone is obviously very interested in -making you Allens clear out of here. I don’t know why, but I can guess.” - -“So can I,” Penny said, twirling a strand of her light brown hair -around her finger. “Maybe Jimmy and Marjorie are right after all. Maybe -there _is_ buried treasure around here.” - -Peter stared down at the note on the desk. They had managed to make out -the following words: - - t the Log cabin - t week in August - asure again - near the - r a well that - dry. - -“The first word in the third line,” Penny said, “could be the last part -of the word ‘treasure.’ And the well could be the one we dug up. But -our mysterious Mr. X isn’t as smart as he should be. We went clear to -the bottom of that old well, Peter, and there just isn’t any buried -treasure there.” - -Peter nodded. “The man first tried to frighten you, and now he’s being -as annoying as he dares.” - -“Do you know what I think?” Penny asked. “I think there is something -valuable hidden around here which we don’t know anything about. But Mr. -X does. He wants us to keep on thinking it’s buried somewhere on the -grounds so we’ll keep on digging instead of searching elsewhere for it.” - -“You’re not only very pretty, Penny,” Peter said, smiling. “But you’re -very intelligent. I think you’ve reasoned it out correctly. The map and -this fragment of paper are red herrings; not clues. Will you let me -turn them over to the police? Just the paper our Mr. X used may be a -clue which would lead to the discovery of his identity in a very short -time.” - -“Oh, no, Peter,” Penny cried impulsively. “Let’s not turn the mystery -over to the police now. Let’s first try to solve it ourselves. -Besides,” she added shrewdly, “when they hear about the night prowler -who attacked Mal, they may want to put guards around the Lodge. And -that, Peter Wyland, would make some of the guests nervous. It might -ruin our whole business venture.” - -“I can refuse you nothing, Penny Allen,” he said, grinning. “But I -think we ought to consult with Phil and Adra before we make a final -decision. Let’s call them in, and hash the whole thing out all over -again.” - -But an hour later, after a serious discussion, Penny won. They would -not notify the police unless they received another threatening letter. - -“I still don’t like it,” Peter grumbled. “The idea of that coward -threatening Penny.” - -Penny blushed. Peter was being very protective about her and she -couldn’t help liking it. “But he didn’t really threaten me,” she -pointed out. “He couldn’t possibly have known I was going to touch the -rotten supports in the shed wall. If you ask me, he heard about the -accident and simply took advantage of it. A few hours after I tumbled -down the well, everyone in the village knew about it.” - -“That’s another thing,” Peter said stubbornly. “If we notify the police -they’ll know who is a stranger in town and keep an eye on him.” - -Penny laughed. “Then they’d have to have a thousand eyes, Peter. The -place is swarming with summer people.” - -Peter threw up his hands in mock despair. “Oh, all right,” he said. “I -give in. Let’s forget about it for awhile. How about a swim, Penny? Or -are you too busy?” - -“Well,” Penny began, “I--” - -“Skip it, Sis,” Phil interrupted. “Pleasure comes before business, -since your main duty is to see that your guests are happy.” - -The meeting broke up then, and everyone hurried off to change into -bathing suits. Down on dock they found Marjorie and Judy sitting on the -edge, dangling their feet in the water. - -Jimmy, Alf and Brook were busy completing preparations for their -camping trip which was to start the next day. The boys were fixing two -of the canoes to take along on the Bronc. They were planning to do -some fishing in the rivers they camped by, and were going to be fully -prepared to take advantage of anything else they might find. - -That evening they had an old-fashioned square dance out on the front -porch. There was a fiddler in the town who had come back with Mal, and -the guests as well as the Allens had a lively time. Kitty and Ann Mary -served delicious cold lemonade with homemade cookies. - -Philip reached for his fourth cooky and said to Adra, “I’m sure I’d get -too fat to move if I ate all the good things Ann Mary is always making. -Can you make cookies like this, Adra?” - -She laughed and said, “No, Phil, I can’t make anything as good as Ann -Mary does, but I’m sure I could learn, if I was offered an incentive.” - -“Would I be incentive enough?” asked Phil. - -“You would, indeed!” said Adra promptly. “But I’m afraid we couldn’t -live on just cookies.” - -Phil laughed and said, “That might be fun for a little while. I’m sure -Marjorie and Jimmy would think so. They can eat at least two dozen at a -time without even trying. I’m so glad you’re going to be here for the -rest of the summer, Adra, we have so much to talk about. I want to tell -you of my plans for the winter. I’m going to try to take a job where I -can be near you.” - -“Oh, Phil, that will be wonderful,” cried Adra. “I can’t think of -anything I would like better. You know Peter and I have become very -good friends since he has been working for my father, and he told me he -would like to find something so that he could be closer to Penny. Does -Penny know how much he likes her?” - -“I think she does, Adra, because, you see, she likes Peter just as -much.” Phil and Adra looked very happy as they strolled off hand in -hand. - -Penny, watching them, said to Peter, “I’m glad our mysterious Mr. X -isn’t spoiling their fun. I wish you’d forget about the mystery, too, -Peter, just for the evening,” she added wistfully. - -He grinned cheerfully. “When I look at you, Penny, I can’t even -remember my own name.” - -But Penny knew that, underneath his flattering banter, Peter was -worried. She almost wished that she hadn’t told him anything about the -mystery. - - - - -CHAPTER 9 - -CAMPING OUT - - -The next day everybody came out to wish bon voyage to Pat and the boys -who were leaving on their camping trip for a week. All hands helped -them get their paraphernalia aboard the station wagon. - -Pat was the last one to get in with the big box of fishing tackle in -his left hand and a huge picnic hamper packed with good food in his -right hand. Ann Mary had seen to it that they would eat well the first -day they started out. For the rest of the week they had the back of the -Bronc well stocked with canned foods which they expected to supplement -with the fish they caught. - -They were all in the best of spirits. This was to be a real adventure. -Pat was taking them into the woods to a fishing camp where Jimmy’s -Uncle John Allen used to go every summer. Alf Powell and Jimmy were -the chief mechanics in case anything went wrong with the car, and Brook -and Pat were to be the cooks. - -Marjorie and Judy had their noses slightly out of joint because they -had been hoping right up until the last minute before the boys left, -that perhaps they too would be allowed to go along. But the boys would -not even hear of it, and Penny thought it would not be a good idea, -either. - -“Never mind,” Judy said in a consoling whisper to Marjorie. “Maybe -we’ll find the buried treasure while they’re gone.” - -Just then Ann Mary came running out with an armful of freshly ironed -shirts for the boys. - -“Mr. Taggart brought these,” she panted, “early this morning. I told -him he had to get them here before you left. Theresa just finished -ironing them.” - -“Thanks,” Jimmy said, “but they needn’t have been ironed. For the next -week we aren’t going to care how we look.” - -“Lucky dogs,” Marjorie said in an aside to Judy. “Do you know what -Penny said to me last night? She said, ‘From now on you and I ought to -change before dinner into something besides blue jeans.’” - -“I guess she’s right,” Judy said reluctantly. “Mother has had the same -idea all along.” - -But in spite of how they felt, the girls recovered from their sulks -long enough to wave cheery goodbyes to the boys. - -“Have fun,” they shouted. - -“Be careful,” called Penny. - -And so at last, Jimmy, Alf and Brook were off on their great adventure. - -After driving all day, Pat and the boys pulled into a little grove of -pines, deep in the woods near a beautiful, rock-strewn river. They -made camp and got out their mosquito repellent. Pat had told them the -black flies in this part of the woods were really vicious so they had -come well prepared for such an emergency. Jimmy and Alf got into their -high boots and waded into the river to fish. The results of this little -expedition were not quite as good as they expected, but the few small -fish they caught were very sweet when cooked. - -They were up bright and early the next morning, but that day brought no -better results as far as fishing was concerned. Pat suggested that they -move camp deeper into the woods, near a little lake where he thought -the fishing would be much better. Jimmy seconded the suggestion and in -no time at all they were on their way again. This time they made camp -near the tip of the little lake and early the next morning they watched -the mist rise from the lake and listened to the birds singing in chorus. - -This spot was so beautiful that Brook and Alf said they would like to -spend the rest of the week here, even if they didn’t catch a single -fish. - -“I knew you’d like it,” answered Pat. “Mr. Allen always wanted to stay -here awhile,” he said to Jimmy. - -“And no wonder,” said Jimmy, “I can’t wait until we get out there in -our canoe.” - -The boys were all skillful with the paddle, and as they skimmed along -the lake widened, then narrowed till it was not much more than a -stream. Finally they reached the other end and drew the canoe into a -small bay. Pat led them to a small log hut hidden in the nearby trees. -Here there was a curious storehouse for food and extra equipment. It -was built of small pine logs and was raised high on a few posts. Pat -explained that this was to keep the food from getting damp, and that -if it were properly fastened no climbing bear could help himself to the -food. - -The little bay where they had left their canoe was the outlet for a -stream in which Pat said there was wonderful fishing. Pat said they -would have to go upstream a way against some rapids to get to the -really good fishing spot. He also told them that there was a waterfall -nearby and the safest thing would be for all of them to do all of their -exploring, fishing, hunting, or anything else they decided to do, in -groups. Pat cautioned them about the strong current in the stream, too. - -“Come on,” said Jimmy. “Let’s do some fishing now and go up those -rapids tomorrow.” - -They caught a beautiful trout and a bass for their supper and -considered that a perfect end to a successful and happy day. They -decided to spend the night in the small log campers’ hut. - -The next day’s plan was changed when morning came. The woods about the -camp were explored and found to be fairly open. It was full of birds, -squirrels, chipmunks and other small animals. Brook almost caught a -flying squirrel and claimed that he saw a wild cat. There were beavers -building in a small stream that wandered through the pines and widened -not far from the lake. A graceful deer took flight as Pat, who was -in the lead, approached. This caused considerable excitement and all -chatter ceased as they stole on in the hope of surprising another deer -or a bear. - -They climbed trees, investigated nests and Jimmy kept looking for bees. -The boys wanted to know why, and he replied that the bees would lead -them to a “honey tree,” and there they might find a bear. - -“Go to it, Jimmy,” cried Alf. “I bet we take the honey first.” - -They finally did see a bear, a black one of moderate size. It ambled -off before them from the water’s edge. None of them had the heart to -shoot it or anything else they saw. They were having such a wonderful -time just investigating. - -Around the campfire that night they sang and told stories and when it -began to turn very chilly they turned in. They were awakened early in -the morning by the bird chorus. Alf said it was not so hard to get -up here as at home, in school time! They took the canoe up the rocky -stream with its dashing waters and strong current. By noon they had -reached the highest point from which these rapids started. It was quiet -at noon and the sun was hot. The perspiring boys sat around in their -bathing shorts and ate a cold lunch. Then they got down to the real -business of fishing. Jimmy drew in a handsome black bass, and then the -competition became keen. Brook caught a beautiful brook trout, and it -was a jolly group of boys that sat near the shore to clean their fish -in the late afternoon when they had returned to the hut. - -Jimmy had started the fire and then joined the rest, picking up the -first fish at hand, a fine trout. “Who caught this?” he asked. - -“I’ll have you know that I’m the guy,” grinned Pat, looking up from the -bass he was cleaning and waving his knife in the air. “It’s worth-while -fishing where there’s something to catch!” - -“Isn’t this a walleyed perch, Jimmy?” asked Brook. - -“I guess so.” Jimmy had started in vigorously to clean the trout and -now raised a loud voice in the ditty of “Ham and Eggs.” The others -joined in, making the shore ring with the sound. The fact that supper -was to consist mainly of fish made no difference. With young appetites -and overflowing energy they managed to consume all of the day’s catch. - -The next day Jimmy and Alf wanted to take things easy and do some -swimming and lounging, but Brook wanted to do some more exploring. They -finally decided to spend the day near the hut, and Brook made a mental -note to do some exploring on his own when he could. While they were all -in swimming, he paddled off alone, down the main stream. He had gone -only a little distance before he was concealed from view by trees and a -curving shore. He entered the main stream, which was quite wide as far -as the fork. - -There the division of waters left the wider stream to the right. But -that to Brook’s left offered the prettier outlook. It stretched almost -straight before him to some distance and descended in a little rapids. -These looked easy, he thought, and though there were rocks, the water -looked shallow enough for a good swimmer not to be troubled with any -difficulty about reaching shore or a rock in case the canoe upset. - -A little peninsula, dotted with green trees and bushes, jutted out from -the left shore. Brook thought he caught a glimpse of someone moving -there and started into the left fork of the stream. - -“After all,” he reflected, “as the crow flies I’m only a couple of -miles from camp. Maybe Jimmy and Alf have been out exploring and are -over there on the point.” - -Then he saw something that made him paddle faster than ever. He could -hear the sound of dashing waters further on but he was too excited to -pay any attention to it. What he had glimpsed looked like a human body, -sprawling half in and half out of the bushes of a cove on the point. - -Brook nosed his canoe into the cove, beached it, and climbed up the -gentle incline. Then he saw that what had attracted his attention was -only an old tattered coat. It was rain-shriveled and had obviously been -flung over a rock to dry. But from the stream it had looked like the -torso of a human body. - -“Well,” Brook sighed with relief. “Thank goodness no one was hurt or -killed.” - -He went into the brush, past a few spruces, and found a small clearing. -In the mud here were footprints which had obviously been made very -recently. It had rained the night before, clearing just before dawn. -Sometime between then and now someone had walked across the clearing -and into the brush. And back again into the woods on the other side of -the clearing, Brook reflected as he studied the footprints. - -Whoever it was might have hung his coat on the rock to dry if he had -been caught in the early morning rainstorm. - -“Probably a tramp,” he decided and went back to the coat. He lifted it -rather gingerly, and then, because he could not resist the temptation, -turned its pockets inside out. To his surprise, he found in the last -pocket a letter. It looked as though it had been soaked by the rain and -had been dried again by the sun which had been shining upon the coat -and rock all morning. - -The address upon the torn envelope was blurred, and Brook’s curiosity -was hindered by the fact that it was almost lunch time and it might be -well to hurry back. Sticking the letter into the waterproof zippered -pocket of his bathing trunks, he hurried to his canoe, pushed out and -entered the stream again. - -As Brook got back into the middle of the stream he suddenly discovered -that no paddling was necessary to make his canoe go! The descent which -looked so gradual drew canoe and the water itself down rapidly. The -current was much stronger than one would have thought! Brook used his -paddle skillfully. He was enjoying this exhilarating experience. It was -great! - -But when he tried to skim around a few rocks to the point, he almost -upset the canoe and only by a quick push from a rock did he avoid -being thrown out. But the canoe righted and Brook sped on, past the -peninsula, around into a wider channel, for which Brook was at first -glad. There was more space between rocks. - -But the current was stronger, his control over the canoe was getting -a little out of hand. Brook was just beginning to realize that he had -had no business coming off by himself, when he heard the sound of the -falls. His face grew pale, but he set his lips. The current drew the -canoe out into a wider part of the river, and when Brook looked ahead -for a minute he could see a white spray dashing high over a pile of -obstructing rocks. It did not seem so bad off to the right, and Brook -tried to edge over in that direction. - -But what he saw ahead of him made him sick. It was still some distance -away, but the water was boiling over at a little curve and fell -somewhere below--he could not tell where! - - - - -CHAPTER 10 - -JIMMY TO THE RESCUE - - -Back at camp, shortly after Brook paddled off by himself, Jimmy and Alf -decided that they had had enough swimming for one day. - -“Race you to shore,” Jimmy yelled, flailing the water in a fast crawl. -Alf was slightly ahead of him, but Jimmy soon passed him and was the -first to throw himself on the beach, crowing breathlessly, “Beat you!” - -“By a mere inch,” Alf said, flopping down beside him. “Where’s Brook?” - -Jimmy shrugged. “Probably back in the hut helping Pat prepare a feast -for our lunch. That guy’s always hungry.” - -“So am I,” Alf said. “It’s your Michigan air. But I don’t think Brook -is with Pat. I saw him drag one of the canoes into the water just -before our race. I was too busy trying to keep up with you to see what -he did after that.” - -“What difference does it make?” Jimmy demanded. “Let’s go exploring by -canoe ourselves. We can dry off in the sun just in time for lunch.” -He pointed. “I want to investigate that fork of the first stream over -there.” - -“I want to eat,” Alf said. “I’m starving. But if you must satisfy your -curiosity before I satisfy my hunger, I suppose you must.” - -“I can’t let you eat now anyway,” Jimmy said with a grin. “If I did -there wouldn’t be anything left for Brook when he shows up.” - -“I’ll say there wouldn’t,” Alf agreed, tightening the belt on his -trunks. “I could catch a fish right now with my bare hands and eat it -while it’s still alive.” - -“You just had breakfast,” Jimmy said. “Come on!” - -Alf lazily shaded his eyes with his hand and squinted up at the sky. -“About four hours ago by the sun,” he said stubbornly. - -Jimmy yanked him to his feet and called out to Pat: “We’re going -canoeing. Back in time for lunch.” - -“Okay,” came Pat’s voice from inside the cabin. - -“You bet we’ll be back for lunch,” Alf said as he and Jimmy glided out -upon the lake. “What’s the coil of rope doing in the canoe?” - -“I brought it along so we could climb a bee tree if we found one,” -laughed Jimmy. “Anyhow it belongs to Pat. I think it’s some of -Theresa’s clothesline.” - -The boys turned into the stream, and when they came to the forking of -the water, they entered the narrower stream toward its right shore, -where the waters seemed quieter. While Alf paddled, Jimmy made a loop -of the rope and tossed it toward a stout little spruce. - -“This comes in handy,” said Jimmy, as the rope caught and Alf paddled -in close to the shore. “This current is certainly strong,” he added -soberly. “And I imagine if we got caught in the center we’d be headed -for the falls.” - -“Are there falls near here?” Alf asked. - -“I think so. Don’t you hear them?” - -Alf agreed and they discussed Jimmy’s plan of either drawing the canoe -ashore and footing it down, or easing the canoe along the right shore. -But there was a tangle of underbrush along the bank and the footing -was uneasy. They decided to risk it because they had the rope to throw -out to some tree so they could keep out of the current. They kept very -close to the shore and before they reached the peninsula, they beached -the canoe in a curve that was almost a pool and hastened, over sticks -and brush and stones, to see what lay farther down. - -“Well, we were smart to land, Jimmy,” said Alf, as they stood looking -at the stream where it flowed beyond the little peninsula. “But it -certainly is pretty. We’ll have to watch our step getting down where -we can see the falls. Doesn’t she foam where she is going over? Do you -imagine the falls are high?” - -“Can’t tell, Alf,” Jimmy said. “Looks like quite a ravine down ahead; -but this whole region isn’t very high and it probably dams up into some -other little lake. Come on.” - -“Wait till I go back after the rope, Jim,” said Alf. “We may need it, -if we climb down by the falls.” - -Alf picked his way back the short distance to the canoe and brought the -rope. They followed the curving shore toward the left, where the waters -that swept past the point went wildly on in the wider channel to fall -over--somewhere. - -Jimmy, with the rope over his shoulder, stood still; Alf thought it -might be better to strike through the trees and avoid the rocks on the -edge. Jimmy surveyed the water at his feet, the scattered rocks washed -by the current, and looked upstream just in time to see Brook’s face as -Brook saw the falls ahead. - -“Alf!” Jimmy yelled, horrified. “Look there! It’s Brook!” - -Only a moment did Jimmy stare. He slipped the loop already made over -his head and tightened it about his waist. Alf needed no directions. -What they had to do must be done quickly. They both started running to -a point that would bring them nearer to Brook’s course. - -“Brook--Brook!” they kept shouting. “This way!” - -Brook did not hear them, but just at that moment his pale face turned -toward the boys and he saw them. - -“This way! This way!” cried Jimmy, beckoning. If Brook could only get -out of that awful central current--but maybe it was all current! - -“He can’t come this way! I’ve got to throw him an end of the rope.” As -Jimmy spoke he was busy tying a stone on the end of the rope to weight -it. What a risk it was! Jimmy was wading out to a great rock, in a -shallow where the shore curved. This was no game. He must not miss. - -Alf waded after Jimmy to help him hold on to the rope. There was still -a good chance, if they were successful, to rescue Brook. It was some -distance to the falls, but now the canoe Brook was in seemed to be -coming faster. - -Now. Jimmy threw, and Jimmy had not played ball for nothing. Brook did -not catch the rope, but weighted by the stone it fell into the canoe -and Brook grasped it before it could slip back. Now his paddle was -whirling out of sight. Brook was standing up in the canoe, with the -rope tied around him, ready to jump. - -Alf braced himself, and Jimmy held the rope tightly just in front of -where it was around him and drew it taut as Brook leaped. The rope drew -in easily at first. Then came the tug against the current. Jimmy leaned -against the rock to brace himself. - -It was all over in a few anxious moments. Brook had bruised himself -among the rocks, but he swam, crept upon a rock, leaped to another, -found himself in quieter waters and was helped to his feet by two -fast-breathing boys who could scarcely speak. - -“How--did you get here?” gasped Brook as they helped him ashore. - -“That’s the question we would like to ask you,” answered Jimmy after -a brief silence during which they examined Brook to see if he had any -broken bones. - -“I’ll tell you about it,” Brook said shamefacedly. “I--I’m awfully -sorry, Jimmy. I hope the canoe will come through all right, but I don’t -see how it can. I’ll make it good, Jimmy, I promise you.” - -“We’ll see about that later,” returned Jimmy. “The point is, are you -all right?” - -“I--guess so,” Brook said sheepishly. “Got some bruised shins, I think. -It didn’t do me any good.” - -“I’ll say not!” Jimmy grinned a little and took Brook’s arms, working -them up and down, one after another. “Swallow any water?” - -“Lots.” Brook was glad of that grin and he sheepishly grinned back. -“My arms are all right, only sore. I’ll be black and blue from that -rock I hit first. But I guess I deserve it.” - -“Sure you do,” Jimmy said with a chuckle. “And to think I thought you -were at the hut with Pat. Gosh, are we ever lucky! I guess none of us -listened too carefully when Pat told us to be sure not to go off by -ourselves. We’re guilty of the same thing you are, Brook,” he admitted. -“Well, this has been a lesson we’ll never forget and I would say we’ve -gotten off pretty cheaply if it just cost us the canoe. Let’s get back -to Pat right away and tell him we’re all right.” - -Alf and Jimmy helped Brook, who was white and wretched after his narrow -escape, and when they got to their canoe they made rapidly for camp. - -“Go limp, Brook,” said Jimmy, “and tell us all about it.” - -Brook grinned, and said he was “limp all right,” and briefly told -how he had tried to explore the little rapids that looked so easy, -completely forgetting that there were falls in the vicinity. He also -related the incident of the coat and pulled out a wet wad from his -pocket. - -“I was going to dry this,” said he, “and see if I couldn’t read a -little of it. Maybe I might as well throw it away.” - -“Maybe we can dry it yet,” suggested Alf, interested. “Perhaps it’s a -map to a treasure.” - -“Perhaps it isn’t,” laughed Jimmy, but he caught Brook’s hand as he was -about to toss the letter overboard. “Wait. It’s still pretty flat in -the envelope. We’ll dry it out and see. How long were you there when -you found this?” - -“Oh, about ten minutes or so.” - -“Well, that ten minutes saved your life, kid,” Jimmy grinned. “Alf and -I must have left right after you did and passed you. I wonder if you -would have made it over the falls if we hadn’t come along. I’d like to -go down later and see what it looks like over the brink!” - -“So would I, Jimmy,” Brook said. - -Jimmy snorted. “You’re going to lie around this afternoon, Brook, after -we fix you up.” - -Back at camp they found that Pat was just beginning to get worried. -He had kept their lunch warm for them and looked rather cross as they -beached the canoe. Then he caught a glimpse of Brook’s white face. - -“Well, out with it,” Pat said, frowning. “What happened to you, lad? -You look like a drowned rat.” - -“I’m worse than that,” Brook said ruefully. “I’m battered and bruised, -too.” - -As they all explained what had happened, interrupting each other -constantly, Pat carefully examined Brook to make sure he was not badly -hurt. “Just a strained ligament,” he said, smiling reassuringly. “We’ll -have that shoulder strapped up in no time.” - -He went into the hut for his first aid kit, and soon Brook was eating -as hungrily as the other boys. But after lunch he didn’t argue when Pat -said: - -“Now, lad, you’re to take it easy the rest of the day.” - -The next morning Brook reported that outside of a few bruises, he felt -fine. Then they all went back to see the falls. - -“They’re pretty,” Brook said, musingly, “and rocky, but not very high -after all.” - -A deep pool lay below, and there was the canoe, bobbing around -aimlessly near the edge of the pool. It had a big gash in its side, -but was not beyond repair, Jimmy reported. He towed it up on the shore -with the aid of the trusty rope and a hook they made with some wire. - -“Maybe I could have swum out,” Brook ventured, “but I’m certainly glad -I didn’t have to try it. And most of all, Pat, I’m glad you didn’t make -much of my disobedience of your order. Believe me, it won’t happen -again.” - -“I know,” said Pat. “Forget it--it merely was a bit more excitement on -a very pleasant trip.” - -After their return from the falls, Brook remembered the dilapidated -letter and got it out. Everyone gathered round him and they all tried -to read it. It was badly torn, obviously a good part of it was missing -and what little was left was hardly discernible. They managed to make -out the words _buried_ and _shed_. - -Suddenly Jimmy’s face lighted up. “Say, do you remember last week, the -day we finished the shower, Marjorie showed me a scrap of paper she -said she and Judy had found in a bottle on the beach?” - -Alf nodded. “So what? They didn’t find it in any old bottle. They -manufactured the whole story just to kid us.” - -“That’s what I thought,” Jimmy said, rather shamefacedly. “But now I -think differently. This piece looks as though it had been torn from the -scrap they found.” - -“Holy cow!” Brook stared at him. “And the girls couldn’t have followed -us and planted this part of it in the pocket of that old coat.” - -“Of course not,” Jimmy said, grinning, “although if either of them -could drive a car I wouldn’t have put it past them. Besides, you said -the footprints you saw leading to and from the coat were made by a -man’s shoes.” - -Jimmy stopped suddenly. “Footprints,” he repeated. “Say, Brook, can we -get to the place where you found the coat by walking?” - -“Sure,” Brook said. “It would take twice as long as it would in a -canoe, but,” he added ruefully, “it would be twice as safe.” - -“Then let’s go,” Jimmy yelled. “I want to have a look at the footprints -you found in the clearing.” He turned to Pat. “Okay if we go?” - -Pat nodded. “As long as you all stick together this time.” - -As they hurried through the brush with Brook in the lead, Jimmy -explained. “A few days before you came, Alf,” he said, “we had a lot -of excitement. I told you how Penny fell down into the old well, but -I didn’t tell you that somebody came snooping around the place that -night.” - -Alf stared at him. “You certainly didn’t. What’s the idea of keeping -secrets from one?” - -Jimmy grinned. “The truth of the matter is that I forgot all about it. -First we figured it was a tramp, and then when we realized that he must -know his way around our property pretty well, we decided it must have -been one of those dopey villagers who think there’s buried treasure on -the place.” - -Brook stopped to turn around and glare at Jimmy. “What do you mean -‘dopey’? If you don’t believe in that buried treasure, why did you -lure us into helping you dig up every spot that didn’t have something -growing on it?” - -Jimmy’s dark eyes twinkled with laughter. “_I_ believe in the treasure -all right, but I wouldn’t be dopey enough to trespass on other -people’s property at night trying to find it. You can get a bullet -through your head very neatly that way.” - -“Oh, I see what you mean,” Brook said, completely mollified. He started -off again at a fast trot. “Was your night prowler a dopey villager?” - -“We still don’t know,” Jimmy admitted. “He’s never come back.” - -“How do you know he hasn’t?” Alf demanded. - -Jimmy groaned, clutching his dark hair in mock dismay. “Will you guys -puh-leeze let me try to explain to you why I want to look at the -footprints in the clearing? Of course we don’t know for sure,” he -said sourly to Alf, “that our snoopy friend didn’t come back. We only -watched out for him that first night. But with all the people who are -at the Lodge now I feel certain one of us would have heard a night -prowler.” - -“I’m not at all sure of that,” Alf said stubbornly. “We all sleep like -logs. After a day with a slave driver like you I can barely keep my -eyes open long enough to get undressed and topple into bed.” - -“Shut up, Alf,” Brook said over his shoulder. “Let the slavedriver -tell us why we’re taking this long trek through the thickest part of -the woods.” - -“Footprints,” Jimmy said in exasperation. “After Phil and Pat fired a -couple of shots in the air, the prowler scrammed. Then we went down to -have a look at the shed. And sure enough, somebody had been there since -we had left. Right near the spot where Penny fell through the rotten -wall, some floor boards had been ripped up and there was a footprint in -the dirt staring us in the face.” - -“That guy _was_ dopey,” Alf muttered. “If he had to go around leaving -footprints all over the place, why didn’t he at least put the floor -boards back so you wouldn’t find them?” - -Jimmy shrugged. “I figure he sneaked out from the village to dig around -near where we found the well. But just as he got started he realized -that we might not yet have gone to bed. In that case one of us might -have seen the flashlight he must have been using. So he slipped up to -the house to have a look-see. And then Penny saw him.” He chuckled. -“After that he didn’t have time to think about covering up his traces.” - -Brook stopped again and mopped his brow. “I’m beginning to see that -there’s a method in your madness. If the footprints I saw in the -clearing match the one you discovered under the shed floor, then we’ll -know that the same man left the old coat out on the point.” - -“Your reasoning, my dear Watson,” Jimmy said, grinning, “is excellent. -I will elucidate further. The same man is the owner of the scrap you -found in the pocket of said old coat. And since said note contained the -two words ‘buried’ and ‘shed’ my guess is that the rumor about buried -treasure is more truth than poetry!” - -“What are we waiting for?” Brook demanded. - -“You,” Jimmy returned. “‘Lead on, Macduff.’” - -After that they saved their breath and hurried silently through the mud -and underbrush until at last they emerged into a little clearing. - -“This is it,” Brook said. “Get out your magnifying glass, Sherlock.” - -Jimmy sank down on his knees and examined the footprints carefully. -“Rubber heels,” he mumbled triumphantly, “and made by the same -manufacturer! See that crescent with a circle around it? It’s a -trademark.” - -“Golly!” Alf and Brook yelled in one voice. - -Jimmy stood up. “There’s only one hitch in the whole deal. I’m sure now -that there’s something buried under the old shed, but Phil will never -let us dig for it as long as we need the shed for a garage.” - -“Holy cow,” Alf groaned. “Then that means you’ll find a barrel of gold -after we’ve gone back to school.” - -“Just our luck,” Brook said disconsolately. “I’m never around when -there’s any excitement!” - -Jimmy threw back his head and howled with laughter. “About an hour -ago,” he reminded Brook, “you were the very center of excitement. Cheer -up,” he added. “Maybe when we get back and find that the fragment you -found fits the one the girls found, we’ll be able to read something -that’ll convince Phil and Penny we should do something about the ground -under the shed.” - -“Maybe,” Alf said without much hope. “But let’s not stick around here -any longer.” - -“Let’s not,” Jimmy agreed. “I vote we go back to camp and tell Pat what -we have discovered. He pooh-poohs the idea of buried treasure as much -as Phil and Penny do, but when he hears that the footprints match, -maybe he’ll take the whole business more seriously.” - -“_I_ think,” Brook said, “that we ought to convince him at least that -we should go home right away. I’d rather dig for gold than fish, -wouldn’t you?” - -Jimmy arched his dark eyebrows with surprise. “And you were the guy who -was complaining a while ago that I’m a slavedriver!” - -Back at camp Pat listened soberly when Jimmy told him that the man who -had left his footprint under the shed floor had left other footprints -recently in the clearing on the peninsula. - -“Are you sure, lad?” Pat demanded. - -Jimmy nodded. “It’s too much of a coincidence to think that someone -else with the same rubber heels had something to do with this piece of -paper which looks like it was torn from the one Marjorie found.” - -“You’re right,” Pat said. “Let’s head for home at once!” - - - - -CHAPTER 11 - -THE MISSING FRAGMENT - - -Shortly after the boys left in the station wagon for their camping -trip, Marjorie said to Judy: “Let’s look at that map again. Penny could -be wrong. Maybe it does show exactly where treasure is buried.” - -“Let’s,” Judy agreed. “And maybe we held it upside down or something. -Maybe the big red cross doesn’t mark the spot where Pat planted his -potatoes.” - -They raced into the Lodge and down the hall to the storage room. During -the excitement of Peter’s arrival they had left the map, still pasted -in the lid of the jewelry box, on one of the old trunks. Again they -took it over to the window and studied it thoughtfully. - -“Let’s see,” Judy said after awhile. “When you’re facing north, west is -on your left isn’t it?” - -Marjorie nodded. “So there’s no point in looking at this darn thing -any longer. If it isn’t a phony, the treasure is buried under the -potato hills.” - -“I give up,” Judy said with a sigh. “We may as well go down to the -beach and try to find some rare shells. I suppose that’s the only -buried treasure I’ll have the luck to find.” - -During the next few days they filled a bucket with shells which they -hoped were collectors’ items, but which Phil and Peter told them were -worthless. - -“That is the worst about being a girl!” Judy Powell said in a moment of -disgust. “The boys will come back with wonderful stories about how many -fish they caught and the rapids they ran--and everything!” Judy’s ideas -of what the boys were doing ran out. - -Marjorie and Judy were sitting in their favorite spot on the pier, -dangling their feet in the water. They wore their bathing suits and -had just watched the cruiser take off with a group of the younger -guests, exclusive of themselves. They had not wanted to go since Mal -had promised to take them on a picnic in the woods. Just at this moment -they were in the old familiar throes of not knowing what to do next. - -“Let them rave,” said Marjorie. “We’ve things to tell the boys, too.” - -“They wouldn’t think that _we_ do anything,” said Judy rather crossly. - -“Maybe we could think up something different,” said Marjorie, a little -worried. “Aren’t you having a good time, Judy?” - -“My, yes! I didn’t mean that,” Judy said quickly. “I was just thinking -what a grand time they must be having. I’d like to shoot rapids.” - -“Come up again next summer and we’ll get Pat and Mal to take us on a -canoeing trip.” - -“You probably couldn’t get my mother to say yes.” Judy laughed. “Let’s -go back to the house and see if we’re missing anything.” Just as they -started back toward the Lodge they heard the loud honking of a car on -the drive. - -“Oh,” cried Judy, “I’ll bet the boys have come home. I wonder what made -them come back before the week was out.” - -“Something awful must have happened to one of them,” Marjorie gasped as -they began to run as fast as they could. - -Sure enough, the station wagon was parked in front of the Lodge and the -boys were tumbling out of it. - -“They certainly don’t look as though anything awful had happened to -them,” Judy panted. - -“Hi, everybody,” Jimmy was shouting to the crowd that had gathered on -the porch. When the girls reached the steps they heard him say quietly -to Penny and Phil: - -“Say, how about calling a meeting of the Board of Directors right away?” - -“We can’t, Jimmy,” Penny said. “Everyone is busy.” - -“Well, then,” he said. “A meeting of the Allens in the office. I’ve got -something in my pocket which I think the rest of the family ought to -know about as soon as possible.” - -Penny could tell from the sober expression on Jimmy’s tanned face that -this was not a joke. She beckoned to Phil and Marjorie and led the way -into the office. - -“On second thought,” Jimmy said as he followed her, “let’s get Peter in -on this. I’d like to hear his opinion of the whole thing. Besides,” he -added in a low teasing voice, “he’s practically family anyway.” - -Penny’s cheeks flamed. “Jimmy,” she said, mildly scolding, “you never -can be serious for more than five minutes at a time.” - -“I’m pretty darn serious now,” Jimmy said. When they had all gathered -around the desk, he closed the door and produced the scrap of paper -which Brook had found in the old coat. - -After one swift glance, Penny said, “Why, Peter, the handwriting looks -just like the one on the fragment Marjorie found. Where on earth did -you find it, Jimmy?” - -Jimmy explained and Penny frowned as she listened. “Brook had no -business taking that envelope out of a coat he found,” she said. - -Peter chuckled. “Maybe he didn’t have any right to take it, Penny, but -in my opinion it was put where it was so that no boy could resist the -temptation.” - -Penny thought for a minute. Again she read the blurred words, more -carefully this time. - - We’ll meet a - the las - and look for the tre - I’m sure it’s buried - old shed nea - has long run - -Then she pulled out of her desk drawer the fragment Marjorie had found -in the green bottle. The two pieces fit together as perfectly as a -jigsaw puzzle. Now they could all read the complete page: - - We’ll meet at the Log cabin - the last week in August - and look for the treasure again. - I’m sure it’s buried near the - old shed near a well that - has long run dry. - -“Oh, oh,” Jimmy moaned. “That means more digging. I guess we didn’t dig -deep enough.” - -“But what about the map?” Marjorie demanded. “It showed that treasure -was buried behind the Donahues’ cabin.” - -“None of it makes any sense,” Peter said calmly. “And you kids may -as well accept the fact right now that the map and the two fragments -aren’t clues. They’re obviously red herrings, deliberately planted to -keep us busy looking for buried treasure.” - -“I don’t get it,” Jimmy said frankly. - -“It’s this way,” Phil explained. “Peter, Penny and I figure that there -_is_ something valuable hidden around here. Somebody who obviously -isn’t honest knows where it is. He wants to keep us from finding it.” - -“Oh golly,” Marjorie broke in, “wait until I tell Judy about this. -We’ll spend the rest of the summer going over the whole place with a -fine-tooth comb.” - -“Oh, no, you won’t,” Penny said, laughing. “I have a better idea, and -one that won’t drive our guests out of their minds.” - -Peter stared at her in amazement. “Have you been keeping secrets from -me?” he asked, pretending that his feelings were hurt. - -“Oh, no,” Penny told him hastily. “The idea just came to me this -minute. Actually, the words, ‘last week in August’ gave it to me.” -Her cheeks flushed with excitement, she went on. “One morning last -week when I was out in the kitchen discussing menus with Ann Mary, she -suggested that we give a masquerade party. There are plenty of grand -costumes in the old trunks for all of the ladies, and you men can rig -up outfits from old curtains and stuff in our boxes.” - -“A swell idea,” Jimmy said. “But what’s it got to do with finding -hidden treasure?” - -Penny smiled at him patiently. “If you’d only let me finish! Ann Mary -and I decided that the last Friday in August would be a good time for -the party. Most of the guests will be leaving early in September, so it -would be sort of a last fling.” - -Jimmy began to sing, “After the ball is o-ver. After the guests have -gone.” - -“Stop interrupting,” Marjorie said, glaring at him. “Let Penny finish.” - -“Well,” Penny went on, “we planned the party just for ourselves and our -guests. But now I think we should issue a blanket invitation to all the -merchants in town. It will be our way of expressing our appreciation -of the way they cooperated with us all summer. Now,” she finished, “you -can all guess the rest.” - -“Not me,” Marjorie said, rapidly blinking her blue eyes. - -Jimmy clutched his dark hair wildly. “I follow you as closely as though -you’d had a million-mile head start.” - -Peter was staring at Penny with frank admiration. “You _are_ smart,” -he said. “Don’t you see?” he asked Jimmy and Marjorie. “Our Mr. X, or -our Messrs. X, for there may be more than one, will certainly be among -those present at the masquerade. With everyone coming masked and in -costume, he wouldn’t miss the chance. He’ll come out sure that he can -get whatever he’s after and depart before the unmasking.” - -“Holy cow,” Jimmy exploded. “Penny _is_ smart. Instead of our wearing -ourselves out looking for hidden treasure, he’ll lead us right to it.” - -Marjorie gave her sister an impulsive hug. “It’s the grandest idea -anyone ever invented,” she cried. - -“And,” Jimmy put in, suddenly remembering the main reason why they had -persuaded Pat to cut the camping trip short, “I’m pretty sure there’s -only one Mr. X.” - -“Don’t be a dope,” Marjorie said. “I’m sure there are two. One of them -put the bottle where he was sure Judy and I would find it while we were -looking for shells. And the other put the coat where you boys couldn’t -miss it.” - -Jimmy shrugged. “Maybe so, but the same Mr. X who left his footprint -under the floor of the shed planted the coat.” - -“Yipes,” Peter moaned. “What’s all this about a footprint under the -shed? I thought it was a garage filled with cars.” - -“It is now,” Penny explained with a chuckle. “Before we converted it, -someone ripped up part of the floor and left a footprint in the dirt.” - -“That’s right,” Jimmy said. “And he also left footprints in a clearing -back where Brook found the coat. Footprints,” he finished triumphantly, -“with rubber heels made by the same manufacturer.” - -“Why, Jimmy Allen,” Marjorie gasped admiringly, “you’re so smart you -ought to get a job with the FBI.” - -But Penny laughed. “Now all the red herrings fit together like the -pieces of this paper. Don’t you see, Jimmy? Mr. X deliberately left -that footprint in the shed in plain view so I might believe that he had -had something to do with my accident. Right, Peter?” - -“Right,” Peter said. “As soon as Mr. X heard you had fallen down the -well, he wrote the letter which you received the next day. Then that -evening he sneaked out to plant evidence which he hoped would back up -his threat.” - -“Oh, gosh,” Jimmy said disconsolately. “We’re right back where we -started. But at least we can be pretty sure that there’s only one Mr. -X.” - -“We can’t be sure of anything,” Phil said soberly. “Except that whoever -it is really does mean business. The very fact that one of them jumped -on Mal that night when we chased him away proves that. An ordinary -night prowler would have tried to sneak away without being seen.” - -“Well,” Marjorie said cheerfully, “we mean business now, too. And we’re -sure to catch him the night of the masquerade when he comes here to get -the treasure.” - -“Wa--ait a minute,” Phil said cautiously. “What’s to prevent Mr. X -from getting by with his scheme? We can’t be everywhere at once in a -place as big as this, especially when so many people will be milling -around.” - -“And,” Peter added, “how will we know whom to keep an eye on?” He -smiled at Penny. “You planned, of course, to have police detectives -here in costume, too.” - -“No, I didn’t,” Penny admitted. “I thought it would be more fun if we -set a trap and caught Mr. or Messrs. X ourselves.” - -“What sort of a trap?” Phil asked, frowning. - -“I don’t know exactly,” Penny admitted. “But I think it ought to have -something to do with the secret room. For one thing, Ann Mary and I -planned that just before the unmasking we might spring it on our guests -as a surprise. None of them except Adra has any idea where it is.” - -Marjorie felt very uncomfortable at that moment. She opened her -mouth to confess that she had showed it to Judy, but decided against -interrupting Penny until she had finished. - -“When we open the door,” Penny went on, “those who want to go down -into the room will have to take turns, because it’s too small to hold -them all at the same time. I thought that if anyone had been acting -suspiciously before that, we might be able to lure him down alone and -then we could quickly press the button and lock him in.” She added, -turning to Peter, “Then you can call in the police.” - -He shook his head worriedly. “_You_ are not going to be the one to lure -him down into the room alone.” - -“Of course not,” Jimmy said quickly. “_I_ will.” - -“No, you won’t,” Phil told him emphatically. “The man may be armed and -I’m the only one who has a pistol license. I’ll go down with him and -one of you can close the door. If he’s really been acting suspiciously, -I’ll suggest that he unmask. If he’s the man we want, he’ll refuse. -Then I’ll produce my gun and keep him there while I knock on the door. -That will be the signal that our scheme worked.” - -“I don’t like the idea of your being locked down there with him,” Penny -objected. - -“It’s the only answer,” Phil insisted. “Once he has any idea that -we suspect him, he may make a wild dash for safety, and that would -frighten some of our guests very badly. Besides, he might escape. With -all those people wandering in and out of the Lodge, I wouldn’t dare use -my gun.” He turned to Peter. “What do you think of the plan?” - -“It’s okay except for one thing,” Peter said. “What if Mr. X doesn’t do -anything to make us suspect him? Up until the unmasking we won’t have -any way of knowing whether he is one of the village merchants or not. -And by that time he will certainly have disappeared.” - -“Oh, he’s bound to do something to make him stand out from the others,” -Marjorie put in. “And he’ll probably be very careless because he won’t -have any idea that we plan to catch him in a trap.” - -“That’s true,” Peter admitted. - -“Sometimes,” Jimmy said with a teasing grin, “the gal makes sense.” - -Phil stood up. “If we’re all agreed, I may as well go down to the -village now and spread the word about the party.” - -“And I,” said Penny, rising, too, “had better go through the stuff in -the storage room and see what we have. I thought it might be fun to -decorate the secret room so it’ll look good and scary.” - -“I’ll help,” Marjorie said. “I know where there’s one of those old -paper skeletons that we used to hang up on Hallowe’en.” She slipped her -arm through Penny’s. “Oh, isn’t it going to be fun? Even if we don’t -catch Mr. X, the masquerade will be the best event of the whole summer.” - -“I hope so,” Penny said. “And I hope we do catch him. Even if he’s just -a crank and isn’t after anything valuable, he’s annoyed us enough. It’s -time we put a stop to it.” - -She glanced back over her shoulder at Peter who was still sitting at -the desk. - -“Oh, dear,” she thought reading the anxious expression on his face. -“He still thinks we ought to get help from the police.” She shivered -involuntarily. “Maybe before the party is over we’ll be sorry we didn’t -follow his advice.” - - - - -CHAPTER 12 - -SETTING THE TRAP - - -The next two weeks were busy ones for everyone connected with the -Lodge. From morning to night there was a terrific amount of hustling -and bustling around the house, inside and out. Everyone was loaning -something or borrowing something to wear at the last big party of the -season. - -Brook, Alf and Jimmy, all amateur but experienced electricians, -extended wires from the house to the trees so that the lawn would be -bright with lanterns. - -“Just in case there’s no moon,” Phil said. - -“If it rains, I’ll die,” Marjorie said nervously. - -She and Judy were helping the boys, and Judy insisted upon knowing what -each one planned to wear. - -“We’re all going as cowboys,” Jimmy called down from the fork of a tall -tree. - -“How original of you,” Marjorie said sarcastically. “And it shows how -lazy you are too. All you have to do is stuff the legs of your jeans -in boots, tie bandannas around your necks, and borrow toy guns and -holsters from kids in the village.” - -“So what?” Alf demanded. “With masks on nobody will recognize us, not -even you two.” - -“We wouldn’t even try,” Judy informed him airily. “There’ll probably -be so many cowboys here that night it would be like trying to find a -needle in a haystack.” - -“I hope Mr. X wears something more original,” Marjorie said without -thinking. - -“Who?” Judy demanded. - -“Er--nobody,” Marjorie said hastily. The Allens, at Peter’s suggestion, -had decided not to share their secret with any of the other guests. - -“If too many people know that we’re planning to set a trap,” he had -said, “it won’t be long before Mr. X knows too.” - -To change the subject Marjorie said to Brook: “Phil and Penny wrote to -New York and they heard today that I can get into that small boarding -school I told you about. It’s up on the Hudson. Golly, I hate to think -of going away from here.” - -“I know how you feel,” Brook said sympathetically. “But just the same -I’m glad you’re going to a school that isn’t very far from mine. When -we have dances, you’ll come as my guest, won’t you?” - -Marjorie blushed. She _did_ like Brook, and it would be fun to go to -school dances with him, but she wished he hadn’t asked her when Jimmy -was around. Jimmy thought it was fun to tease Judy Powell, but Marjorie -knew that he thought girls were a nuisance. He also thought that boys -who asked girls to parties were dopes. She waited tensely for the -caustic remark she knew was coming. - -To her surprise, Jimmy said nothing. He climbed down from the fork of -the tree and gave her a look which said plainer than words: - -“Watch your step, stupid. You almost let the cat out of the bag.” - -And then Marjorie realized to her dismay that all of the others were -staring at her curiously. Every one of them had heard her blurt out: -“I hope Mr. X wears something more original.” They were overcome with -curiosity but they were all too polite to ask any more questions. - -Hastily Marjorie said, “Aren’t you all starving? I’ll go ask Ann Mary -if I can’t fix some lemonade and raid the cooky jar.” - -She was off without waiting for their replies, but Judy raced after -her. Marjorie’s heart sank. As soon as they were out of earshot of the -boys, Judy’s curiosity would get the better of her good manners. She -would demand an explanation of Marjorie’s unfortunate remark. - -Then Marjorie had an idea. “You know,” she said casually, “I’ll bet a -lot of people come to the party disguised as the ghost who’s supposed -to haunt the Lodge. I think of him as Mr. X and he wears a long gray -beard. It would be hard to see through that disguise. I mean, a long -flowing white robe, a wig and a mask with a long gray beard.” - -Judy looked disappointed but Marjorie knew that her curiosity was -satisfied. “It would be a perfect disguise,” Judy said. “And much more -original than a cowboy outfit.” - -Back in the Lodge they found all the other guests busy making final -decisions about their costumes. The ladies had all enjoyed going -through the trunks, spending one entire day rummaging, to the great -delight of the younger fry. Some of the people had gone into town -to get extra things for their costumes from the local stores. They -reported that the townspeople, too, were all excited about the party -and that a great many of them were planning to come. - -At last it was the day of the big event, and to Marjorie’s delight the -sun shone brightly in an almost cloudless sky. - -Penny had decided to wear the old wedding dress from the trunk. It -was beautiful even though it had yellowed with age. Adra was wearing -a green silk dress with matching slippers from the same old trunk. -Penny and Marjorie helped each other fix their costumes, and Marjorie -suggested to Penny that she should wear the veil that went with the -dress and thus really look like a bride. - -“Because, Sis,” Marjorie said unashamedly, “you _are_ going to be a -bride pretty soon. You might as well start getting used to the idea.” - -Penny’s cheeks flamed. Then she suddenly threw her arms around -Marjorie. “Oh, honey, if only I could be _sure_. There’s no sense in my -trying to hide from you that I love Peter. But how can I be sure that -he loves me?” - -Marjorie sniffed. “Penny, you idiot! It’s written all over his face -whenever he looks at you. And when you’re not around he mopes, except -when he’s shooting daggers with his eyes at Charles Curtis.” - -Penny couldn’t help smiling. Then she frowned. “But that doesn’t mean -I’ll be a bride very soon. Peter may love me, but neither of us has -enough money to start in housekeeping. Maybe,” she added wistfully, -“that’s why Peter doesn’t tell me now that he loves me.” - -“Pooh.” Marjorie snorted. “You can live on love. Besides, we must have -made a lot of money on the Lodge this summer.” - -“Not really,” Penny told her. “We had to hire an awful lot of help, -you know. And this whole month the laundry has been so huge we had to -pay Mr. Taggart twice as much as he estimated in the beginning. It had -to be taken into the village four times a week.” She sighed. “And the -girls we originally hired to come out only to wait on the tables and -help with the ironing had to work full time.” - -“Never mind,” Marjorie said consolingly. “It’s been fun.” - -Penny brightened. “Oh, I don’t mean that we didn’t make any money. -There’s enough to see you and Jimmy through school. But Phil and I want -you to go to college. Both of you.” - -“We won’t go,” Marjorie said stanchly. “Not if it means you can’t marry -Peter when he asks you to. After the experience we’ve had this summer -we can both get jobs.” She pirouetted around the room. “Don’t you think -I’d make somebody a wonderful secretary?” - -“Wonderful.” Penny giggled. “But not a very dignified one. No, honey,” -she went on seriously, “don’t you worry your pretty head about getting -a job just yet. Things will work out somehow. I know they will.” - -To herself she added, “If Peter asks me to marry him, I’ll say yes. -_Together_ we can work things out.” - -“I tell you what let’s do,” Marjorie cried. “Let’s have dress rehearsal -right now. Here, in your room. Just us and Judy ’cause she’s going -to be my twin. And Ann Mary so she can give our costumes a final -inspection.” She danced away. - -In a short while they were all crowding into Penny’s room, laughing and -making fun of each other. - -Marjorie and Judy were dressed alike in little Swiss peasant girl -costumes. Jimmy made a very handsome cowboy and Philip was a -swashbuckling pirate. A banquet was to be served at midnight after -the unmasking, and since this was the event of the summer, Ann Mary -had included all her specialties in the menu. She stayed at the -dress rehearsal only long enough to assure them that they all looked -wonderful, then hurried away. - -In spite of last-minute preparations, the Allens and Peter made time -for a final conference in the office. - -“Let’s try to have as much fun as possible,” Peter said, “but we -mustn’t forget for one minute that we’re all detectives.” - -“That’s right,” Phil agreed. “If any one of us notices a guest acting -suspiciously, he or she must report at once to the others. There’ll be -over a hundred people here tonight, so we’ve all got to be on our toes. -Every minute,” he added soberly. - -Jimmy nodded. “Every minute until the unmasking anyway. Which means -between the hours of ten and midnight. Not many people will arrive -before ten even though we invited them to come at nine-thirty.” - -Penny was sketching a floor plan of the Lodge on a large sheet of -paper. “Whatever Mr. X is after,” she said, “it obviously isn’t -buried on the grounds. If it were, he wouldn’t have planted those red -herrings. Therefore, it’s probably in the house. If it’s upstairs, all -we have to do is make sure that nobody but our house guests and help -goes up without our knowing it. We all know what costumes they’ll be -wearing so that’s easy. But it will be Peter and Marjorie’s job to keep -an eye on the back stairs; Jimmy and I, the front.” - -Everyone nodded, and Penny went on. “If it’s downstairs, Mr. X will -know that he hasn’t got a prayer of searching for it, unless it’s in -the office or the storage room, and I’ve locked those doors securely, -so he can’t slip in and out unnoticed. The other downstairs rooms will -be filled with people all the time, including the kitchen. The logical -time for him to try to find whatever he plans to steal will be when -everyone is gathered in one room.” - -She smiled up at Peter. “In order to be sure we catch Mr. X in our -trap, I have carefully dropped hints throughout the village that at -eleven-thirty on the dot we’re going to show our guests the secret -room. Don’t you think he’ll choose that time, when everyone’s attention -will be concentrated on one spot, to do something which will attract -our attention?” - -“I certainly do,” Peter said. “He’ll be the one guest at that moment -who won’t crowd into the alcove to see how the secret door works. -Unless,” he added thoughtfully, “whatever he happens to be after is in -the secret room itself.” - -“I thought of that,” Penny said. “And since he can’t possibly know -how the secret doors works, he’ll wait until after that part of the -evening’s entertainment is over. Then he’ll try to sneak back and go -down into the room while we’re unmasking.” She chuckled. “In that case, -he’ll walk right into our trap. After the last guest has left, Phil can -stay behind and hide in the alcove. If Mr. X sneaks back and goes down -into the room, all Phil has to do is fasten the door from the outside, -once Mr. X is safely down the stairs. Then we can call the police, for -obviously no honest person would go into the secret room without our -permission.” - -“I object,” Jimmy said. “According to that scheme, we’ll catch Mr. X, -but we still won’t know what he was trying to steal.” - -“I agree with Jimmy,” Phil said. “So instead of hiding in the alcove -after the guests have all seen the secret room, I’ll hide down in the -room itself. Behind the black draperies you’ve hung on the walls. If -he sneaks back, I’ll stay there until _after_ he’s got whatever he’s -trying to get. Then at the point of my gun I’ll make him turn it over -to me and--” - -Penny interrupted with a frown: “I still don’t like the idea of your -being down in the room alone with someone who may be a dangerous -criminal, Phil.” - -“Oh, Penny,” Marjorie cried impulsively, “Phil can take care of -himself. Besides, Mr. X won’t have any idea that he’s hiding behind the -black curtains. Also,” she added, “what Mr. X wants may not be in the -secret room after all.” - -“That’s true,” Penny admitted reluctantly. - -“Then the scheme is this,” Peter said, summing it up. “If you and -Marjorie see a stranger sneak upstairs before the unmasking, you’re to -report at once to Phil, Jimmy and me. We’ll follow him and catch him in -the act. If no one does anything suspicious, Phil will remain in the -secret room after the guests have seen it. Pat, who will open the door, -will close it when everyone has left the alcove. Then we’ll all go into -the big room for the unmasking and wait until Phil signals that he has -caught a rat in his trap. You can do that, Phil,” he finished, “as we -already agreed, by banging on the door.” - -And so the final arrangements were made. But Penny, as she hurried -upstairs with Marjorie to dress for the occasion, knew that Peter was -worried. He didn’t like the idea of Phil being locked in the secret -room with Mr. X any more than she did. - -“But,” she realized suddenly, “Phil won’t be _locked_ in after all. -Even though we may deliberately play into Mr. X’s hands by showing him -how to get into the secret room, he won’t know where the spring is that -closes the door on the other side.” - -And, as Marjorie pointed out while they helped each other with their -costumes: “The whole thing may be a flop. We don’t know for sure that -there is anything valuable hidden in the Lodge, or that Mr. X will be -among those present tonight.” - - - - -CHAPTER 13 - -PHILIP TRAPS A THIEF - - -Peter Wyland knew that Penny would be coming down the back way when she -was ready, instead of down the stairs from the balcony. When he was in -his costume he waited at the foot of the back stairs. The large room at -the bottom of the steps was dimly lit. - -Presently Penny, a sweet vision, appeared at the top of the steps. -She gathered her draperies for the descent, unconscious of anyone’s -presence. The veil, which Marjorie had persuaded her to wear, floated -behind her, caught back from her face by pins and a white rose. - -When she was halfway down, Peter stepped into the light. “Penny,” he -said in a low voice, “you look lovely. I should have been waiting here -with a minister!” - -Peter was beside the surprised Penny in a moment, leading her down the -few remaining steps to the room where he tenderly put his arms around -her and kissed her. “I can’t wait any longer, Penny, to tell you how I -love you!” Peter’s voice was a little nervous. What he had intended to -say deserted him. “Will you--will you wear a dress like this for me, -soon?” - -Penny, who had not had a chance to utter a word, and whose breath was -taken away by the surprise of having Peter kiss her, merely said, -“Oh,--why, Peter,” as he led her to a little sofa in the corner of the -room. - -“Sit here with me just a minute, Penny. I’ve been waiting to ask you -for so long, only I’ve never known whether you were just being kind -and sweet to me because you’re that way with everyone, or whether you -could like me well enough to marry me. I saw that there was Charles -Curtis--but if you were engaged to him, I figured Phil would tip me -off. I am sort of a coward where you are concerned, Penny. Don’t tell -me that you like Charley best! Do you love me a little?” - -Peter’s voice was low and eager. He held one of Penny’s hands tightly -in his. - -Penny was not the sort to keep the man she loved in a state of -uncertainty. “Did you know you’ve loved me all summer, Peter? I wish -you’d told me sooner, because you see, I’ve been in love with you, -too.” It was all right at last. “I knew last year that I loved you -Peter, but I couldn’t very well let you know it!” Penny’s hand was -almost crushed as Peter’s face lit up with joy. He swept her into his -arms again for another kiss, and Penny said, “I could stay here and -forget all about my duties to my guests, but we mustn’t forget about -Mr. X. And I’ll have to go upstairs again, Peter. See how you have -mussed this veil.” - -“Not beyond repair, I hope,” he said, smiling. “Penny, before you go, -say you’ll marry me this fall, as soon as the guests leave?” - -“Silly man! You take my breath away,” Penny laughed. “But it is -wonderful that you are silly about me, Peter. I can’t think straight -right this minute, but we’ll talk about it later. Marjorie and Jimmy -are going to school in September. Phil is going to New York to work -for Mr. Prentice and to go to school nights. He wants to be near -Adra. Mercy--I’m all mixed up. There will be so much to see to. Could -you--could we have our honeymoon right here?” - -“I can’t think of a more wonderful spot,” Peter said. “Our life is -going to be all honeymoon from now on. As long as I know we love each -other that’s enough to make me walk on air the rest of the evening. -What a pity we can’t be by ourselves. I’ll be thinking of you every -single minute, darling.” - -Peter waited until Penny went back to her room to repair damages. It -took her but a few minutes and when she made her appearance in the -living room, she was immediately surrounded and admired by everyone. - -With the keen eye of an experienced hostess, she glanced around to see -that everyone was being entertained in some fashion. She recognized -most of the guests regardless of their masks, and she noted that there -was quite an assembly of townspeople whom she could not recognize -because of their disguises. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were dressed as George -and Martha Washington and they looked very distinguished. They were -talking to Marjorie just now and saying something that made her laugh. -There was Charles Curtis dancing with a lovely girl who had spent -several weekends at the Lodge and had come back for the masquerade. -When he danced by Penny he stopped for a minute and said, “I’ll wager -that this is our fair hostess. Shall I telephone the parson? It’s hard -to resist such a bride!” - -“You are incorrigible, Charles,” Penny reported. - -“And you look radiant tonight, Penny.” And off he danced with his -partner. It was hard for Penny to get her mind on anything else except -Peter. Dear, eager, wonderful Peter. But she had many things to do. The -tables in the dining room had to be checked, and then she had to return -and take part in the party. She looked around at the guests once more -trying to place some of those who did not look familiar. There was one -masquerader in particular who caught her eye. He was dressed as the -bearded ghost that was supposed to wander about the Lodge, but aside -from the long beard and white wig he seemed to be quite young, vigorous -and active. He was too heavy for Alf who had once said something about -dressing up as a graybeard. He was with Adra a good deal of the time -but mingled with the rest and danced well. - -All the guests had arrived and the party was in full swing. It was -nearly time for Philip to announce that he was going to show everybody -the secret room. Peter came into the room just a few minutes before -this and slipping an arm around Penny, he said, “Congratulate me, Phil, -I’m going to be your brother-in-law.” - -Philip stared a moment, then put a hand on Peter’s shoulder and told -him there was no one to whom he’d rather hand over Penny. “Good work, -Peter,” he said. “Congratulations. Even if she is my sister, I must say -you’re getting a wonderful girl.” - -“Nobody knows that better than I,” Peter said humbly. - -“Stop it, you two,” Penny cried. “I’ll get a head too big for my -shoulders if you keep it up. By the way, do either of you recognize -that man over there disguised as Graybeard?” - -“I think that’s Mr. Sanders. He said something about wearing such a -costume when Alf gave up the idea,” said Peter. - -“No, it isn’t Mr. Sanders,” Penny said. “But there’s something very -familiar about him. I’m sure I know him but I can’t quite put my finger -on who he is.” - -“Has he done anything suspicious?” Phil asked. - -“Not a thing,” Penny admitted. Then she laughed. “But he has been -paying quite a lot of attention to Adra. You’d better watch out, Phil.” - -Phil frowned. “I’ll be glad when this evening is over. I’ve hardly had -a chance to speak to Adra since breakfast. And--and, well I guess you -two know how I feel about her.” - -“We do,” Penny told him, smiling. “But the question is, does she?” She -gave him a fond pat on the cheek. “Faint heart never won fair lady, -Phil.” - -“That’s right,” Peter said, grinning. “Once you get used to the idea, -Phil, proposing to the girl you love isn’t so difficult.” - -“I suppose not,” Phil said dubiously, “but if I rush matters I might -ruin my chances with Adra.” - -Marjorie joined them then. “Nobody’s done anything suspicious at all,” -she complained. “The whole scheme is a flop.” - -“The evening isn’t over yet,” Penny reminded her. She tucked her hand -in the crook of Peter’s arm, blushing. “We’re going to announce our -engagement at the banquet. And if Phil takes my advice, he’ll propose -to Adra before the party is over.” She smiled at Marjorie. “Isn’t that -enough excitement for you?” - -“Oh, oh,” Marjorie cried, hugging Penny. “I’m so glad. Wait until I -tell Judy.” She was off, completely forgetting to congratulate the -bridegroom-to-be. - -A short while after that Penny went upstairs with Adra and told her -that she and Peter were engaged. - -“I’m so happy for you both,” Adra said, rather wistfully. - -Penny said nothing, but she guessed that when Phil did propose, the -answer would be yes. She hurried downstairs again for, from the -balcony, she could see that the guests were already crowding into the -alcove. - -Most of the younger men, as Marjorie had predicted, were dressed as -cowboys, complete with bandannas, chaps and guns in their holsters. -Penny had not been able to pick out Brook and Alf, but she knew that -Jimmy was the tallest cowboy of them all. - -He was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs. “Everybody’s -all set,” he told her. “Pat’s pressing the button that moves the -bookshelves now.” When Adra came down from the balcony he added, “Let’s -wait out here. It’ll only add to the confusion if we, who have already -seen the secret room, join the crowd in the alcove.” - -“All right,” Adra said, sitting on the bottom step. “I’m exhausted. Mr. -Graybeard is a wonderful dancer, but he never wants to stop for a rest.” - -“Who is that guy anyway?” Jimmy asked. “He looks familiar, but I can’t -place him.” - -“Neither can I,” Penny said. “But then I can’t place a lot of the -people here.” She pointed to two cowboys who were standing just outside -the alcove. “For instance, are those two guests Alf and Brook? I -wouldn’t know.” - -And then Penny saw something that made her turn and race up the stairs. -The guns that those two cowboys were slipping from their holsters were -not toy pistols. Even at that distance she could see that they were -small, but deadly-looking automatics. - -In the meantime, Philip, in the alcove, was making his little speech to -the assembled guests. - -“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said and waited a moment for attention. - -“There is one little feature of Allen Lodge that has not been on -exhibit, a place we call the secret room.” Philip paused again, for -effect this time, and a murmur of interest ran around the room. - -“When we first moved into this Lodge we found it accidentally and -we decided to surprise you with it tonight. This room has a curious -entrance and when I open the door you will see the little wall safe -that has held your money and jewelry. We are sorry to say there is no -other treasure down there. Believe me, when we heard of the rumors -about buried treasure, we turned the place upside down to see if we -could find it, without success.” - -Philip deliberately assumed a very disappointed look on his face and -the guests all laughed. Then he went on, “But maybe the Allens didn’t -look in the right places, and possibly Mr. Graybeard, the ghost I see -here tonight, may find some treasure for us. Masks and costumes are -appropriate to our mysterious visit to a mysterious room. Look for -treasure! We will have to go down in groups since it is a small room. -The people immediately surrounding me can come down first and perhaps -Mr. Graybeard will lend atmosphere by posing near the safe.” - -“I’d be delighted,” Mr. Graybeard said. - -Philip glanced at him, thinking: “His voice is familiar, but I’m sure -he isn’t any of the merchants in the village we deal with.” Aloud he -continued his speech: - -“When we come back up from the secret room we’ll unmask and go into -the big dining room for the banquet. I hope you have all been keeping -a list of the people whom you think you have recognized. As you know, -we’re going to gather up your lists as you enter the dining room. -During the banquet, prizes will be awarded to the guests who have -guessed the largest number of people correctly.” - -After the applause that followed Philip’s speech, Pat pressed the -button that moved the bookshelves aside. From then on Philip was kept -busy leading one little party after another down into the secret room. - -Mr. Graybeard went with the first group and added to the ghostly -atmosphere by posing near the safe. Behind him the paper skeleton -dangled precariously from the ceiling. - -When the last guest had inspected the little room and had gone back up -the stairs to the alcove, Philip said to Graybeard, “Thanks for helping -us out. You make a swell ghost. Who are you anyway?” - -“Never mind,” said a cold, crisp voice. “Turn around and come down the -steps with your hands up.” - -With one swift gesture, Philip released the spring that closed the -secret door. Then he turned to face the gun Graybeard was pointing at -him. - -Philip was caught in his own trap, but at least the man and his pistol -could neither harm nor frighten the people on the other side of the -door. - -Philip came slowly down the steps. “So you’re our mysterious Mr. X,” he -said coolly. - -“Call me anything you like,” Graybeard said, taking Philip’s own pistol -from his pocket. “Now open that safe.” - -Philip shrugged. “Anything to oblige.” he said. - -“And don’t try to pull any tricks,” Graybeard warned him. “Upstairs, -two men I hired for the occasion are at this very moment relieving your -guests of their excess jewelry and cash.” - -So it was a planned robbery! And Graybeard’s henchmen had probably come -disguised as cowboys, carrying real pistols in their holsters! - -For a moment, Phil was paralyzed with worry about the girls. Penny and -Marjorie were so impulsive! Would they submit quietly to a holdup? And -Adra? - -He felt sure that the older women, although they would be frightened -at the sight of guns, would do nothing which might arouse the anger of -armed criminals. But the girls! - -The voice behind the mask repeated menacingly, “_Open that safe!_” - -Philip quickly obeyed. There was nothing else to do. Peter had been -right all along: They should have called on the police for help. - -Philip twirled the dial and opened the door of the safe. “Help -yourself,” he said curtly. - -“I am very much engaged in watching you,” replied the man. Philip had -no choice. He emptied the safe and handed its contents to the masked -burglar. - -There was a good sum of money, the payments of the guests for the -week. It was mostly in checks and a great deal of the jewelry had -been removed from the safe for the occasion. Philip was thanking his -lucky stars that they didn’t keep too much cash, valuable articles or -important papers. Philip tried to get a good look at the man’s face -under his beard, but it and the mask over his nose and eyes completely -hid his features. - -Could this really be the mysterious Mr. X? No, Philip decided. -Graybeard was nothing but a common ordinary burglar. And yet there was -something familiar about him. - -The man tucked the money into his pocket, then looked contemptuously at -the bit of jewelry but put it into another pocket. Philip listened to -hurrying footsteps overhead and could see that Graybeard was perturbed -by them. But there was no catching this man off guard. He held the gun -close to Philip every minute. He again ordered Philip to put his hands -into the air, while he felt around the inside of the safe. Philip could -not help but think what a curious picture this man with his long gray -beard made, as he searched through the empty safe with one hand and -kept his pistol pointed at Philip with the other. What on earth was he -searching for? - -Then Philip heard a little click, and suddenly a drawer on two little -steel rods dropped down from inside the top of the safe. - -“Missed that part of it, didn’t you?” Graybeard sneered. “Empty that -drawer and hand me the stuff.” - -Philip was so surprised he stood there with his mouth open for a full -minute, then with great interest he looked at this drawer that he -had never seen before. It was wide and shallow and full of papers. -Evidently a little hidden spring had released the rods that held the -drawer in place. Could this be the place where the rumored treasure was -supposed to be hidden? Philip mentally kicked himself for not having -thought of such a possibility before. Much good it would do them now. -Idiot that he had been not to have taken ordinary precautions that -night. What fools they had all been not to follow Peter’s advice! - -No wonder Mr. X Graybeard had planted red herrings guaranteed to keep -Jimmy and Marjorie searching everywhere for hidden treasure except in -their own safe. - -“Quit stalling,” Graybeard growled, poking Philip with his gun. “Come -on, hand over that stuff and make it snappy. The boys upstairs must be -about ready to go.” - -Philip took from the drawer two packages of old papers that looked like -receipted bills, and a large, bulging Manila envelope. This Graybeard -snatched from Phil’s hand and pocketed it with a satisfied air. He -glanced at the old papers and said, “You can throw those away. What -I want is bound to be in this envelope.” He went on in a patronizing -voice, “Thanks, sonny boy. If you hadn’t played right into my hands, -I might have had to use some ‘soup’ to blow the lock off that safe. -Messy stuff, ‘soup,’ and noisy. When I heard you were going to throw -this ball and show your guests the secret room, I decided to let one -of you dopey Allens open it for me.” He patted the pocket into which -he had stuffed the old Manila envelope. “What I have here is much more -valuable than all the money and jewels the men I hired have taken from -your guests. They can keep whatever they collected as their pay.” - -“Just what is in that old envelope?” Phil asked, stalling for time. The -man, in the boasting, triumphant mood he was now in, might be caught -momentarily off guard. - -Graybeard chuckled evilly. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” - -“I certainly would,” Philip said and added shrewdly, “I should think -you’d like to _know_ too. After all, it may be stuffed with nothing but -more old receipted bills.” - -The man, struck by this thought, glared at Philip through his mask. -“Never thought of that,” he muttered and hastily shifted the gun from -his right hand to his left so he could reach into his pocket and open -the envelope. - -In that split second, Philip went into action. Before Graybeard knew -what was happening the pistol had been knocked from his hand. At the -same moment, Philip’s fist crashed against his jaw. Graybeard went limp -and toppled to the floor. - -Phil leaped over his unconscious body to retrieve the gun. Then he took -his own pistol from Graybeard’s pocket. - -“Now the tables are nicely turned,” Phil chuckled. He quickly tore -strips from the black draperies on the wall and tied the man’s hands -and feet together. He worked fast because he was worried about what -was going on upstairs. - -Then he heard sounds on the other side of the door at the top of the -steps. Phil held his pistol ready. One of the gunmen, worried by the -prolonged absence of Graybeard, might be coming down to see what was -happening in the secret room. - -The door swung open, and, to Phil’s relief, Pat leaped down the stairs. -Phil met him halfway. “What happened?” he asked nervously. “The -girls--are they all right?” - -“Everybody’s just fine,” Pat said, grinning. “I’ll tell you all about -it later. Let’s see what you have here first.” - -He bent down and yanked the beard and mask from the unconscious man’s -face. - -“Whew!” Pat and Phil whistled in one breath. “Our nice cheap laundry -man!” - -For it was Mr. Taggart, and, as he regained consciousness, glaring with -rage up at Phil, his face was anything but pleasant. - - - - -CHAPTER 14 - -FORGOTTEN TREASURE - - -Pat swiftly untied Taggart’s feet. “Get up,” he ordered. “Your pals are -waiting for you in a nice shiny prowl car in front of the Lodge.” - -“The police,” Phil gasped. “But how--?” - -Pat grinned. “The whole hold-up was a washout. Oh, some of the ladies -got a little scared when we all suddenly found ourselves facing those -cowboys and their guns. And I was pretty worried about you myself when -I saw the door close and guessed you were trapped down here with the -ringleader.” He chuckled. “Penny saved the day. Just before the hold-up -was to take place, she happened to notice that two of the cowboys, who -were loitering out in the hall, were carrying real guns. She raced -upstairs and called the police.” He laughed at the chagrined expression -on Taggart’s face. “The police arrived shortly after our friend’s pals -had collected their loot. In fact, they walked out of the door and -right into the arms of two of the biggest cops I’ve ever seen.” - -“Those fools,” Taggart snarled. “I told Jerry and Rick not to let -anyone out of their sight once the secret door was open.” - -Pat, as he deftly emptied Taggart’s pockets, told him, “They didn’t -exactly _let_ her dash upstairs to the phone in her room. She went so -quickly and so quietly they didn’t even know she wasn’t among those -present downstairs. When it finally dawned on them that none of their -victims was dressed as a bride, I imagine they guessed that the game -was up and decided to scram without waiting to see what had happened -to their boss.” He gave Taggart a push. “Get going,” he said gruffly. -“There’s a nice shiny pair of bracelets waiting for you.” - -It was after one when the men returned from the precinct station after -preferring charges against the three men. The girls were waiting -excitedly for them on the porch. - -“Oh, Phil,” Marjorie yelled, running down the steps. “To think that -Graybeard was Mr. Taggart our laundryman, and none of us saw through -his disguise.” - -“Well,” Phil said, “it was a good disguise for one thing, and he was -careful to spend most of his time with Adra who had never seen him.” - -Adra smiled rather shamefacedly. “I’m such a lazybones! He usually came -in the morning before I was up. When he did come later in the day I -guess I was always off somewhere having a good time while you Allens -worked.” - -“That’s what you were supposed to be doing,” Penny said, smiling. -“You’re our guest, remember?” - -“Never mind about that,” Marjorie interrupted impatiently. “What I want -to know is whether or not Mr. Taggart was Mr. X.” She tugged Phil’s -arm, leading him to a seat beside her on the porch glider. “Did he -plant the clues we found and write us the threatening letters?” - -Phil nodded. “The other men were merely hired by him for the evening to -keep the guests out of his hair while he looked for a secret drawer -in the safe. He made a complete confession before we left the police -station.” - -“Oh, oh,” Marjorie cried jumping up. “Then the mystery is solved. Tell -us everything, Phil, right now.” - -He patted her hand affectionately. “Not now, honey. First we must think -of our guests. Family affairs can come later.” - -Once everybody was in the dining room, its light and decorations made a -gay setting for the return to normal feelings. As Philip followed the -last guest into the room, Penny said, “Adra and I were just sick with -worry over you, Phil. I want to know every single thing that happened -as soon as possible! Are you sure you’re all right?” - -“I’m fine,” Phil assured her. - -Jimmy, too, caught Philip and said. “Good work, Phil. When do I get to -hear the whole story?” - -“As soon as the guests have all gone home or to bed in the Lodge,” -Philip said. “It’s a long story.” He turned to Penny, “And it was your -quickwittedness that made it have a happy ending.” - -“I didn’t do anything but dash up to my room and call the police,” -Penny said. “You’re a hero, Phil.” - -By now, of course, everyone had removed his mask and all the faces were -familiar ones. - -Philip moved on to a space at the central table where he and Adra were -going to sit together. He held her hand in a firm clasp and her fingers -twined in response. Peter smiled at him and clapped his hands together -for order. - -“Speech! Speech!” - -Philip smiled at everybody and didn’t seem at all nervous or upset -after his experience of the evening. - -“I’m very sorry,” he began, “that robbers chose us for their victims -tonight, and that I could not prevent your disagreeable experience.” - -“It was fun,” Judy interrupted impulsively. “For the longest time I -thought it was just an act Jimmy and Alf were putting on. What I’ll -have to tell the girls when I get back to Cincinnati!” - -Philip smiled at her and continued: “I hope that you all can forget -the unpleasant part of the evening and that you will enjoy the feast -Ann Mary prepared. I have here the jewelry and wallets and handbags -the armed cowboys took from you. As I hold up each item will the owner -please come and get his or her property?” - -While the food was being served, Philip distributed the stolen articles -to their owners. - -“I was much too surprised to be frightened at first,” said Mrs. Curtis, -calmly pouring cream into her coffee. “Indeed, like Judy, I thought for -quite a while that it was some stunt the boys had thought up. The young -people today are always doing some crazy thing.” - -“I was nearly speechless at those guns,” said Mrs. Powell. “I don’t -know what the country is coming to! But it was all over so quickly I -don’t suppose I was much more frightened than I would have been trying -to get across a busy street.” - -“That, my dear, is slightly underestimating it--at least for me,” said -Mr. Powell. “I was just plain worried one of those guns would go off.” - -“I certainly hated to see my jewelry gathered in,” remarked Mrs. -Sanders. - -The prizes were awarded, and there was music afterwards. Some of -the older people retired soon, but as this was the last general -celebration, the younger set preferred to linger. - -Philip, whose duties as host had been accomplished, wasted no time, but -took Adra to a moonlit walk and pretty nook on the shore where they sat -on the sand and talked. - -Philip told Adra of his feeling of responsibility for his brother and -sisters. “Now Penny is engaged to Peter as I suppose she told you. -This summer’s venture will see Jimmy and Marjorie through school.” He -hesitated. “And, er, college. At last, Adra, I feel I have a right to -say, well, that the only treasure I ever wanted is you!” - -Adra’s blush was most becoming and gave Philip courage to go on. “Could -you possibly care for me, Adra? You know your father has invited me -into his office and I want to go on with my college education evenings, -but somehow, whatever I decide to do depends on you. If you care, I -think we can--” - -“Manage the rest,” finished Adra calmly, though her heart was beating -fast. “Yes, Phil, I care enough.” - -Two happy young people walked back to the Lodge about half an hour -later. As Phil and Adra entered they found most of the guests gone and -Marjorie and Jimmy curled up in big chairs on the porch, sound asleep. - -“Those two wouldn’t dare go to bed for fear they’d miss something.” -Adra and Philip laughed and went back to find Peter and Penny raiding -the pantry for a snack. - -“Ha!” cried Phil. “More burglars!” - -“Yes; come join us,” replied Penny, unwrapping some brick ice cream. - -“Delighted,” returned her brother. “We need to celebrate. Adra and -I have just reached a momentous decision and this Lodge can hardly -contain me, big as it is.” - -“Honest? Oh, Adra, you perfect dear!” and Penny dropped the ice cream -to hug Adra with enthusiasm. And Peter, who had caught the ice cream -on his plate, shook hands with Philip after carefully setting down his -burden. - -“You know,” said Peter slyly, “Philip was going to tell us what -Mr. Taggart said when he confessed, but I guess Adra has made him -completely forget it.” - -“That she has,” answered Philip. “Anything else that happened tonight -is very unimportant by comparison with this. After all, that’s over. -Exciting enough while it lasted, but not nearly as interesting as plans -for my future life with Adra.” - -“Listen to the hero make little out of his great adventure,” cried -Penny. “Phil, I can’t stand it another minute. Begin at the beginning -and tell us every word Mr. Taggart said when he confessed. How did he -know there was a secret drawer in the safe, and what was in the drawer?” - -For answer, Peter led the way to the porch. “Wake up, Sleepy Heads,” -he said, nudging Marjorie and Jimmy. “Wake up and hear a bedtime story -about hidden treasure!” - -“Hidden treasure,” Marjorie repeated, instantly wide awake. “Phil! -You’ve been keeping something important from us.” - -“I told you it was a family matter,” Phil said, putting his arm around -Adra. “And before I told the tale I wanted to be sure that Adra as well -as Peter will soon be members of our family.” - -“I knew it,” Marjorie cried, giving Adra a hug. “I told you so, Jimmy.” - -“Congratulations, you two,” Jimmy said. “I mean, you four. Now, can we -hear what went on in the secret room tonight, Phil?” - -“The story,” Phil began, “goes back to about twenty years ago when -Uncle John was a very rich man and living in New York City. At that -time he invested $20,000 in a small company belonging to one of his -friends who told him that the stock was sure to go up. But the stock -didn’t go up. It went down and finally its name disappeared from the -Stock Exchange boards and from the newspaper stock lists. Naturally, -Uncle John thought his certificates were worthless, but, lucky for us, -he didn’t destroy them.” - -“Golly, Phil,” Jimmy cried enthusiastically. “When you say ‘lucky for -us’ do you mean the old stock is worth something? Can I have a sailboat -after all?” - -Phil grinned. “Let me finish, puh-leeze. About five years ago, the -company started paying dividends, but it couldn’t locate a great many -of its stockholders, among them, Uncle John. He had changed his address -several times before he settled down here. So the company officials -turned the matter over to a special detective agency which specializes -in tracking down owners of forgotten stocks. Notices also appeared -in newspapers throughout the country, and Mr. Taggart saw one of the -notices. - -“With forged credentials, he got a job with the detective agency and -was assigned the duty of finding Uncle John. Guessing that Uncle John -was dead, he planned to get hold of the stock certificates, and, with -more forged credentials, prove that he was his sole heir.” - -Phil turned to Penny who was holding hands with Peter. “If it hadn’t -been for you, Taggart might well have succeeded. A girl not quite so -level-headed might have screamed when she saw those ‘cowboys’ drawing -real guns from their holsters.” - -Peter squeezed her hand more tightly. “I can’t bear to think about what -might have happened if those gunmen had seen you darting up the stairs.” - -“Stop it, both of you,” Penny protested, blushing. “Get on with the -story, Phil!” - -“Okay,” Phil said, smiling. “Taggart finally traced Uncle John to -the Lodge only to find that he was dead and that we had started our -business venture here. He had hoped to find the Lodge deserted so he -could search undisturbed for the certificates. He knew that people -leave old stocks and bonds in all sorts of places. Sometimes they slip -them under the paper lining of bureau drawers or cupboards, or between -the pages of books. False-bottom trunks and secret drawers in old -safes, and so forth, and so forth. Taggart realized that one of us, -while we were getting the Lodge ready for guests, might come across the -certificates. So the first thing he did was to try to frighten us away.” - -“That was silly of him,” Marjorie said with a sniff. “He might have -known that the Allens don’t frighten easily.” - -“Be quiet, imp,” Jimmy said. “He didn’t know anything about us then.” -He added to Philip: “So it was Taggart who wrote the two threatening -letters? And left his footprint on the ground under the shed floor?” - -“That’s right,” Phil told him. “He confessed that he wrote the one to -Penny _after_ she fell down the well. And he also confessed that he -was our night prowler. Actually he did a lot of prowling we didn’t -know about, trying to find out if his anonymous letters had any effect. -The first night he came snooping around he listened outside the living -room window and heard us joking about digging in the well for buried -treasure. That gave him the idea of keeping us busy digging outside, -instead of searching around inside.” - -“I can guess what he did next,” Marjorie said with a rueful laugh. “He -wrote that note on an old piece of paper, put one half in the bottle -Judy and I found down on the beach, and the other half in the pocket of -the old suit Brook found when the boys were out camping.” She stopped -suddenly, her blue eyes wide with amazement. “But how and when did he -manage to put that map in the lid of the costume jewelry box?” - -“I can answer that one,” Penny said with a sigh. “The day our first -guests arrived, I heard someone rummaging around in the storage room. I -thought it was you, Marjorie, and thought you were fibbing later when -you insisted you were out in the Donahues’ cabin helping Ann Mary count -their laundry.” She laughed. “I owe you an apology, honey. While you -and Ann Mary were busy, and Phil and I were upstairs hanging curtains, -Taggart must have sneaked into the storage room and pasted that map -behind the rotten lining of the old jewelry box.” - -“You’re both two jumps ahead of me,” Philip said, laughing. “Taggart -did put the map where you found it, but first he had to have some -excuse for coming out here. He heard in the village that we were -looking for someone who would take the soiled linen in to the -laundry-mat and applied to Penny for the job.” - -Penny moaned, covering her pretty face with both hands. “Oh, why did I -fall into his trap so easily? I should have guessed when he offered to -do it so cheaply, that something was wrong.” - -“Not at all,” Peter said protectively. “Taggart did handle the laundry -situation in a very satisfactory manner, so I don’t think anyone can -blame you for not suspecting him of an ulterior motive.” - -Phil nodded. “That’s right, Penny, nobody blames you. The trouble -was that no one paid much attention to him when he came out here. I -imagine Ann Mary didn’t always have the bundle ready, or his pay when -he brought out the clean wash. Once when she left him alone in the -kitchen he slipped down to the beach and stuck the bottle containing -half the note under a rock.” - -“We made everything so easy for him,” Marjorie groaned. “He was there -in the kitchen, I remember, the day Ann Mary suggested that Judy and -I search for rare shells. He was also there the time I asked her if -it would be all right for us to spend the first rainy day rummaging -through the old trunks in the storage room.” - -“And,” Penny added, “he knew exactly when the boys left on their -camping trip. Remember? Ann Mary told him he had to bring back their -clean shirts before they left. I imagine it was simple for him to find -out from her where they were going.” - -“Uh huh,” Phil said. “_Very_ simple. Ann Mary had no reason to suspect -him. He followed them to Uncle John’s fishing camp only to find that -they had moved deeper into the woods. He saw the Bronc’s tire tracks -and followed them to the lake. Early in the morning before Brook’s -adventure, he rigged up the coat with the other half of the note in the -pocket. He could count on the fact that one of the boys, while out -canoeing, would be sure to notice what looked like the torso of a human -body.” Phil smiled. “Taggart also knew that Jimmy, like Marjorie, was -sure treasure was buried around here and was looking for clues.” - -“And,” Peter added, “the man knew that no boy could resist going -through the pockets of an old coat he found.” - -Jimmy’s tanned cheeks were very red. “Well,” he said, “that clears up -all the mysterious clues and letters. And we certainly all played right -into his hands when we issued invitations to the masquerade.” - -“And,” Penny added, “when I dropped hints all over the village that we -were going to show our guests the secret room that night.” She sighed. -“What I don’t understand is how Taggart knew there was a secret drawer -in the safe.” - -“Because,” Philip explained, staring at Marjorie, “one day when he was -out here he caught a glimpse of the safe. Not only is he a notorious -forger, but, in between sessions in jail, he’s made an exhaustive study -of safes. He knew that the particular style and make of the one in the -secret room had a hidden drawer in the top. Since we obviously hadn’t -found the certificates while we were cleaning up the Lodge, he guessed -that they might be in the secret compartment of the safe.” - -“But,” Jimmy interrupted. “When on earth did he get a glimpse of the -safe? Up until tonight--I mean last night--nobody but you and Pat ever -went into the secret room. And I’m sure neither of you was careless -enough to open the door unless you were sure no one was lurking around.” - -It was now Marjorie’s turn to cover her red cheeks with both hands. -“I can answer that one,” she confessed miserably. “One day when Mr. -Taggart was here, I showed Judy how the door opened. He must have been -hiding in the alcove when the bookshelves moved back. I heard someone -moving down the hall just before we left, and thought it was Ann Mary -with a bundle of soiled laundry. But I guess there’s no doubt that it -was Mr. Taggart.” She raised her face, on the verge of tears. “Thinking -back, I remember now that he was in the kitchen, and Judy and I had -just left there when she begged me to show her how the secret door -worked. Oh,” she finished, “how can I be so dumb?” - -“’Tain’t easy,” Jimmy said, grinning. “You’ve got to have a lot of -practice before you can be as hopeless as you are!” - -“Never mind, honey,” Penny said to Marjorie in a comforting voice. -“After all, in a way you helped to set the trap that caught Mr. X.” She -turned to Philip. “We’re all trying to tell your story for you, and I, -for one, am getting confused. Once Taggart got a glimpse of the safe -and knew how to get into the secret room, why did he wait until the -masquerade to go in there?” - -Phil chuckled. “Because he didn’t know the combination of the safe. He -could, of course, have sneaked out here at night after we’d all gone to -bed and used dynamite to open the safe, but that would have been pretty -risky. Soon after he saw the safe and the room, we issued blanket -invitations to the masquerade and you slyly hinted that part of the -evening’s entertainment would be a visit to the secret room. Taggart -promptly decided that the safest way of getting what he wanted was to -let us lead him right to it.” - -“In other words,” Peter added, “while we were setting our little trap, -Mr. X was setting one of his own. While his gangster friends were -holding up the rest of the party, he planned to force one of you Allens -to accompany him into the secret room and open the safe.” - -“That’s right,” Philip said. “And I made things easy for him when I -asked him to lend atmosphere by posing by the safe; and then, to cap -the climax, I stayed behind after everyone else had left. The only -thing I can say for myself,” he finished, “is that I did have the -presence of mind to close the door as soon as I realized I’d walked -into the trap we had set for him. And even that,” he admitted, “was -sort of a reflex action.” - -“Call it what you like,” Jimmy said, “but it was important. Otherwise, -Taggart would have heard the outraged cries of his gunmen when they -walked into the arms of the police. During that commotion he might have -escaped--with the real loot.” He leaned forward to tap Phil’s knee. -“Now that we’ve all, with the exception of the inlaws-to-be, confessed -to being dimwits in one way or another, let’s hear more about those -stock certificates, Phil. Answer me, yes, or no, are they worth enough -so I can get a sailboat?” - - - - -CHAPTER 15 - -HAPPY ENDING - - -“I object,” Peter cried. “My wife-to-be isn’t a dimwit. She’s a -heroine.” - -“I object, too,” Adra said. “Phil’s a hero.” - -“All right, all right,” Jimmy said. “But it’s getting on toward dawn. -Marjorie and I are dimwits. Just tell me whether or not we’re rich or -poor.” - -“We’re rich,” Philip said as he drew from his pocket the bulging -envelope he had earlier been forced to hand over to Taggart. He handed -it to Penny. “Open it, Sis.” - -Her hands shaking with excitement, Penny lifted the flap and pulled out -a wad of musty-smelling, yellowed stock certificates. - -“Those ancient documents,” Phil told her quietly, “don’t look like -much. But, according to Taggart’s confession, when we turn them in -we’ll collect about $50,000--their cash value plus back dividends and -interest.” - -For a moment no one spoke. Then Jimmy yelled: “WHOOPEE! The hidden -treasure is found at last. And boy oh boy, will I ever get the finest -sailboat that was ever launched!” - -“I can’t believe it,” Marjorie said in an awed voice. “Why, I--I’m an -heiress!” - -“_I_ can believe it,” Peter said, pretending to be mournful. “Penny -will never marry poor penniless me now.” - -“Of course not,” Penny said with a laugh. “And now Phil doesn’t have to -marry Adra for her money either.” - -Everyone laughed then, almost hysterically. They were all tired and -over-stimulated. Dawn was pinking the sky in the east. - -“If you ask me,” Jimmy said, stretching and yawning, “I’d say we all -ought to catch a little shut-eye. I for one won’t believe any part of -Phil’s yarn until I hear it all over again in broad daylight.” - -But the next morning, after consulting the older men who were staying -at the Lodge, the Allens learned that the old stock certificates were -worth even more than Taggart had estimated. - -“I know the company well,” Mr. Curtis told Phil. “Bought stock in it -myself a few years ago when it got a government loan and staged a -comeback.” - -And then, to the delight of everyone, Adra’s father, Mr. Prentice, -arrived by plane. They were all eager for the advice of such an -experienced businessman. - -“I wouldn’t sell,” he said, after hearing the whole story. “You -couldn’t invest your money in a safer concern. When you collect your -back dividends you’ll each have a tidy sum if you need cash now. If -not, I would reinvest that money and thus provide yourselves with a -comfortable yearly income from it and the original investment.” He -smiled at them. “I’ll handle the whole matter for you, if you like.” - -“Please do,” Penny cried. “Oh, it’s all so wonderful! Peter and I can -get married right away and Marjorie and Jimmy are assured of college -educations.” - -“What about us?” Philip crossed over to stand beside Adra who was -perched on the arm of her father’s chair. “Sir,” he said with -old-fashioned formality, “your daughter has done me the honor of -promising to become my wife. With your permission we would like to be -married sometime this fall.” - -Marjorie could not suppress a giggle. Phil did look as though he ought -to be wearing a Prince Albert coat instead of a sports jacket and -slacks. - -Mr. Prentice stood up to shake hands gravely with Philip. “You have my -permission, sir,” he said, a smile twitching the corners of his mouth. -“And my blessing.” - -Peter grabbed Penny’s hand. “Come on, let’s celebrate! No more work -today for any of the Allens.” - -But Phil and Penny could not take a holiday so soon. Most of the guests -were making arrangements for their departures. Phil and Penny had to be -everywhere at once to help them pack and ship off their luggage, or to -make reservations for them on planes and buses. - -Judy flatly refused to leave with her parents and Alf. “I’ve just got -to stay here for Penny’s wedding,” she begged. “Marjorie and I are -going to be bridesmaids.” - -“Then we’ll stay too,” Mrs. Powell said and added to Penny, “That is, -if we’re invited.” - -“Of course, you are,” Penny cried. “The Curtises and Adra and her -father are going to stay on for the great event, so we’ll have one -grand houseparty until then.” - -By Labor Day evening all of the other guests had left the Lodge. To -celebrate the first dinner of the wedding day houseparty, Pat opened a -bottle of champagne that he claimed to have held over from his wedding -for another special occasion. - -“Ugh,” Marjorie spluttered after one sip. “What horrible tasting stuff!” - -Jimmy, Judy and Alf heartily agreed with her and gratefully accepted -the ginger ale Ann Mary hastily substituted for the bubbling wine. - -Peter proposed a toast. “Here’s to the Allens of Allen Lodge. May they -always be happy and prosperous!” - -“You’d better include the Wylands in that toast,” Marjorie said with an -impish smile. “Penny won’t be an Allen much longer.” - -A few days later, on a beautiful, bright September morning, the -wedding took place. Marjorie and Judy were so excited they couldn’t -fasten the zippers on their crisp organdie frocks. Penny, sweetly -serene, came to the rescue, wearing her lovely flowing gown of white -tulle over taffeta. Marjorie finally conquered her nervousness long -enough to pin on the clusters of orange blossoms which held Penny’s -lace veil in place. - -Then, carrying Pat’s enormous bridal bouquet of long-stemmed white -chrysanthemums, Penny came from the house on Philip’s arm to join Peter -under the trees. - -Marjorie held her breath while Penny and Peter made their vows in -clear, steady voices. After the ceremony was over, Charles was the -first to congratulate the bridegroom, and Marjorie, the first to kiss -her sister. - -“You didn’t act scared at all,” she whispered. “I know I would have -said I _don’t_ instead of I do, just because I was so nervous.” She -turned to give Peter a hug. “It’s so nice to have another brother,” she -cried. “And to know that soon I’ll have another sister.” - -A merry wedding breakfast was served on the sunny porch and this time -it was Marjorie who proposed a toast. “To Allen Lodge,” she cried, -holding her punch glass high, “where there’s never a dull moment. -Here’s hoping that it holds some new adventure just waiting to be -discovered.” - -“I’m with you there, Sis,” cried Jimmy. - -But Peter and Penny only smiled happily. - - - - -FALCON BOOKS - - -_For Girls_ - - Champion’s Choice BY JOHN R. TUNIS - Patty and Jo, Detectives BY ELSIE WRIGHT - -BY KAY LYTTLETON - - Jean Craig Grows Up - Jean Craig in New York - Jean Craig Finds Romance - Jean Craig, Nurse - Jean Craig, Graduate Nurse - -BY JEAN MCKECHNIE - - Penny Allen and the Mystery of the Haunted House - Penny Allen and the Mystery of the Hidden Treasure - - -_For Boys_ - - The Spirit of the Border BY ZANE GREY - The Last Trail BY ZANE GREY - Call to Adventure BY ROBERT SPIERS BENJAMIN - Champs on Ice BY JACK WRIGHT - The Strike-Out King BY JULIAN DE VRIES - The Winning Basket BY DUANE YARNELL - Over the Hurdles BY EMMETT MAUM - Boys’ Book of Sea Battles BY CHELSEA CURTIS FRASER - Through Forest and Stream BY DUANE YARNELL - -BY CAPWELL WYCKOFF - - The Mercer Boys’ Cruise on the Lassie - The Mercer Boys at Woodcrest - The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt - The Mercer Boys’ Mystery Case - The Mercer Boys with the Coast Guard - - - - -Transcriber’s Note: - -The text as published in the original publication has been retained -except as follows: - - Page 35 - unless their guests’ deposit _changed to_ - unless their guests deposit - - Page 36 - means,” Penny said, “That right after breakfast _changed to_ - means,” Penny said, “that right after breakfast - - Page 55 - They all started silently out _changed to_ - They all stared silently out - - Page 81 - few friends of Charles’ _changed to_ - few friends of Charles - - Page 94 - you’re asolutely right _changed to_ - you’re absolutely right - - Page 120 - can’t thing of anything _changed to_ - can’t think of anything - - Page 146 - heard a night prowler?” _changed to_ - heard a night prowler.” - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Penny Allen and the Mystery of the -Hidden Treasure, by Jean Lyttleton McKechnie - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PENNY ALLEN AND THE MYSTERY *** - -***** This file should be named 53198-0.txt or 53198-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/1/9/53198/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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visibility: hidden;} - .promo-block {width: 80%; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} - } - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Penny Allen and the Mystery of the Hidden -Treasure, by Jean Lyttleton McKechnie - -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/license - - -Title: Penny Allen and the Mystery of the Hidden Treasure - -Author: Jean Lyttleton McKechnie - -Release Date: October 2, 2016 [EBook #53198] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PENNY ALLEN AND THE MYSTERY *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<hr class="divider mt3" /> -<h1 class="line-spacing1"><big>Penny Allen</big><br /> -<small>and the Mystery of</small><br /> -THE HIDDEN TREASURE</h1> - - -<hr class="divider2" /> - -<div class="hidehand"> -<div class="figcenter width500"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="500" height="731" alt="Cover" /> -</div> -</div> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> - -<div class="promo-block"> -<p class="center p120">FALCON <img class="promo" src="images/colophon.png" width="100" height="91" alt="Colophon" /> -BOOKS</p> - -<p class="center p180"><cite>Penny Allen and the<br /> -Mystery of the Hidden Treasure</cite></p> - -<p>When the Allens—Philip, Jimmy, Penny and Marjorie—opened -their Michigan Lodge as a summer -hotel, they decided to track down the rumor of buried -treasure. Other people, however, had the same idea, -and before the Allens could solve the baffling clues -they discovered, they found themselves in real danger. -How they found the treasure, and how Penny and -Philip found romance with it, make an exciting and -romantic adventure everyone will enjoy.</p> - - -<p class="center p160"><em>Other Falcon Books for Girls</em>:</p> - -<p class="center mb2">PENNY ALLEN AND THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED HOUSE</p> -<p class="center mt2 mb2">PATTY AND JO, DETECTIVES</p> -<p class="center mt2 mb2">JEAN CRAIG GROWS UP</p> -<p class="center mt2 mb2">JEAN CRAIG IN NEW YORK</p> -<p class="center mt2 mb2">JEAN CRAIG FINDS ROMANCE</p> -<p class="center mt2 mb2">JEAN CRAIG, NURSE</p> -<p class="center mt2 mb2">JEAN CRAIG, GRADUATE NURSE</p> -<p class="center mt2">CHAMPION’S CHOICE</p> -</div> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider2" /> -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<a name="frontis" id="frontis"></a> -<img src="images/frontispiece.jpg" width="400" height="550" alt="fronispiece" /> -<div class="caption">“It looks like the note in the bottle!”</div> -</div> -</div> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> -<p class="center p180"><em>Penny Allen</em><br /> - -AND THE<br /> - -Mystery of the Hidden Treasure</p> - -<p class="center p130 mt3"><span class="smcap">by JEAN McKECHNIE</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter width100"> -<img src="images/colophon.png" width="100" height="91" alt="Colophon" /> -</div> - -<p class="center p130 mt3">THE WORLD PUBLISHING COMPANY</p> - -<p class="center">CLEVELAND AND NEW YORK</p> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> - -<p class="center line-spacing2">Falcon Books<br /> - -<i>are published by</i> <span class="smcap">THE WORLD PUBLISHING COMPANY</span><br /> - -2231 WEST 110 STREET • CLEVELAND 2 • OHIO</p> - - -<p class="center mt3 line-spacing2">W1<br /> - -COPYRIGHT 1950 BY THE WORLD PUBLISHING COMPANY<br /> - -MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA</p> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> -<h2><a name="contents" id="contents"></a><i>Contents</i></h2> - -<table summary="Content"> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">1.</td> -<td class="tdl">A New Adventure</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#i">9</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">2. </td> -<td class="tdl">An Anonymous Letter</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#ii">23</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">3.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Abandoned Well</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#iii">40</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">4.</td> -<td class="tdl">A Night Prowler</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#iv">53</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">5.</td> -<td class="tdl">Another Threat</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#v">68</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">6.</td> -<td class="tdl">Clues in a Bottle</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#vi">85</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">7.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Map</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#vii">98</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">8.</td> -<td class="tdl">Peter Is Worried</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#viii">109</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">9.</td> -<td class="tdl">Camping Out</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#ix">121</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">10.</td> -<td class="tdl">Jimmy to the Rescue</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#x">133</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">11.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Missing Fragment</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xi">151</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">12.</td> -<td class="tdl">Setting the Trap </td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xii">166</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">13.</td> -<td class="tdl">Philip Traps a Thief</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xiii">179</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">14.</td> -<td class="tdl">Forgotten Treasure</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xiv">197</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">15.</td> -<td class="tdl">Happy Ending</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xv">216</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> - -<p class="center line-spacing2"><span class="p180"><em>Penny Allen</em></span><br /> -<span class="p120">AND THE MYSTERY OF THE<br /> -HIDDEN TREASURE</span></p> -</div> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">9</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><span><a name="i" id="i"></a>CHAPTER 1</span><br /> -A NEW ADVENTURE</h2> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">A warm June</span> breeze was blowing in from Lake -Superior. It caught a strand of Penny Allen’s blonde -hair and blew it across her dark blue eyes.</p> - -<p>Penny was out in the clearing behind the Lodge -hanging blankets on the line. “Help,” she called to -her brother, Philip, who was working nearby. “Help, -I can’t see what I’m doing, and my arms are full of -blankets.”</p> - -<p>Philip, his clear, blue-gray eyes sparkling with -laughter, hurried to the rescue. He extricated Penny -from the mound of blankets she was carrying and -helped her hang them on the line.</p> - -<p>As they worked together, fighting the capricious -breeze that threatened every minute to blow the -blankets away, Penny said excitedly:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">10</a></span> -“I can’t believe it, Phil. We’re practically ready to -open the Lodge for guests!”</p> - -<p>“Well, not quite,” Philip said soberly. He was -twenty, a year older than Penny, and usually wore a -rather serious air. This was partly due to his responsibilities -as the head of the Allen family.</p> - -<p>Their Uncle John Allen had died suddenly a year -ago leaving the four orphans, Penny, Philip, Jimmy -and Marjorie, to shift for themselves. He had left the -Lodge to Philip and a beautiful yacht, the <em>Penny -Allen</em>, to Penny.</p> - -<p>Recently, Philip had decided to turn his inheritance -into a business venture. The lovely house, situated in -the Michigan woods near Lake Superior, would make -an ideal summer hotel. Ever since the first of June -they had all been busy helping to get it ready for -many of their old friends who planned to spend the -summer there.</p> - -<p>“Don’t look so serious, Phil,” Penny cried. “We -<em>are</em> just about ready.”</p> - -<p>Philip’s eyes, under their straight, dark eyebrows, -were thoughtful. “We’re not even organized yet, -Penny,” he said. “The winter just seemed to go like<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">11</a></span> -lightning.” A quick smile dispelled his seriousness. -“I guess we spent too much of the holidays enjoying -the winter sports.”</p> - -<p>“Pooh,” Penny said impulsively. “We were all together -and we had fun. We deserved that.”</p> - -<p>Orphans since thirteen-year-old Marjorie, the -youngest, had been a baby, the Allens had hardly -known one another, for they had all gone to different -schools and summer camps. But in spite of that, they -had managed to maintain a merry and cheerful household.</p> - -<p>And now they were all bound and determined to -make a success of their summer hotel. “We’ve got -plenty of time to get organized in,” Penny argued. -She pushed her light brown hair out of her eyes with -one hand and tucked the last clothespin in place with -the other. “Here come Marjorie and Jimmy. You -can organize us all right now.”</p> - -<p>“Hi,” Jimmy called, striding toward them. He was -the darkest member of the family, contrasting sharply -with Marjorie.</p> - -<p>She was very fair, with light golden hair and light-blue -eyes. Her slight figure and small delicate hands<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">12</a></span> -gave her an almost elfin grace to which was added a -delightfully mischievous quality. “She looks delicate,” -Jimmy often said. “But the kid’s as tough as nails.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy’s current aim in life was to reach at least -six feet before he stopped growing. Almost daily the -slender, seventeen-year-old boy insisted that Philip -stand back to back with him in order to determine -whether or not he had finally become the tallest member -of the family.</p> - -<p>Judging by the quantities of food he packed away, -Penny felt sure that he would never stop growing. -Moreover, it seemed to her that he was quite tall -enough now. What he needed to do was to gain a -little weight.</p> - -<p>“A summer here, spent mostly outdoors,” she said -to Philip, “will do both Marjorie and Jimmy a world -of good. I hope they each gain a few pounds before -they go back to school.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie, who had been trailing behind Jimmy, -called out then: “Now that the blankets are airing, -Penny, can’t we go through the stuff in the storage -room?” She broke into a run and arrived by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">13</a></span> -clothesline almost out of breath. “I can’t wait to see -what’s in those old trunks.”</p> - -<p>“Probably nothing but junk,” Jimmy said. “You -know what Uncle John always called this place.”</p> - -<p>When they had first come to the Michigan house -early in the fall they had expected to find a shack -because their Uncle John had always referred to it -as the “Michigan Shack.” But in spite of its name, it -had turned out to be a very pretentious log structure -evidently built for just such a purpose as they were -planning to put it to now.</p> - -<p>Allen Lodge was imposing with its wide front and -its two-story porches. The spacious living room was -two stories high with the bedrooms opening off a -balcony which extended around three sides of the -room. The large dining room, kitchen and pantry, -were on the Lake side. There were great fireplaces in -many of the rooms and Philip said that it must have -been planned as a summer hotel or a hunting lodge -because the arrangement was ideal for large numbers -of people.</p> - -<p>The interior, with its lovely hand-hewn rafters<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">14</a></span> -and paneled walls was a delight to the eye, and even -better, it was easy to take care of. Allen Lodge suggested -nothing but comfort. No one knew of its -secret room except the Allens and their newly made -friend.</p> - -<p>They had heard when they first came here that -the house was haunted, but it had not taken them long -to discover that the ghost was only Adra Prentice, -a very nice girl whom they had discovered hiding in -the secret room. Adra, who was eighteen years old, -had “haunted” the Allen’s house when she had run -away from her kidnappers. Their adventures and the -way they solved the mystery is told in <cite>Penny Allen -and the Mystery of the Haunted House</cite>. The four -Allens were now ready for a new adventure and they -felt that their own house was the best place to find it.</p> - -<p>“Those old trunks aren’t filled with junk,” Marjorie -was saying to Jimmy. “Penny and I looked into -one of them and it’s positively overflowing with fascinating -old dresses that would be wonderful if we -give a masquerade. And there’s an old jewelry box—”</p> - -<p>“Filled to the brim,” Penny finished, smiling, “with -costume jewelry not worth a cent.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">15</a></span> -“See?” Jimmy demanded, grinning at Marjorie. -“Junk.” He turned to Phil. “Pat asked me to plant -some beans in his garden behind the cabin the Donahues -are going to occupy. If you don’t need me, I’ll -go do it now.”</p> - -<p>“Go ahead,” Phil said. “It won’t take long.”</p> - -<p>Pat Ryan, who had been Uncle John’s guide and -the caretaker of the Lodge, had just married Ann -Mary. He and his new wife had voluntarily taken -over the responsibility of helping the Allens. Philip -and Penny realized they would be lost without the -Ryans in this undertaking. As Philip said, “They’ve -completely spoiled us. I wouldn’t think of doing anything -without first consulting Pat. He seems to know -everything about everything and as luck would have -it, we know next to nothing about anything. Fate -must have brought us together, or better yet, Uncle -John must have had us in mind when he first got Pat -to work for him.”</p> - -<p>Penny agreed wholeheartedly with Phil.</p> - -<p>“Pat’s orders,” she told Jimmy before he started off -to plant beans, “must always be obeyed.” She pointed -gaily to the blankets that were swaying and billowing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">16</a></span> -in the sunny June breeze. “See what I’ve done with -our household chattels! To think I might have gone -through life only knowing about readin’, writin’ and -’rithmetic if Ann Mary hadn’t taken me in hand and -shown me how to run a house.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t feel so cocky, Sis,” said Jimmy, an impish -grin on his face. “You probably have lots more to -learn. All I can say is, you’d better hurry up and -acquire the missing knowledge before Peter gets -here.”</p> - -<p>Penny blushed at the mention of Peter Wyland’s -name. Even though he was an old friend and the -Allens had known him for years, he had just recently -shown his preference for Penny’s company and -Penny was still not used to being teased about it.</p> - -<p>Phil shrewdly guessed that Penny had been in love -with Peter ever since last winter. That was when they -had discovered that Peter was a secret service man in -the employ of Mr. Prentice. Phil had not talked to -Penny about Peter even when he noticed that she -seemed to get letters from Wyland quite regularly. -Philip’s mind these days was much preoccupied with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">17</a></span> -thoughts of Adra Prentice. He seemed unable to get -her out of his mind, and he found that no matter what -he was doing, his thoughts would always go back to -Adra.</p> - -<p>Both Phil and Penny knew that Jimmy and Marjorie -would never stop teasing them about their feelings, -so, contrary to their usual method of discussing -everything among themselves, they had not said -anything about this. Nevertheless, it seemed to be -more or less understood, and although Penny couldn’t -help blushing, she pretended to ignore Jimmy’s teasing -remark.</p> - -<p>“Get along with you,” Phil said to his younger -brother. “If you don’t plant those beans soon they’ll -sprout in your pocket.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy departed, laughing. “Come on, lazy-bones,” -he called over his shoulder to Marjorie. “I’ll let you -help me for a change. Even <em>you</em> can’t botch up a job -as simple as planting beans.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, no,” Marjorie said with dignity. “I -weeded all day yesterday while you were fishing.” -Marjorie had not missed Penny’s blush, and couldn’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">18</a></span> -resist a chance for teasing her older sister. “Why are -your cheeks so pink, Penny?” she asked carelessly.</p> - -<p>“She’s getting sunburned,” Phil said, quickly coming -to Penny’s rescue. “If you spent more time looking -in the mirror, Marjorie, you’d see that your own nose -is as red as a beet.”</p> - -<p>Just then an old Ford drew up in front of the -house. Pat Ryan got out, followed by the new summer -help. Theresa, who was Pat’s sister and lived in -the nearby village, had a smile on her broad Irish -face. The Allens loved her Irish brogue and her tremendous -bulk. Marjorie said she was worth her -weight in gold.</p> - -<p>“It’s glad I am to be here working for the Allens,” -she said.</p> - -<p>Penny welcomed her and said, “It’s we who are -glad you could come, Theresa, and the rest of you -too. We’d never be able to swing this experiment if -it weren’t for the Ryans and you, and we think you’re -bricks to do this on a co-operative basis, because right -now we don’t know if we’ll make a profit, or lose -money.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">19</a></span> -“Don’t you go worrying about a little thing like -that,” answered Theresa, and with a wink at Pat she -added, “Anybody that finds out about Ann Mary’s -cooking will gladly pay double the fee you’re charging, -if Pat isn’t going to be too jealous to let anybody -else taste that good food.”</p> - -<p>“Okay with me,” said Pat good-naturedly. “Providing -I get my share.”</p> - -<p>Slowly following behind Theresa were two people -the Allens had never met. Penny and Phil shook their -hands as Theresa introduced them.</p> - -<p>“This is Mr. and Mrs. Mal Donahue, Ann Mary’s -cousins. Mrs. Donahue was Kathleen Doherty and -we always call her Kitty. It’s a cinch your help will -all be getting along fine together since we’re all Irish -and all related. Seems as though all the Irish are related -to each other, doesn’t it?”</p> - -<p>This brought forth gales of laughter from Jimmy -who had interrupted his work in the garden to greet -the new arrivals.</p> - -<p>“I hope you like your cabin,” he said to the Donahues. -“All of our vegetables are growing right in your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">20</a></span> -back yard, so whenever you get hungry all you have -to do is reach out the window and pick some pole -beans.”</p> - -<p>They smiled at him while Philip said, “We hope -you will be happy with us, Mal and Kitty.”</p> - -<p>Mal Donahue cleared his throat. “We’d like the -job, sir, uh—er,” and he hesitated. “We were—ahem—curious, -you see. We heard the house was haunted -last winter, and some people say there’s hidden treasure -around here. We hope it’s just a plain ordinary -house. Kitty and I don’t like surprises.” This speech -was made with some effort and once again Jimmy -couldn’t control his amusement.</p> - -<p>He laughed and slapped Mal on the back. “If -there’s any treasure, old man, you and I will find it -together.” This seemed to reassure Mal.</p> - -<p>When Philip and Penny walked toward the Lodge -later, she said, “I think we are lucky, Phil, to get these -young folks. I like their looks, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>“I certainly do,” Philip agreed. “And Pat and Ann -Mary will need all the extra help they can get. If -things work out the way we hope they will, we’ll -have to hire more people from the village.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">21</a></span> -Penny nodded. “I’m very pleased with Kitty. She -looks like a dear, and she’ll make a nice appearance -waiting on the table.” She sighed. “It’s too bad anyone -as attractive as Ann Mary must stay in the kitchen -most of the time.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t worry about that,” Phil said with a laugh. -“I’m sure all our guests will want to go back and tell -her how good her food is and they’ll get to know her -that way. Besides,” he went on, “she won’t stay in the -kitchen all the time. Even if she’s supposed to do nothing -but cook, you know Ann Mary will pitch in and -help the others whenever she has any spare time.”</p> - -<p>“That’s true,” Penny said thoughtfully. “And I’m -beginning to see what you mean about our getting organized. -We really should all work according to some -sort of schedule so we won’t be getting in each other’s -way.”</p> - -<p>“Exactly,” Philip said. “We must have a serious -meeting this evening and assign definite tasks to each -one of us.”</p> - -<p>“Right after dinner,” Penny agreed. “Now, before -we go back to work in the house, let’s read the mail -the postman left on the porch a while ago. I—I,” she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">22</a></span> -confided, “I’m sort of hoping I’ll hear from Peter Wyland. -He’s not sure he can take a vacation from his -job until the end of summer.”</p> - -<p>“Cheer up, Sis,” Phil said encouragingly. “Maybe -there’ll be a letter from him saying he can come -sooner.”</p> - -<p>They hurried up the steps to the porch where a -stack of letters was waiting for them.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">23</a></span> -</div> -</div> - -<h2><a name="ii" id="ii"></a><span>CHAPTER 2</span><br /> -AN ANONYMOUS LETTER</h2> - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">The first</span> letter Penny opened was from the Curtises -saying that they would arrive in about a week, the first -weekend in July.</p> - -<p>“That is,” Mrs. Curtis wrote, “if it won’t be rushing -you too much, Penny dear.”</p> - -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Curtis, whom the Allens fondly called -Grandma and Grandpa Curtis, had been old friends of -Uncle John’s. Their daughter Mary and their son -Charles were the same age as Penny and Philip and -they had spent many summers together in camps. -They were to be the first guests at Allen Lodge and -were planning to stay the entire summer.</p> - -<p>When Mr. Curtis had heard about the ideal fishing -his family had difficulty restraining him from coming -up before the Lodge was really open for business.</p> - -<p>“The Curtises are always doing something to help<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">24</a></span> -us,” brightly asserted Penny as she finished the letter -out on the big front porch.</p> - -<p>She and Philip looked out on the lawn, a wide, -trimmed space in front of the house, its grass thick, its -masses of shrubbery and groups of beautiful trees -stately, and its flowers just beginning to bloom. Truly, -summer had come to the shores of Lake Superior, and -Phil surveyed the property with great pride.</p> - -<p>Watching the expression on his face, Penny said, -“Uncle John certainly had good taste, Phil. You have -every reason to be proud of your inheritance.”</p> - -<p>“I know it,” Phil said. “But don’t forget to give -credit where it is due. Jimmy and I have done a good -job of lawn-mowing and tree-trimming, if I do say so -myself.” He stretched his long arms. “That kind of -work is a real muscle builder.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet it is,” Penny said. “And it’s grand to know -that I’ll have plenty of flowers for the dining room -tables and for every bedroom in the Lodge. Pat takes -very good care of the cutting flowers in his old-fashioned -garden. If you and Jimmy take as good care -of the flowering shrubs, the Lodge will be a bower of -blossoms inside and out all summer.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">25</a></span></p> - -<p>Marjorie and Jimmy came out on the porch then -with their hands full of more mail that Pat had brought -back when he went into town for Theresa and the -Donahues.</p> - -<p>“‘Lo,” said Jimmy. “Help us sort this out. Gobs -came in today after the postman left.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy sat down in one of the large, old-fashioned -wicker chairs and Marjorie drew up a little footstool -in front of him.</p> - -<p>“Go ahead,” said Philip, “We’ll trust you and Marjorie -to sort it all out and hand it over, won’t we, -Penny?”</p> - -<p>“Only too glad to have you do it,” replied Penny, -slumping down in her chair and pretending to relax. -“Only don’t take too long, if anything looks interesting,” -she added.</p> - -<p>Jimmy’s answer to that was to toss a flat letter into -her lap, and to follow that closely with another slimmer -one, carefully twirled by its corner to insure its -falling at the proper distance.</p> - -<p>“Oh, don’t, Jimmy,” protested Marjorie, over -whose head the missives were hurled.</p> - -<p>“That will keep her quiet, Marge,” Jimmy announced.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">26</a></span> -But Penny was already quiet, not even hearing -Jimmy’s last remark.</p> - -<p>“You have the biggest pile, Phil,” Marjorie stated -in a few moments.</p> - -<p>The pile in front of Phil was falling over with letters, -papers, advertisements and catalogues. The process -of dividing the mail was soon completed and silence -reigned except for giggles from Marjorie as she read a -long letter from her best friend, Judy Powell. Penny, -deeply engrossed in one of hers, gave a slight exclamation -once, and Philip whistled as he laid aside a long -envelope. But no one stopped to ask questions.</p> - -<p>Penny looked at the absorbed group as she finished -her last letter and smiled. Marjorie stopped reading her -letters and looked off into space.</p> - -<p>“Read me some of Judy’s letter, Marjorie,” said -Penny.</p> - -<p>Marjorie turned with a smile to say that it was such -a good letter and so funny—“Judy wants to know by -telegram when they can come.”</p> - -<p>“She shall, Marjorie,” Philip answered immediately. -“I’m thinking of getting a special telegram blank -printed.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">27</a></span> -Marjorie looked at Phil to see if he really meant -such an idiotic thing; but as Phil only winked at her, -she merely said, “Crazy!” and turned to Judy’s letter:</p> - -<blockquote> -<p class="noi">“Dearest Marjorie:</p> - -<p>I think it’s simply tops that we can be together -this summer. I was so afraid my parents would insist -on sending me to camp again. Not that I don’t -like camp, but I know it’s going to be so much more -exciting to do things together, like exploring in the -woods. Will we be allowed to go through the -woods by ourselves? Are there secret cabins, or -wonderful hiding places? Can we sleep out at night? -I’ll bet it’s wonderful swimming in Lake Superior! -Oh, couldn’t you telegraph and let me know right -away when we can come? I have so many questions -to ask, I don’t know where to begin.</p> - -<p>My brother Alf says he would rather come to -Michigan than go on the canoe trip in Canada. He -says he always has fun with Jimmy. Maybe the boys -will let us help them build something or do some of -the things with them. Alf says they’ll never take us -fishing because girls talk too much, but maybe we -can convince them that we know how to keep quiet.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">28</a></span> -I’m so excited that at last we are going to see the -Lodge, and all the Allens and especially you, that’s -all I can write about.</p> - -<p>Do Charles Curtis and Peter Wyland both still -like Penny? Does Penny like either one of them? -Maybe I should be minding my own business, but -I guess I am just bubbling over with questions. Cincinnati -is hot as it always is in the summer and we -can’t wait until we get to Michigan. Quick, quick, -quick, send me a telegram. It will be the first one I -ever received.</p> - -<p class="mb0">At present I just live in a bathing suit and we -spend almost all day at the pool. I’m glad school is -out. Alf says I’m a nuisance and a question box, and -by now, you probably think the same. I can’t wait -until I see you,</p> - -<p class="right mt0 mb0">Forever yours,</p> -<p class="right2 mt0">Judy.”</p> -</blockquote> - -<p>When Marjorie had finished reading Judy’s letter -out loud, Jimmy chuckled. “She’s a riot, that Powell -kid.”</p> - -<p>Penny was already scribbling a message on the back -of an envelope. “Here,” she said to Jimmy, “go in to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">29</a></span> -the phone in the office and send this telegram to Judy -right away. There’s no reason why the Powells -shouldn’t come the first weekend in July when we expect -the Curtises.”</p> - -<p>“Hooray!” Marjorie shouted as Jimmy went in to -send the telegram. At that moment Kitty Donahue -came out on the porch.</p> - -<p>“Hi,” Marjorie greeted her. “When do we eat in -this Lodge?”</p> - -<p>Kitty came nearer. “I just wanted to ask Miss Penny -about that. We’ve a big fish baking and I wondered if -you would be ready to eat in half an hour.”</p> - -<p>“Hooray, food!” shouted Marjorie. “We’re always -ready to eat, Kitty. Are we going to have a conference -tonight to assign various duties, Penny?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, we are,” Penny answered. “Kitty, did you -ever help in a summer hotel, or anything like that?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, <em>ma’am</em>! And Mal helped the chef at one of the -lake resorts right near here. That is what made Ann -Mary think about sending for us.”</p> - -<p>Philip had turned to look at Kathleen while she -talked. “That is very fortunate for us, Mrs. Donahue,” -he said. “We’re going to have a family confab tonight<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">30</a></span> -to decide what each of us should do and we’d like all -of you to come and help us make decisions.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” Kitty said. “We’ll not need much more -help, only some people from around the village to wait -on table if there is a very large crowd over weekends, -or for some special occasions.” With that bit of advice, -Kitty went back into the house.</p> - -<p>Jimmy came out on the porch then and said to Marjorie: -“I told the operator to sign your name to the -telegram. I thought Judy would get a kick out of -that.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks,” Marjorie said, smiling. “Sometimes you -can be nice, Jimmy.”</p> - -<p>He ignored her and started gathering up his mail. -“By the way,” he said to Penny and Phil, “my old -schoolmate, Brook, is coming that weekend, too, if -it’s all right with you.”</p> - -<p>“Fine,” Penny and Phil said together.</p> - -<p>Jimmy grinned. “Brook wrote that he is going to -bring all of his old clothes. He says he’ll bring one -decent suit, but he hopes he’ll not have to put it on. -I’m right with him there! I think Judy Powell has the -right idea about living in a bathing suit all summer.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">31</a></span> -Say, Alf Powell, Brook and I will certainly have some -wonderful fun this summer. Maybe we can put up a -shack for us to sleep in.” He went on, pacing up and -down excitedly, “Or part of that old barn. It would -be fun if we could be by ourselves.”</p> - -<p>“Calm down, Jimmy,” Phil said. “I don’t think -Alf’s or Brook’s parents will think their sons ought to -be sleeping in a shack if they are paying good money -for rooms, do you?”</p> - -<p>Jimmy ran his hands through his short, dark hair. -“Naw, I guess not. But we could bunk out there sometimes, -couldn’t we?”</p> - -<p>“Of course,” Penny told him. “It wouldn’t be much -fun if you didn’t rough it every now and then.” She -went on seriously. “I’m counting on you, Jimmy, to -keep an eye on any kids who may come with their -parents. You and Marjorie must help to keep them -amused, too. It will be rather like running a summer -camp, with you two as junior counselors. You’ll have -to supervise games and sports, and maybe, Jimmy, -give some of them swimming lessons.”</p> - -<p>“Ha!” Jimmy narrowed his eyes. “The plot thickens. -Looks like I’m going to have to work. But don’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">32</a></span> -worry, Penny. Brook, Alf and I will keep the small -fry busy.”</p> - -<p>“Grand,” Penny said approvingly. “You’ve taken -a load off my mind, Jimmy. Everyone has simply got -to help me as much as possible if we’re going to see to -it that our guests are kept amused.”</p> - -<p>She glanced at Marjorie. “And that means you, too, -imp. Don’t you dare spend all your time with your -chum, Judy.”</p> - -<p>“I won’t,” Marjorie promised. “Not unless Jimmy -spends all his time with Alf and Brook.”</p> - -<p>Philip glanced at his wrist watch. “Any objections -to you two getting washed up before dinner?” But -he looked at Jimmy as he spoke.</p> - -<p>“Not a one,” returned Jimmy with a wide grin. “I -wonder why Phil looked at me,” he continued, still -grinning.</p> - -<p>“Because, you’re practically just past the stage when -getting you washed behind the ears was quite a family -problem,” said Marjorie.</p> - -<p>“Look who’s talking,” called Jimmy as he disappeared -into the house.</p> - -<p>After they had all consumed the delicious baked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">33</a></span> -fish which Pat had caught that very day and Ann -Mary had fixed in a delectable fashion, all the Allens -met around the council table. This was the big table -in the living room and here they were soon joined by -the Ryans, Theresa and the Donahues.</p> - -<p>Philip then outlined a plan which they all discussed -and finally the duties were assigned to everyone’s satisfaction. -Pat was to continue what he had always done -and be a general overseer of the entire Lodge. He -would make arrangements for fishing parties, get boats -and guides and order lunches to be packed. He would -lock up every night and do many other things.</p> - -<p>Ann Mary was in complete charge of the kitchen -and Mal and Kitty were to be her assistants. Kitty -would serve and Mal also had some outdoor duties. -Theresa was to do the cleaning, and Mal and Kitty -were going to pitch in and help with that too.</p> - -<p>Marjorie had offered to wait on table and help with -the cooking, but Philip told her that the family would -have their hands full with the entertaining of their -guests. However, all the Allens planned to help out -every place, all of the time, whenever they were free -from their other assigned duties. Jimmy had lettered a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">34</a></span> -large sign and hung it on a temporary billboard. It -read:</p> - -<p class="center line-spacing2">MEETING OF<br /> -THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS<br /> -OF<br /> -ALLEN LODGE</p> - -<p>Marjorie now pointed to the sign and said, “I feel -pretty important being a director. Is that why I can -get out of cooking and serving?”</p> - -<p>At this remark Phil guffawed and Jimmy and -Penny joined him, much to Marjorie’s chagrin.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you kid yourself,” Jimmy said, “Even if -Phil says you’ll have your hands full entertaining -guests, you know you’ll have them twice as full, because -I’m sure we’ll all have to help each other when -our Lodge is running full force.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">35</a></span> -Philip, it was decided, was to be the official treasurer. -He would keep the books and have full charge -of all receipts and disbursements.</p> - -<p>“That,” Jimmy loftily explained to Marjorie, -“means money coming in and money going out.” -Marjorie sniffed. “Keep your definitions of such -simple words to yourself.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s be serious,” Phil said. “All hotels and inns -have a rule that unless their <a name="guests" id="guests"></a><ins title="Original has 'guests’'">guests</ins> deposit their valuables -with them for safekeeping, the management is -not responsible. Isn’t that right, Mr. Donahue?”</p> - -<p>Mal nodded.</p> - -<p>“Well then,” Phil went on, “I think we ought to -keep our guests’ money and jewelry in the safe in -the secret room. And in order to safeguard the secret, -we ought to make it a rule that none of the guests is -allowed in the secret room.”</p> - -<p>“Right,” Jimmy agreed heartily. “If we let everyone -run in and out of there it won’t be a secret very -long. I vote that for the rest of the summer, only Pat -is allowed to—”</p> - -<p>“Phil <em>and</em> Pat,” Penny interrupted. “Phil has to -go in and out to the safe because he’s the treasurer.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">36</a></span> -“That’s right,” Pat agreed. “I’ll act as his substitute. -Phil may not be available at times when we receive -money which should be put right in the safe or when -we need to take some out to pay bills. I’ll only go into -the secret room during such emergencies.”</p> - -<p>“Okay, thanks, Pat,” said Phil. “Then, as of now, -it’s a rule that only you and I press the button that -opens the secret door. Said rule to remain in effect -until the end of the season.”</p> - -<p>Everyone agreed, and then it was decided that -Penny was to be the hostess and the housekeeper. Ann -Mary was going to help make out the shopping lists, -while Penny did the actual shopping. Marjorie was to -be the assistant hostess as well as the secretary. Luckily -she had learned how to use a typewriter and would -really be a big help when it came to writing letters. -Jimmy was the director of all sports, and even though -that sounded like an easy job, Penny assured him it -would be more than a full-time one.</p> - -<p>Penny, Ann Mary and Kitty decided it would be -wise to make out menus for a week in advance. “That -means,” Penny said, -“<a name="that" id="that"></a><ins title="Original has 'That'">that</ins> right after breakfast tomorrow -morning we had better plan the first week’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">37</a></span> -menu. An awful lot of guests are arriving the first -weekend in July.”</p> - -<p>She sighed wearily. “I guess everything has been -taken care of except the laundry. We’ll all have our -hands full after this week, so I don’t see what we can -possibly do about that.”</p> - -<p>“Got any ideas, Ann Mary?” Philip asked.</p> - -<p>Ann Mary thought for a minute. “There’s a new -laundry-mat in the village—just opened the other day. -If we could find someone who would come out twice -a week, bring in the soiled linen, wash it in one of the -automatic machines, and bring it back damp dry, -Kitty, Theresa and I could handle the ironing.”</p> - -<p>“A swell idea,” Pat said. “I’ll ask around in the -village when I go in tomorrow. Anyone, even a mere -man,” he added with a chuckle, “can run one of those -spin-dry slot machines. All we need to do is find -someone with a car who’ll tote the stuff back and -forth for a fair price.”</p> - -<p>“I guess that takes care of everything,” Penny said. -“Has anybody thought of anything else?”</p> - -<p>Jimmy thought it would be a good idea to buy a -sailboat, but that suggestion was promptly vetoed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">38</a></span> -“We are going to try and make money before we -spend it, young man,” said Philip. “But if you and -Alf and Brook Sanders want to fix up one out of what -we have, that’s all right with me.”</p> - -<p>“Watch us!” retorted Jimmy and immediately suggested -that a few canoes wouldn’t cost much. But -once again Phil put a damper on his ideas.</p> - -<p>At this point Jimmy wanted to know what kind of -a suggestion he could make that would not be vetoed, -and Penny and Phil both chimed in at once with, -“Let’s call it a day.”</p> - -<p>“But, before the meeting breaks up,” Philip said -soberly, “I want to make an announcement. I don’t -think it’s really important, but I think you should all -hear it.”</p> - -<p>He drew from his pocket the long envelope he had -laid aside earlier when they had been out on the porch -reading their mail. “I got an anonymous letter today,” -he said, “and at first I thought I wouldn’t bother you -with it. Writers of anonymous letters are usually -either cowards or cranks. However,” he continued, -“after thinking it over, I’ve decided I have no right<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">39</a></span> -to keep from you the fact that we have been threatened.”</p> - -<p>“Threatened?” Penny repeated. “But, Phil, who—?”</p> - -<p>For answer, Phil opened the envelope and took out -a long sheet of dirty paper which he laid on the council -table.</p> - -<p>Everyone crowded around him to read the ugly -scribbled words:</p> - -<div class="block-centre"> -<div class="block"> -MR. PHILIP ALLEN: IF YOU<br /> -KNOW WHAT’S GOOD FOR YOU<br /> -AND YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS,<br /> -GET OUT OF THE LODGE AS FAST<br /> -AS YOU CAN. I MEAN BUSINESS!<br /> -</div></div> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">40</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="iii" id="iii"></a><span>CHAPTER 3</span><br /> -THE ABANDONED WELL</h2> - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">Ann Mary</span> was the first to speak. “Well, I never,” -she gasped. “Who could have written such an evil -thing, Pat?”</p> - -<p>Pat shook his head. “A crank, of course.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I think,” Phil agreed. “Someone who -read the newspaper stories about Adra Prentice’s kidnaping. -Anonymous letters from people who aren’t -quite right mentally generally follow any kind of -publicity.”</p> - -<p>“But,” Marjorie objected, “all of that happened -last year.”</p> - -<p>“It makes no difference,” Jimmy told her. “People -use newspapers for lots of things besides keeping up -with the news. They wrap china in newspapers, line -shelves and drawers with ’em, for instance. Whoever -wrote that dopey letter may have come across an account -of Adra’s kidnaping just the other day.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">41</a></span> -Penny nodded. “Let’s tear the ugly thing up and -throw it away. Whoever wrote it probably won’t ever -bother us again.”</p> - -<p>“Right.” Jimmy tore the dirty sheet of paper to -shreds and tossed them into the fireplace. Phil set a -match to them and they all watched the scraps burn -away to ashes.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s that,” Penny said. “As if anyone -could scare us Allens away from the Lodge!”</p> - -<p>Then the meeting did break up, and four very tired, -but not at all frightened Allens, went upstairs to bed.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The next morning Jimmy’s first job was to overhaul -the old bus and the Bronc. The Bronc was an -old station wagon that had seen better days. It had -served the Allens well, but right now it sputtered and -rattled and wheezed. The Bus was a small truck and -was used for a multitude of things. It hauled wood -from the woods to the woodbin, it carted supplies -from the town to the Lodge and Philip planned to -use it for taking people on camping trips during the -summer. Jimmy’s favorite pastime was tinkering with -cars, and he seemed to know the intricate mechanics<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">42</a></span> -of the two old vehicles better than any trained mechanic.</p> - -<p>While Jimmy was tinkering with the motors, Phil -and Mal combed the nearby woods for timber. Some -of it would be cut up into logs which would blaze -merrily in the huge fireplaces on cool evenings. The -rest of it, Phil planned to give Jimmy for his shack. -Jimmy had picked a spot on the lake shore where he -and the other boys could build a fire if they wanted. -He also planned to build a little dock and rent a few -rowboats. This was to be the bachelor’s retreat. The -site was in a bit of a bay with some large rocks along -the shore line that would make the dock construction -simpler. Among the trees a little way back, there was -a fairly open place where the shack could stand. -When Phil and Mal had gathered quite a pile of wood, -they called Jimmy down to view the spot.</p> - -<p>“Now, all you have to do, Jimmy, is to go to it,” -said Philip.</p> - -<p>“I can’t wait until the other boys arrive to get -started,” he answered. “I’m going to start preparing -the logs and lay the floor. Won’t this be ideal?”</p> - -<p>In the meantime, Marjorie began her secretarial<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">43</a></span> -duties by sorting mail and answering as many of the -letters as she could, while Penny went into the village -to shop in order to stock up on staples and to make -arrangements for her weekly orders.</p> - -<p>One afternoon Jimmy, Phil and Mal decided to -have a look at the long old shed in the back yard -which they thought might be fixed up to house the -cars of their summer guests. The old shed had been -there all the time, of course, but somehow they had -kept putting off the time when they would examine -it. There had been so many things to do when they -first came, they had not even opened all the rooms -in the house until they had decided to turn it into a -summer hotel.</p> - -<p>Now the guest rooms must be cleaned and aired. -Penny and Marjorie were busy from morning to -night helping Theresa and Ann Mary dust and make -beds.</p> - -<p>“This is so boring,” Marjorie complained. “The -only room I’m interested in is the old storage room, -Penny. When are we ever going to go through those -old trunks?”</p> - -<p>“We’ve had a look at the contents of one of them,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">44</a></span> -Penny pointed out patiently. “And we found that it -contained nothing but some very old-fashioned -clothes and a few worthless, though pretty trinkets. -Wait till we have more time, honey. Then you may -rummage around in there to your heart’s content.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t understand your lack of curiosity,” Marjorie -moaned. “I can’t sleep nights thinking about -what might be in the trunk we didn’t open.”</p> - -<p>Penny laughed. “I guess we’ve had too much indoor -work for one day. Let’s join the boys down at -the shed.”</p> - -<p>“Goody, goody,” Marjorie cried, flinging down -her dust cloth. “There’s bound to be something more -exciting than cobwebs out there.”</p> - -<p>At last they were hurrying down the concrete -walk, past the Donahues’ small cabin behind the -Lodge. They caught up with Mal and the boys on the -old graveled drive, overgrown with weeds. This drive -led among bushes and trees and looked like an old -horse trail, but it was wide enough for a car to travel -over it with care.</p> - -<p>Jimmy took one good look at all the weeds and -said, “I don’t think this is such a good idea, especially<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">45</a></span> -since I know I’ll be elected a committee of one to cut -down all these weeds.”</p> - -<p>“Why, how did you guess it, young man! You are -getting keen,” laughed Penny. “But this really does -look like a big job, and I’m sure Phil and Mal will -lend a hand, too.” Jimmy looked relieved at this suggestion -and here they were at the shed.</p> - -<p>“Pat says that even your Uncle John never made -use of this shed for anything, and that it must have -been a sort of stable back in the old days,” explained -Mal. “See, one of the side walls is pretty badly broken -up, but the roof has been patched and the framework -seems strong. There are a pile of boards and some -poles behind this shed. Looks as though somebody -once had the idea of repairing it. That wood back -there is well seasoned and with the help of the repair -man from the village we could get it fixed up this -week.”</p> - -<p>Penny took hold of one of the supports, to which -a few boards were clinging loosely.</p> - -<p>“Be careful how you lean against that,” Philip -cautioned her. “That’s the broken wall and we don’t -want you to fall through it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">46</a></span> -But just as he finished saying it Penny gasped and -slipped out of sight. For a minute the others stood -there with their mouths open, then Phil and Jimmy -quickly went into action. Mal poked his hand through -the wall where Penny seemed to have disappeared -and Marjorie called, “Penny, Penny, answer—are you -hurt?”</p> - -<p>Phil and Jimmy ran to the outside of the broken -wall but there was nothing there but the old pile of -lumber Mal had mentioned. They called Penny, and -then there was a muffled sound that seemed to come -from the very wall itself.</p> - -<p>Phil climbed right up on top of the pile of lumber -and reached over as far as he could toward the wall -when he noticed a sunken place between the wall and -the lumber. It looked like an old well and it was partly -covered. He called to Penny and this time he heard -her answer. As quickly as they could, they all started -to move enough of the lumber so that they could get -closer to the old well. Now they were sure Penny had -fallen into it, and Marjorie ran back to the house as -fast as her feet could carry her to get a strong rope -and more help.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">47</a></span> -It seemed like hours, but it was only a few minutes -before Phil and Jimmy were able to lean over the well -and start calling down to Penny.</p> - -<p>She answered them this time and they heard her -say quite clearly: “What happened?”</p> - -<p>“Whew!” Jimmy gasped, clutching his forehead -with relief. “You fell down an old well.”</p> - -<p>“Are you all right, Penny?” Philip asked anxiously.</p> - -<p>“I guess so,” Penny called back. “But it’s so dark -I can’t see anything.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t worry,” Phil said in a reassuring voice. -“We’ll have you out in no time.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie arrived then with Pat who had brought -along a long rope. Marjorie was very near to tears.</p> - -<p>“Don’t let Penny know you’re frightened,” Phil -cautioned her. “Keep calling down to her in a cheerful -voice to keep her courage up.”</p> - -<p>Pat tied a big loop on the end of the rope, then Mal -lowered it into the well, and Phil called down instructions -to Penny. Finally the rope reached her, and she -put the looped end around her waist and held on to it -as tightly as she could with both hands, while the men -pulled her up. When, after what seemed an interminably<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">48</a></span> -long time, Penny’s head appeared, Marjorie -burst into tears.</p> - -<p>Tenderly they lifted Penny out, and she immediately -assured everyone that aside from being bruised -and shaky, she didn’t think she had any broken bones -or other injuries. Ann Mary and Theresa and Kathleen -had arrived on the scene with water and bandages, -all of which were scorned by Penny who said,</p> - -<p>“I did a foolish thing and I deserved what I got, but -now that I know I’m all right you can all just forget -about me. If you keep on making such a fuss I’ll feel -like an idiot.”</p> - -<p>Of course they all ignored her pleadings and made -her sit right down for a few minutes while Ann Mary -wiped her face with a cloth dipped in cold water. -Then she examined Penny carefully to make sure that -she could move her arms and legs without pain. The -only real damage seemed to be to her appearance -which was quite ludicrous. Now that they knew she -was safe they had a good laugh about it. Penny’s face -and hands and hair were covered with cobwebs, her -dress was ripped and her shoes were sopping wet. -When Phil asked her if there was any water in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">49</a></span> -well she said she thought she had stood in water and, -of course, her wet shoes showed that she had. Then -everybody went back to the house, and Penny took -a hot bath which Ann Mary said would serve to -relieve some of the aches and pains she was bound to -develop later from such a fall.</p> - -<p>Phil and Jimmy were all set to go back and examine -the well to see if it was still in good working -condition, and if they could find the water source -and perhaps get the well into good order. When they -saw Penny looking her fresh, well-groomed self -again, they went back, accompanied by Pat and Mal.</p> - -<p>“It beats me,” Pat said. “I never knew there was a -well of any kind on this property.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard rumors,” Mal said. “There’s always -been a lot of talk in the village about buried treasure -in the bottom of an old dried-up well around here.”</p> - -<p>“I know,” Pat said, “and from time to time when -the house was empty, people who had no business -trespassing, came here and tried to find that well. Had -a lot of trouble with prowlers,” he told Phil. “Your -Uncle John did. But nobody ever found a well.” He -stopped and stared at the hole. “Well, now, here it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">50</a></span> -is. And now I wouldn’t be surprised at anything. I’ve -lived around here all my life and never believed there -was a well here. I think we should caution everybody -to try and keep this a secret so we won’t have any -prowlers coming around, and we should get busy and -try to dig up that old well to see if there really is any -treasure there.”</p> - -<p>“My gosh!” said Jimmy. “Do you really think -there’s treasure there? What kind of treasure is it -supposed to be, Pat? Were there ever pirates around -here? Won’t Alf and Brook nearly die with excitement -when they hear about this!”</p> - -<p>Phil smiled. “I’m afraid we can’t let you say anything -to them, or anybody else, until we investigate -this thoroughly and see if there is any foundation to -the rumor. I agree with Pat, since we don’t need the -well for water, I think we should dig it up at once -and solve this mystery of buried treasure.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy was all for going right back for picks and -shovels, so Phil let him go. Phil’s curiosity was aroused -and he could understand Jimmy’s enthusiasm. But -Phil felt quite sure that they were not on the trail -of buried treasure.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">51</a></span> -“The Lodge was supposed to be haunted,” he said -to Mal, “and we proved it wasn’t. Now we’re about -to prove that there’s nothing of any value at the bottom -of this old well.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy came running back then with both hands -full of an assortment of picks, shovels and garden -spades. They found that it was exceedingly slow work -since they first had to move the pile of old lumber -and debris that surrounded the old well. When they -finally started digging they found the stones that -formed the well were impossible to move. Pat guessed -that the old well had been there a hundred years or -longer. Jimmy suggested that they use dynamite.</p> - -<p>After two hours of concentrated labor Phil commented, -“I don’t think even buried treasure is worth -all this effort.”</p> - -<p>But Jimmy, who was obviously in high spirits over -this adventure, contradicted Phil with, “Of course it’s -worth it, Phil, you wait and see what we find.”</p> - -<p>Pat shrugged. “I’m not thinking you should set -your heart on finding anything, my lad, because there -probably won’t be any treasure here, any more than -the house was haunted last year.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">52</a></span> -“Don’t say that, Pat,” countered Jimmy, “I’m not -used to working like this without any compensation.”</p> - -<p>“Not much,” said Phil. “But all kidding aside, -Jimmy, I think Pat is right. However, we’re going to -finish this job, if for no other reason than to keep -anybody else from falling into it. The rope we lowered -to Penny went down about thirty feet and I -would guess that we have dug around the outside of -this old well about ten feet deep. Is that right, Pat?”</p> - -<p>Pat nodded. “Yes, that’s about right, and I think -if we get out here bright and early tomorrow morning, -maybe we can finish the job before night.”</p> - -<p>Very reluctantly, Jimmy joined the rest as they -returned to the house to tell Penny and Marjorie of -their progress.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">53</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="iv" id="iv"></a><span>CHAPTER 4</span><br /> -A NIGHT PROWLER</h2> - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">That evening</span> they all decided to have a picnic style -supper in front of the fireplace in the living room.</p> - -<p>“I’m beginning to feel my bruises,” Penny said -cheerfully. “But I’m not going to let a few aches and -pains bother me. I was very lucky to get off without -broken bones or sprains.”</p> - -<p>“You certainly were,” Jimmy said. “And let me -tell you, Sis, I thought I’d go nuts until we finally -heard your voice.”</p> - -<p>“Me, too,” Marjorie chimed in. “Gosh, Penny, it -was just about the most awful few minutes of my -life!”</p> - -<p>“Well, let’s not talk about it any more,” Penny -said. “The subject I want to discuss is the bottom of -the well. I can’t really—”</p> - -<p>“Gee,” Jimmy interrupted, “wouldn’t it be neat if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">54</a></span> -we get to the bottom of the well and find pieces of -gold. We’ll be on easy street the rest of our lives.” He -added, more to himself than the others, “The first -thing I’ll do is get a sailboat. I’ve found out already -that I don’t know enough about naval architecture -to build one.”</p> - -<p>“Ha, you don’t get on easy street that easily,” said -Penny. “Besides, I don’t remember feeling anything -beneath my feet but slime, and if all you want is a -sailboat, you’d better work for it!”</p> - -<p>“I like that!” exclaimed Jimmy. “And what do you -call digging away at that well? If that isn’t work, I’d -like to know what you’d call it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s work all right,” Penny said with a laugh. -“But I think it’s work without any purpose.”</p> - -<p>“So do I, in a way,” Phil said. “But the kids will -never be happy until we get to the bottom and prove -that there isn’t any treasure buried there.”</p> - -<p>“You just wait until tomorrow,” Marjorie said stubbornly. -“When we come running up to you, Penny, -with our hands dripping with pieces of eight, then -you and Phil will eat those words.” She raised her -voice. “I know there’s something valuable hidden<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">55</a></span> -around here, and I, for one, am never going to give -up until I’ve gone over every inch of the place with -a fine-tooth comb!”</p> - -<p>“You don’t have to shout about it,” Jimmy said. -“If there is something valuable around here, let’s not -encourage every Tom, Dick and Harry in the village -to come out and try to find it first. Although,” he -went on in a more sympathetic tone of voice, “I know -how you feel, Marjorie. When Alf and Brook get -here, and we haven’t found any gold by then, they’ll -want to dig up the whole place, too.”</p> - -<p>“Dig, if you must,” Penny said, “but spare Pat’s -flower beds. I—” She stopped suddenly, her finger to -her lips. “Sh-h.” She touched Phil’s arm lightly and -pointed to the window, whispering, “Someone’s out -there and I’m afraid he’s heard every word we said.”</p> - -<p>They all <a name="stared" id="stared"></a><ins title="Original has 'started'">stared</ins> silently out through the vine-covered -lattice that partially screened the court from -view. The moon was shining brightly, and then from -the shrubbery a shadow moved and melted into a little -clump of low spruces. In another second they saw the -figure of a man slip around the corner of the wing -to disappear again in the shadows of another trellis.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">56</a></span></p> - -<p>It was a warm evening, and all of the doors and -windows were wide open. The man might try to get -into the house. Penny started to rise.</p> - -<p>But Phil, with his hand on her arm, shook his head -and whispered: “All of you stay right here. I don’t -want him to know that we’ve seen him.” Swiftly he -tiptoed across the room to take his pistol from the -cabinet.</p> - -<p>Penny remembered with relief that Phil always -kept his gun loaded. Just then she saw Mal run into -the court. He had obviously seen the prowler from -the kitchen window. Before Penny could shout a -warning, the man darted from the shadows and flung -himself on Mal’s back, one arm around his throat.</p> - -<p>At almost the same moment Phil leaped through the -window and fired his gun into the air. As the shot -rang out, Penny closed her eyes. Opening them immediately, -she saw Phil running out of the court, -with Mal close at his heels, in pursuit of the prowler. -Jimmy was just about to jump through the window -to join in the chase, but Penny held him back.</p> - -<p>“Stay here with us, Jimmy,” she said. “Phil and -Mal can cope with that eavesdropper.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">57</a></span> -Marjorie, who had for once been speechless, found -her voice then. “Oh, yes, Jimmy,” she begged. “Stay -here with us. He might come back, and we haven’t -got a gun.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy looked disappointed, but he knew he could -help Phil best by staying with the girls. “Ah, that guy -isn’t going to come back,” he said. He stared gloomily -out of the window as Pat ran across the court to -join the others.</p> - -<p>By this time, Kitty and Ann Mary had appeared, -wide-eyed and frightened. “Oh, oh,” Kitty cried. “I -just know my Mal is going to get shot.”</p> - -<p>Another shot rang out. Penny’s heart sank. Had -the prowler fired the second shot? Somehow she managed -to disguise her fears and said in a reassuring voice -to Kitty:</p> - -<p>“Don’t worry, dear. Phil and Pat know how to -handle their guns.”</p> - -<p>“They sure do,” Ann Mary said bravely although -Penny could see that she was almost as terrified as -her cousin. “My Pat won’t let anything happen to -your Mal.”</p> - -<p>Theresa came in from the hall then, rubbing her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">58</a></span> -eyes bewilderedly. “I was asleep,” she said. “Did I -hear a shot or did I dream it?”</p> - -<p>She looked so confused that everyone laughed, and -the tension was eased. “You heard two shots,” Jimmy -told her. “I guess the first one woke you up.”</p> - -<p>While he was explaining what had happened, they -heard footsteps on the graveled walk, and in another -moment, they could see Phil, Pat and Mal slowly -approaching the house. Everyone ran out to meet -them.</p> - -<p>“He got away,” Phil said ruefully.</p> - -<p>“Shouldn’t we notify the police?” Penny asked.</p> - -<p>Phil shrugged. “Probably only a tramp. I fired in -the air to frighten him when he jumped on Mal.”</p> - -<p>“But you fired a second time,” Marjorie said excitedly. -“We were terrified for fear one of you had -been hurt.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” Jimmy said. “Say, Phil, how about -giving us a play by play description of what happened. -I missed all the fun, remember?”</p> - -<p>Phil frowned. “We want to look around some -more. We just came back to be sure the rest of you -were okay.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">59</a></span> -“We’re perfectly all right,” Penny said. “Go ahead -with your search.” She smiled. “As long as Jimmy -stays with us we’re perfectly safe.”</p> - -<p>“I want to know what happened,” Jimmy complained. -“Give, Phil.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Phil said patiently, “from the minute that -man disappeared into the shrubbery, he slipped from -one tree to another like an Indian, then doubled -around toward the lake.”</p> - -<p>“It certainly sounds as though he knows his way -around here,” Marjorie put in.</p> - -<p>Phil nodded. “Pat fired the second shot when we -saw him trying to get away in one of our boats. Although -Pat fired into the air, it scared the living daylights -out of him, I guess. He jumped from the boat -and made for the woods below us.” Phil grinned. “I’ll -bet he’s still running. He may think we’re mighty -poor shots, but at least he knows we’re armed. I doubt -if he ever comes back on our property again.”</p> - -<p>“But who could it have been?” Penny asked. “A -tramp wouldn’t know his way around our grounds.”</p> - -<p>“If anyone should ask me,” Pat said, “I’d say it -was one of those crazy villagers after the so-called<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">60</a></span> -buried treasure. I’ll bet the news is all over town already -that we found the old well near the shed.”</p> - -<p>“But,” Jimmy objected. “Nobody could have -heard about it so soon.”</p> - -<p>“A lot of people could have,” Mal pointed out. -“There were several delivery boys out here during -the excitement when Miss Penny fell into the well.”</p> - -<p>Ann Mary nodded. “We were all so worried about -Penny we didn’t pay any attention to them. When -Marjorie came running into the kitchen to tell us -about the accident, I dashed out of the house so fast -I almost knocked down one boy who biked out here -with some groceries.”</p> - -<p>Pat shook his head gravely. “That rumor about -buried treasure is going to cause us a lot of trouble. -We don’t want the place cluttered up with night -prowlers this summer.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s go have a look at the shed,” Jimmy said -eagerly. “Maybe the guy was down there snooping -around and sneaked up to the house to make sure we -were all inside.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” Phil said. “But you have to stay with -the girls.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">61</a></span> -“Oh, no, he doesn’t,” Marjorie said pertly. “The -girls are going, too.”</p> - -<p>“We can’t all leave,” Penny said wisely. “After all, -he might have been a burglar. We would be playing -right into his hands if we left the house deserted with -all the doors and windows open.” She glanced around -at the shadows with a little shiver. “Suppose he doubled -back and is watching us right now, waiting to -see what we’ll do?”</p> - -<p>Marjorie moved a little closer to Penny. “Oh, isn’t -it thrilling?” she cried. “I wouldn’t be at all afraid to -stay here and guard the house if I had a gun.”</p> - -<p>“Not much you wouldn’t,” Jimmy jeered.</p> - -<p>“I for one,” Kitty said, “have no intention of going -down to that shed. I’m going into the house and Mal -is going with me and we’re going to lock ourselves -in.”</p> - -<p>“Fine,” Jimmy said. “That solves the problem. Phil -can leave his gun with Mal just in case.”</p> - -<p>“Okay,” Mal agreed and stuck Phil’s little pistol -into his pocket. After the Donahues had gone into -the house the others headed for the shed.</p> - -<p>Jimmy had brought a flashlight with him, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">62</a></span> -when they got inside the shed he flashed it all around. -Just as they were about to leave, he shouted, “Look!” -and pointed to a spot near the broken wall where -Penny had fallen through earlier that day.</p> - -<p>The floor of the shed had been opened and plainly -showing in the earth under it was a footprint. “Someone -has been here since we left,” Jimmy cried excitedly. -“That footprint was made by a man wearing -a shoe with a rubber sole. And we were all wearing -sneakers.”</p> - -<p>“You’re right,” Phil said soberly. “But the man -who made that footprint might not have been our -prowler. It could have been left by one of the delivery -boys whose curiosity was aroused when he heard -about Penny’s accident.”</p> - -<p>Penny nodded. “One of them might have biked -back out while we were having supper just to have a -look. Kids are like that.”</p> - -<p>“But,” Jimmy argued, “they don’t have such big -feet.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, they do,” Marjorie said with a giggle. -“Take a look at what’s on the end of your own -ankles.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">63</a></span> -“Maybe the prowler was just a curious kid,” Penny -said suddenly. “Have you thought of that, Phil?”</p> - -<p>Philip thought for a minute. “He had awfully broad -shoulders, and I don’t think a kid would have jumped -on Mal.” He shrugged. “But I really think whoever -it was won’t come back.” He put the floor boards -back in place. “If he does, he won’t do any digging for -buried treasure at this spot. Jimmy, go and get the -old Bus and park it right here.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy grinned with delight. “Right. And if our -curious friend comes back to search, he’ll have to -move the Bus. And, unless he’s a Samson he’ll have -to start her up, and, when this thing starts running, -he’ll realize that he’s set off the loudest fire alarm in -Michigan.” He ran off to get the Bus.</p> - -<p>“If we don’t find any treasure when we dig up the -well,” Marjorie said, “let’s dig under the floor here.”</p> - -<p>“Definitely no,” Phil told her firmly. “We’ll dig -up the well and let it be known far and wide that we -found nothing. That should put a stop to all the silly -rumors.”</p> - -<p>Pat nodded approvingly. “And night prowlers.”</p> - -<p>When they returned to the house they found that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">64</a></span> -Kitty and Mal had sandwiches and a large pot of hot -cocoa waiting for them.</p> - -<p>“I think you men should take turns keeping watch -tonight,” Kitty said nervously. “And please, can’t we -sleep in the house tonight instead of in the cabin?”</p> - -<p>“Of course, you can,” Phil said. “And perhaps it -isn’t a bad idea for us to take turns keeping an eye -on the place.” He smiled reassuringly. “For the rest -of tonight anyway.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll take one shift,” Marjorie said, suppressing a -yawn. “I won’t sleep a wink anyway.”</p> - -<p>But she did, the minute her head touched the pillow, -and when she awoke in the morning was very -disappointed to hear that the night had been uneventful.</p> - -<p>“At least I didn’t miss anything,” she said as they -hurriedly ate breakfast on the sunny porch. “Now, -to find the buried treasure!”</p> - -<p>But the whole day proved to be a tremendous disappointment. -They finally dug all the way down to -the bottom of the well and found absolutely nothing -but mud. And the source of the spring had evidently -gone dry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">65</a></span> -“All that labor for nothing,” Pat said in a very -disgruntled voice. “A wasted day.”</p> - -<p>Everyone had pitched in and helped at various intervals, -although Jimmy and Marjorie were the only -ones who never gave up hope of finding gold pieces -deep in the mud.</p> - -<p>Wearily the men filled up the huge hole, and the -rest of the week was spent in what Ann Mary called -“fruitful labor.” The shed was converted into quite -a presentable garage, and at last even Phil admitted -that they were practically ready to open the Lodge -for business. They were all so busy with final preparations -they dismissed the night prowler from their -minds.</p> - -<p>Only Jimmy and Marjorie remained convinced that -there was treasure buried on the grounds.</p> - -<p>“What about the laundry situation?” Phil asked -Penny the night before the first guests were expected. -“Have you been able to cope with that?”</p> - -<p>“I certainly have,” Penny told him proudly. “Several -days ago a very pleasant-looking man who looks -strong enough to carry any amount of damp linen, -drove out to ask for the job. He’d heard in the village<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">66</a></span> -that we wanted someone to tote a huge bundle into -the laundry-mat twice a week, and came right out -without even waiting to telephone for an appointment -with me.”</p> - -<p>Phil looked puzzled. “I sort of took it for granted -that you’d give the job to a woman.”</p> - -<p>“I planned to,” Penny said, “in spite of what Pat -said about anybody being able to work those automatic -machines. But there just aren’t any women in -the village who drive their own cars and who are free -to help us out.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose not,” Phil said.</p> - -<p>“This man, a Mr. Taggart,” Penny went on, “recently -moved to town for the summer and needs work -badly. He offered to handle our laundry for us at a -flat rate of only fifteen dollars a week.”</p> - -<p>Phil whistled. “Say, that <em>is</em> cheap!” He added teasingly: -“Maybe he’ll take the first batch in and never -come back!”</p> - -<p>Penny laughed. “He’s already taken in one big -bundle of sheets and pillow cases and, according to -Ann Mary, brought them back snowy white. She’s -terribly pleased. I had no idea we could get anyone -to do it so cheaply. When the place is filled with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">67</a></span> -guests he’ll probably demand more money, but let’s -not object. Kitty says the laundry problem in all summer -hotels is usually the hardest one to solve.”</p> - -<p>Phil nodded. “If the place really fills up, we’ll not -only have to raise Taggart’s pay, but we’ll have to -get some people from the village to come out by the -day and do the ironing.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve thought of that,” Penny said. “The same girls -who are going to help wait on the tables when we -really get going are going to do some ironing between -meals.”</p> - -<p>“You think of everything,” Phil said approvingly. -“I’m proud of you, Sis.”</p> - -<p>Penny sighed. “You shouldn’t be. I couldn’t do a -thing without the advice of Ann Mary and Theresa -and Kitty. And, frankly, Phil, I’m getting cold feet -at the last minute. What if the whole project is a -flop?”</p> - -<p>“It won’t be,” Phil said reassuringly. “You’re just -tired and getting a case of stage fright.” He tucked -her hand through his arm and led her toward the -stairs. “After a good night’s sleep you’ll be your old -irrepressible self again. Full of vim, vigor and vitality!”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">68</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="v" id="v"></a><span>CHAPTER 5</span><br /> -ANOTHER THREAT</h2> - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">Rat-tat-tat</span> on the door.</p> - -<p>“Who can that be?” Penny demanded. “We’ve -simply got to get these clean curtains up before the -first guests arrive.”</p> - -<p>Phil, who was helping her, said from the top of the -stepladder, “Probably your laundry man, Mr. Taggart. -Ann Mary or Marjorie can take care of it.” He -climbed down the ladder. “Now what?”</p> - -<p>“Draperies,” Penny said. “I’ve already put in the -pin hooks so it won’t take long.”</p> - -<p>Rat-tat-tat again.</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear,” she moaned. “Marjorie and Ann Mary -are probably out in back and can’t hear. Everyone -else is in the village. That’s someone at the front door -so it couldn’t be Mr. Taggart. He always parks his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">69</a></span> -car by the Donahues’ cabin. I’d better run down and -see who’s knocking.”</p> - -<p>Phil moved his ladder to the window where the -draperies were to be hung. “Wait a minute,” he said. -“Just hand me up those things and then go.” He -stared out of the window as he climbed up. “Say, -that must be your laundry man’s car out there by the -Donahues’ cabin now. Pretty classy, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“It certainly is,” Penny agreed hurriedly. She gave -him the draperies and ran down the stairs from the -balcony. At the bottom she stopped. Someone was -rummaging around in the storeroom in the back of -the house.</p> - -<p>“Marjorie,” she called, rather crossly. “What are -you doing in there? This is no time to explore! And -didn’t you hear someone knocking on the front -door?” She hurried down the hall muttering to herself: -“With all I have to do, it seems to me that child -could at least stop looking for hidden treasure long -enough to answer the front door!”</p> - -<p>But, when she opened the door, Penny’s good nature -was immediately restored. For there stood Judy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">70</a></span> -and Alf Powell with Mr. and Mrs. Powell right behind -them.</p> - -<p>Their first guests had arrived!</p> - -<p>Penny tried to hug everyone at once as she talked -excitedly:</p> - -<p>“Why, Alf! You’ve grown like a beanstalk. Jimmy -will be comparing measurements with you in no time. -And Judy, you haven’t changed a bit. My, won’t -you and Marjorie have a million things to talk about. -You can’t imagine, Mr. and Mrs. Powell, how pleased -we were that you could come. This isn’t going to be -like a resort at all. We’re going to be surrounded by -all our old friends. Isn’t this fine! Come right in. How -did you get here? Have you a car to put away?” -Penny peered around but could not see a car any -place.</p> - -<p>“No, Penny,” said Mr. Powell. “We decided to -take a plane. Alf, as you probably know, has flown -a few times, but Judy had never been up.”</p> - -<p>“We flew to the closest airport,” Mrs. Powell -added, “and took a bus from there to the village. We -left our luggage in the village and walked out. It’s -such a beautiful day. You won’t mind sending your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">71</a></span> -truck down for our bags, will you? A nice man in -the village told us you had one.”</p> - -<p>“Of course not,” said Marjorie, who suddenly appeared -behind Penny in the hall. “I’d drive it myself -if only my mean old brothers and sister would let -me!” She laughed mischievously.</p> - -<p>“Imp!” Penny cried, pushing her straight into -Judy’s arms.</p> - -<p>As the two girls hugged each other ecstatically, -Mrs. Powell said to Penny, “This is certainly a lovely -spot. Even your description didn’t do it justice. I -know we’re all going to have a wonderful summer.”</p> - -<p>“We saw the lake as we flew over,” Mr. Powell -said enthusiastically, “and it looks large enough to -hold a mighty lot of fish.”</p> - -<p>“There’s enough fish there to feed an army,” -chimed in Jimmy as he came running in from the -driveway where he had parked the Bronc. “Alf and -I are going to catch our share.”</p> - -<p>Phil came down the stairs from the balcony and -greeted everyone cordially. “You couldn’t have arrived -at a better time,” he told his guests. “If Marjorie -had had to wait one more hour for Judy, she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">72</a></span> -would have worn a path from the back door to the -front. Ever since dawn she’s been watching for your -car.”</p> - -<p>“And yet,” Penny said with a laugh, “when they -did arrive, she didn’t hear them knocking on the -door.”</p> - -<p>“I was busy,” Marjorie informed her sister airily. -“Out in the Donahues’ cabin helping Ann Mary get -their laundry together for Mr. Taggart.”</p> - -<p>Penny said nothing, but she made a mental note to -scold Marjorie later in private. Marjorie had not been -helping Ann Mary; Penny had heard her rummaging -in the old storage room!</p> - -<p>“There’s something a lot better than fish around -here,” Jimmy was saying in an undertone to Alf.</p> - -<p>“I’ll say there is,” Marjorie told Judy.</p> - -<p>Penny smiled. She could see that the four of them -were already scheming and laying plans to dig up -the entire place in search of buried treasure.</p> - -<p>“I guess I’ll forget about Marjorie’s little white lie,” -Penny decided. “She didn’t mean any harm, and I -know she’s been dying to poke around in those old -trunks for ages.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">73</a></span></p> - -<p>Jimmy took Alf to his room and Marjorie took -Judy to hers. Philip and Penny escorted Mr. and Mrs. -Powell to the big airy room which had been reserved -for them.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Judy, isn’t it wo-o-o-onderful that you are -here,” Marjorie said with a sigh of happiness. “We -haven’t got everything quite arranged yet, so maybe, -just for tonight, you and I can share a room. We’ll -stay up late and talk, and raid the icebox. We have -the most wonderful things to eat in it.”</p> - -<p>At this point they had to hug each other and dance -a little jig in the ecstatic joy of the occasion. Then -their tongues began to catch up with all there was -to tell each other.</p> - -<p>As soon as Mal had brought the Powell’s luggage -in from town and Judy had changed into her blue -jeans, she and Marjorie were all over the place. They -were like a couple of hummingbirds, here, there and -everywhere. They took a dip in the lake, a shower -in the boathouse, and afterwards, thoroughly content -and full of excess spirits, they dressed for the best -dinner that Judy had ever tasted. Marjorie’s eyes -snapped and her round face was all smiles as she animatedly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">74</a></span> -told the Powells and Alf what she and Judy -had seen and done.</p> - -<p>Then Alf and Jimmy related how they had spent -the day first exploring a little in the woods, then -making plans for a camping trip that they were to -make later in the summer, and finally adding a little -to the construction of the shack. They were mighty -anxious to complete the bachelors’ retreat as fast as -they could, and this was the only reason why they -accepted an offer of help from Marjorie and Judy.</p> - -<p>“I don’t suppose,” Alf said, giving Jimmy a nudge, -“that they’ll really be any help. But we’ll let them -sweep up wood shavings and sort nails.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll do nothing of the kind,” Judy said briskly. -“I’m going to put up a wall all by myself or I won’t -go near your silly old place.”</p> - -<p>The boys hooted and ran off to their headquarters.</p> - -<p>But not much work was accomplished the next day -as more guests arrived. Brook Sanders was greeted -with hilarious shouts of joy by Jimmy and Alf when -Phil brought him in from the village in the station -wagon. Poor Brook was not even given a chance to go -to his room. But his parents were sure he preferred<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">75</a></span> -going down to see the shack with the boys. He came -back with a glowing description of the woods, the -lake, the picnic grounds, the shack and everything else -he had seen.</p> - -<p>“Gee, Dad,” he said excitedly, “I wish you’d buy -the place next door. Jimmy says it’s for sale.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Sanders laughed. “I can see you are all enthused, -Brook. But why buy a place as long as we -stand in with the Allens? This suits me.”</p> - -<p>“Me too,” said Brook. “Let’s do this every summer.”</p> - -<p>“Anybody want any fudge?” asked Marjorie and -Judy. “We’ve just made some.”</p> - -<p>“I never say no to fudge,” said Brook picking out -the biggest piece before Alf or Jimmy could get it.</p> - -<p>“You’d better leave at least one piece for me,” Alf -said.</p> - -<p>“There’s plenty more in the kitchen,” said Judy, -“and we’re bringing in a big pitcher of lemonade, -too.”</p> - -<p>Alf went into the kitchen with Judy to carry out -the lemonade and Marjorie brought in another dish -of fudge.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">76</a></span> -“Nut fudge,” gloated Alf.</p> - -<p>“Nuts to the nutty,” quoted Marjorie from one of -her brother’s favorite expressions, as she passed him -the dish.</p> - -<p>Jimmy, Alf and Brook spent the afternoon out in -the motorboat, to get away from the girls and to make -their plans. A great deal had happened to all of the -boys since they had last seen each other and they had -a lot of catching up to do.</p> - -<p>The next day the Curtises arrived, their car loaded -with baggage, and Mary said there was more coming -by express. Now it was Penny’s and Philip’s turn to -get all excited and to catch up on old times with Mary -and Charles.</p> - -<p>Charles greeted Penny in his old devoted manner, -and immediately asked if Peter Wyland, his chief -competitor, had arrived yet or if he was going to have -her to himself this summer. He made it very clear -that even if Peter came, he was planning to absorb all -of Penny’s spare time. Penny was cordial but elusive -and all the more attractive. Charles did not enjoy at -all her enthusiasm over the different members of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">77</a></span> -party. He felt that the kiss with which Penny greeted -Mary should have been planted on his cheek instead -and he said so.</p> - -<p>Mary and Phil, on the other hand, acted like the -two old chums that they were. They both laughed -heartily when Charles tried to kiss Penny and she -slipped hastily behind Phil.</p> - -<p>“I can see,” Mary said, “that we’re going to have -a grand summer watching those two fight.”</p> - -<p>Phil chuckled. “We’re delighted you all wanted to -spend the summer with us.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” Penny said, making a face at -Charles. “Even you, silly. I wouldn’t have considered -the summer complete unless the Curtises were here.”</p> - -<p>“I know we’re going to have the time of our lives,” -Mary said enthusiastically.</p> - -<p>“I hope so,” Penny said. “We’ve made all kinds of -plans. We’ll hike through the woods to the nearby -places of interest, and have picnics and all sorts of -evening parties.”</p> - -<p>“And,” Phil added to Charles, “fish and hunt.”</p> - -<p>“The yacht,” Penny went on, “is in fine shape. We<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">78</a></span> -can go on overnight trips on the lake. Oh,” she finished, -“I’m just full of plans.”</p> - -<p>“Are you going to let me help you play hostess?” -Charles asked.</p> - -<p>“I certainly am,” Penny told him briskly. “And for -pity’s sake, start right in with all that baggage. I’m -sure Mal will be floored when he sees it!”</p> - -<p>But all Charles could really get to carry up was -one small bag, since Mal, Pat, Jimmy and the other -two boys made quick work of getting the car unloaded. -Penny suspected the rush act was put on because -they were all anxious to drive the beautiful, -shiny Cadillac into the shed.</p> - -<p>For the next few days the Lodge was a beehive of -activity. There was much conversation and laughter -and a great deal of coming and going about the -grounds. There were beach parties, hikes and picnics -and an impromptu evening party with everybody -joining wholeheartedly in all the games that were -suggested.</p> - -<p>Jimmy arranged a “snipe hunt.” Phil was the only -other person besides Jimmy who knew there were no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">79</a></span> -snipe around there. Everybody started out at twilight -with flashlights and paper bags to hunt for the elusive -snipe. And when they all came back, empty-handed, -one by one, Jimmy greeted them with a big stuffed -bird in his hands. Brook said it was an old logger’s -trick, and everybody in New England knew about -it, but he couldn’t understand how he and all these -other people would fall for it. Nevertheless, they had -all enjoyed their tramp through the woods and the -snack that awaited them when they returned.</p> - -<p>There was little rest for the Allens now. Penny -would slip away when everybody was being entertained -to make out orders and menus. She also found -that she would have to make arrangements for some -of the village people to come in and help with the -cleaning as well as the ironing and serving when more -guests arrived.</p> - -<p>Things were really getting down to quite a businesslike -basis, however, and Penny was pleased with -the routine they seemed to have fallen into partly by -plan and partly by accident. They had planned to try -and get all of their actual work done in the morning,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">80</a></span> -but the first few days it had not worked out that way -since most of the guests were up bright and early. -But after a few days, when the novelty of the Lodge -had worn off, and their guests had become quite settled, -most of them slept later, and this gave the Allens -time for their work.</p> - -<p>Penny and Phil both had a disappointment in common -when Peter Wyland and Adra wrote that they -would not be able to come to the Lodge until the -first week in August. Adra Prentice was spending -some time with her father, whom she had hardly seen -all winter. And since Mr. Prentice could not come -to the Lodge at all as he had originally planned, Adra -had decided to spend July with him and then come -to the Lodge for August. Peter, of course, was in -Mr. Prentice’s employ, and so he could not come for -the same reason. However, they both wrote in their -letters to Phil and Penny that they would be there -in August and Peter hinted that he might be able to -come a week earlier.</p> - -<p>“It’s a good thing we haven’t much time to miss -anyone these days,” Phil said and Penny smiled.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">81</a></span> -“Yes, keeping busy is a wonderful antidote for -some things,” she said.</p> - -<p>The next few weeks were indeed busy ones. Some -friends of Mary Curtis arrived and a few friends of -<a name="Charles" id="Charles"></a><ins title="Original has 'Charles’'">Charles</ins> dropped in for the weekends. Marjorie and -Judy were constantly on the lookout for new romances -among the young folks, and just as they were -certain that one was developing, something would -happen which would prove that they were wrong.</p> - -<p>“Anyway,” Marjorie said to Judy, “there are two -romances we can be absolutely sure of. Phil is in love -with Adra, and Penny is mad about Peter.”</p> - -<p>“And,” Judy chimed in, “Adra is in love with -Phil and Peter is wild about Penny. I wouldn’t be surprised -if they were all engaged before the end of the -summer.”</p> - -<p>“Neither would I,” Marjorie said, her blue eyes -twinkling. “Phil and Penny can hardly wait for the -arrival of Adra and Peter.”</p> - -<p>They had been helping Theresa by emptying all -of the scrap baskets from the various rooms in the -Lodge into the big wire mesh one in the clearing.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">82</a></span> -Later, when the wind died down, Pat would set a -match to the papers.</p> - -<p>Right now the wind was blowing so hard that it -lifted a crumpled ball of paper from Judy’s hand and -blew it smack against Marjorie’s face.</p> - -<p>“Fate,” Marjorie said with a giggle, “obviously -meant for me to read this before it got burned.”</p> - -<p>Assuming an exaggeratedly serious air, she smoothed -out the paper on her knee. Then she gave a little gasp. -“Oh, Judy,” she cried. “It’s another anonymous letter. -Remember? I told you about the one Phil got? -This one was sent to Penny, and I’ll bet she crumpled -it up and threw it away without saying anything to -anybody.”</p> - -<p>Judy nodded. “Penny’s like that. She wouldn’t pay -any attention to a letter she got unless it was signed. -What does this one say?”</p> - -<p>“Th-this one,” Marjorie stammered, after reading -it quickly, “fr-frightens me.” And she read the -crudely printed words out loud:</p> - -<div class="block-centre"> -<div class="block"> -MISS ALLEN: YOUR FALL THE OTHER<br /> -DAY WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT. I<br /><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">83</a></span> -PURPOSELY WEAKENED THOSE<br /> -BOARDS IN THE SHED SO THAT THE<br /> -FIRST ONE OF YOU WHO LEANED<br /> -ON THEM WOULD CRASH INTO<br /> -THE WELL. IF YOU DON’T CLEAR<br /> -OUT OF THE LODGE SOON, EXPECT<br /> -WORSE “ACCIDENTS.” I WARNED<br /> -YOU THAT I MEAN BUSINESS. -</div> -</div> - -<p>Judy sniffed. “Well, it doesn’t frighten me. From -the way you described Penny’s accident, I’m sure it -didn’t happen because someone had tampered with -the wall of the shed. Even if he had weakened the -boards, how could he be sure someone was going to -lean on them?”</p> - -<p>“You’re right,” Marjorie admitted, completely -over her nervousness. “Penny herself said she was -foolish to touch that broken wall.”</p> - -<p>She crumpled the letter and tossed it into the mesh -basket. “A crazy person who heard about Penny’s -fall wrote that silly letter. Come on. Let’s bring the -empty baskets back to Theresa and forget the whole -thing.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">84</a></span> -But deep down inside, Marjorie was thinking about -the footprint Jimmy had discovered in the dirt under -the shed floor. Had it been left there before Penny’s -accident, or after it?</p> - -<p>“After it,” she finally decided. “The floor boards -were all in place the first time we inspected the shed. -The man who came snooping around that night must -have left that footprint. He probably meant to sneak -back and cover up the hole he made in the floor, but -got frightened away for good when Phil and Pat -fired those shots in the air.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">85</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="vi" id="vi"></a><span>CHAPTER 6</span><br /> -CLUES IN A BOTTLE</h2> - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">All during</span> the hot July days that followed Judy and -Marjorie did indeed live in bathing suits. Mrs. Powell -and Penny tried to make them dress up for dinner, -but they compromised by changing into clean shirts -and blue jeans.</p> - -<p>“Aren’t we ever going to do anything about the -treasure that’s supposed to be buried around here?” -Judy asked one day. They had been in swimming and -were now lying in the sun on the shore of the lake.</p> - -<p>“I suppose we should do something about it,” Marjorie -said lazily. “But it’s been so hot I hate the thought -of digging. Helping Pat hoe up his potatoes was about -all I could stand.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve still got some blisters,” Judy said with a grin.</p> - -<p>Marjorie raised herself on one elbow and squinted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">86</a></span> -up toward the Lodge. “Penny and Phil don’t think -there’s any treasure buried around here any more than -there was a ghost haunting the place.”</p> - -<p>“I know <em>they</em> don’t,” Judy said. “But Jimmy, Alf -and Brook do. They’ve been acting very mysteriously -ever since we got here. They sneak off early in the -morning with shovels and things, and I’m sure they -don’t spend all their time fixing up their shack.”</p> - -<p>“I know,” Marjorie said thoughtfully. “And it -would be simply awful if the boys found the treasure, -not us.” She scrambled to her feet. “We’ve got to -find it first. Let’s get out of these wet bathing suits -before we do anything else. While we’re changing -into dungarees we can decide where the best place to -start digging is.”</p> - -<p>Ten minutes later the girls left the Lodge by the -back door and, armed with shovels, went down to -the clearing.</p> - -<p>“Oh, golly,” Marjorie moaned. “I thought this -would be a swell place to dig because there’s no grass -on the ground here. But just look. There’s the wash -hanging out on the line to dry. Mr. Taggart must have -just brought it back from the laundry-mat.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">87</a></span></p> - -<p>“Just our luck,” Judy complained. “We’d better -not dig anywhere near it. We’d be sure to raise clouds -of dust. It hasn’t rained in ages.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you what let’s do instead,” Marjorie suggested. -“Let’s go help the boys with their shack. They -promised to let us work on it, too. Once it’s finished -maybe they’ll go off on that camping trip with Pat. -Then we’ll have the whole place to ourselves.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” Judy agreed. “If they caught us -digging, they’d be sure to make fun of us. They pretend -that we’re silly to believe that there’s treasure -buried around here, but I happen to know that they -believe in it too.”</p> - -<p>When they arrived at the shack, the girls’ offer of -help was promptly turned down.</p> - -<p>“<em>Help!</em>” Alf hooted. “Judy, you don’t know which -end of a hammer is the head.”</p> - -<p>“Neither does Marjorie,” added Jimmy with a teasing -grin. “Scram, you two. We men have work to -do.”</p> - -<p>“But you promised,” Marjorie reminded him -crossly.</p> - -<p>Jimmy waved her away. “Later, child, later. Right<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">88</a></span> -now we’re too busy to teach you the rudiments of -carpentry.”</p> - -<p>So Judy and Marjorie wandered forlornly off and -returned to the clearing where they had left their -shovels. After that they spent a few hours every day -aimlessly digging here and there for buried treasure. -But it was tiresome work and since they knew the -holes had to be filled up, they never dug very deep -or very long at any one spot.</p> - -<p>“This is hopeless,” Judy said one day toward the -end of July. “What we ought to look for are clues. -Maps and things pirates may have left around which -will tell us exactly where to dig.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think there were ever any pirates around -here,” Marjorie said dubiously. “Didn’t they always -stick pretty close to the seacoasts?”</p> - -<p>“I guess you’re right,” Judy said disconsolately. -“But whoever buried the treasure should have left -some clues or directions.”</p> - -<p>“Not necessarily,” Marjorie pointed out practically. -“He might have buried it in a hurry and then -the Indians or somebody might have killed him right -afterwards.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">89</a></span> -“I give up.” Judy flung her shovel on the ground. -“The boys can find the treasure first for all I care. -My hands are so sore I couldn’t paddle a canoe. So -let’s go swimming.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” Marjorie agreed. “I do want you to -have fun while you’re our guest, Judy,” she added -worriedly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I am,” Judy assured her with a quick smile. -“It was my idea to dig for the treasure, not yours. -But let’s forget about it for awhile.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s,” Marjorie agreed. “Besides, I haven’t been -much of a help to Penny lately. I’m supposed to be -assistant hostess, you know, and help her entertain -the guests.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m a guest,” Judy said with a giggle. “And -you’ve entertained me royally.”</p> - -<p>From then on Marjorie spent more time helping -Penny and Ann Mary and Theresa.</p> - -<p>By the first of August the boys had made great -progress with the shack. Mal, Pat and Phil helped -out whenever they could and some of the guests -pitched in occasionally. The walls and the roof were -now up, the doors and windows were in place and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">90</a></span> -boys had even spent two nights sleeping there on cots. -They were now putting in the finishing touches, and -true to their promise they had let Marjorie and Judy -help.</p> - -<p>Marjorie, in her enthusiasm over being allowed to -put up a shower wall all by herself, had banged her -finger with the hammer and the boys had suggested -that she and Judy take some time off to recuperate. -So Marjorie and Judy were looking for shells down -on the beach.</p> - -<p>“Oh, golly,” Judy said in disgust after awhile, “all -the nice ones seem to get as far under the rocks as -they can.”</p> - -<p>“They certainly do,” Marjorie agreed. “But let’s -keep looking. We might find some really valuable -ones which we could sell to collectors for a lot of -money.”</p> - -<p>For the next few minutes they were very busy -pushing and shoving at the rocks, upturning some and -giving up others that were too heavy to budge.</p> - -<p>Finally they came across one huge stone that -seemed to be imbedded in the sand. Marjorie knew -that even with Judy’s help she couldn’t move it, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">91</a></span> -she was just about to crawl by it when she saw -something.</p> - -<p>“Judy,” she cried excitedly. “Come here, quickly. -Doesn’t it look as though someone had been digging -around this rock a little while ago?”</p> - -<p>Judy scrambled to her feet and joined Marjorie. -“You’re right,” she said. “Some one <em>has</em> been digging -here. I’ll bet whoever it was buried something under -that rock.” She flopped down on her knees beside -Marjorie and together the girls began to dig frantically -with their fingers.</p> - -<p>And then Marjorie’s sharp eyes caught a glimpse -of something that glittered in the sunlight. “Diamonds,” -she gasped. “Judy, help me. Let’s see if we -can’t inch the rock up a little so we can see better. -Oh, wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was real honest-to-goodness -treasure buried here?”</p> - -<p>Judy, tugging at the heavy rock, could only pant, -“There. Now we’ve got it!”</p> - -<p>They both fell to digging with renewed vigor, and -in another second Marjorie could see that the glittering -object was only a dark green glass bottle.</p> - -<p>“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” she moaned disappointedly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">92</a></span> -“And I thought we were at last going to find the -buried treasure.” Crossly she yanked the bottle out -of the warm sand and raised her arm to toss it into -the lake.</p> - -<p>“Wait a minute!” cried Judy, grabbing her arm -just in time. “There’s something in that bottle, Marjorie. -When you held it up in the sunlight I could -see right through the dark green glass.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie held the bottle up again and stared at it. -“You’re right, Judy,” she said. “It looks like a piece -of paper. Oh, golly, maybe it’s a map which’ll tell -us exactly where the treasure is buried!”</p> - -<p>As she talked, Marjorie was prying out the cork -with a piece of broken shell.</p> - -<p>“Hurry, hurry,” Judy cried impatiently, hopping -up and down. “Now you’ve got it out at last. Turn -it upside down and shake it, Marjorie. Oh, oh, it <em>is</em> -a piece of paper!”</p> - -<p>The piece of paper was battered and torn, and it -had been crumpled into a small ball. Carefully Marjorie -smoothed it out, and together they tried to read -the smudged words.</p> - -<p>After half an hour of intensive studying they were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">93</a></span> -able to figure out that the scrap was a fragment of a -message, and the message had something to do with -“the Log Cabin” and “a well that.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Judy,” Marjorie gasped. “The well must be -the one we dug up. If we could only find the other -fragment, I’ll bet the two together would tell us -where the treasure is buried!”</p> - -<p>“Who do you suppose wrote the message?” Judy -asked wonderingly. “And how did it get torn? And -how did one half get into this bottle?”</p> - -<p>“I can guess what happened,” Marjorie said, her -imagination completely running away with her. -“Two men knew about the buried treasure near the -old well. They wrote down just where they were -supposed to dig. Then they got into a fight when -they talked about how they were going to divide the -loot. In the tussle, one man got off with one half, -and the other put his half in this bottle and buried it -here for safekeeping.”</p> - -<p>Judy stared at her in admiration. “You’re wonderful, -Marjorie,” she said. “That’s just what happened. -Now all we have to do is find the other half.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie’s elfin blue eyes were bright with suppressed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">94</a></span> -laughter. “<em>All?</em>” she demanded sarcastically. -“The other half of the message could be anywhere in -the world.” She stared thoughtfully down at the -scrap. “The two letters ‘tr’ might be part of the word -‘trunk.’ What do you think, Judy?”</p> - -<p>“I think you’re -<a name="absolutely" id="absolutely"></a><ins title="Original has 'asolutely'">absolutely</ins> right,” Judy said emphatically. -“Aren’t there some old trunks in the -storeroom that you haven’t opened yet? Oh, Marjorie, -do you suppose there’s another clue in one of -them?”</p> - -<p>“Let’s look anyway,” Marjorie said. “Tuesday -when I was helping Ann Mary get the soiled linen -ready for Mr. Taggart to take into town, I asked her -if you and I couldn’t go through those old trunks -some rainy day. And she said we could. She laughed -at me and said, ‘You won’t find any treasure there. If -you’re smart you’ll search for rare shells down by the -lake.’ That’s how I got the idea of trying to find some -which rich collectors might buy from us.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Judy said, “we didn’t find any worth -bringing back to the Lodge. Let’s don’t waste any -more time looking for rare shells. Let’s go show this -clue to the boys.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">95</a></span> -Marjorie hesitated. “Okay, but I’ll bet they just -make fun of us. Jimmy won’t even consider that it -just might be a clue.”</p> - -<p>“But,” Judy objected, “he’s bound to realize that -the message had something to do with the well and the -Lodge. Let’s go.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie carefully tucked the torn paper into the -pocket of her blue jeans. Then they raced back to the -Lodge.</p> - -<p>Out in the shed the girls found that Jimmy, Alf -and Brook had finished closing in the shower. They -banged on the door and Jimmy called out in a dramatic -voice:</p> - -<p>“Who invades our privacy? This is the bachelors’ -retreat and we want no women around here!” Marjorie -heard him add in a loud whisper: “And especially -not dimwit girls!”</p> - -<p>She yelled at the top of her lungs: “Oh, come on -out, Jimmy. Quit being so mean to us. We have -something important to show you.”</p> - -<p>But Jimmy was adamant. “<em>You</em> quit banging on -the door, dopes. We’ll open it when we’re ready and -not a minute before.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">96</a></span> -Marjorie turned to Judy. “Try Alf. He’s your -brother.”</p> - -<p>“Alf Powell,” Judy screamed. “You’ll be sorry if -you don’t come right out. What we have is something -really yummy!” She added quietly to Marjorie, -“That’ll get him!”</p> - -<p>“Yummy,” they heard both Alf and Brook repeat, -and then from Jimmy as he opened the door and stuck -his head out:</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you say you had food in the first -place?”</p> - -<p>“Look,” said Marjorie, showing him the piece of -paper. “Judy and I found this in a bottle buried in the -sand under a big rock on the beach. We think it’s -part of a message that has something to do with the -buried treasure.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you dopey kids,” Jimmy said in a very condescending -tone of voice. “Your imagination works -overtime. It’s fantastic,” he said over his shoulder to -Alf and Brook, “what they can think up in their -spare time.”</p> - -<p>But Jimmy took the paper from Marjorie, and gave -it a contemptuous glance. “What a mess,” he said.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">97</a></span> -“You know perfectly well you rigged this up yourselves, -but you can’t fool me.”</p> - -<p>“We didn’t, honest,” Marjorie said, tossing her -blonde head. “But if that’s the way you feel about it, -give it back to me. Furthermore, if we find any more -clues you’ll be the last person in the world we consult.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy tossed it to her with a grin. “Run along, -kids. We haven’t time for your monkey business. -We’re going for a swim, and then we’re going to get -the Bronc ready for our camping trip.” He slammed -the door in Marjorie’s face. “Scram. Later, if we men -haven’t anything better to do, you can try to fool us -with your phony clues.”</p> - -<p>“See?” Marjorie bitterly asked Judy. “That’s a -brother for you! If we do find anything in the storage -room, let’s not tell a soul!”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">98</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="vii" id="vii"></a><span>CHAPTER 7</span><br /> -THE MAP</h2> - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">Marjorie and Judy</span> entered the Lodge by the back -door and found Mr. Taggart in the kitchen with a -big bundle of clean laundry.</p> - -<p>“Hello, girls,” he said pleasantly. “Find any buried -treasure yet?”</p> - -<p>“No,” Judy replied, “but down on the beach we—”</p> - -<p>Marjorie nudged her and said quickly, “We found -a lot of absolutely worthless shells.” She grinned at -Ann Mary who came into the kitchen then with a -bag of soiled linen. “You and your rare specimens! -I’ll bet you sent us off on that wild goose chase just -to get us out of your hair.”</p> - -<p>Ann Mary laughed. “Maybe I did.” She turned to -Mr. Taggart. “I really sent them down to the lake -to keep them from digging up the whole place. Pat -and Mal worked hard on the vegetable garden behind<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">99</a></span> -the cabin, and I’m not going to have the kids ruin it -in their search for something which they know perfectly -well isn’t there.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” the laundry man said with a grin. -“A carrot in the hand is worth a diamond in the -bush.” He picked up the bag and started for the door.</p> - -<p>“Wait a minute, please,” Ann Mary said. “There’s -more upstairs. Sit down and make yourself comfortable -while I gather up the bed linen.”</p> - -<p>“Do you want me to do it for you, Ann Mary?” -Marjorie asked, hoping the answer would be no.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, no,” Ann Mary said emphatically. -“The last time you counted the sheets you counted -one of them twice.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie giggled, and the girls followed Ann Mary -out into the hall. As she hurried up the stairs to the -balcony, Judy said:</p> - -<p>“I wish you’d show me the secret room sometime, -Marjorie. I think you’re mean to keep it a secret from -me, your very best friend.”</p> - -<p>“Why, of course, I’ll show it to you,” Marjorie -cried impulsively. “And there’s no time like the present.” -She led the way into the alcove and said, “See<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">100</a></span> -those bookshelves? Now watch, while I press this -button.”</p> - -<p>Open-mouthed with amazement, Judy watched as -the shelves moved aside, revealing a short flight of -stairs that led down into a little room.</p> - -<p>“Why, that’s the most marvelous contraption I ever -saw,” she said enviously. “I wish we had something -like it at home.”</p> - -<p>“We can’t go in,” Marjorie said. “It’s a law we -passed at a meeting of the Allen Lodge Board of Directors. -Only Phil and Pat can go in. As a matter of -fact,” she added thoughtfully, “I guess I shouldn’t -have showed you how the door works without first -asking their permission.”</p> - -<p>“I won’t tell a soul,” Judy promised. “But why all -the secrecy?”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Marjorie explained, “we keep all the -guests’ valuables and all the money in that little old -wall safe in there.” She stopped suddenly. “Oh, gosh, -I guess that was Ann Mary who just went by the -alcove. She must have heard us talking in here and -now she’ll guess that I showed you the secret room.”</p> - -<p>“Will she tell Phil and Penny?” Judy asked worriedly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">101</a></span> -“And will they bawl you out? Oh, I hope -not. It was all my fault! Curiosity killed the cat,” she -finished lamely.</p> - -<p>“You mean,” Marjorie said as she closed the door, -“let the cat out of the bag!” She grinned. “No, Ann -Mary won’t tell. If she thinks I did let the cat out of -the bag, she’ll bawl me out herself. But she’s no tattle-tale, -and neither is Pat. They’re both grand people. -And so are the Donahues.”</p> - -<p>“Everyone at the Lodge is swell,” Judy agreed, -and added cautiously: “Since we’re probably already -in Dutch, don’t you think maybe we’d better ask -Penny’s permission before we go through those old -trunks in the storeroom? I know Ann Mary said we -could, but after all, Penny is the housekeeper, isn’t -she?”</p> - -<p>Marjorie nodded. “We’ll get her permission right -now.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “She’s probably -out on the porch having tea with your parents and -Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. And I guess Mr. and Mrs. Sanders, -too.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you what let’s do,” Judy said. “Let’s put -on a fashion show. Didn’t you say that the trunk<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">102</a></span> -you’ve already opened is full of old-fashioned dresses -and costume jewelry?”</p> - -<p>“What a wonderful idea!” Marjorie raced ahead -of Judy down the spacious hall to the porch.</p> - -<p>Penny, looking very lovely in a pale yellow afternoon -frock, looked up from the tea table with a -smile. “Having fun, girls?” she asked. “I don’t have -to ask you if you’re hungry. Help yourselves to -sandwiches and cookies.”</p> - -<p>“We’re not hungry for once, Penny,” Marjorie -told her with a laugh. “We came out to ask you if it’s -all right if we put on a fashion show for you while -you’re having tea. The boys have deserted us, and -Judy and I want to dress up and parade around in -some of the old costumes in the storage room.”</p> - -<p>“Go right ahead,” Penny said. “That’s the best -idea you’ve had all summer, Marjorie.” She turned to -Mary Curtis who was sitting on the other side of the -table. “Don’t you think so, too, Mary?”</p> - -<p>Mary nodded. “Anything to keep those two out -of mischief.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie and Judy hurried away to the storage -room. “My, why haven’t we poked around in here<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">103</a></span> -before?” Judy asked Marjorie. “What’s in all those -boxes and trunks anyway?”</p> - -<p>“I only know what’s in the trunk we already -opened,” Marjorie told her. “These are the old, old -trunks.” She pointed to two little trunks standing -side by side. “After the fashion show we’ll go through -them carefully for clues. The other boxes all contain -things of ours that we’ve put away so we wouldn’t -clutter up the house with things we didn’t need.”</p> - -<p>Half an hour later the girls appeared on the porch -and marched sedately up and down, hoping they -were behaving like professional models.</p> - -<p>It was all Penny could do to keep from laughing. -To her they looked as stiff as wooden puppets in a -Punch and Judy show.</p> - -<p>“What period are you representing?” Brook’s -mother asked, suppressing a smile. “Jane Austen?”</p> - -<p>Marjorie relaxed enough to shrug. “We haven’t -the faintest idea, Mrs. Sanders. Let’s pretend that the -audience has to guess.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” Mrs. Sanders agreed. “I’ll stick to -<cite>Pride and Prejudice</cite>.”</p> - -<p>“I’d say that the black velvet was of the nineties,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">104</a></span> -after the big sleeves and hideous bustles had gone -out,” Mrs. Powell said.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Curtis thought it was of a later period. She -laughed and said, “Wouldn’t it be funny if those -bustles came back in again. I’m afraid they wouldn’t -look quite as cute on us as they do on those two young -ladies!”</p> - -<p>Mary told them she thought the blue satin dress -was meant to be worn with hoops and was probably -from a period dating near the Civil War.</p> - -<p>“Let’s go see if we can find the hoop,” Marjorie -said, taking Judy by the hand and heading back to -the storeroom.</p> - -<p>They had had enough of dressing up by this time, -and they got back into their blue jeans and proceeded -to turn the contents of the trunks inside out. They -felt every part of the inside of the trunks for hidden -places, they shook all the clothes carefully and examined -them minutely, but all to no avail.</p> - -<p>“Maybe all of the costume jewelry in that box -isn’t set with imitation stones,” Judy said without -much hope.</p> - -<p>“But it is,” Marjorie said. “Do you want to look<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">105</a></span> -at it?” She impatiently yanked off the lid and the old -velvet lining fell away. Then they both saw it—an -old map, pasted inside the cover!</p> - -<p>Marjorie was so surprised she sat right down on -the storage room floor. “Oh, my goodness,” she -finally got out, “to think, if it hadn’t been for you, -we might not have even opened the jewelry box. I -never would have thought of looking here because I -examined it so carefully when Phil and Penny first -opened this trunk.”</p> - -<p>But Judy wasn’t listening. She had hurried to a -window with the lid and was examining the map -carefully. “Marjorie,” she groaned, “this is positively -the worst thing that ever happened to us!”</p> - -<p>Marjorie scrambled to her feet and hurried to peer -over Judy’s shoulder. In another minute she, too, was -groaning. “There’s no doubt about it,” she mumbled -sadly. “This map tells exactly where the treasure is -buried. And where it is buried is right under the -potato hills in Pat’s garden!”</p> - -<p>“That’s the way it looks to me,” Judy said mournfully. -“He won’t dig up those potatoes until the fall. -The vines have hardly begun to blossom.” Very near<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">106</a></span> -to tears she added, “And—and you’ll find the treasure -after I’ve gone back to school!”</p> - -<p>Just then Penny appeared at the door. “What on -earth is the matter with you two?” she asked. “I -could hear your moans and groans from the balcony.”</p> - -<p>“We’ve found the map that shows exactly where -the treasure is buried,” Marjorie wailed. “B-but Pat -won’t let us dig it up.”</p> - -<p>Penny’s blue eyes were dark with surprise. “Don’t -be silly, Marjorie,” she said. “Of course, Pat will let -you dig it up.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie hurried across the room to show Penny -the map. “See,” she said pointing. “The big X is behind -the Donahues’ cabin on the west side. Judy and -I know what’s planted there. We got blisters on our -hands the day we helped Pat and Mal hoe up those -potato hills!”</p> - -<p>Penny glanced at the map and then she laughed. -“You silly girls! Don’t you know that this is a joke -the boys played on you?” She went back into the -hall and called up the stairs:</p> - -<p>“Jimmy, come down here right away, please.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">107</a></span></p> - -<p>Jimmy took the stairs two at a time. “What’s up?” -he demanded. “The house on fire?”</p> - -<p>For answer Penny handed him the jewelry box lid. -“Didn’t you paste that map there to play a joke on -the girls?”</p> - -<p>Jimmy stared at the map in amazement. “Honestly, -Penny,” he said soberly. “I never saw the darn thing -before.”</p> - -<p>“How about Alf and Brook?” Penny asked sternly. -“A joke’s a joke, but this one might have caused -serious trouble. If someone not as thoughtful as Marjorie -had found it and followed directions he would -have ruined Pat’s potatoes.”</p> - -<p>“I know,” Jimmy said, still staring at the map. “But -neither Alf nor Brook did it, Penny. They’ve never -been inside the storage room, so they couldn’t possibly -have planted this map in the cover of the costume -jewelry box.”</p> - -<p>“Well then,” Penny said firmly. “The person who -did, did it purposely to annoy us.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know how you can be so sure of that,” -Marjorie objected. “<em>I</em> think someone put it in the lid -long before Pat and Mal planted the garden.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">108</a></span> -Penny gave her a fond pat. “I hate to disillusion -you, honey, but the map was pasted in the lid quite -recently. Last week when I opened the box to show -Mary the costume jewelry the old velvet lining fell -out. And there wasn’t any map there then.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie sighed with disappointment. “Oh, dear,” -she began, “then I suppose the same mean person put -that scrap of paper in the bot—”</p> - -<p>But she never finished what she had planned to say. -For just then Phil called out excitedly from the porch:</p> - -<p>“Penny, <em>Penny! Peter’s here!</em>”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">109</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="viii" id="viii"></a><span>CHAPTER 8</span><br /> -PETER IS WORRIED</h2> - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">Peter had arrived</span> several days earlier than he had -planned! For a moment Penny stood stock still on the -threshold of the old storage room.</p> - -<p>She was too thrilled to move, but she was very glad -that she was wearing her most becoming afternoon -frock. Peter said that pale yellow brought out the -golden lights in her hair and turned her eyes to violets. -Or was it forget-me-nots?</p> - -<p>Marjorie’s giggle set her in motion. “Wake up, -Penny,” Marjorie said with a laugh. “This is no time -to dream.”</p> - -<p>Her cheeks burning, Penny hurried down the hall. -Peter Wyland was just getting out of his car when -she appeared on the porch.</p> - -<p>Penny’s heart beat a little faster as she greeted him -cordially and tried to look as casual as possible. Peter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">110</a></span> -squeezed her hand lingeringly and looked as though -he were going to kiss her right in front of all the -people.</p> - -<p>“You’re looking wonderful,” Penny said.</p> - -<p>“So are you!” Peter’s eyes admired her smooth skin -which the summer sun had turned to a golden tan. -Neither of them could think of another word to say, -and yet they had so much to say to each other!</p> - -<p>Philip came to the rescue with a cheery grin. “Hi, -fella,” he greeted Peter, shaking his hand as though -it were a pump handle. “Good to see you again.”</p> - -<p>Charles came running down the front steps to greet -Peter enthusiastically, too. Penny thought:</p> - -<p>“Good old Charles. He can be nice when he wants -to. If it weren’t for Peter, I think I could like Charles -a lot.” She glanced shyly at Peter. “Oh, he <em>does</em> love -me. I can tell!” Penny was in a whirl.</p> - -<p>The first thing Philip wanted to know was when -Adra Prentice was coming.</p> - -<p>“You’re in luck, boy,” Peter said, clapping him on -the shoulder. “She’s arriving in a couple of hours by -plane. Her dad—my boss—is planning to spend a week -here toward the end of the month.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">111</a></span></p> - -<p>Phil’s gray-blue eyes lighted up with anticipation. -This would be the most exciting day of the whole -summer for Penny and Phil.</p> - -<p>“I’ll carry your bags up to your room,” he said -to Peter. “No, I don’t need any help. I know Penny -is dying to show you all over the Lodge and the -grounds.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie watched them stroll off together arm in -arm. She was glad Peter was here and that Adra was -coming soon, but she did so want to be alone with -Penny for a few minutes sometime that day. “We’ve -got to show her the clue we found in the bottle down -on the beach,” she said to Judy. “Maybe the map is -a phony, but I’m sure the scrap of paper in my pocket -means something.”</p> - -<p>“I am, too,” Judy agreed. “And I’m not so sure -that the map is a phony. It looked so old and weather-beaten. -Somebody might have found it just the other -day and put it in the jewelry box lid for safekeeping.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie stared at her thoughtfully. “Who do you -suppose this somebody is who is lurking around here, -and writing anonymous letters? It must be the same<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">112</a></span> -person, but how did he get into the storage room -without being seen?”</p> - -<p>Judy shrugged. “Don’t ask me. Let’s talk it all -over with Penny the first chance we get. Then she -can discuss it with Peter. He’s sort of an amateur detective, -isn’t he?”</p> - -<p>Marjorie nodded. “Heaven knows when we’ll be -able to say more than two words to Penny.”</p> - -<p>Adra arrived just before dinner, and once again -there was excitement and tumult. Jimmy and Marjorie -greeted the lovely, fragile-looking girl with -shouts of welcome. Penny hugged her affectionately, -but Philip could only hold her hand in his and stare -down at her wordlessly.</p> - -<p>But the expression on his handsome face told Adra -more than anything he could have said.</p> - -<p>Penny’s duties as hostess and housekeeper kept her -busy until late in the evening. At last, when she was -alone in the office planning the next day’s program, -Marjorie and Judy could stand it no longer. They -burst into the room, and Marjorie blurted:</p> - -<p>“We’ve been trying to see you alone all evening, -Sis. But, golly, you’re busy as triplets.” She stuck her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">113</a></span> -hand in her pocket and pulled out the worn scrap of -paper. “Judy and I found this in a bottle buried under -a big rock down on the beach.”</p> - -<p>Penny frowned tiredly. “Oh, Marjorie, not another -one of your clues!”</p> - -<p>Marjorie bit her lip. “I know you think we’re silly -to keep looking for buried treasure, Penny. But this -is part of a message and it has something to do with -the Log Cabin and a well.”</p> - -<p>Penny laid the scrap on her desk and tried to read -it. The girls showed her what they had been able to -decipher.</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear,” Penny said. “I’m too tired now to -think about clues. I’m sorry, girls. Go on to bed now. -It’s late. Leave this with me, and the first chance I -get in the morning, I’ll show it to Peter. He’s the -detective of our group, and if anyone can figure what -this is all about, it’s he.”</p> - -<p>After the girls had gone up to their rooms, Penny -added to herself: “I’m glad Peter arrived today for -more reasons than one. Something mysterious <em>is</em> going -on. Who was our prowler? Who wrote those anonymous -letters? Who put the map in the lid of the old<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">114</a></span> -jewelry box? And what sense does this scrap of paper -make?”</p> - -<p>The next morning, right after breakfast, she was -asking Peter the same questions. He listened attentively -as she filled in all the details.</p> - -<p>When she had finished, he said very seriously: “I -don’t like any part of this, Penny, especially the letter -that threatened you. Frankly, I wish you had turned -it over to the police. Even if there were only latent -fingerprints on it, they could have sent it to the FBI -in Washington. Those experts don’t miss a thing, and -if the man is a criminal, his fingerprints will be in -their files.”</p> - -<p>“But,” Penny objected, “if he <em>is</em> a criminal, he -would have been smart enough to wear gloves.”</p> - -<p>“That’s true,” Peter admitted. “But there are other -ways of discovering who wrote those letters. For one -thing, although he undoubtedly did his best to disguise -his handwriting, he couldn’t completely. No -one can. We all develop certain characteristics when -we first learn to write, and those characteristics stay -with us forever.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">115</a></span> -“My,” Penny said admiringly. “You <em>are</em> a detective, -Peter.”</p> - -<p>Peter grinned, and then sobered. “Not really, -Penny. And I wish you’d let me notify the police -now. Someone is obviously very interested in making -you Allens clear out of here. I don’t know why, but I -can guess.”</p> - -<p>“So can I,” Penny said, twirling a strand of her -light brown hair around her finger. “Maybe Jimmy -and Marjorie are right after all. Maybe there <em>is</em> buried -treasure around here.”</p> - -<p>Peter stared down at the note on the desk. They -had managed to make out the following words:</p> - -<div class="block-centre"> -<div class="block"> -<div class="verse"> -<div class="line">t the Log cabin</div> -<div class="line">t week in August</div> -<div class="line indent3">asure again</div> -<div class="line indent4">near the</div> -<div class="line indent4">r a well that</div> -<div class="line indent4">dry.</div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>“The first word in the third line,” Penny said, -“could be the last part of the word ‘treasure.’ And the -well could be the one we dug up. But our mysterious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">116</a></span> -Mr. X isn’t as smart as he should be. We went clear to -the bottom of that old well, Peter, and there just isn’t -any buried treasure there.”</p> - -<p>Peter nodded. “The man first tried to frighten you, -and now he’s being as annoying as he dares.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know what I think?” Penny asked. “I -think there is something valuable hidden around here -which we don’t know anything about. But Mr. X -does. He wants us to keep on thinking it’s buried -somewhere on the grounds so we’ll keep on digging -instead of searching elsewhere for it.”</p> - -<p>“You’re not only very pretty, Penny,” Peter said, -smiling. “But you’re very intelligent. I think you’ve -reasoned it out correctly. The map and this fragment -of paper are red herrings; not clues. Will you let me -turn them over to the police? Just the paper our Mr. -X used may be a clue which would lead to the discovery -of his identity in a very short time.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, Peter,” Penny cried impulsively. “Let’s -not turn the mystery over to the police now. Let’s -first try to solve it ourselves. Besides,” she added -shrewdly, “when they hear about the night prowler -who attacked Mal, they may want to put guards<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">117</a></span> -around the Lodge. And that, Peter Wyland, would -make some of the guests nervous. It might ruin our -whole business venture.”</p> - -<p>“I can refuse you nothing, Penny Allen,” he said, -grinning. “But I think we ought to consult with Phil -and Adra before we make a final decision. Let’s call -them in, and hash the whole thing out all over again.”</p> - -<p>But an hour later, after a serious discussion, Penny -won. They would not notify the police unless they -received another threatening letter.</p> - -<p>“I still don’t like it,” Peter grumbled. “The idea of -that coward threatening Penny.”</p> - -<p>Penny blushed. Peter was being very protective -about her and she couldn’t help liking it. “But he -didn’t really threaten me,” she pointed out. “He -couldn’t possibly have known I was going to touch -the rotten supports in the shed wall. If you ask me, -he heard about the accident and simply took advantage -of it. A few hours after I tumbled down the well, -everyone in the village knew about it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s another thing,” Peter said stubbornly. “If -we notify the police they’ll know who is a stranger in -town and keep an eye on him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">118</a></span> -Penny laughed. “Then they’d have to have a thousand -eyes, Peter. The place is swarming with summer -people.”</p> - -<p>Peter threw up his hands in mock despair. “Oh, all -right,” he said. “I give in. Let’s forget about it for -awhile. How about a swim, Penny? Or are you too -busy?”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Penny began, “I—”</p> - -<p>“Skip it, Sis,” Phil interrupted. “Pleasure comes before -business, since your main duty is to see that your -guests are happy.”</p> - -<p>The meeting broke up then, and everyone hurried -off to change into bathing suits. Down on dock they -found Marjorie and Judy sitting on the edge, dangling -their feet in the water.</p> - -<p>Jimmy, Alf and Brook were busy completing -preparations for their camping trip which was to start -the next day. The boys were fixing two of the canoes -to take along on the Bronc. They were planning to do -some fishing in the rivers they camped by, and were -going to be fully prepared to take advantage of anything -else they might find.</p> - -<p>That evening they had an old-fashioned square<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">119</a></span> -dance out on the front porch. There was a fiddler in -the town who had come back with Mal, and the -guests as well as the Allens had a lively time. Kitty -and Ann Mary served delicious cold lemonade with -homemade cookies.</p> - -<p>Philip reached for his fourth cooky and said to -Adra, “I’m sure I’d get too fat to move if I ate all the -good things Ann Mary is always making. Can you -make cookies like this, Adra?”</p> - -<p>She laughed and said, “No, Phil, I can’t make anything -as good as Ann Mary does, but I’m sure I could -learn, if I was offered an incentive.”</p> - -<p>“Would I be incentive enough?” asked Phil.</p> - -<p>“You would, indeed!” said Adra promptly. “But -I’m afraid we couldn’t live on just cookies.”</p> - -<p>Phil laughed and said, “That might be fun for a -little while. I’m sure Marjorie and Jimmy would think -so. They can eat at least two dozen at a time without -even trying. I’m so glad you’re going to be here for -the rest of the summer, Adra, we have so much to talk -about. I want to tell you of my plans for the winter. -I’m going to try to take a job where I can be near -you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">120</a></span> -“Oh, Phil, that will be wonderful,” cried Adra. “I -can’t <a name="think" id="think"></a><ins title="Original has 'thing'">think</ins> of anything I would like better. You know -Peter and I have become very good friends since he -has been working for my father, and he told me he -would like to find something so that he could be closer -to Penny. Does Penny know how much he likes her?”</p> - -<p>“I think she does, Adra, because, you see, she likes -Peter just as much.” Phil and Adra looked very happy -as they strolled off hand in hand.</p> - -<p>Penny, watching them, said to Peter, “I’m glad our -mysterious Mr. X isn’t spoiling their fun. I wish you’d -forget about the mystery, too, Peter, just for the -evening,” she added wistfully.</p> - -<p>He grinned cheerfully. “When I look at you, -Penny, I can’t even remember my own name.”</p> - -<p>But Penny knew that, underneath his flattering -banter, Peter was worried. She almost wished that she -hadn’t told him anything about the mystery.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">121</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="ix" id="ix"></a><span>CHAPTER 9</span><br /> -CAMPING OUT</h2> - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">The next day</span> everybody came out to wish bon voyage -to Pat and the boys who were leaving on their -camping trip for a week. All hands helped them get -their paraphernalia aboard the station wagon.</p> - -<p>Pat was the last one to get in with the big box of -fishing tackle in his left hand and a huge picnic hamper -packed with good food in his right hand. Ann -Mary had seen to it that they would eat well the first -day they started out. For the rest of the week they -had the back of the Bronc well stocked with canned -foods which they expected to supplement with the -fish they caught.</p> - -<p>They were all in the best of spirits. This was to be a -real adventure. Pat was taking them into the woods to -a fishing camp where Jimmy’s Uncle John Allen used -to go every summer. Alf Powell and Jimmy were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">122</a></span> -the chief mechanics in case anything went wrong with -the car, and Brook and Pat were to be the cooks.</p> - -<p>Marjorie and Judy had their noses slightly out of -joint because they had been hoping right up until the -last minute before the boys left, that perhaps they too -would be allowed to go along. But the boys would not -even hear of it, and Penny thought it would not be a -good idea, either.</p> - -<p>“Never mind,” Judy said in a consoling whisper to -Marjorie. “Maybe we’ll find the buried treasure while -they’re gone.”</p> - -<p>Just then Ann Mary came running out with an armful -of freshly ironed shirts for the boys.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Taggart brought these,” she panted, “early -this morning. I told him he had to get them here before -you left. Theresa just finished ironing them.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks,” Jimmy said, “but they needn’t have been -ironed. For the next week we aren’t going to care how -we look.”</p> - -<p>“Lucky dogs,” Marjorie said in an aside to Judy. -“Do you know what Penny said to me last night? She -said, ‘From now on you and I ought to change before -dinner into something besides blue jeans.’”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">123</a></span></p> - -<p>“I guess she’s right,” Judy said reluctantly. “Mother -has had the same idea all along.”</p> - -<p>But in spite of how they felt, the girls recovered -from their sulks long enough to wave cheery goodbyes -to the boys.</p> - -<p>“Have fun,” they shouted.</p> - -<p>“Be careful,” called Penny.</p> - -<p>And so at last, Jimmy, Alf and Brook were off on -their great adventure.</p> - -<p>After driving all day, Pat and the boys pulled into -a little grove of pines, deep in the woods near a beautiful, -rock-strewn river. They made camp and got out -their mosquito repellent. Pat had told them the black -flies in this part of the woods were really vicious so -they had come well prepared for such an emergency. -Jimmy and Alf got into their high boots and waded -into the river to fish. The results of this little expedition -were not quite as good as they expected, but the -few small fish they caught were very sweet when -cooked.</p> - -<p>They were up bright and early the next morning, -but that day brought no better results as far as fishing -was concerned. Pat suggested that they move camp<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">124</a></span> -deeper into the woods, near a little lake where he -thought the fishing would be much better. Jimmy seconded -the suggestion and in no time at all they were -on their way again. This time they made camp near -the tip of the little lake and early the next morning -they watched the mist rise from the lake and listened -to the birds singing in chorus.</p> - -<p>This spot was so beautiful that Brook and Alf said -they would like to spend the rest of the week here, -even if they didn’t catch a single fish.</p> - -<p>“I knew you’d like it,” answered Pat. “Mr. Allen -always wanted to stay here awhile,” he said to Jimmy.</p> - -<p>“And no wonder,” said Jimmy, “I can’t wait until -we get out there in our canoe.”</p> - -<p>The boys were all skillful with the paddle, and as -they skimmed along the lake widened, then narrowed -till it was not much more than a stream. Finally they -reached the other end and drew the canoe into a small -bay. Pat led them to a small log hut hidden in the -nearby trees. Here there was a curious storehouse for -food and extra equipment. It was built of small pine -logs and was raised high on a few posts. Pat explained -that this was to keep the food from getting damp, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">125</a></span> -that if it were properly fastened no climbing bear -could help himself to the food.</p> - -<p>The little bay where they had left their canoe was -the outlet for a stream in which Pat said there was -wonderful fishing. Pat said they would have to go upstream -a way against some rapids to get to the really -good fishing spot. He also told them that there was a -waterfall nearby and the safest thing would be for all -of them to do all of their exploring, fishing, hunting, -or anything else they decided to do, in groups. Pat -cautioned them about the strong current in the stream, -too.</p> - -<p>“Come on,” said Jimmy. “Let’s do some fishing -now and go up those rapids tomorrow.”</p> - -<p>They caught a beautiful trout and a bass for their -supper and considered that a perfect end to a successful -and happy day. They decided to spend the night -in the small log campers’ hut.</p> - -<p>The next day’s plan was changed when morning -came. The woods about the camp were explored and -found to be fairly open. It was full of birds, squirrels, -chipmunks and other small animals. Brook almost -caught a flying squirrel and claimed that he saw a wild<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">126</a></span> -cat. There were beavers building in a small stream that -wandered through the pines and widened not far from -the lake. A graceful deer took flight as Pat, who was -in the lead, approached. This caused considerable excitement -and all chatter ceased as they stole on in the -hope of surprising another deer or a bear.</p> - -<p>They climbed trees, investigated nests and Jimmy -kept looking for bees. The boys wanted to know why, -and he replied that the bees would lead them to a -“honey tree,” and there they might find a bear.</p> - -<p>“Go to it, Jimmy,” cried Alf. “I bet we take the -honey first.”</p> - -<p>They finally did see a bear, a black one of moderate -size. It ambled off before them from the water’s edge. -None of them had the heart to shoot it or anything -else they saw. They were having such a wonderful -time just investigating.</p> - -<p>Around the campfire that night they sang and told -stories and when it began to turn very chilly they -turned in. They were awakened early in the morning -by the bird chorus. Alf said it was not so hard to get -up here as at home, in school time! They took the -canoe up the rocky stream with its dashing waters and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">127</a></span> -strong current. By noon they had reached the highest -point from which these rapids started. It was quiet at -noon and the sun was hot. The perspiring boys sat -around in their bathing shorts and ate a cold lunch. -Then they got down to the real business of fishing. -Jimmy drew in a handsome black bass, and then the -competition became keen. Brook caught a beautiful -brook trout, and it was a jolly group of boys that sat -near the shore to clean their fish in the late afternoon -when they had returned to the hut.</p> - -<p>Jimmy had started the fire and then joined the rest, -picking up the first fish at hand, a fine trout. “Who -caught this?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I’ll have you know that I’m the guy,” grinned Pat, -looking up from the bass he was cleaning and waving -his knife in the air. “It’s worth-while fishing where -there’s something to catch!”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t this a walleyed perch, Jimmy?” asked Brook.</p> - -<p>“I guess so.” Jimmy had started in vigorously to -clean the trout and now raised a loud voice in the ditty -of “Ham and Eggs.” The others joined in, making the -shore ring with the sound. The fact that supper was -to consist mainly of fish made no difference. With<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">128</a></span> -young appetites and overflowing energy they managed -to consume all of the day’s catch.</p> - -<p>The next day Jimmy and Alf wanted to take things -easy and do some swimming and lounging, but Brook -wanted to do some more exploring. They finally decided -to spend the day near the hut, and Brook made -a mental note to do some exploring on his own when -he could. While they were all in swimming, he paddled -off alone, down the main stream. He had gone -only a little distance before he was concealed from -view by trees and a curving shore. He entered the -main stream, which was quite wide as far as the fork.</p> - -<p>There the division of waters left the wider stream -to the right. But that to Brook’s left offered the -prettier outlook. It stretched almost straight before -him to some distance and descended in a little rapids. -These looked easy, he thought, and though there were -rocks, the water looked shallow enough for a good -swimmer not to be troubled with any difficulty about -reaching shore or a rock in case the canoe upset.</p> - -<p>A little peninsula, dotted with green trees and -bushes, jutted out from the left shore. Brook thought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">129</a></span> -he caught a glimpse of someone moving there and -started into the left fork of the stream.</p> - -<p>“After all,” he reflected, “as the crow flies I’m only -a couple of miles from camp. Maybe Jimmy and Alf -have been out exploring and are over there on the -point.”</p> - -<p>Then he saw something that made him paddle -faster than ever. He could hear the sound of dashing -waters further on but he was too excited to pay any -attention to it. What he had glimpsed looked like a -human body, sprawling half in and half out of the -bushes of a cove on the point.</p> - -<p>Brook nosed his canoe into the cove, beached it, -and climbed up the gentle incline. Then he saw that -what had attracted his attention was only an old tattered -coat. It was rain-shriveled and had obviously -been flung over a rock to dry. But from the stream it -had looked like the torso of a human body.</p> - -<p>“Well,” Brook sighed with relief. “Thank goodness -no one was hurt or killed.”</p> - -<p>He went into the brush, past a few spruces, and -found a small clearing. In the mud here were footprints<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">130</a></span> -which had obviously been made very recently. -It had rained the night before, clearing just before -dawn. Sometime between then and now someone had -walked across the clearing and into the brush. And -back again into the woods on the other side of the -clearing, Brook reflected as he studied the footprints.</p> - -<p>Whoever it was might have hung his coat on the -rock to dry if he had been caught in the early morning -rainstorm.</p> - -<p>“Probably a tramp,” he decided and went back to -the coat. He lifted it rather gingerly, and then, because -he could not resist the temptation, turned its -pockets inside out. To his surprise, he found in the last -pocket a letter. It looked as though it had been soaked -by the rain and had been dried again by the sun which -had been shining upon the coat and rock all morning.</p> - -<p>The address upon the torn envelope was blurred, -and Brook’s curiosity was hindered by the fact that it -was almost lunch time and it might be well to hurry -back. Sticking the letter into the waterproof zippered -pocket of his bathing trunks, he hurried to his canoe, -pushed out and entered the stream again.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">131</a></span> -As Brook got back into the middle of the stream he -suddenly discovered that no paddling was necessary -to make his canoe go! The descent which looked so -gradual drew canoe and the water itself down rapidly. -The current was much stronger than one would have -thought! Brook used his paddle skillfully. He was enjoying -this exhilarating experience. It was great!</p> - -<p>But when he tried to skim around a few rocks to -the point, he almost upset the canoe and only by a -quick push from a rock did he avoid being thrown -out. But the canoe righted and Brook sped on, past the -peninsula, around into a wider channel, for which -Brook was at first glad. There was more space between -rocks.</p> - -<p>But the current was stronger, his control over the -canoe was getting a little out of hand. Brook was just -beginning to realize that he had had no business coming -off by himself, when he heard the sound of the -falls. His face grew pale, but he set his lips. The current -drew the canoe out into a wider part of the river, -and when Brook looked ahead for a minute he could -see a white spray dashing high over a pile of obstructing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">132</a></span> -rocks. It did not seem so bad off to the right, and -Brook tried to edge over in that direction.</p> - -<p>But what he saw ahead of him made him sick. It -was still some distance away, but the water was boiling -over at a little curve and fell somewhere below—he -could not tell where!</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">133</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="x" id="x"></a><span>CHAPTER 10</span><br /> -JIMMY TO THE RESCUE</h2> - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">Back at</span> camp, shortly after Brook paddled off by -himself, Jimmy and Alf decided that they had had -enough swimming for one day.</p> - -<p>“Race you to shore,” Jimmy yelled, flailing the -water in a fast crawl. Alf was slightly ahead of him, -but Jimmy soon passed him and was the first to throw -himself on the beach, crowing breathlessly, “Beat -you!”</p> - -<p>“By a mere inch,” Alf said, flopping down beside -him. “Where’s Brook?”</p> - -<p>Jimmy shrugged. “Probably back in the hut helping -Pat prepare a feast for our lunch. That guy’s always -hungry.”</p> - -<p>“So am I,” Alf said. “It’s your Michigan air. But I -don’t think Brook is with Pat. I saw him drag one of -the canoes into the water just before our race. I was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">134</a></span> -too busy trying to keep up with you to see what he -did after that.”</p> - -<p>“What difference does it make?” Jimmy demanded. -“Let’s go exploring by canoe ourselves. We can dry -off in the sun just in time for lunch.” He pointed. “I -want to investigate that fork of the first stream over -there.”</p> - -<p>“I want to eat,” Alf said. “I’m starving. But if you -must satisfy your curiosity before I satisfy my hunger, -I suppose you must.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t let you eat now anyway,” Jimmy said with -a grin. “If I did there wouldn’t be anything left for -Brook when he shows up.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll say there wouldn’t,” Alf agreed, tightening the -belt on his trunks. “I could catch a fish right now with -my bare hands and eat it while it’s still alive.”</p> - -<p>“You just had breakfast,” Jimmy said. “Come on!”</p> - -<p>Alf lazily shaded his eyes with his hand and squinted -up at the sky. “About four hours ago by the sun,” he -said stubbornly.</p> - -<p>Jimmy yanked him to his feet and called out to -Pat: “We’re going canoeing. Back in time for lunch.”</p> - -<p>“Okay,” came Pat’s voice from inside the cabin.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">135</a></span></p> - -<p>“You bet we’ll be back for lunch,” Alf said as he -and Jimmy glided out upon the lake. “What’s the coil -of rope doing in the canoe?”</p> - -<p>“I brought it along so we could climb a bee tree if -we found one,” laughed Jimmy. “Anyhow it belongs -to Pat. I think it’s some of Theresa’s clothesline.”</p> - -<p>The boys turned into the stream, and when they -came to the forking of the water, they entered the -narrower stream toward its right shore, where the -waters seemed quieter. While Alf paddled, Jimmy -made a loop of the rope and tossed it toward a stout -little spruce.</p> - -<p>“This comes in handy,” said Jimmy, as the rope -caught and Alf paddled in close to the shore. “This -current is certainly strong,” he added soberly. “And -I imagine if we got caught in the center we’d be -headed for the falls.”</p> - -<p>“Are there falls near here?” Alf asked.</p> - -<p>“I think so. Don’t you hear them?”</p> - -<p>Alf agreed and they discussed Jimmy’s plan of -either drawing the canoe ashore and footing it down, -or easing the canoe along the right shore. But there -was a tangle of underbrush along the bank and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">136</a></span> -footing was uneasy. They decided to risk it because -they had the rope to throw out to some tree so they -could keep out of the current. They kept very close -to the shore and before they reached the peninsula, -they beached the canoe in a curve that was almost a -pool and hastened, over sticks and brush and stones, to -see what lay farther down.</p> - -<p>“Well, we were smart to land, Jimmy,” said Alf, -as they stood looking at the stream where it flowed -beyond the little peninsula. “But it certainly is pretty. -We’ll have to watch our step getting down where we -can see the falls. Doesn’t she foam where she is going -over? Do you imagine the falls are high?”</p> - -<p>“Can’t tell, Alf,” Jimmy said. “Looks like quite a -ravine down ahead; but this whole region isn’t very -high and it probably dams up into some other little -lake. Come on.”</p> - -<p>“Wait till I go back after the rope, Jim,” said Alf. -“We may need it, if we climb down by the falls.”</p> - -<p>Alf picked his way back the short distance to the -canoe and brought the rope. They followed the curving -shore toward the left, where the waters that swept<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">137</a></span> -past the point went wildly on in the wider channel to -fall over—somewhere.</p> - -<p>Jimmy, with the rope over his shoulder, stood still; -Alf thought it might be better to strike through the -trees and avoid the rocks on the edge. Jimmy surveyed -the water at his feet, the scattered rocks washed by the -current, and looked upstream just in time to see -Brook’s face as Brook saw the falls ahead.</p> - -<p>“Alf!” Jimmy yelled, horrified. “Look there! It’s -Brook!”</p> - -<p>Only a moment did Jimmy stare. He slipped the -loop already made over his head and tightened it about -his waist. Alf needed no directions. What they had to -do must be done quickly. They both started running -to a point that would bring them nearer to Brook’s -course.</p> - -<p>“Brook—Brook!” they kept shouting. “This way!”</p> - -<p>Brook did not hear them, but just at that moment -his pale face turned toward the boys and he saw them.</p> - -<p>“This way! This way!” cried Jimmy, beckoning. -If Brook could only get out of that awful central current—but -maybe it was all current!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">138</a></span> -“He can’t come this way! I’ve got to throw him an -end of the rope.” As Jimmy spoke he was busy tying -a stone on the end of the rope to weight it. What a -risk it was! Jimmy was wading out to a great rock, in -a shallow where the shore curved. This was no game. -He must not miss.</p> - -<p>Alf waded after Jimmy to help him hold on to the -rope. There was still a good chance, if they were successful, -to rescue Brook. It was some distance to the -falls, but now the canoe Brook was in seemed to be -coming faster.</p> - -<p>Now. Jimmy threw, and Jimmy had not played -ball for nothing. Brook did not catch the rope, but -weighted by the stone it fell into the canoe and Brook -grasped it before it could slip back. Now his paddle -was whirling out of sight. Brook was standing up in -the canoe, with the rope tied around him, ready to -jump.</p> - -<p>Alf braced himself, and Jimmy held the rope -tightly just in front of where it was around him and -drew it taut as Brook leaped. The rope drew in easily -at first. Then came the tug against the current. Jimmy -leaned against the rock to brace himself.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">139</a></span> -It was all over in a few anxious moments. Brook had -bruised himself among the rocks, but he swam, crept -upon a rock, leaped to another, found himself in -quieter waters and was helped to his feet by two fast-breathing -boys who could scarcely speak.</p> - -<p>“How—did you get here?” gasped Brook as they -helped him ashore.</p> - -<p>“That’s the question we would like to ask you,” -answered Jimmy after a brief silence during which -they examined Brook to see if he had any broken -bones.</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you about it,” Brook said shamefacedly. -“I—I’m awfully sorry, Jimmy. I hope the canoe will -come through all right, but I don’t see how it can. I’ll -make it good, Jimmy, I promise you.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll see about that later,” returned Jimmy. “The -point is, are you all right?”</p> - -<p>“I—guess so,” Brook said sheepishly. “Got some -bruised shins, I think. It didn’t do me any good.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll say not!” Jimmy grinned a little and took -Brook’s arms, working them up and down, one after -another. “Swallow any water?”</p> - -<p>“Lots.” Brook was glad of that grin and he sheepishly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">140</a></span> -grinned back. “My arms are all right, only sore. -I’ll be black and blue from that rock I hit first. But I -guess I deserve it.”</p> - -<p>“Sure you do,” Jimmy said with a chuckle. “And -to think I thought you were at the hut with Pat. Gosh, -are we ever lucky! I guess none of us listened too carefully -when Pat told us to be sure not to go off by ourselves. -We’re guilty of the same thing you are, Brook,” -he admitted. “Well, this has been a lesson we’ll never -forget and I would say we’ve gotten off pretty cheaply -if it just cost us the canoe. Let’s get back to Pat right -away and tell him we’re all right.”</p> - -<p>Alf and Jimmy helped Brook, who was white and -wretched after his narrow escape, and when they got -to their canoe they made rapidly for camp.</p> - -<p>“Go limp, Brook,” said Jimmy, “and tell us all -about it.”</p> - -<p>Brook grinned, and said he was “limp all right,” and -briefly told how he had tried to explore the little -rapids that looked so easy, completely forgetting that -there were falls in the vicinity. He also related the incident -of the coat and pulled out a wet wad from his -pocket.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">141</a></span> -“I was going to dry this,” said he, “and see if I -couldn’t read a little of it. Maybe I might as well -throw it away.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe we can dry it yet,” suggested Alf, interested. -“Perhaps it’s a map to a treasure.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps it isn’t,” laughed Jimmy, but he caught -Brook’s hand as he was about to toss the letter overboard. -“Wait. It’s still pretty flat in the envelope. -We’ll dry it out and see. How long were you there -when you found this?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, about ten minutes or so.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that ten minutes saved your life, kid,” -Jimmy grinned. “Alf and I must have left right after -you did and passed you. I wonder if you would have -made it over the falls if we hadn’t come along. I’d like -to go down later and see what it looks like over the -brink!”</p> - -<p>“So would I, Jimmy,” Brook said.</p> - -<p>Jimmy snorted. “You’re going to lie around this -afternoon, Brook, after we fix you up.”</p> - -<p>Back at camp they found that Pat was just beginning -to get worried. He had kept their lunch warm for -them and looked rather cross as they beached the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">142</a></span> -canoe. Then he caught a glimpse of Brook’s white -face.</p> - -<p>“Well, out with it,” Pat said, frowning. “What happened -to you, lad? You look like a drowned rat.”</p> - -<p>“I’m worse than that,” Brook said ruefully. “I’m -battered and bruised, too.”</p> - -<p>As they all explained what had happened, interrupting -each other constantly, Pat carefully examined -Brook to make sure he was not badly hurt. “Just a -strained ligament,” he said, smiling reassuringly. -“We’ll have that shoulder strapped up in no time.”</p> - -<p>He went into the hut for his first aid kit, and soon -Brook was eating as hungrily as the other boys. But -after lunch he didn’t argue when Pat said:</p> - -<p>“Now, lad, you’re to take it easy the rest of the -day.”</p> - -<p>The next morning Brook reported that outside of a -few bruises, he felt fine. Then they all went back to -see the falls.</p> - -<p>“They’re pretty,” Brook said, musingly, “and -rocky, but not very high after all.”</p> - -<p>A deep pool lay below, and there was the canoe, -bobbing around aimlessly near the edge of the pool. It<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">143</a></span> -had a big gash in its side, but was not beyond repair, -Jimmy reported. He towed it up on the shore with -the aid of the trusty rope and a hook they made with -some wire.</p> - -<p>“Maybe I could have swum out,” Brook ventured, -“but I’m certainly glad I didn’t have to try it. And -most of all, Pat, I’m glad you didn’t make much of my -disobedience of your order. Believe me, it won’t happen -again.”</p> - -<p>“I know,” said Pat. “Forget it—it merely was a bit -more excitement on a very pleasant trip.”</p> - -<p>After their return from the falls, Brook remembered -the dilapidated letter and got it out. Everyone -gathered round him and they all tried to read it. It -was badly torn, obviously a good part of it was missing -and what little was left was hardly discernible. -They managed to make out the words <em>buried</em> and -<em>shed</em>.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Jimmy’s face lighted up. “Say, do you remember -last week, the day we finished the shower, -Marjorie showed me a scrap of paper she said she and -Judy had found in a bottle on the beach?”</p> - -<p>Alf nodded. “So what? They didn’t find it in any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">144</a></span> -old bottle. They manufactured the whole story just -to kid us.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I thought,” Jimmy said, rather shamefacedly. -“But now I think differently. This piece -looks as though it had been torn from the scrap they -found.”</p> - -<p>“Holy cow!” Brook stared at him. “And the girls -couldn’t have followed us and planted this part of -it in the pocket of that old coat.”</p> - -<p>“Of course not,” Jimmy said, grinning, “although -if either of them could drive a car I wouldn’t have -put it past them. Besides, you said the footprints you -saw leading to and from the coat were made by a -man’s shoes.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy stopped suddenly. “Footprints,” he repeated. -“Say, Brook, can we get to the place where -you found the coat by walking?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” Brook said. “It would take twice as long -as it would in a canoe, but,” he added ruefully, “it -would be twice as safe.”</p> - -<p>“Then let’s go,” Jimmy yelled. “I want to have a -look at the footprints you found in the clearing.” He -turned to Pat. “Okay if we go?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">145</a></span> -Pat nodded. “As long as you all stick together this -time.”</p> - -<p>As they hurried through the brush with Brook in -the lead, Jimmy explained. “A few days before you -came, Alf,” he said, “we had a lot of excitement. I -told you how Penny fell down into the old well, but -I didn’t tell you that somebody came snooping around -the place that night.”</p> - -<p>Alf stared at him. “You certainly didn’t. What’s -the idea of keeping secrets from one?”</p> - -<p>Jimmy grinned. “The truth of the matter is that I -forgot all about it. First we figured it was a tramp, -and then when we realized that he must know his way -around our property pretty well, we decided it must -have been one of those dopey villagers who think -there’s buried treasure on the place.”</p> - -<p>Brook stopped to turn around and glare at Jimmy. -“What do you mean ‘dopey’? If you don’t believe in -that buried treasure, why did you lure us into helping -you dig up every spot that didn’t have something -growing on it?”</p> - -<p>Jimmy’s dark eyes twinkled with laughter. “<em>I</em> believe -in the treasure all right, but I wouldn’t be dopey<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">146</a></span> -enough to trespass on other people’s property at -night trying to find it. You can get a bullet through -your head very neatly that way.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I see what you mean,” Brook said, completely -mollified. He started off again at a fast trot. “Was -your night prowler a dopey villager?”</p> - -<p>“We still don’t know,” Jimmy admitted. “He’s -never come back.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know he hasn’t?” Alf demanded.</p> - -<p>Jimmy groaned, clutching his dark hair in mock -dismay. “Will you guys puh-leeze let me try to explain -to you why I want to look at the footprints in -the clearing? Of course we don’t know for sure,” he -said sourly to Alf, “that our snoopy friend didn’t -come back. We only watched out for him that first -night. But with all the people who are at the Lodge -now I feel certain one of us would have heard a -night <a name="prowler" id="prowler"></a><ins title="Original has 'prowler?'">prowler.</ins>”</p> - -<p>“I’m not at all sure of that,” Alf said stubbornly. -“We all sleep like logs. After a day with a slave -driver like you I can barely keep my eyes open long -enough to get undressed and topple into bed.”</p> - -<p>“Shut up, Alf,” Brook said over his shoulder. “Let<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">147</a></span> -the slavedriver tell us why we’re taking this long trek -through the thickest part of the woods.”</p> - -<p>“Footprints,” Jimmy said in exasperation. “After -Phil and Pat fired a couple of shots in the air, the -prowler scrammed. Then we went down to have a -look at the shed. And sure enough, somebody had -been there since we had left. Right near the spot -where Penny fell through the rotten wall, some floor -boards had been ripped up and there was a footprint -in the dirt staring us in the face.”</p> - -<p>“That guy <em>was</em> dopey,” Alf muttered. “If he had -to go around leaving footprints all over the place, why -didn’t he at least put the floor boards back so you -wouldn’t find them?”</p> - -<p>Jimmy shrugged. “I figure he sneaked out from the -village to dig around near where we found the well. -But just as he got started he realized that we might -not yet have gone to bed. In that case one of us might -have seen the flashlight he must have been using. So -he slipped up to the house to have a look-see. And -then Penny saw him.” He chuckled. “After that he -didn’t have time to think about covering up his -traces.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">148</a></span> -Brook stopped again and mopped his brow. “I’m -beginning to see that there’s a method in your madness. -If the footprints I saw in the clearing match the -one you discovered under the shed floor, then we’ll -know that the same man left the old coat out on the -point.”</p> - -<p>“Your reasoning, my dear Watson,” Jimmy said, -grinning, “is excellent. I will elucidate further. The -same man is the owner of the scrap you found in the -pocket of said old coat. And since said note contained -the two words ‘buried’ and ‘shed’ my guess is that -the rumor about buried treasure is more truth than -poetry!”</p> - -<p>“What are we waiting for?” Brook demanded.</p> - -<p>“You,” Jimmy returned. “‘Lead on, Macduff.’”</p> - -<p>After that they saved their breath and hurried silently -through the mud and underbrush until at last -they emerged into a little clearing.</p> - -<p>“This is it,” Brook said. “Get out your magnifying -glass, Sherlock.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy sank down on his knees and examined the -footprints carefully. “Rubber heels,” he mumbled -triumphantly, “and made by the same manufacturer!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">149</a></span> -See that crescent with a circle around it? It’s a trademark.”</p> - -<p>“Golly!” Alf and Brook yelled in one voice.</p> - -<p>Jimmy stood up. “There’s only one hitch in the -whole deal. I’m sure now that there’s something -buried under the old shed, but Phil will never let us -dig for it as long as we need the shed for a garage.”</p> - -<p>“Holy cow,” Alf groaned. “Then that means you’ll -find a barrel of gold after we’ve gone back to school.”</p> - -<p>“Just our luck,” Brook said disconsolately. “I’m -never around when there’s any excitement!”</p> - -<p>Jimmy threw back his head and howled with laughter. -“About an hour ago,” he reminded Brook, “you -were the very center of excitement. Cheer up,” he -added. “Maybe when we get back and find that the -fragment you found fits the one the girls found, we’ll -be able to read something that’ll convince Phil and -Penny we should do something about the ground -under the shed.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe,” Alf said without much hope. “But let’s -not stick around here any longer.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s not,” Jimmy agreed. “I vote we go back to -camp and tell Pat what we have discovered. He pooh-poohs<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">150</a></span> -the idea of buried treasure as much as Phil and -Penny do, but when he hears that the footprints -match, maybe he’ll take the whole business more seriously.”</p> - -<p>“<em>I</em> think,” Brook said, “that we ought to convince -him at least that we should go home right away. I’d -rather dig for gold than fish, wouldn’t you?”</p> - -<p>Jimmy arched his dark eyebrows with surprise. -“And you were the guy who was complaining a while -ago that I’m a slavedriver!”</p> - -<p>Back at camp Pat listened soberly when Jimmy told -him that the man who had left his footprint under -the shed floor had left other footprints recently in the -clearing on the peninsula.</p> - -<p>“Are you sure, lad?” Pat demanded.</p> - -<p>Jimmy nodded. “It’s too much of a coincidence to -think that someone else with the same rubber heels -had something to do with this piece of paper which -looks like it was torn from the one Marjorie found.”</p> - -<p>“You’re right,” Pat said. “Let’s head for home at -once!”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">151</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xi" id="xi"></a><span>CHAPTER 11</span><br /> -THE MISSING FRAGMENT</h2> - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">Shortly after</span> the boys left in the station wagon for -their camping trip, Marjorie said to Judy: “Let’s look -at that map again. Penny could be wrong. Maybe it -does show exactly where treasure is buried.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s,” Judy agreed. “And maybe we held it upside -down or something. Maybe the big red cross -doesn’t mark the spot where Pat planted his potatoes.”</p> - -<p>They raced into the Lodge and down the hall to -the storage room. During the excitement of Peter’s -arrival they had left the map, still pasted in the lid -of the jewelry box, on one of the old trunks. Again -they took it over to the window and studied it -thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>“Let’s see,” Judy said after awhile. “When you’re -facing north, west is on your left isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>Marjorie nodded. “So there’s no point in looking at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">152</a></span> -this darn thing any longer. If it isn’t a phony, the -treasure is buried under the potato hills.”</p> - -<p>“I give up,” Judy said with a sigh. “We may as -well go down to the beach and try to find some rare -shells. I suppose that’s the only buried treasure I’ll -have the luck to find.”</p> - -<p>During the next few days they filled a bucket with -shells which they hoped were collectors’ items, but -which Phil and Peter told them were worthless.</p> - -<p>“That is the worst about being a girl!” Judy Powell -said in a moment of disgust. “The boys will come -back with wonderful stories about how many fish -they caught and the rapids they ran—and everything!” -Judy’s ideas of what the boys were doing -ran out.</p> - -<p>Marjorie and Judy were sitting in their favorite -spot on the pier, dangling their feet in the water. -They wore their bathing suits and had just watched -the cruiser take off with a group of the younger -guests, exclusive of themselves. They had not wanted -to go since Mal had promised to take them on a picnic -in the woods. Just at this moment they were in the -old familiar throes of not knowing what to do next.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">153</a></span></p> - -<p>“Let them rave,” said Marjorie. “We’ve things to -tell the boys, too.”</p> - -<p>“They wouldn’t think that <em>we</em> do anything,” said -Judy rather crossly.</p> - -<p>“Maybe we could think up something different,” -said Marjorie, a little worried. “Aren’t you having a -good time, Judy?”</p> - -<p>“My, yes! I didn’t mean that,” Judy said quickly. -“I was just thinking what a grand time they must -be having. I’d like to shoot rapids.”</p> - -<p>“Come up again next summer and we’ll get Pat -and Mal to take us on a canoeing trip.”</p> - -<p>“You probably couldn’t get my mother to say -yes.” Judy laughed. “Let’s go back to the house and -see if we’re missing anything.” Just as they started -back toward the Lodge they heard the loud honking -of a car on the drive.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” cried Judy, “I’ll bet the boys have come -home. I wonder what made them come back before -the week was out.”</p> - -<p>“Something awful must have happened to one -of them,” Marjorie gasped as they began to run as -fast as they could.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">154</a></span> -Sure enough, the station wagon was parked in front -of the Lodge and the boys were tumbling out of it.</p> - -<p>“They certainly don’t look as though anything -awful had happened to them,” Judy panted.</p> - -<p>“Hi, everybody,” Jimmy was shouting to the -crowd that had gathered on the porch. When the -girls reached the steps they heard him say quietly to -Penny and Phil:</p> - -<p>“Say, how about calling a meeting of the Board of -Directors right away?”</p> - -<p>“We can’t, Jimmy,” Penny said. “Everyone is -busy.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then,” he said. “A meeting of the Allens -in the office. I’ve got something in my pocket which -I think the rest of the family ought to know about as -soon as possible.”</p> - -<p>Penny could tell from the sober expression on -Jimmy’s tanned face that this was not a joke. She -beckoned to Phil and Marjorie and led the way into -the office.</p> - -<p>“On second thought,” Jimmy said as he followed -her, “let’s get Peter in on this. I’d like to hear his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">155</a></span> -opinion of the whole thing. Besides,” he added in -a low teasing voice, “he’s practically family anyway.”</p> - -<p>Penny’s cheeks flamed. “Jimmy,” she said, mildly -scolding, “you never can be serious for more than -five minutes at a time.”</p> - -<p>“I’m pretty darn serious now,” Jimmy said. When -they had all gathered around the desk, he closed the -door and produced the scrap of paper which Brook -had found in the old coat.</p> - -<p>After one swift glance, Penny said, “Why, Peter, -the handwriting looks just like the one on the fragment -Marjorie found. Where on earth did you find -it, Jimmy?”</p> - -<p>Jimmy explained and Penny frowned as she listened. -“Brook had no business taking that envelope -out of a coat he found,” she said.</p> - -<p>Peter chuckled. “Maybe he didn’t have any right -to take it, Penny, but in my opinion it was put where -it was so that no boy could resist the temptation.”</p> - -<p>Penny thought for a minute. Again she read the -blurred words, more carefully this time.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">156</a></span></p> - -<div class="block-centre"> -<div class="block"> -We’ll meet a<br /> -the las<br /> -and look for the tre<br /> -I’m sure it’s buried<br /> -old shed nea<br /> -has long run -</div> - -<p>Then she pulled out of her desk drawer the fragment -Marjorie had found in the green bottle. The -two pieces fit together as perfectly as a jigsaw puzzle. -Now they could all read the complete page:</p> - -<div class="block-centre"> -<div class="block"> -We’ll meet at the Log cabin<br /> -the last week in August<br /> -and look for the treasure again.<br /> -I’m sure it’s buried near the<br /> -old shed near a well that<br /> -has long run dry. -</div> - -<p>“Oh, oh,” Jimmy moaned. “That means more digging. -I guess we didn’t dig deep enough.”</p> - -<p>“But what about the map?” Marjorie demanded. -“It showed that treasure was buried behind the Donahues’ -cabin.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">157</a></span></p> - -<p>“None of it makes any sense,” Peter said calmly. -“And you kids may as well accept the fact right now -that the map and the two fragments aren’t clues. -They’re obviously red herrings, deliberately planted -to keep us busy looking for buried treasure.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t get it,” Jimmy said frankly.</p> - -<p>“It’s this way,” Phil explained. “Peter, Penny and -I figure that there <em>is</em> something valuable hidden -around here. Somebody who obviously isn’t honest -knows where it is. He wants to keep us from finding -it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh golly,” Marjorie broke in, “wait until I tell -Judy about this. We’ll spend the rest of the summer -going over the whole place with a fine-tooth comb.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, you won’t,” Penny said, laughing. “I have -a better idea, and one that won’t drive our guests -out of their minds.”</p> - -<p>Peter stared at her in amazement. “Have you been -keeping secrets from me?” he asked, pretending that -his feelings were hurt.</p> - -<p>“Oh, no,” Penny told him hastily. “The idea just -came to me this minute. Actually, the words, ‘last -week in August’ gave it to me.” Her cheeks flushed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">158</a></span> -with excitement, she went on. “One morning last -week when I was out in the kitchen discussing menus -with Ann Mary, she suggested that we give a masquerade -party. There are plenty of grand costumes -in the old trunks for all of the ladies, and you men -can rig up outfits from old curtains and stuff in our -boxes.”</p> - -<p>“A swell idea,” Jimmy said. “But what’s it got to -do with finding hidden treasure?”</p> - -<p>Penny smiled at him patiently. “If you’d only let -me finish! Ann Mary and I decided that the last -Friday in August would be a good time for the party. -Most of the guests will be leaving early in September, -so it would be sort of a last fling.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy began to sing, “After the ball is o-ver. After -the guests have gone.”</p> - -<p>“Stop interrupting,” Marjorie said, glaring at him. -“Let Penny finish.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Penny went on, “we planned the party -just for ourselves and our guests. But now I think we -should issue a blanket invitation to all the merchants -in town. It will be our way of expressing our appreciation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">159</a></span> -of the way they cooperated with us all summer. -Now,” she finished, “you can all guess the rest.”</p> - -<p>“Not me,” Marjorie said, rapidly blinking her blue -eyes.</p> - -<p>Jimmy clutched his dark hair wildly. “I follow you -as closely as though you’d had a million-mile head -start.”</p> - -<p>Peter was staring at Penny with frank admiration. -“You <em>are</em> smart,” he said. “Don’t you see?” he asked -Jimmy and Marjorie. “Our Mr. X, or our Messrs. X, -for there may be more than one, will certainly be -among those present at the masquerade. With everyone -coming masked and in costume, he wouldn’t miss -the chance. He’ll come out sure that he can get whatever -he’s after and depart before the unmasking.”</p> - -<p>“Holy cow,” Jimmy exploded. “Penny <em>is</em> smart. Instead -of our wearing ourselves out looking for hidden -treasure, he’ll lead us right to it.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie gave her sister an impulsive hug. “It’s the -grandest idea anyone ever invented,” she cried.</p> - -<p>“And,” Jimmy put in, suddenly remembering the -main reason why they had persuaded Pat to cut the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">160</a></span> -camping trip short, “I’m pretty sure there’s only one -Mr. X.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be a dope,” Marjorie said. “I’m sure there -are two. One of them put the bottle where he was sure -Judy and I would find it while we were looking for -shells. And the other put the coat where you boys -couldn’t miss it.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy shrugged. “Maybe so, but the same Mr. X -who left his footprint under the floor of the shed -planted the coat.”</p> - -<p>“Yipes,” Peter moaned. “What’s all this about a -footprint under the shed? I thought it was a garage -filled with cars.”</p> - -<p>“It is now,” Penny explained with a chuckle. “Before -we converted it, someone ripped up part of the -floor and left a footprint in the dirt.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” Jimmy said. “And he also left footprints -in a clearing back where Brook found the coat. -Footprints,” he finished triumphantly, “with rubber -heels made by the same manufacturer.”</p> - -<p>“Why, Jimmy Allen,” Marjorie gasped admiringly, -“you’re so smart you ought to get a job with the FBI.”</p> - -<p>But Penny laughed. “Now all the red herrings fit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">161</a></span> -together like the pieces of this paper. Don’t you see, -Jimmy? Mr. X deliberately left that footprint in the -shed in plain view so I might believe that he had had -something to do with my accident. Right, Peter?”</p> - -<p>“Right,” Peter said. “As soon as Mr. X heard you -had fallen down the well, he wrote the letter which -you received the next day. Then that evening he -sneaked out to plant evidence which he hoped would -back up his threat.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, gosh,” Jimmy said disconsolately. “We’re -right back where we started. But at least we can be -pretty sure that there’s only one Mr. X.”</p> - -<p>“We can’t be sure of anything,” Phil said soberly. -“Except that whoever it is really does mean business. -The very fact that one of them jumped on Mal that -night when we chased him away proves that. An ordinary -night prowler would have tried to sneak away -without being seen.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Marjorie said cheerfully, “we mean business -now, too. And we’re sure to catch him the night -of the masquerade when he comes here to get the -treasure.”</p> - -<p>“Wa—ait a minute,” Phil said cautiously. “What’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">162</a></span> -to prevent Mr. X from getting by with his scheme? -We can’t be everywhere at once in a place as big as -this, especially when so many people will be milling -around.”</p> - -<p>“And,” Peter added, “how will we know whom to -keep an eye on?” He smiled at Penny. “You planned, -of course, to have police detectives here in costume, -too.”</p> - -<p>“No, I didn’t,” Penny admitted. “I thought it -would be more fun if we set a trap and caught Mr. or -Messrs. X ourselves.”</p> - -<p>“What sort of a trap?” Phil asked, frowning.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know exactly,” Penny admitted. “But I -think it ought to have something to do with the secret -room. For one thing, Ann Mary and I planned that -just before the unmasking we might spring it on our -guests as a surprise. None of them except Adra has -any idea where it is.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie felt very uncomfortable at that moment. -She opened her mouth to confess that she had showed -it to Judy, but decided against interrupting Penny -until she had finished.</p> - -<p>“When we open the door,” Penny went on, “those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">163</a></span> -who want to go down into the room will have to take -turns, because it’s too small to hold them all at the -same time. I thought that if anyone had been acting -suspiciously before that, we might be able to lure him -down alone and then we could quickly press the button -and lock him in.” She added, turning to Peter, -“Then you can call in the police.”</p> - -<p>He shook his head worriedly. “<em>You</em> are not going -to be the one to lure him down into the room alone.”</p> - -<p>“Of course not,” Jimmy said quickly. “<em>I</em> will.”</p> - -<p>“No, you won’t,” Phil told him emphatically. “The -man may be armed and I’m the only one who has a -pistol license. I’ll go down with him and one of you -can close the door. If he’s really been acting suspiciously, -I’ll suggest that he unmask. If he’s the man we -want, he’ll refuse. Then I’ll produce my gun and keep -him there while I knock on the door. That will be the -signal that our scheme worked.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t like the idea of your being locked down -there with him,” Penny objected.</p> - -<p>“It’s the only answer,” Phil insisted. “Once he has -any idea that we suspect him, he may make a wild dash -for safety, and that would frighten some of our guests<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">164</a></span> -very badly. Besides, he might escape. With all those -people wandering in and out of the Lodge, I wouldn’t -dare use my gun.” He turned to Peter. “What do you -think of the plan?”</p> - -<p>“It’s okay except for one thing,” Peter said. “What -if Mr. X doesn’t do anything to make us suspect him? -Up until the unmasking we won’t have any way of -knowing whether he is one of the village merchants or -not. And by that time he will certainly have disappeared.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s bound to do something to make him stand -out from the others,” Marjorie put in. “And he’ll -probably be very careless because he won’t have any -idea that we plan to catch him in a trap.”</p> - -<p>“That’s true,” Peter admitted.</p> - -<p>“Sometimes,” Jimmy said with a teasing grin, “the -gal makes sense.”</p> - -<p>Phil stood up. “If we’re all agreed, I may as well -go down to the village now and spread the word about -the party.”</p> - -<p>“And I,” said Penny, rising, too, “had better go -through the stuff in the storage room and see what we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">165</a></span> -have. I thought it might be fun to decorate the secret -room so it’ll look good and scary.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll help,” Marjorie said. “I know where there’s -one of those old paper skeletons that we used to hang -up on Hallowe’en.” She slipped her arm through -Penny’s. “Oh, isn’t it going to be fun? Even if we -don’t catch Mr. X, the masquerade will be the best -event of the whole summer.”</p> - -<p>“I hope so,” Penny said. “And I hope we do catch -him. Even if he’s just a crank and isn’t after anything -valuable, he’s annoyed us enough. It’s time we put a -stop to it.”</p> - -<p>She glanced back over her shoulder at Peter who -was still sitting at the desk.</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear,” she thought reading the anxious expression -on his face. “He still thinks we ought to get help -from the police.” She shivered involuntarily. “Maybe -before the party is over we’ll be sorry we didn’t follow -his advice.”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">166</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xii" id="xii"></a><span>CHAPTER 12</span><br /> -SETTING THE TRAP</h2> - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">The next</span> two weeks were busy ones for everyone connected with the -Lodge. From morning to night there was a terrific amount of hustling -and bustling around the house, inside and out. Everyone was loaning -something or borrowing something to wear at the last big party of the -season.</p> - -<p>Brook, Alf and Jimmy, all amateur but experienced electricians, -extended wires from the house to the trees so that the lawn would be -bright with lanterns.</p> - -<p>“Just in case there’s no moon,” Phil said.</p> - -<p>“If it rains, I’ll die,” Marjorie said nervously.</p> - -<p>She and Judy were helping the boys, and Judy insisted upon knowing what -each one planned to wear.</p> - -<p>“We’re all going as cowboys,” Jimmy called down from the fork of a tall -tree.</p> - -<p>“How original of you,” Marjorie said sarcastically. “And it shows how -lazy you are too. All you have to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">167</a></span> do is stuff the legs of your jeans -in boots, tie bandannas around your necks, and borrow toy guns and -holsters from kids in the village.”</p> - -<p>“So what?” Alf demanded. “With masks on nobody will recognize us, not -even you two.”</p> - -<p>“We wouldn’t even try,” Judy informed him airily. “There’ll probably -be so many cowboys here that night it would be like trying to find a -needle in a haystack.”</p> - -<p>“I hope Mr. X wears something more original,” Marjorie said without -thinking.</p> - -<p>“Who?” Judy demanded.</p> - -<p>“Er—nobody,” Marjorie said hastily. The Allens, at Peter’s suggestion, -had decided not to share their secret with any of the other guests.</p> - -<p>“If too many people know that we’re planning to set a trap,” he had -said, “it won’t be long before Mr. X knows too.”</p> - -<p>To change the subject Marjorie said to Brook: “Phil and Penny wrote to -New York and they heard today that I can get into that small boarding -school I told you about. It’s up on the Hudson. Golly, I hate to think -of going away from here.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">168</a></span> -“I know how you feel,” Brook said sympathetically. -“But just the same I’m glad you’re going to a school -that isn’t very far from mine. When we have dances, -you’ll come as my guest, won’t you?”</p> - -<p>Marjorie blushed. She <em>did</em> like Brook, and it would -be fun to go to school dances with him, but she wished -he hadn’t asked her when Jimmy was around. Jimmy -thought it was fun to tease Judy Powell, but Marjorie -knew that he thought girls were a nuisance. He also -thought that boys who asked girls to parties were -dopes. She waited tensely for the caustic remark she -knew was coming.</p> - -<p>To her surprise, Jimmy said nothing. He climbed -down from the fork of the tree and gave her a look -which said plainer than words:</p> - -<p>“Watch your step, stupid. You almost let the cat -out of the bag.”</p> - -<p>And then Marjorie realized to her dismay that all -of the others were staring at her curiously. Every one -of them had heard her blurt out: “I hope Mr. X wears -something more original.” They were overcome with -curiosity but they were all too polite to ask any more -questions.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">169</a></span> -Hastily Marjorie said, “Aren’t you all starving? I’ll -go ask Ann Mary if I can’t fix some lemonade and raid -the cooky jar.”</p> - -<p>She was off without waiting for their replies, but -Judy raced after her. Marjorie’s heart sank. As soon -as they were out of earshot of the boys, Judy’s curiosity -would get the better of her good manners. She -would demand an explanation of Marjorie’s unfortunate -remark.</p> - -<p>Then Marjorie had an idea. “You know,” she said -casually, “I’ll bet a lot of people come to the party -disguised as the ghost who’s supposed to haunt the -Lodge. I think of him as Mr. X and he wears a long -gray beard. It would be hard to see through that disguise. -I mean, a long flowing white robe, a wig and a -mask with a long gray beard.”</p> - -<p>Judy looked disappointed but Marjorie knew that -her curiosity was satisfied. “It would be a perfect disguise,” -Judy said. “And much more original than a -cowboy outfit.”</p> - -<p>Back in the Lodge they found all the other guests -busy making final decisions about their costumes. The -ladies had all enjoyed going through the trunks, spending<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">170</a></span> -one entire day rummaging, to the great delight of -the younger fry. Some of the people had gone into -town to get extra things for their costumes from the -local stores. They reported that the townspeople, too, -were all excited about the party and that a great many -of them were planning to come.</p> - -<p>At last it was the day of the big event, and to Marjorie’s -delight the sun shone brightly in an almost -cloudless sky.</p> - -<p>Penny had decided to wear the old wedding dress -from the trunk. It was beautiful even though it had -yellowed with age. Adra was wearing a green silk -dress with matching slippers from the same old trunk. -Penny and Marjorie helped each other fix their costumes, -and Marjorie suggested to Penny that she -should wear the veil that went with the dress and thus -really look like a bride.</p> - -<p>“Because, Sis,” Marjorie said unashamedly, “you -<em>are</em> going to be a bride pretty soon. You might as well -start getting used to the idea.”</p> - -<p>Penny’s cheeks flamed. Then she suddenly threw -her arms around Marjorie. “Oh, honey, if only I could -be <em>sure</em>. There’s no sense in my trying to hide from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">171</a></span> -you that I love Peter. But how can I be sure that he -loves me?”</p> - -<p>Marjorie sniffed. “Penny, you idiot! It’s written all -over his face whenever he looks at you. And when -you’re not around he mopes, except when he’s shooting -daggers with his eyes at Charles Curtis.”</p> - -<p>Penny couldn’t help smiling. Then she frowned. -“But that doesn’t mean I’ll be a bride very soon. Peter -may love me, but neither of us has enough money to -start in housekeeping. Maybe,” she added wistfully, -“that’s why Peter doesn’t tell me now that he loves -me.”</p> - -<p>“Pooh.” Marjorie snorted. “You can live on love. -Besides, we must have made a lot of money on the -Lodge this summer.”</p> - -<p>“Not really,” Penny told her. “We had to hire an -awful lot of help, you know. And this whole month -the laundry has been so huge we had to pay Mr. Taggart -twice as much as he estimated in the beginning. -It had to be taken into the village four times a week.” -She sighed. “And the girls we originally hired to come -out only to wait on the tables and help with the ironing -had to work full time.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">172</a></span> -“Never mind,” Marjorie said consolingly. “It’s been -fun.”</p> - -<p>Penny brightened. “Oh, I don’t mean that we -didn’t make any money. There’s enough to see you -and Jimmy through school. But Phil and I want you -to go to college. Both of you.”</p> - -<p>“We won’t go,” Marjorie said stanchly. “Not if it -means you can’t marry Peter when he asks you to. -After the experience we’ve had this summer we can -both get jobs.” She pirouetted around the room. -“Don’t you think I’d make somebody a wonderful -secretary?”</p> - -<p>“Wonderful.” Penny giggled. “But not a very dignified -one. No, honey,” she went on seriously, “don’t -you worry your pretty head about getting a job just -yet. Things will work out somehow. I know they -will.”</p> - -<p>To herself she added, “If Peter asks me to marry -him, I’ll say yes. <em>Together</em> we can work things -out.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you what let’s do,” Marjorie cried. “Let’s -have dress rehearsal right now. Here, in your room. -Just us and Judy ’cause she’s going to be my twin.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">173</a></span> -And Ann Mary so she can give our costumes a final inspection.” -She danced away.</p> - -<p>In a short while they were all crowding into -Penny’s room, laughing and making fun of each other.</p> - -<p>Marjorie and Judy were dressed alike in little Swiss -peasant girl costumes. Jimmy made a very handsome -cowboy and Philip was a swashbuckling pirate. A -banquet was to be served at midnight after the unmasking, -and since this was the event of the summer, -Ann Mary had included all her specialties in the menu. -She stayed at the dress rehearsal only long enough to -assure them that they all looked wonderful, then hurried -away.</p> - -<p>In spite of last-minute preparations, the Allens and -Peter made time for a final conference in the office.</p> - -<p>“Let’s try to have as much fun as possible,” Peter -said, “but we mustn’t forget for one minute that we’re -all detectives.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” Phil agreed. “If any one of us notices -a guest acting suspiciously, he or she must report -at once to the others. There’ll be over a hundred -people here tonight, so we’ve all got to be on our toes. -Every minute,” he added soberly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">174</a></span> -Jimmy nodded. “Every minute until the unmasking -anyway. Which means between the hours of ten -and midnight. Not many people will arrive before ten -even though we invited them to come at nine-thirty.”</p> - -<p>Penny was sketching a floor plan of the Lodge on a -large sheet of paper. “Whatever Mr. X is after,” she -said, “it obviously isn’t buried on the grounds. If it -were, he wouldn’t have planted those red herrings. -Therefore, it’s probably in the house. If it’s upstairs, -all we have to do is make sure that nobody but our -house guests and help goes up without our knowing it. -We all know what costumes they’ll be wearing so -that’s easy. But it will be Peter and Marjorie’s job to -keep an eye on the back stairs; Jimmy and I, the -front.”</p> - -<p>Everyone nodded, and Penny went on. “If it’s -downstairs, Mr. X will know that he hasn’t got a -prayer of searching for it, unless it’s in the office or -the storage room, and I’ve locked those doors securely, -so he can’t slip in and out unnoticed. The other downstairs -rooms will be filled with people all the time, including -the kitchen. The logical time for him to try to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">175</a></span> -find whatever he plans to steal will be when everyone -is gathered in one room.”</p> - -<p>She smiled up at Peter. “In order to be sure we -catch Mr. X in our trap, I have carefully dropped hints -throughout the village that at eleven-thirty on the dot -we’re going to show our guests the secret room. Don’t -you think he’ll choose that time, when everyone’s attention -will be concentrated on one spot, to do something -which will attract our attention?”</p> - -<p>“I certainly do,” Peter said. “He’ll be the one guest -at that moment who won’t crowd into the alcove to -see how the secret door works. Unless,” he added -thoughtfully, “whatever he happens to be after is in -the secret room itself.”</p> - -<p>“I thought of that,” Penny said. “And since he can’t -possibly know how the secret doors works, he’ll wait -until after that part of the evening’s entertainment is -over. Then he’ll try to sneak back and go down into -the room while we’re unmasking.” She chuckled. “In -that case, he’ll walk right into our trap. After the last -guest has left, Phil can stay behind and hide in the -alcove. If Mr. X sneaks back and goes down into the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">176</a></span> -room, all Phil has to do is fasten the door from the outside, -once Mr. X is safely down the stairs. Then we -can call the police, for obviously no honest person -would go into the secret room without our permission.”</p> - -<p>“I object,” Jimmy said. “According to that scheme, -we’ll catch Mr. X, but we still won’t know what he -was trying to steal.”</p> - -<p>“I agree with Jimmy,” Phil said. “So instead of -hiding in the alcove after the guests have all seen the -secret room, I’ll hide down in the room itself. Behind -the black draperies you’ve hung on the walls. If he -sneaks back, I’ll stay there until <em>after</em> he’s got whatever -he’s trying to get. Then at the point of my gun -I’ll make him turn it over to me and—”</p> - -<p>Penny interrupted with a frown: “I still don’t like -the idea of your being down in the room alone with -someone who may be a dangerous criminal, Phil.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Penny,” Marjorie cried impulsively, “Phil can -take care of himself. Besides, Mr. X won’t have any -idea that he’s hiding behind the black curtains. Also,” -she added, “what Mr. X wants may not be in the secret -room after all.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">177</a></span> -“That’s true,” Penny admitted reluctantly.</p> - -<p>“Then the scheme is this,” Peter said, summing it -up. “If you and Marjorie see a stranger sneak upstairs -before the unmasking, you’re to report at once to -Phil, Jimmy and me. We’ll follow him and catch him -in the act. If no one does anything suspicious, Phil -will remain in the secret room after the guests have -seen it. Pat, who will open the door, will close it when -everyone has left the alcove. Then we’ll all go into the -big room for the unmasking and wait until Phil signals -that he has caught a rat in his trap. You can do that, -Phil,” he finished, “as we already agreed, by banging -on the door.”</p> - -<p>And so the final arrangements were made. But -Penny, as she hurried upstairs with Marjorie to dress -for the occasion, knew that Peter was worried. He -didn’t like the idea of Phil being locked in the secret -room with Mr. X any more than she did.</p> - -<p>“But,” she realized suddenly, “Phil won’t be <em>locked</em> -in after all. Even though we may deliberately play into -Mr. X’s hands by showing him how to get into the -secret room, he won’t know where the spring is that -closes the door on the other side.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">178</a></span> -And, as Marjorie pointed out while they helped -each other with their costumes: “The whole thing -may be a flop. We don’t know for sure that there is -anything valuable hidden in the Lodge, or that Mr. X -will be among those present tonight.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">179</a></span> -</div> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xiii" id="xiii"></a><span>CHAPTER 13</span><br /> -PHILIP TRAPS A THIEF</h2> - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">Peter Wyland</span> knew that Penny would be coming -down the back way when she was ready, instead of -down the stairs from the balcony. When he was in his -costume he waited at the foot of the back stairs. The -large room at the bottom of the steps was dimly lit.</p> - -<p>Presently Penny, a sweet vision, appeared at the top -of the steps. She gathered her draperies for the descent, -unconscious of anyone’s presence. The veil, which -Marjorie had persuaded her to wear, floated behind -her, caught back from her face by pins and a white -rose.</p> - -<p>When she was halfway down, Peter stepped into -the light. “Penny,” he said in a low voice, “you look -lovely. I should have been waiting here with a minister!”</p> - -<p>Peter was beside the surprised Penny in a moment, -leading her down the few remaining steps to the room<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">180</a></span> -where he tenderly put his arms around her and kissed -her. “I can’t wait any longer, Penny, to tell you how I -love you!” Peter’s voice was a little nervous. What he -had intended to say deserted him. “Will you—will you -wear a dress like this for me, soon?”</p> - -<p>Penny, who had not had a chance to utter a word, -and whose breath was taken away by the surprise of -having Peter kiss her, merely said, “Oh,—why, Peter,” -as he led her to a little sofa in the corner of the room.</p> - -<p>“Sit here with me just a minute, Penny. I’ve been -waiting to ask you for so long, only I’ve never known -whether you were just being kind and sweet to me because -you’re that way with everyone, or whether you -could like me well enough to marry me. I saw that -there was Charles Curtis—but if you were engaged to -him, I figured Phil would tip me off. I am sort of a -coward where you are concerned, Penny. Don’t tell -me that you like Charley best! Do you love me a -little?”</p> - -<p>Peter’s voice was low and eager. He held one of -Penny’s hands tightly in his.</p> - -<p>Penny was not the sort to keep the man she loved -in a state of uncertainty. “Did you know you’ve loved<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">181</a></span> -me all summer, Peter? I wish you’d told me sooner, -because you see, I’ve been in love with you, too.” It -was all right at last. “I knew last year that I loved you -Peter, but I couldn’t very well let you know it!” -Penny’s hand was almost crushed as Peter’s face lit up -with joy. He swept her into his arms again for another -kiss, and Penny said, “I could stay here and forget -all about my duties to my guests, but we mustn’t -forget about Mr. X. And I’ll have to go upstairs again, -Peter. See how you have mussed this veil.”</p> - -<p>“Not beyond repair, I hope,” he said, smiling. -“Penny, before you go, say you’ll marry me this fall, -as soon as the guests leave?”</p> - -<p>“Silly man! You take my breath away,” Penny -laughed. “But it is wonderful that you are silly about -me, Peter. I can’t think straight right this minute, but -we’ll talk about it later. Marjorie and Jimmy are going -to school in September. Phil is going to New York to -work for Mr. Prentice and to go to school nights. He -wants to be near Adra. Mercy—I’m all mixed up. -There will be so much to see to. Could you—could we -have our honeymoon right here?”</p> - -<p>“I can’t think of a more wonderful spot,” Peter said.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">182</a></span> -“Our life is going to be all honeymoon from now on. -As long as I know we love each other that’s enough to -make me walk on air the rest of the evening. What a -pity we can’t be by ourselves. I’ll be thinking of you -every single minute, darling.”</p> - -<p>Peter waited until Penny went back to her room to -repair damages. It took her but a few minutes and -when she made her appearance in the living room, she -was immediately surrounded and admired by everyone.</p> - -<p>With the keen eye of an experienced hostess, she -glanced around to see that everyone was being entertained -in some fashion. She recognized most of the -guests regardless of their masks, and she noted that -there was quite an assembly of townspeople whom she -could not recognize because of their disguises. Mr. -and Mrs. Curtis were dressed as George and Martha -Washington and they looked very distinguished. -They were talking to Marjorie just now and saying -something that made her laugh. There was Charles -Curtis dancing with a lovely girl who had spent several -weekends at the Lodge and had come back for -the masquerade. When he danced by Penny he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">183</a></span> -stopped for a minute and said, “I’ll wager that this is -our fair hostess. Shall I telephone the parson? It’s hard -to resist such a bride!”</p> - -<p>“You are incorrigible, Charles,” Penny reported.</p> - -<p>“And you look radiant tonight, Penny.” And off -he danced with his partner. It was hard for Penny to -get her mind on anything else except Peter. Dear, -eager, wonderful Peter. But she had many things to -do. The tables in the dining room had to be checked, -and then she had to return and take part in the party. -She looked around at the guests once more trying to -place some of those who did not look familiar. There -was one masquerader in particular who caught her -eye. He was dressed as the bearded ghost that was -supposed to wander about the Lodge, but aside from -the long beard and white wig he seemed to be quite -young, vigorous and active. He was too heavy for Alf -who had once said something about dressing up as a -graybeard. He was with Adra a good deal of the time -but mingled with the rest and danced well.</p> - -<p>All the guests had arrived and the party was in full -swing. It was nearly time for Philip to announce that -he was going to show everybody the secret room.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">184</a></span> -Peter came into the room just a few minutes before -this and slipping an arm around Penny, he said, “Congratulate -me, Phil, I’m going to be your brother-in-law.”</p> - -<p>Philip stared a moment, then put a hand on Peter’s -shoulder and told him there was no one to whom he’d -rather hand over Penny. “Good work, Peter,” he -said. “Congratulations. Even if she is my sister, I must -say you’re getting a wonderful girl.”</p> - -<p>“Nobody knows that better than I,” Peter said -humbly.</p> - -<p>“Stop it, you two,” Penny cried. “I’ll get a head too -big for my shoulders if you keep it up. By the way, do -either of you recognize that man over there disguised -as Graybeard?”</p> - -<p>“I think that’s Mr. Sanders. He said something -about wearing such a costume when Alf gave up the -idea,” said Peter.</p> - -<p>“No, it isn’t Mr. Sanders,” Penny said. “But there’s -something very familiar about him. I’m sure I know -him but I can’t quite put my finger on who he is.”</p> - -<p>“Has he done anything suspicious?” Phil asked.</p> - -<p>“Not a thing,” Penny admitted. Then she laughed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">185</a></span> -“But he has been paying quite a lot of attention to -Adra. You’d better watch out, Phil.”</p> - -<p>Phil frowned. “I’ll be glad when this evening is -over. I’ve hardly had a chance to speak to Adra since -breakfast. And—and, well I guess you two know how -I feel about her.”</p> - -<p>“We do,” Penny told him, smiling. “But the question -is, does she?” She gave him a fond pat on the -cheek. “Faint heart never won fair lady, Phil.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” Peter said, grinning. “Once you get -used to the idea, Phil, proposing to the girl you love -isn’t so difficult.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose not,” Phil said dubiously, “but if I rush -matters I might ruin my chances with Adra.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie joined them then. “Nobody’s done anything -suspicious at all,” she complained. “The whole -scheme is a flop.”</p> - -<p>“The evening isn’t over yet,” Penny reminded her. -She tucked her hand in the crook of Peter’s arm, blushing. -“We’re going to announce our engagement at -the banquet. And if Phil takes my advice, he’ll propose -to Adra before the party is over.” She smiled at -Marjorie. “Isn’t that enough excitement for you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">186</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, oh,” Marjorie cried, hugging Penny. “I’m so -glad. Wait until I tell Judy.” She was off, completely -forgetting to congratulate the bridegroom-to-be.</p> - -<p>A short while after that Penny went upstairs with -Adra and told her that she and Peter were engaged.</p> - -<p>“I’m so happy for you both,” Adra said, rather -wistfully.</p> - -<p>Penny said nothing, but she guessed that when Phil -did propose, the answer would be yes. She hurried -downstairs again for, from the balcony, she could see -that the guests were already crowding into the alcove.</p> - -<p>Most of the younger men, as Marjorie had predicted, -were dressed as cowboys, complete with bandannas, -chaps and guns in their holsters. Penny had -not been able to pick out Brook and Alf, but she knew -that Jimmy was the tallest cowboy of them all.</p> - -<p>He was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs. -“Everybody’s all set,” he told her. “Pat’s pressing the -button that moves the bookshelves now.” When Adra -came down from the balcony he added, “Let’s wait -out here. It’ll only add to the confusion if we, who -have already seen the secret room, join the crowd in -the alcove.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">187</a></span> -“All right,” Adra said, sitting on the bottom step. -“I’m exhausted. Mr. Graybeard is a wonderful dancer, -but he never wants to stop for a rest.”</p> - -<p>“Who is that guy anyway?” Jimmy asked. “He -looks familiar, but I can’t place him.”</p> - -<p>“Neither can I,” Penny said. “But then I can’t place -a lot of the people here.” She pointed to two cowboys -who were standing just outside the alcove. “For instance, -are those two guests Alf and Brook? I wouldn’t -know.”</p> - -<p>And then Penny saw something that made her turn -and race up the stairs. The guns that those two cowboys -were slipping from their holsters were not toy -pistols. Even at that distance she could see that they -were small, but deadly-looking automatics.</p> - -<p>In the meantime, Philip, in the alcove, was making -his little speech to the assembled guests.</p> - -<p>“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said and waited a moment -for attention.</p> - -<p>“There is one little feature of Allen Lodge that has -not been on exhibit, a place we call the secret room.” -Philip paused again, for effect this time, and a murmur -of interest ran around the room.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">188</a></span> -“When we first moved into this Lodge we found it -accidentally and we decided to surprise you with it -tonight. This room has a curious entrance and when -I open the door you will see the little wall safe that -has held your money and jewelry. We are sorry to -say there is no other treasure down there. Believe me, -when we heard of the rumors about buried treasure, -we turned the place upside down to see if we could -find it, without success.”</p> - -<p>Philip deliberately assumed a very disappointed -look on his face and the guests all laughed. Then he -went on, “But maybe the Allens didn’t look in the -right places, and possibly Mr. Graybeard, the ghost I -see here tonight, may find some treasure for us. Masks -and costumes are appropriate to our mysterious visit -to a mysterious room. Look for treasure! We will -have to go down in groups since it is a small room. -The people immediately surrounding me can come -down first and perhaps Mr. Graybeard will lend atmosphere -by posing near the safe.”</p> - -<p>“I’d be delighted,” Mr. Graybeard said.</p> - -<p>Philip glanced at him, thinking: “His voice is familiar, -but I’m sure he isn’t any of the merchants in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">189</a></span> -the village we deal with.” Aloud he continued his -speech:</p> - -<p>“When we come back up from the secret room -we’ll unmask and go into the big dining room for the -banquet. I hope you have all been keeping a list of the -people whom you think you have recognized. As you -know, we’re going to gather up your lists as you enter -the dining room. During the banquet, prizes will be -awarded to the guests who have guessed the largest -number of people correctly.”</p> - -<p>After the applause that followed Philip’s speech, -Pat pressed the button that moved the bookshelves -aside. From then on Philip was kept busy leading one -little party after another down into the secret room.</p> - -<p>Mr. Graybeard went with the first group and added -to the ghostly atmosphere by posing near the safe. Behind -him the paper skeleton dangled precariously -from the ceiling.</p> - -<p>When the last guest had inspected the little room -and had gone back up the stairs to the alcove, Philip -said to Graybeard, “Thanks for helping us out. You -make a swell ghost. Who are you anyway?”</p> - -<p>“Never mind,” said a cold, crisp voice. “Turn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">190</a></span> -around and come down the steps with your hands -up.”</p> - -<p>With one swift gesture, Philip released the spring -that closed the secret door. Then he turned to face the -gun Graybeard was pointing at him.</p> - -<p>Philip was caught in his own trap, but at least the -man and his pistol could neither harm nor frighten -the people on the other side of the door.</p> - -<p>Philip came slowly down the steps. “So you’re our -mysterious Mr. X,” he said coolly.</p> - -<p>“Call me anything you like,” Graybeard said, taking -Philip’s own pistol from his pocket. “Now open -that safe.”</p> - -<p>Philip shrugged. “Anything to oblige.” he said.</p> - -<p>“And don’t try to pull any tricks,” Graybeard -warned him. “Upstairs, two men I hired for the occasion -are at this very moment relieving your guests -of their excess jewelry and cash.”</p> - -<p>So it was a planned robbery! And Graybeard’s -henchmen had probably come disguised as cowboys, -carrying real pistols in their holsters!</p> - -<p>For a moment, Phil was paralyzed with worry -about the girls. Penny and Marjorie were so impulsive!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">191</a></span> -Would they submit quietly to a holdup? And -Adra?</p> - -<p>He felt sure that the older women, although they -would be frightened at the sight of guns, would do -nothing which might arouse the anger of armed criminals. -But the girls!</p> - -<p>The voice behind the mask repeated menacingly, -“<em>Open that safe!</em>”</p> - -<p>Philip quickly obeyed. There was nothing else to -do. Peter had been right all along: They should have -called on the police for help.</p> - -<p>Philip twirled the dial and opened the door of the -safe. “Help yourself,” he said curtly.</p> - -<p>“I am very much engaged in watching you,” replied -the man. Philip had no choice. He emptied the -safe and handed its contents to the masked burglar.</p> - -<p>There was a good sum of money, the payments of -the guests for the week. It was mostly in checks and a -great deal of the jewelry had been removed from the -safe for the occasion. Philip was thanking his lucky -stars that they didn’t keep too much cash, valuable -articles or important papers. Philip tried to get a good -look at the man’s face under his beard, but it and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">192</a></span> -mask over his nose and eyes completely hid his features.</p> - -<p>Could this really be the mysterious Mr. X? No, -Philip decided. Graybeard was nothing but a common -ordinary burglar. And yet there was something familiar -about him.</p> - -<p>The man tucked the money into his pocket, then -looked contemptuously at the bit of jewelry but put -it into another pocket. Philip listened to hurrying -footsteps overhead and could see that Graybeard was -perturbed by them. But there was no catching this -man off guard. He held the gun close to Philip every -minute. He again ordered Philip to put his hands into -the air, while he felt around the inside of the safe. -Philip could not help but think what a curious picture -this man with his long gray beard made, as he searched -through the empty safe with one hand and kept his -pistol pointed at Philip with the other. What on earth -was he searching for?</p> - -<p>Then Philip heard a little click, and suddenly a -drawer on two little steel rods dropped down from inside -the top of the safe.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">193</a></span> -“Missed that part of it, didn’t you?” Graybeard -sneered. “Empty that drawer and hand me the stuff.”</p> - -<p>Philip was so surprised he stood there with his -mouth open for a full minute, then with great interest -he looked at this drawer that he had never seen before. -It was wide and shallow and full of papers. Evidently -a little hidden spring had released the rods that held -the drawer in place. Could this be the place where the -rumored treasure was supposed to be hidden? Philip -mentally kicked himself for not having thought of -such a possibility before. Much good it would do -them now. Idiot that he had been not to have taken -ordinary precautions that night. What fools they had -all been not to follow Peter’s advice!</p> - -<p>No wonder Mr. X Graybeard had planted red herrings -guaranteed to keep Jimmy and Marjorie searching -everywhere for hidden treasure except in their -own safe.</p> - -<p>“Quit stalling,” Graybeard growled, poking Philip -with his gun. “Come on, hand over that stuff and -make it snappy. The boys upstairs must be about ready -to go.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">194</a></span> -Philip took from the drawer two packages of old -papers that looked like receipted bills, and a large, -bulging Manila envelope. This Graybeard snatched -from Phil’s hand and pocketed it with a satisfied air. -He glanced at the old papers and said, “You can throw -those away. What I want is bound to be in this envelope.” -He went on in a patronizing voice, “Thanks, -sonny boy. If you hadn’t played right into my hands, -I might have had to use some ‘soup’ to blow the lock -off that safe. Messy stuff, ‘soup,’ and noisy. When I -heard you were going to throw this ball and show -your guests the secret room, I decided to let one of -you dopey Allens open it for me.” He patted the -pocket into which he had stuffed the old Manila envelope. -“What I have here is much more valuable than -all the money and jewels the men I hired have taken -from your guests. They can keep whatever they collected -as their pay.”</p> - -<p>“Just what is in that old envelope?” Phil asked, -stalling for time. The man, in the boasting, triumphant -mood he was now in, might be caught momentarily -off guard.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">195</a></span> -Graybeard chuckled evilly. “Wouldn’t you like to -know?”</p> - -<p>“I certainly would,” Philip said and added shrewdly, -“I should think you’d like to <em>know</em> too. After all, it -may be stuffed with nothing but more old receipted -bills.”</p> - -<p>The man, struck by this thought, glared at Philip -through his mask. “Never thought of that,” he muttered -and hastily shifted the gun from his right hand -to his left so he could reach into his pocket and open -the envelope.</p> - -<p>In that split second, Philip went into action. Before -Graybeard knew what was happening the pistol had -been knocked from his hand. At the same moment, -Philip’s fist crashed against his jaw. Graybeard went -limp and toppled to the floor.</p> - -<p>Phil leaped over his unconscious body to retrieve -the gun. Then he took his own pistol from Graybeard’s -pocket.</p> - -<p>“Now the tables are nicely turned,” Phil chuckled. -He quickly tore strips from the black draperies on the -wall and tied the man’s hands and feet together. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">196</a></span> -worked fast because he was worried about what was -going on upstairs.</p> - -<p>Then he heard sounds on the other side of the door -at the top of the steps. Phil held his pistol ready. One -of the gunmen, worried by the prolonged absence of -Graybeard, might be coming down to see what was -happening in the secret room.</p> - -<p>The door swung open, and, to Phil’s relief, Pat -leaped down the stairs. Phil met him halfway. “What -happened?” he asked nervously. “The girls—are they -all right?”</p> - -<p>“Everybody’s just fine,” Pat said, grinning. “I’ll -tell you all about it later. Let’s see what you have here -first.”</p> - -<p>He bent down and yanked the beard and mask from -the unconscious man’s face.</p> - -<p>“Whew!” Pat and Phil whistled in one breath. -“Our nice cheap laundry man!”</p> - -<p>For it was Mr. Taggart, and, as he regained consciousness, -glaring with rage up at Phil, his face was -anything but pleasant.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">197</a></span> -</div> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xiv" id="xiv"></a><span>CHAPTER 14</span><br /> -FORGOTTEN TREASURE</h2> - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">Pat swiftly</span> untied Taggart’s feet. “Get up,” he ordered. -“Your pals are waiting for you in a nice shiny -prowl car in front of the Lodge.”</p> - -<p>“The police,” Phil gasped. “But how—?”</p> - -<p>Pat grinned. “The whole hold-up was a washout. -Oh, some of the ladies got a little scared when we all -suddenly found ourselves facing those cowboys and -their guns. And I was pretty worried about you myself -when I saw the door close and guessed you were -trapped down here with the ringleader.” He chuckled. -“Penny saved the day. Just before the hold-up was to -take place, she happened to notice that two of the -cowboys, who were loitering out in the hall, were -carrying real guns. She raced upstairs and called the -police.” He laughed at the chagrined expression on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">198</a></span> -Taggart’s face. “The police arrived shortly after our -friend’s pals had collected their loot. In fact, they -walked out of the door and right into the arms of two -of the biggest cops I’ve ever seen.”</p> - -<p>“Those fools,” Taggart snarled. “I told Jerry and -Rick not to let anyone out of their sight once the -secret door was open.”</p> - -<p>Pat, as he deftly emptied Taggart’s pockets, told -him, “They didn’t exactly <em>let</em> her dash upstairs to the -phone in her room. She went so quickly and so -quietly they didn’t even know she wasn’t among those -present downstairs. When it finally dawned on them -that none of their victims was dressed as a bride, I -imagine they guessed that the game was up and decided -to scram without waiting to see what had happened -to their boss.” He gave Taggart a push. “Get -going,” he said gruffly. “There’s a nice shiny pair of -bracelets waiting for you.”</p> - -<p>It was after one when the men returned from the -precinct station after preferring charges against the -three men. The girls were waiting excitedly for them -on the porch.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">199</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, Phil,” Marjorie yelled, running down the -steps. “To think that Graybeard was Mr. Taggart -our laundryman, and none of us saw through his disguise.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Phil said, “it was a good disguise for one -thing, and he was careful to spend most of his time -with Adra who had never seen him.”</p> - -<p>Adra smiled rather shamefacedly. “I’m such a lazybones! -He usually came in the morning before I was -up. When he did come later in the day I guess I was -always off somewhere having a good time while you -Allens worked.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what you were supposed to be doing,” -Penny said, smiling. “You’re our guest, remember?”</p> - -<p>“Never mind about that,” Marjorie interrupted impatiently. -“What I want to know is whether or not -Mr. Taggart was Mr. X.” She tugged Phil’s arm, leading -him to a seat beside her on the porch glider. “Did -he plant the clues we found and write us the threatening -letters?”</p> - -<p>Phil nodded. “The other men were merely hired -by him for the evening to keep the guests out of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">200</a></span> -hair while he looked for a secret drawer in the safe. -He made a complete confession before we left the -police station.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, oh,” Marjorie cried jumping up. “Then the -mystery is solved. Tell us everything, Phil, right -now.”</p> - -<p>He patted her hand affectionately. “Not now, -honey. First we must think of our guests. Family affairs -can come later.”</p> - -<p>Once everybody was in the dining room, its light -and decorations made a gay setting for the return to -normal feelings. As Philip followed the last guest into -the room, Penny said, “Adra and I were just sick with -worry over you, Phil. I want to know every single -thing that happened as soon as possible! Are you sure -you’re all right?”</p> - -<p>“I’m fine,” Phil assured her.</p> - -<p>Jimmy, too, caught Philip and said. “Good work, -Phil. When do I get to hear the whole story?”</p> - -<p>“As soon as the guests have all gone home or to bed -in the Lodge,” Philip said. “It’s a long story.” He -turned to Penny, “And it was your quickwittedness -that made it have a happy ending.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">201</a></span> -“I didn’t do anything but dash up to my room and -call the police,” Penny said. “You’re a hero, Phil.”</p> - -<p>By now, of course, everyone had removed his mask -and all the faces were familiar ones.</p> - -<p>Philip moved on to a space at the central table where -he and Adra were going to sit together. He held her -hand in a firm clasp and her fingers twined in response. -Peter smiled at him and clapped his hands together for -order.</p> - -<p>“Speech! Speech!”</p> - -<p>Philip smiled at everybody and didn’t seem at all -nervous or upset after his experience of the evening.</p> - -<p>“I’m very sorry,” he began, “that robbers chose us -for their victims tonight, and that I could not prevent -your disagreeable experience.”</p> - -<p>“It was fun,” Judy interrupted impulsively. “For -the longest time I thought it was just an act Jimmy and -Alf were putting on. What I’ll have to tell the girls -when I get back to Cincinnati!”</p> - -<p>Philip smiled at her and continued: “I hope that you -all can forget the unpleasant part of the evening and -that you will enjoy the feast Ann Mary prepared. I -have here the jewelry and wallets and handbags the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">202</a></span> -armed cowboys took from you. As I hold up each item -will the owner please come and get his or her property?”</p> - -<p>While the food was being served, Philip distributed -the stolen articles to their owners.</p> - -<p>“I was much too surprised to be frightened at first,” -said Mrs. Curtis, calmly pouring cream into her coffee. -“Indeed, like Judy, I thought for quite a while that -it was some stunt the boys had thought up. The -young people today are always doing some crazy -thing.”</p> - -<p>“I was nearly speechless at those guns,” said Mrs. -Powell. “I don’t know what the country is coming to! -But it was all over so quickly I don’t suppose I was -much more frightened than I would have been trying -to get across a busy street.”</p> - -<p>“That, my dear, is slightly underestimating it—at -least for me,” said Mr. Powell. “I was just plain worried -one of those guns would go off.”</p> - -<p>“I certainly hated to see my jewelry gathered in,” -remarked Mrs. Sanders.</p> - -<p>The prizes were awarded, and there was music -afterwards. Some of the older people retired soon, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">203</a></span> -as this was the last general celebration, the younger -set preferred to linger.</p> - -<p>Philip, whose duties as host had been accomplished, -wasted no time, but took Adra to a moonlit walk and -pretty nook on the shore where they sat on the sand -and talked.</p> - -<p>Philip told Adra of his feeling of responsibility for -his brother and sisters. “Now Penny is engaged to -Peter as I suppose she told you. This summer’s venture -will see Jimmy and Marjorie through school.” He -hesitated. “And, er, college. At last, Adra, I feel I -have a right to say, well, that the only treasure I ever -wanted is you!”</p> - -<p>Adra’s blush was most becoming and gave Philip -courage to go on. “Could you possibly care for me, -Adra? You know your father has invited me into his -office and I want to go on with my college education -evenings, but somehow, whatever I decide to do depends -on you. If you care, I think we can—”</p> - -<p>“Manage the rest,” finished Adra calmly, though -her heart was beating fast. “Yes, Phil, I care enough.”</p> - -<p>Two happy young people walked back to the -Lodge about half an hour later. As Phil and Adra entered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">204</a></span> -they found most of the guests gone and Marjorie -and Jimmy curled up in big chairs on the porch, -sound asleep.</p> - -<p>“Those two wouldn’t dare go to bed for fear they’d -miss something.” Adra and Philip laughed and went -back to find Peter and Penny raiding the pantry for a -snack.</p> - -<p>“Ha!” cried Phil. “More burglars!”</p> - -<p>“Yes; come join us,” replied Penny, unwrapping -some brick ice cream.</p> - -<p>“Delighted,” returned her brother. “We need to -celebrate. Adra and I have just reached a momentous -decision and this Lodge can hardly contain me, big as -it is.”</p> - -<p>“Honest? Oh, Adra, you perfect dear!” and Penny -dropped the ice cream to hug Adra with enthusiasm. -And Peter, who had caught the ice cream on his plate, -shook hands with Philip after carefully setting down -his burden.</p> - -<p>“You know,” said Peter slyly, “Philip was going to -tell us what Mr. Taggart said when he confessed, but -I guess Adra has made him completely forget it.”</p> - -<p>“That she has,” answered Philip. “Anything else<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">205</a></span> -that happened tonight is very unimportant by comparison -with this. After all, that’s over. Exciting -enough while it lasted, but not nearly as interesting -as plans for my future life with Adra.”</p> - -<p>“Listen to the hero make little out of his great adventure,” -cried Penny. “Phil, I can’t stand it another -minute. Begin at the beginning and tell us every word -Mr. Taggart said when he confessed. How did he -know there was a secret drawer in the safe, and what -was in the drawer?”</p> - -<p>For answer, Peter led the way to the porch. “Wake -up, Sleepy Heads,” he said, nudging Marjorie and -Jimmy. “Wake up and hear a bedtime story about -hidden treasure!”</p> - -<p>“Hidden treasure,” Marjorie repeated, instantly -wide awake. “Phil! You’ve been keeping something -important from us.”</p> - -<p>“I told you it was a family matter,” Phil said, putting -his arm around Adra. “And before I told the tale -I wanted to be sure that Adra as well as Peter will -soon be members of our family.”</p> - -<p>“I knew it,” Marjorie cried, giving Adra a hug. “I -told you so, Jimmy.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">206</a></span> -“Congratulations, you two,” Jimmy said. “I mean, -you four. Now, can we hear what went on in the -secret room tonight, Phil?”</p> - -<p>“The story,” Phil began, “goes back to about -twenty years ago when Uncle John was a very rich -man and living in New York City. At that time he -invested $20,000 in a small company belonging to one -of his friends who told him that the stock was sure -to go up. But the stock didn’t go up. It went down -and finally its name disappeared from the Stock Exchange -boards and from the newspaper stock lists. -Naturally, Uncle John thought his certificates were -worthless, but, lucky for us, he didn’t destroy them.”</p> - -<p>“Golly, Phil,” Jimmy cried enthusiastically. -“When you say ‘lucky for us’ do you mean the old -stock is worth something? Can I have a sailboat after -all?”</p> - -<p>Phil grinned. “Let me finish, puh-leeze. About five -years ago, the company started paying dividends, but -it couldn’t locate a great many of its stockholders, -among them, Uncle John. He had changed his address -several times before he settled down here. So -the company officials turned the matter over to a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">207</a></span> -special detective agency which specializes in tracking -down owners of forgotten stocks. Notices also appeared -in newspapers throughout the country, and -Mr. Taggart saw one of the notices.</p> - -<p>“With forged credentials, he got a job with the -detective agency and was assigned the duty of finding -Uncle John. Guessing that Uncle John was dead, he -planned to get hold of the stock certificates, and, with -more forged credentials, prove that he was his sole -heir.”</p> - -<p>Phil turned to Penny who was holding hands with -Peter. “If it hadn’t been for you, Taggart might well -have succeeded. A girl not quite so level-headed might -have screamed when she saw those ‘cowboys’ drawing -real guns from their holsters.”</p> - -<p>Peter squeezed her hand more tightly. “I can’t bear -to think about what might have happened if those -gunmen had seen you darting up the stairs.”</p> - -<p>“Stop it, both of you,” Penny protested, blushing. -“Get on with the story, Phil!”</p> - -<p>“Okay,” Phil said, smiling. “Taggart finally traced -Uncle John to the Lodge only to find that he was -dead and that we had started our business venture<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">208</a></span> -here. He had hoped to find the Lodge deserted so he -could search undisturbed for the certificates. He knew -that people leave old stocks and bonds in all sorts of -places. Sometimes they slip them under the paper -lining of bureau drawers or cupboards, or between -the pages of books. False-bottom trunks and secret -drawers in old safes, and so forth, and so forth. Taggart -realized that one of us, while we were getting -the Lodge ready for guests, might come across the -certificates. So the first thing he did was to try to -frighten us away.”</p> - -<p>“That was silly of him,” Marjorie said with a sniff. -“He might have known that the Allens don’t frighten -easily.”</p> - -<p>“Be quiet, imp,” Jimmy said. “He didn’t know anything -about us then.” He added to Philip: “So it was -Taggart who wrote the two threatening letters? And -left his footprint on the ground under the shed -floor?”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” Phil told him. “He confessed that -he wrote the one to Penny <em>after</em> she fell down the -well. And he also confessed that he was our night -prowler. Actually he did a lot of prowling we didn’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">209</a></span> -know about, trying to find out if his anonymous letters -had any effect. The first night he came snooping -around he listened outside the living room window -and heard us joking about digging in the well for -buried treasure. That gave him the idea of keeping us -busy digging outside, instead of searching around inside.”</p> - -<p>“I can guess what he did next,” Marjorie said with -a rueful laugh. “He wrote that note on an old piece -of paper, put one half in the bottle Judy and I found -down on the beach, and the other half in the pocket -of the old suit Brook found when the boys were out -camping.” She stopped suddenly, her blue eyes wide -with amazement. “But how and when did he manage -to put that map in the lid of the costume jewelry -box?”</p> - -<p>“I can answer that one,” Penny said with a sigh. -“The day our first guests arrived, I heard someone -rummaging around in the storage room. I thought it -was you, Marjorie, and thought you were fibbing -later when you insisted you were out in the Donahues’ -cabin helping Ann Mary count their laundry.” She -laughed. “I owe you an apology, honey. While you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">210</a></span> -and Ann Mary were busy, and Phil and I were upstairs -hanging curtains, Taggart must have sneaked -into the storage room and pasted that map behind the -rotten lining of the old jewelry box.”</p> - -<p>“You’re both two jumps ahead of me,” Philip said, -laughing. “Taggart did put the map where you found -it, but first he had to have some excuse for coming out -here. He heard in the village that we were looking -for someone who would take the soiled linen in to the -laundry-mat and applied to Penny for the job.”</p> - -<p>Penny moaned, covering her pretty face with both -hands. “Oh, why did I fall into his trap so easily? I -should have guessed when he offered to do it so -cheaply, that something was wrong.”</p> - -<p>“Not at all,” Peter said protectively. “Taggart did -handle the laundry situation in a very satisfactory -manner, so I don’t think anyone can blame you for -not suspecting him of an ulterior motive.”</p> - -<p>Phil nodded. “That’s right, Penny, nobody blames -you. The trouble was that no one paid much attention -to him when he came out here. I imagine Ann Mary -didn’t always have the bundle ready, or his pay when -he brought out the clean wash. Once when she left<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">211</a></span> -him alone in the kitchen he slipped down to the -beach and stuck the bottle containing half the note -under a rock.”</p> - -<p>“We made everything so easy for him,” Marjorie -groaned. “He was there in the kitchen, I remember, -the day Ann Mary suggested that Judy and I search -for rare shells. He was also there the time I asked her -if it would be all right for us to spend the first rainy -day rummaging through the old trunks in the storage -room.”</p> - -<p>“And,” Penny added, “he knew exactly when the -boys left on their camping trip. Remember? Ann -Mary told him he had to bring back their clean shirts -before they left. I imagine it was simple for him to -find out from her where they were going.”</p> - -<p>“Uh huh,” Phil said. “<em>Very</em> simple. Ann Mary had -no reason to suspect him. He followed them to Uncle -John’s fishing camp only to find that they had moved -deeper into the woods. He saw the Bronc’s tire tracks -and followed them to the lake. Early in the morning -before Brook’s adventure, he rigged up the coat with -the other half of the note in the pocket. He could -count on the fact that one of the boys, while out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">212</a></span> -canoeing, would be sure to notice what looked like -the torso of a human body.” Phil smiled. “Taggart -also knew that Jimmy, like Marjorie, was sure treasure -was buried around here and was looking for clues.”</p> - -<p>“And,” Peter added, “the man knew that no boy -could resist going through the pockets of an old coat -he found.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy’s tanned cheeks were very red. “Well,” he -said, “that clears up all the mysterious clues and letters. -And we certainly all played right into his hands -when we issued invitations to the masquerade.”</p> - -<p>“And,” Penny added, “when I dropped hints all -over the village that we were going to show our -guests the secret room that night.” She sighed. “What -I don’t understand is how Taggart knew there was a -secret drawer in the safe.”</p> - -<p>“Because,” Philip explained, staring at Marjorie, -“one day when he was out here he caught a glimpse -of the safe. Not only is he a notorious forger, but, -in between sessions in jail, he’s made an exhaustive -study of safes. He knew that the particular style and -make of the one in the secret room had a hidden -drawer in the top. Since we obviously hadn’t found<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">213</a></span> -the certificates while we were cleaning up the Lodge, -he guessed that they might be in the secret compartment -of the safe.”</p> - -<p>“But,” Jimmy interrupted. “When on earth did he -get a glimpse of the safe? Up until tonight—I mean -last night—nobody but you and Pat ever went into -the secret room. And I’m sure neither of you was -careless enough to open the door unless you were -sure no one was lurking around.”</p> - -<p>It was now Marjorie’s turn to cover her red cheeks -with both hands. “I can answer that one,” she confessed -miserably. “One day when Mr. Taggart was -here, I showed Judy how the door opened. He must -have been hiding in the alcove when the bookshelves -moved back. I heard someone moving down the hall -just before we left, and thought it was Ann Mary -with a bundle of soiled laundry. But I guess there’s -no doubt that it was Mr. Taggart.” She raised her -face, on the verge of tears. “Thinking back, I remember -now that he was in the kitchen, and Judy and I -had just left there when she begged me to show her -how the secret door worked. Oh,” she finished, “how -can I be so dumb?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">214</a></span> -“’Tain’t easy,” Jimmy said, grinning. “You’ve got -to have a lot of practice before you can be as hopeless -as you are!”</p> - -<p>“Never mind, honey,” Penny said to Marjorie in a -comforting voice. “After all, in a way you helped to -set the trap that caught Mr. X.” She turned to Philip. -“We’re all trying to tell your story for you, and I, -for one, am getting confused. Once Taggart got a -glimpse of the safe and knew how to get into the -secret room, why did he wait until the masquerade to -go in there?”</p> - -<p>Phil chuckled. “Because he didn’t know the combination -of the safe. He could, of course, have sneaked -out here at night after we’d all gone to bed and used -dynamite to open the safe, but that would have been -pretty risky. Soon after he saw the safe and the room, -we issued blanket invitations to the masquerade and -you slyly hinted that part of the evening’s entertainment -would be a visit to the secret room. Taggart -promptly decided that the safest way of getting what -he wanted was to let us lead him right to it.”</p> - -<p>“In other words,” Peter added, “while we were -setting our little trap, Mr. X was setting one of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">215</a></span> -own. While his gangster friends were holding up the -rest of the party, he planned to force one of you -Allens to accompany him into the secret room and -open the safe.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” Philip said. “And I made things -easy for him when I asked him to lend atmosphere -by posing by the safe; and then, to cap the climax, -I stayed behind after everyone else had left. The only -thing I can say for myself,” he finished, “is that I did -have the presence of mind to close the door as soon -as I realized I’d walked into the trap we had set for -him. And even that,” he admitted, “was sort of a -reflex action.”</p> - -<p>“Call it what you like,” Jimmy said, “but it was -important. Otherwise, Taggart would have heard the -outraged cries of his gunmen when they walked into -the arms of the police. During that commotion he -might have escaped—with the real loot.” He leaned -forward to tap Phil’s knee. “Now that we’ve all, with -the exception of the inlaws-to-be, confessed to being -dimwits in one way or another, let’s hear more about -those stock certificates, Phil. Answer me, yes, or no, -are they worth enough so I can get a sailboat?”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">216</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xv" id="xv"></a><span>CHAPTER 15</span><br /> -HAPPY ENDING</h2> - -<p class="noi">“<span class="smcap">I object</span>,” Peter cried. “My wife-to-be isn’t a dimwit. -She’s a heroine.”</p> - -<p>“I object, too,” Adra said. “Phil’s a hero.”</p> - -<p>“All right, all right,” Jimmy said. “But it’s getting -on toward dawn. Marjorie and I are dimwits. Just -tell me whether or not we’re rich or poor.”</p> - -<p>“We’re rich,” Philip said as he drew from his -pocket the bulging envelope he had earlier been -forced to hand over to Taggart. He handed it to -Penny. “Open it, Sis.”</p> - -<p>Her hands shaking with excitement, Penny lifted -the flap and pulled out a wad of musty-smelling, yellowed -stock certificates.</p> - -<p>“Those ancient documents,” Phil told her quietly, -“don’t look like much. But, according to Taggart’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">217</a></span> -confession, when we turn them in we’ll collect about -$50,000—their cash value plus back dividends and interest.”</p> - -<p>For a moment no one spoke. Then Jimmy yelled: -“WHOOPEE! The hidden treasure is found at last. -And boy oh boy, will I ever get the finest sailboat -that was ever launched!”</p> - -<p>“I can’t believe it,” Marjorie said in an awed voice. -“Why, I—I’m an heiress!”</p> - -<p>“<em>I</em> can believe it,” Peter said, pretending to be -mournful. “Penny will never marry poor penniless -me now.”</p> - -<p>“Of course not,” Penny said with a laugh. “And -now Phil doesn’t have to marry Adra for her money -either.”</p> - -<p>Everyone laughed then, almost hysterically. They -were all tired and over-stimulated. Dawn was pinking -the sky in the east.</p> - -<p>“If you ask me,” Jimmy said, stretching and yawning, -“I’d say we all ought to catch a little shut-eye. -I for one won’t believe any part of Phil’s yarn until -I hear it all over again in broad daylight.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">218</a></span></p> - -<p>But the next morning, after consulting the older -men who were staying at the Lodge, the Allens -learned that the old stock certificates were worth even -more than Taggart had estimated.</p> - -<p>“I know the company well,” Mr. Curtis told Phil. -“Bought stock in it myself a few years ago when it -got a government loan and staged a comeback.”</p> - -<p>And then, to the delight of everyone, Adra’s father, -Mr. Prentice, arrived by plane. They were all eager -for the advice of such an experienced businessman.</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t sell,” he said, after hearing the whole -story. “You couldn’t invest your money in a safer -concern. When you collect your back dividends -you’ll each have a tidy sum if you need cash now. -If not, I would reinvest that money and thus provide -yourselves with a comfortable yearly income from it -and the original investment.” He smiled at them. “I’ll -handle the whole matter for you, if you like.”</p> - -<p>“Please do,” Penny cried. “Oh, it’s all so wonderful! -Peter and I can get married right away and Marjorie -and Jimmy are assured of college educations.”</p> - -<p>“What about us?” Philip crossed over to stand beside -Adra who was perched on the arm of her father’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">219</a></span> -chair. “Sir,” he said with old-fashioned formality, -“your daughter has done me the honor of promising -to become my wife. With your permission we would -like to be married sometime this fall.”</p> - -<p>Marjorie could not suppress a giggle. Phil did look -as though he ought to be wearing a Prince Albert -coat instead of a sports jacket and slacks.</p> - -<p>Mr. Prentice stood up to shake hands gravely with -Philip. “You have my permission, sir,” he said, a -smile twitching the corners of his mouth. “And my -blessing.”</p> - -<p>Peter grabbed Penny’s hand. “Come on, let’s celebrate! -No more work today for any of the Allens.”</p> - -<p>But Phil and Penny could not take a holiday so -soon. Most of the guests were making arrangements -for their departures. Phil and Penny had to be everywhere -at once to help them pack and ship off their -luggage, or to make reservations for them on planes -and buses.</p> - -<p>Judy flatly refused to leave with her parents and -Alf. “I’ve just got to stay here for Penny’s wedding,” -she begged. “Marjorie and I are going to be bridesmaids.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">220</a></span> -“Then we’ll stay too,” Mrs. Powell said and added -to Penny, “That is, if we’re invited.”</p> - -<p>“Of course, you are,” Penny cried. “The Curtises -and Adra and her father are going to stay on for the -great event, so we’ll have one grand houseparty until -then.”</p> - -<p>By Labor Day evening all of the other guests had -left the Lodge. To celebrate the first dinner of the -wedding day houseparty, Pat opened a bottle of -champagne that he claimed to have held over from -his wedding for another special occasion.</p> - -<p>“Ugh,” Marjorie spluttered after one sip. “What -horrible tasting stuff!”</p> - -<p>Jimmy, Judy and Alf heartily agreed with her and -gratefully accepted the ginger ale Ann Mary hastily -substituted for the bubbling wine.</p> - -<p>Peter proposed a toast. “Here’s to the Allens of -Allen Lodge. May they always be happy and prosperous!”</p> - -<p>“You’d better include the Wylands in that toast,” -Marjorie said with an impish smile. “Penny won’t be -an Allen much longer.”</p> - -<p>A few days later, on a beautiful, bright September<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">221</a></span> -morning, the wedding took place. Marjorie and Judy -were so excited they couldn’t fasten the zippers on -their crisp organdie frocks. Penny, sweetly serene, -came to the rescue, wearing her lovely flowing gown -of white tulle over taffeta. Marjorie finally conquered -her nervousness long enough to pin on the clusters of -orange blossoms which held Penny’s lace veil in -place.</p> - -<p>Then, carrying Pat’s enormous bridal bouquet of -long-stemmed white chrysanthemums, Penny came -from the house on Philip’s arm to join Peter under -the trees.</p> - -<p>Marjorie held her breath while Penny and Peter -made their vows in clear, steady voices. After the -ceremony was over, Charles was the first to congratulate -the bridegroom, and Marjorie, the first to kiss -her sister.</p> - -<p>“You didn’t act scared at all,” she whispered. “I -know I would have said I <em>don’t</em> instead of I do, just -because I was so nervous.” She turned to give Peter a -hug. “It’s so nice to have another brother,” she cried. -“And to know that soon I’ll have another sister.”</p> - -<p>A merry wedding breakfast was served on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">222</a></span> -sunny porch and this time it was Marjorie who proposed -a toast. “To Allen Lodge,” she cried, holding -her punch glass high, “where there’s never a dull -moment. Here’s hoping that it holds some new adventure -just waiting to be discovered.”</p> - -<p>“I’m with you there, Sis,” cried Jimmy.</p> - -<p>But Peter and Penny only smiled happily.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> -<div class="promo-block"> -<p class="center p120">FALCON <img class="promo" src="images/colophon.png" width="100" height="91" alt="Colophon" /> -BOOKS</p> - -<p class="center p160"><em>For Girls</em></p> - -<div class="hang"> -<div>Champion’s Choice <small>BY JOHN R. TUNIS</small></div> -<div>Patty and Jo, Detectives <small>BY ELSIE WRIGHT</small></div> -</div> - -<p class="center p120">BY KAY LYTTLETON</p> - -<div class="hang"> -<div>Jean Craig Grows Up</div> -<div>Jean Craig in New York</div> -<div>Jean Craig Finds Romance</div> -<div>Jean Craig, Nurse</div> -<div>Jean Craig, Graduate Nurse</div> -</div> - -<p class="center p120">BY JEAN McKECHNIE</p> - -<div class="hang"> -<div>Penny Allen and the Mystery of the Haunted House</div> -<div>Penny Allen and the Mystery of the Hidden Treasure</div> -</div> - - -<p class="center p160"><em>For Boys</em></p> - -<div class="hang"> -<div>The Spirit of the Border <small>BY ZANE GREY</small></div> -<div>The Last Trail <small>BY ZANE GREY</small></div> -<div>Call to Adventure <small>BY ROBERT SPIERS BENJAMIN</small></div> -<div>Champs on Ice <small>BY JACK WRIGHT</small></div> -<div>The Strike-Out King <small>BY JULIAN DE VRIES</small></div> -<div>The Winning Basket <small>BY DUANE YARNELL</small></div> -<div>Over the Hurdles <small>BY EMMETT MAUM</small></div> -<div>Boys’ Book of Sea Battles <small>BY CHELSEA CURTIS FRASER</small></div> -<div>Through Forest and Stream <small>BY DUANE YARNELL</small></div> -</div> - -<p class="center p120">BY CAPWELL WYCKOFF</p> - -<div class="hang"> -<div>The Mercer Boys’ Cruise on the Lassie</div> -<div>The Mercer Boys at Woodcrest</div> -<div>The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt</div> -<div>The Mercer Boys’ Mystery Case</div> -<div>The Mercer Boys with the Coast Guard</div> -</div> -</div> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> -<div class="tn"> -<p class="center p120">Transcriber’s Note:</p> - -<p class="noi">The text as published in the original publication has -been retained except as follows:</p> - -<ul class="nobullet"> -<li><ul><li>Page 35<br /> -unless their guests’ deposit<br /> -unless their <a href="#guests">guests</a> deposit</li></ul> -</li> -<li><ul><li>Page 36<br /> -means,” Penny said, “That right after breakfast<br /> -means,” Penny said, “<a href="#that">that</a> right after breakfast</li></ul> -</li> -<li><ul><li>Page 55<br /> -They all started silently out<br /> -They all <a href="#stared">stared</a> silently out</li></ul> -</li> -<li><ul><li>Page 81<br /> -few friends of Charles’<br /> -few friends of <a href="#Charles">Charles</a></li></ul> -</li> -<li><ul><li>Page 94<br /> -you’re asolutely right<br /> -you’re <a href="#absolutely">absolutely</a> right</li></ul> -</li> -<li><ul><li>Page 120<br /> -can’t thing of anything<br /> -can’t <a href="#think">think</a> of anything</li></ul> -</li> -<li><ul><li>Page 146<br /> -heard a night prowler?”<br /> -heard a night <a href="#prowler">prowler.</a>”</li></ul> -</li> -</ul> -</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Penny Allen and the Mystery of the -Hidden Treasure, by Jean Lyttleton McKechnie - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PENNY ALLEN AND THE MYSTERY *** - -***** This file should be named 53198-h.htm or 53198-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/1/9/53198/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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