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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..b787a5b --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66341 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66341) diff --git a/old/66341-0.txt b/old/66341-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1cf9480..0000000 --- a/old/66341-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5150 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Mystery of the Deserted Village, -by Elbert M. Hoppenstedt - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Mystery of the Deserted Village - -Author: Elbert M. Hoppenstedt - -Release Date: September 19, 2021 [eBook #66341] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Stephen Hutcheson, Sue Clark, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF THE DESERTED -VILLAGE *** - - - - - -_The Mystery of the Deserted Village_ - - - - -Contents - - Page - Chapter 1 1 - Chapter 2 15 - Chapter 3 23 - Chapter 4 30 - Chapter 5 38 - Chapter 6 50 - Chapter 7 57 - Chapter 8 65 - Chapter 9 72 - Chapter 10 79 - Chapter 11 87 - Chapter 12 96 - Chapter 13 104 - Chapter 14 113 - Chapter 15 121 - Chapter 16 130 - Chapter 17 138 - Chapter 18 148 - - - - -_The Mystery of the Deserted Village_ - - by - Elbert M. Hoppenstedt - - _Franklin Watts, Inc._ - 575 Lexington Avenue · New York 22 - - - - -_Library of Congress Catalog Card Number_: 60-11186 - - © 1960 by Franklin Watts, Inc. - Printed in the United States of America - FIRST PRINTING - - - - -_For Richard_ - - - - -_The Mystery of the Deserted Village_ - -_Chapter 1_ - - -Ronnie was in the hayloft sliding down the piles of newly-stacked -hay when he heard the car drive up into the yard and come to a stop. -Spitting a mouthful of hayseeds from his lips and tongue, he ran over -to the open doors and peered down into the yard. - -The car was shiny and new, a big black sedan with white-walled tires. A -man in a business suit carrying a briefcase climbed out of the driver’s -seat and headed briskly for the front door of the house. - -Ronnie knew who he was and why he was here, and his heart sank. Why did -the St. Lawrence Seaway need a piece of the Rorth farm land, and _why_ -did it have to be just that part where the deserted village lay? - -Of course he really knew the answers to his questions. What he meant -was--why did it have to _happen_ that way? Why did the land have to be -so low that when the dam was built and the waters of the St. Lawrence -River began to pile up behind it, the deserted village would be flooded? - -He thought of Grandfather and Father in the parlor talking with the man -and he wondered about what they were saying and how it would all turn -out. The last time Mr. Evans had come in his black sedan Grandfather -had gotten very angry and Ronnie had heard him shouting and thumping -his cane on the floor. - -Ronnie went over to the opening in the loft floor and, grasping the -ladder, climbed quickly down to the bottom. It was darker below, and -for a moment the boy had trouble seeing his way. He heard Beatrice -stamping in her stall, and smelled the sharp, pungent odor of fresh -manure. - -His bare feet padded across the hard earth floor as he moved toward the -barn door. A moment later he was out in the glaring sunlight, the full -heat of the afternoon striking him on his bare shoulders and back. - -He saw his brother Phil lying in the hammock beneath the grape arbor. - -“Hey, Phil!” he called. “That man’s here again.” - -Phil opened his eyes lazily. “What man?” he asked indifferently. - -Ronnie squatted down beside him. “The man from the Seaway, of course. I -just hope Grandfather gets hopping mad again and gives it to him good. -Nobody’s got a right to just come along and tell a person he’s got to -sell his land. Nobody!” - -Phil closed his eyes again and started the hammock swinging. - -“Of course _you_ don’t care one bit, Philip Rorth!” Ronnie continued. -“I think Grandfather was right. He said you’re not a _real_ Rorth! -’Cause a _real_ Rorth’s got fighting blood and a love for his land, and -most of all he wouldn’t let the village go without a fight.” - -Phil opened his left eye and squinted up at his brother. “All the -fighting in the world’s not going to save the village, Ronnie, ’cause -when the government wants something, it gets it. _Period!_” - -Ronnie turned away in disgust. What could he expect of Phil? His -brother had never gotten excited about anything, and he probably never -would. - -He headed toward the other side of the house, partly because it was -shady there, but mostly because he knew the parlor window was open and -he might be able to hear what was going on inside. - -He passed the woodshed and swung around the corner of the house. Almost -immediately he heard Grandfather’s voice. “Why, young fellow, do you -know this land’s been in the family close onto a hundred and fifty -years? And you come along, and without so much as a how-do-you-do, -tell me I got to up and off it? Hah! Well, I’ve got a lawyer, too, to -protect my rights!” - -Ronnie settled down in the shade near the lilac bushes. He really -wasn’t eavesdropping. He’d been wanting to weed the lily-of-the-valley -bed for some time now, and this was a perfect time to do it with the -sun on the other side of the house. He grabbed hold of a ragweed and -started to pull it, but he stopped tugging after a few seconds so he -could hear what Mr. Evans was saying. - -“Mr. Rorth,” the man said, his voice like a whisper compared to -Grandfather’s, “Mr. Rorth, I wish you’d try to understand. We--” - -He didn’t get any further because when Grandfather was angry he didn’t -usually give anyone else much time to talk. “I don’t understand, eh? -Well, young fellow, I understand just fine, and just don’t you bother -giving me any more of that hogwash about how wonderful it will be when -big ships can come sailing down the river from the ocean to the Great -Lakes, because that doesn’t touch me one bit.” - -Ronnie heard his father’s voice next. “Father,” said Mr. Rorth, “it -doesn’t do a bit of good getting yourself all upset like this. The -Seaway Authority has told us that the water level of the lake formed -behind the dam will cover the section of land where the deserted -village is, and for this reason it will have to be purchased. There -isn’t a thing we can do about it. Our lawyer has told us that himself.” - -“More hogwash! Sometimes I think that lawyer is working for both sides -and against the middle.” - -The weed came loose from the ground with a suddenness that sent Ronnie -reeling backward. Before he could catch himself he had crashed against -the side of the house. When he looked up, there was his father peering -at him from behind the screen. “Ronnie, what are you doing out there?” - -“I--I’m weeding the lily of the valley,” he managed to stammer. - -“Well, you’d better weed it some other time. Now go somewhere else.” - -“Y--yes, sir.” Ronnie wandered away toward the front of the house. He -felt ashamed for having been caught snooping, and he was peeved at -himself too. He wanted to hear what happened next. He hoped and prayed -that there could be something that would save the village. - -Almost without thinking, he headed across the dirt road that led out to -the paved highway and then he entered the apple orchard. The blossoms -had faded already, and in their place were clusters of tiny green -knobs with big whiskers on the ends. - -A few minutes later he left the orchard and stood for a moment at the -top of the bluff, looking down into the tight little valley where the -buildings of the deserted village lay half hidden among the hemlocks -and spruce and maples and oaks. Great-great-grandfather Ezra Rorth’s -father had built the village, and had chosen a beautiful location. The -brick and stone buildings were nestled comfortably in the deep ravine. -A cobbled road ran through the center of the village, and Goose Brook -raced along its rock-strewn course down to the St. Lawrence. - -Every time he stopped to look at the village from up here on the bluff, -Ronnie thought of Grandfather. When Ronnie was hardly old enough to -walk, his grandfather had brought him here. For many years after that -the old man and the boy had walked together down the cobbled road in -the late evenings, and Grandfather had told stories of the days when -the village was alive with people, and the glass furnace belched smoke -day and night and Rorth glassware was known almost around the world. - -Now, as always, the village drew Ronnie like a magnet. He raced down -the face of the bluff, whirling his arms about like propeller blades to -keep his balance. At the bottom he stopped. Now that he was here, he -couldn’t decide just which part of the village he wanted to visit. He -could swing on the wild grapevines in front of the gristmill, and maybe -take off his trousers and go sailing feet first into the millpond. Or, -he could have fun climbing around on the pile of rubble that remained -from the old bakery building. - -He decided to visit the old, padlocked, boarded-up building which -had been the office of the Glassworks back in Great-great-grandfather -Ezra’s days. He started down the path, keeping his eyes open for any -big toadstools he could splatter against a tree trunk. Then he spied -Bill. - -His best friend was coming through the trees from the opposite -direction. Ronnie put his fingers to his lips and whistled shrilly. - -“I was just coming over to your place,” Bill greeted him. “Where are -you headed?” - -“No place special. Thought maybe I’d climb around on the old office -building roof and maybe get a look at that swift nest down the chimney. -You figuring on something else?” - -“Nope.” - -They started down the path together. “You know, Ronnie,” Bill said as -they came to the cobblestone road through the middle of the village, -“you know, I’d sure like to get a look inside that building sometime. -How come your grandfather keeps it all locked up with shutters on the -windows?” - -“He’s had it open once or twice.” - -“I’ve never seen it open.” - -“I guess that’s because he hasn’t opened it up since we were big enough -to remember,” Ronnie said. - -“My pa was talking about it the other night. He said it’s supposed to -be haunted. You believe that, Ronnie?” - -Ronnie thought it over. “Maybe, maybe not.” He wouldn’t let Bill know -how he really felt. Grandfather never seemed to want to talk about the -building, so perhaps there _was_ something that he wanted to hide. -Of course, Ronnie had heard the stories from others, about how his -great-great-grandfather Ezra had killed someone in the office building -and had robbed the Glassworks of money. No two people told the same -story, and Ronnie had decided not to believe any of them. - -“I’d sure like to get inside,” Bill repeated. - -The old office stood back from the cobblestone road. Two giant sentinel -pines towered over the roof, dwarfing the building and the sapling -hemlocks and pines that crowded close to its sides. - -“Race you to it!” Bill yelled suddenly and started down the narrow path -from the cobbled road. - -Ronnie knew he couldn’t outrun Bill with his longer legs, but he’d -sure try anyway. Gasping for breath, Ronnie reached his friend, who -had dropped to the ground and stretched himself out in a nest of last -year’s leaves just in front of the padlocked door. Ronnie threw himself -down beside Bill. - -They lay there for a few minutes catching their breaths. Then Bill got -up and began to hunt around on the ground. He found a rock and brought -it over to the door. - -“What are you aiming to do?” Ronnie asked. - -“I can smash that lock easy,” Bill answered. - -Ronnie pulled himself to his feet. “Forget it. We were going to climb -to the roof and look down the chimney at the swift’s nest--remember?” - -Bill looked at the stone in his hand and then into Ronnie’s face. -“O.K.,” he said, letting the rock drop to the ground. “Some other time, -maybe. But, by golly, I sure want to see what’s inside.” - -“Grandfather said there’s nothing much. And he knows because he’s -hunted through everything.” - -Bill had shinnied up a young sapling and was pulling himself carefully -onto the roof. “What was he looking for?” he grunted. - -Ronnie started up after him and by the time he reached Bill’s side he -had conveniently forgotten to answer the question. They mounted the -slope together and then edged their way down the other side where the -chimney was located. Bill had no trouble peering down into the chimney -flue, but Ronnie had to stand on his toes to do it. - -“See anything?” Ronnie asked. - -“I can make out the nest. See it, over there toward the back? I think -there are eggs in it.” - -“Yes,” Ronnie agreed. “Looks like three of them.” - -They watched for a minute or two more and then lost interest. Instead, -they sat down on the edge of the roof, with their legs hanging -dangerously over the side. - -Off in the distance, Ronnie could see a stretch of the St. Lawrence -River and a smudge of smoke from a river boat, now already out of sight. - -“A man from the Seaway’s at the house talking with Dad and -Grandfather,” he said suddenly. - -“The Seaway’s dickering with my pa, too,” Bill said. “Pa says it’s the -best thing that ever came to him. They’re going to pay him five hundred -dollars an acre, and most of it’s no-good swamp land. ’Course, it’s -different with you, Ronnie. I know it’s the village that’s going.” - -“I wish there was something I could do.” - -“Pa says there’s not a chance.” - -“I know. Grandfather won’t say it, but he knows he’s licked.” - -“Sure is a shame, because they don’t really need that part where the -village is. Not for the main steamship lanes, anyway. But just because -it’s bottom land and will flood up, it’s got to go.” - -“Goose Brook will be swallowed up, too.” - -“Too bad your great-great-grandfather didn’t build the village on high -ground. But then, I guess they used the stream for power to turn the -wheels for the gristmill.” - -Ronnie nodded. “I sure as shooting wish I could just pile up a heap of -ground along the river to keep the water out. Then they wouldn’t want -the village land.” - -He was looking at the narrow gap where Goose Brook tumbled between the -two bluffs that formed the margins of the valley. Why, it wasn’t more -than seventy-five or a hundred feet across, and if it were filled in, -the water behind the new Seaway dam could rise as high as it needed to -without flooding the valley. - -Ronnie almost lost his balance and plunged over the edge as the thought -struck him. “Wow!” he exclaimed. “I’ve just gotten the coolest idea you -ever did hear of. Now why in the name of common sense didn’t I think of -it sooner?” - -“I’m sure I don’t know,” Bill answered, “seeing I haven’t got the -slightest idea of what you’re talking about.” - -“Well, come on and I’ll show you!” Ronnie exploded. Then he scrambled -up the roof and back over the other side, and swung himself into the -sapling like a monkey let out of its cage. - - - - -_Chapter 2_ - - -Ronnie was so busy telling Bill about his idea, and Bill was listening -to it so intently, that neither of the boys saw the station wagon until -it was almost upon them. “... and if we could build a dam across that -narrow gap the village could be saved,” Ronnie was saying. - -It was Bill who saw the station wagon first and he stopped dead in his -tracks. “Look, Ronnie,” he exclaimed, “a car--in _here_!” - -There was an old dirt road leading from the highway and connecting -with the cobblestone road, but neither of the boys could ever remember -seeing it used. But now that Ronnie thought about it, there wasn’t any -reason why it couldn’t be used--if someone had a mind to get to the -village without walking, someone traveling along the highway, that is. -And here apparently was someone who wanted to do just that. - -The man stopped the car, turned off the engine, and stepped out. He -came toward the boys, smiling broadly. “You don’t know how glad I am -to see you. I thought sure I was lost and the road was too narrow to -turn around and go back to the highway.” He took a step toward Ronnie, -offering his hand. “My name’s Caldwell,” he said. “Joseph Caldwell.” - -Ronnie shook hands. “I’m Ronnie, and this here’s Bill. You looking for -something special, mister?” - -“Yes. The old Rorth Glassworks.” - -“You’ve found it,” Bill answered. - -“But there’s nothing here any more, Mr. Caldwell,” Ronnie added -quickly. “I mean, they don’t make glass now--not for the last -seventy-five or eighty years, near-abouts.” - -“I know.” The man smiled faintly. “Anybody who’s traveled up that dirt -road could guess that there’s been no activity here for years.” - -Ronnie grinned. “Now that you’re here, what are you fixing to do?” he -asked. - -“Well, what I’d like to do is look the place over. But I suppose I’ll -have to get permission first.” - -Ronnie shook his head. “You won’t have to do that, Mr. Caldwell. This -land belongs to my grandfather. He’ll let you look. Maybe you’d like to -have us show you around?” - -“I’d like that very much!” Mr. Caldwell answered. - -As Ronnie led the man down the cobbled street, a hundred stories -Grandfather had told him about the village leaped to his mind and -begged to be told. He remembered the evening Grandfather and he had sat -on the top of the bluff overlooking the village, with the bats circling -overhead and the buildings standing silent below and fading from sight -among the trees in the gathering darkness. How vividly Grandfather -had told the story of the great fire of 1871 when ten of the workers’ -cottages had burned to the ground, and Great-great-grandfather Ezra had -worked beside his men, battling the blaze until he had fallen from -smoke poisoning. - -Or, the winter of the great blizzard when the roof of the Glassworks -had caved in from the weight, and when the drifts were so high it took -three days to dig out the road so that supplies could be procured from -the storehouses. - -He remembered, too, the story Grandfather told about the duchess -from Bavaria who had visited the Works because she admired the Rorth -glassware so much. Great-great-grandfather had blown a special piece -for her that day, and she, in turn, had left a treasured piece of -Bavarian glass. - -They approached the two-story building beside Goose Brook. “This was -the gristmill,” Ronnie told Mr. Caldwell. “Every bit of flour and meal -for the village was made here from the grain grown on the fields up -above where Dad has his orchards now.” - -Caldwell inspected the huge, overshot waterwheel mounted on its two -stone-and-cement piers and connected to the inside of the building with -a rusty shaft by which the power was transferred to the grinding stones. - -They went inside. A musty smell of damp stone and stale air touched -Ronnie’s nostrils. The large grinding stone stood motionless now. Big -copper caldrons and stone mixing pots gave evidence that the grain had -not only been ground to flour, but baked into bread as well. A massive -fireplace with an iron oven on each side formed the entire rear wall. - -Caldwell poked about among the smaller articles for a while and then -followed the boys outside. Next they visited the main building where -the glass had been made and blown. Bill showed the man the main -furnace with its four openings into the main chimney which rose like a -giant above the furnace and disappeared through the roof. Some of the -long-handled “pots” in which the glass was heated were still stacked -against the wall. - -Otherwise, the building was bare of its former equipment. Caldwell led -the way outside. “I’ve got time for more--if you have,” he announced. - -The church, sawmill, and a few of the workers’ houses which were still -intact, followed. Then came a quick inspection of the smith shop and -finally the old office. - -“All boarded up and locked, I see!” Caldwell commented. “Something -special housed inside?” - -“Why, no, sir!” Ronnie answered. He didn’t feel like giving an -explanation of something so personal that even Grandfather didn’t like -to talk about it. - -Caldwell didn’t press his question. “I certainly am impressed by how -well preserved some of the buildings are,” he said instead. - -“That’s because Grandfather didn’t want to see the village fall to -pieces,” Ronnie answered. “Before he came down with his gout he spent -days working down here, every time he could get away from the farm. He -told me for a while he even milled his own lumber from the wood lot -so’s he could afford to do it.” - -“Your grandfather must have a real love for this place,” the man said -sincerely. - -“I reckon it’s just about the biggest thing in his life.” Ronnie was -going to add “and mine too,” but he didn’t because Caldwell had turned -away and had started down the path toward the cobbled road. - -“Grandpa even replaced some of these stones in the old roadbed,” Ronnie -added as the three headed back toward Mr. Caldwell’s car. - -He handed each of the boys a quarter. “You’ve been real fine guides,” -he said. “Thank you for taking me around.” - -“You don’t need to pay us, mister,” Ronnie said, handing the money -back. “Bill and I--we would have hung around here anyway.” - -“Keep it, please,” the man insisted. “Who knows--I may want you to help -me more, and then I wouldn’t feel right asking you, would I?” - -“All right,” Ronnie agreed. Bill had already pocketed his quarter. -“Say, Mr. Caldwell,” Ronnie had an idea, “do you suppose other people -would pay money to have us show them around?” - -Mr. Caldwell thought about the question. “I’m sure you could attract -quite a few interested people--if they knew about it.” He opened the -door to his car. “Say, son, I wonder if I could come to see your -parents tomorrow and your grandfather, too.” - -“I haven’t got any mother. She died when I was born. But you can sure -come to see Dad and Grandfather. Something you want, maybe?” - -“Well, perhaps. You see, I’m writing a book about early American -glassware, and an idea just struck me that might prove interesting. But -let me go back to my motel and think it over, and I’ll tell you about -it tomorrow when I visit your folks.” - -“Suits me fine,” Ronnie answered. - -Caldwell climbed into his car and started the engine. Ronnie and -Bill watched him while he maneuvered his machine about on the narrow, -cobbled roadway and headed in the opposite direction. Then Caldwell -leaned from the window and waved good-by. He started back up the road -toward the highway in low gear. - -Bill turned to Ronnie. - -“Now just what do you suppose brought him here to see the village in -the first place? He couldn’t have stumbled on it just by accident, -that’s for sure!” - -“He was eying the locked-up building mighty suspicious-like, I’ll tell -you that!” Ronnie added. “Did you see him, Bill?” - -Bill nodded his head. “He’s come here for something, and I don’t think -writing a book is the whole answer.” - -They walked up the path together, picking up old acorns and shooting -them into the trees. Suddenly Bill stopped and confronted Ronnie. “How -come you asked him would other people pay money to see the village, -Ronnie?” he asked. - -“I was putting one and one together, and I think I came up with two.” - -“And what’s this two you came up with?” - -“Well, that narrow gap where Goose Brook comes down through the valley, -plus some money we might be able to earn this summer showing people -around. Maybe it equals a dam and saving the village.” - -Bill thought about that while he searched the dried leaves beneath a -giant bull oak for more ammunition. “How much you figure a dam would -cost?” - -Ronnie shrugged. “I haven’t got the slightest idea. A hundred dollars, -maybe?” - -Bill shook his head. “Maybe more like a thousand. Maybe ten thousand.” - -“Well, it would be a _beginning_ anyway. And I know people hereabouts -who would want to see the village saved, too, and I’ll bet if they -heard how we were working to earn money, maybe they’d help out too. My -dad knows the president of the historical society in town, and he told -Dad he was sick hearing about how the village would be bulldozed and -flooded, and if there was anything the society could do to help, he -should just speak up.” Ronnie sighed. “I’d sure like to _try_ to earn -the money to save the village. It would be fun, too--you and me and -maybe Phil, if he wants to, and you don’t care.” - -“And then if we can’t use the money for the village, we can always have -it to put in the bank.” - -“Let’s try it, huh, Bill?” Ronnie said. - -“It’s a deal! Rorth and Beckney, Guided Tours of the Rorth Glassworks’ -Deserted Village.” - -As they walked together down the path, each of the boys was filled with -ideas as to how they would proceed. There would have to be a sign on -the highway, of course. And the road leading into the village would -need some repairs, and the branches overhanging it should be pruned -short. They’d have to decide upon how much to charge and what they’d -tell their guests about each of the buildings. - -They stopped where the path divided--one route leading toward the -Beckney farm, the other, up the embankment to the Rorth orchard. - -“Tomorrow, Bill?” Ronnie asked him. - -“Tomorrow, partner!” Bill answered. - -Ronnie turned and began to run, digging his toes into the embankment -as he scrambled to the top. He raced through the apple orchard, leaping -a time or two to grab at a pea-sized apple. He suddenly felt light -enough to fly. At least now he’d be _doing_ something to save the -deserted village, not just standing by and listening to Grandfather -argue with Mr. Evans. - - - - -_Chapter 3_ - - -When Ronnie entered the house, he was whistling a tune through the -space between his two front teeth. In the living room he found Phil -sprawled out on the couch with his head propped up against a pillow and -a comic book in his hands. Phil turned a page and looked up at Ronnie. -“Hi!” he said. “Where’ve you been?” - -“Down in the village.” Ronnie went over to Dad’s desk to see if there -might be some important-looking papers as a result of the meeting that -afternoon. “Don’t you get tired of lying around all the time?” he asked -Phil. - -“Not me.” Phil shifted his position. “It’ll take me another month to -rest up from a year of school. What’re you looking for?” - -“Oh--nothing. Maybe a deed to the village property.” - -“Nothing like that--yet. Gramp’s lawyer arrived soon after you got -booted away from the window, and they got nowhere from then on!” - -“How’d you know what happened to me?” - -“Because I was listening from the other side--from the hall! Soon’s -the lawyer arrived, Gramps began demanding a lot more money for the -property than the Seaway wanted to give, and they argued about that for -a while and then Mr. Evans left. I’m telling you all this because I -know you’re going to ask me anyway.” - -Ronnie nodded. “Sure I want to know about it. Where’s Dad?” - -“Out in the barn, I think.” - -Ronnie turned and headed for the kitchen, where he was met with a frown -from Mrs. Butler, who did the housework and prepared the meals for the -Rorths. - -Mrs. Butler was a huge woman with a heavy-set jaw and a sharp, straight -nose and piercing eyes that darted rapidly from one place to another. - -“Now don’t you be running off somewhere!” she warned Ronnie. “Supper’s -nearly ready to serve up, and if it’s like usual I’ll have to hunt the -four corners of the farm to find everyone.” - -“Yes, ma’am. I mean no ma’am.” - -“If you’re going out back, take a look at the gas tank for me, will -you? I don’t think it’s been exchanged in a month.” - -The indicator showed the tank to be almost half-full. Ronnie passed -this information on to Mrs. Butler and then hurried toward the barn, -chasing a dozen chickens out of his path. - -His father was sitting on the homemade, bicycle-propelled grindstone -sharpening one of the blades to his haymower. He didn’t look up from -his work as Ronnie came to a stop at his side and stood watching him. - -“Want me to spell you, Dad?” Ronnie shouted above the racket. - -Mr. Rorth slowed down his pumping and then climbed off. “All right,” he -answered. “I’m on the last one, but my legs are getting tired.” - -Ronnie climbed onto the seat and started turning the pedals. The -eight-inch-diameter stone began to whirl. Sparks shot in every -direction as Mr. Rorth laid the edge of the blade against the stone. - -A few minutes later, he signaled the boy to stop. “There, that’s -better,” he said, running his finger cautiously along the edge of the -blade. “Now if the weather holds out, I can get the north field cut and -maybe into the loft.” - -“You’re going to have company in the morning, Dad,” Ronnie said. - -“_Now_ who’s coming?” Mr. Rorth sounded annoyed. “I wasted the whole -afternoon on this property deal when I should have been haying. Now -who’s going to take over another half a day?” - -Ronnie sympathized with his father. It wasn’t an easy job teaching -agriculture in the local high school during the winter and then trying -to run a sixty-acre farm during the growing season. Ronnie wanted to -say, “I’ll give you a hand, Dad,” but he couldn’t summon enough will -power to do it because he was looking forward so eagerly to starting -his business venture. - -Instead, he answered his father’s question. “Mr. Caldwell, Dad.” - -“Caldwell? Never heard of him.” - -“Me neither, until a little while ago. He came driving into the village -while Bill and I were there, and he asked us to show him all around. -And after we’d done that, he said he’d an idea he wanted to see you -about--you and Grandfather.” - -“Well, whatever it is, I’m sure Grandfather can take care of it by -himself.” - -Mrs. Butler’s voice bellowed from the rear door. “Come and get it! -Come and get it before I throw it down the sink.” - -Mr. Rorth grinned to himself. “Nice wholesome creature, that Mrs. -Butler. But heaven knows what we would do without her.” - -Mr. Rorth wiped his hands free of grease and started toward the -barnyard door. Ronnie snapped off the overhead bulb and followed. -“Dad,” he said, hurrying to catch up, “Dad, if you need me with the -haying, I’ll help.” - -Mr. Rorth thought it over. “I guess not. Thanks, son. Maybe after I -get it cut, you can help load the truck. And I’ll probably need a hand -getting it up into the loft, the same as last week.” - -Ronnie went into the dining room to wait for the others to arrive. He -stood in front of the sideboard, idly tinkling the bullet-sized glass -crystals that hung in a circle of dewdrops from the rim of one of the -Rorth candlesticks. A ray of light from the ceiling chandelier struck -one of the crystals, and a rainbow of colors danced before the boy’s -eyes. - -Grandfather’s cane came thumping into the room and stopped behind the -boy. “You watch your step with that candlestick!” Grandfather warned. -“Doesn’t pay to monkey around with it for no good purpose. There’s -little enough of the old Rorth glassware left in the world, and those -two candlesticks are the prize of the lot.” - -“I won’t harm it, Grandfather.” - -“I know. I know. I’ve heard you say that before--with disastrous -results. Those sticks, next to the village, are the pride of my life. -Now you wouldn’t want to have _everything_ taken from me, would you, -lad?” - -“No, Grandfather.” He turned away from the sideboard and looked up at -his grandfather. “Grandpa,” he said, “Dad told me once there was a -story about the candlesticks. Will you tell me about it? Dad said you -were the one to tell me if I was to know.” - -Grandfather’s gray eyes twinkled for a moment. “Remember how not so -long ago you used to come sit a spell in my room after supper, and we’d -talk about the village and about your Great-great-grandfather Ezra and -about the Glassworks?” - -Ronnie nodded. - -“Well, maybe if you were to slip in for a while tonight, we could talk -about the candlesticks.” - -“And maybe about the locked-up building, too, huh, Grandpa?” - -The old man frowned. “That’s best forgotten, lad, best forgotten.” - -Phil was already seated at the table, and Mrs. Butler was glaring in -Ronnie’s direction, warning him to do the same. He helped Grandfather -into his special armchair at the head of the table, and then slipped -around and sat down next to Phil. Grandfather said grace, Mrs. Butler -brought in the corned beef and cabbage, and Mr. Rorth made a late -entrance to take his place opposite Grandfather. Mr. Rorth’s face was -drawn into a frown. “I wish,” he exclaimed irritably, “the Seaway would -hurry up and buy the land so I could get on with the farm work.” - -A loud snort from Grandfather warned him that he had not worded his -feelings in quite the way the old man would understand. “What I mean -is,” he hurried to correct himself, “what I mean is that we haven’t got -a ghost of a chance of saving it, so we might as well be done with the -whole thing.” But it was too late. Grandfather had already risen to his -feet, his hand turning white as he clenched the handle of his cane. His -face was a fiery red against his snow-white hair, and the vein on his -right forehead popped from the surface like a big purple knot. - -For a moment he was so angry his words wouldn’t come out straight. -“You, why, you--you’re a traitor to the Rorths! The village is the -soul, the heart, the _life_ of this family, and you throw it away in a -few idle words. Why, why this boy here,” he pointed to Ronnie, “has a -greater appreciation for what the village means. Far greater. I can’t -understand it. I just can’t understand it.” He sank back down into his -chair, breathing rapidly. - -For a minute there wasn’t a sound in the room. Ronnie could hear a -cricket chirping mournfully in the cellar. Then his father looked up -from his plate. “I’m sorry,” he said to Grandfather. “I really didn’t -mean it the way it sounded.” - -Grandfather grunted, but said nothing. - -After supper Ronnie and Phil helped Mrs. Butler with the dishes. “Folks -down in town are mighty sad knowing the old deserted village isn’t to -be spared,” she said as she wrapped up some of the table scraps to take -home to her cats. “Mighty sad. It’s surprising how many folks there -have a fond spot in their hearts for the place. Fact is, there’s talk -going around to do something about saving it--if there’s a way to get -it done.” - -Ronnie pricked up his ears at this. “Gosh, do you think they can?” - -“Well, I’ll tell you, boy, sometimes public opinion is powerful strong -magic when it comes to something like this. The government doesn’t -like to rouse up public sentiments if they can help it.” - -There was a lot to what Mrs. Butler had said, and Ronnie stored the -information away for later use. Maybe a combination of raising money -for the dam and getting the townspeople interested might just turn -the trick. Now, more than ever, he was anxious to get started on his -venture. - -Mrs. Butler had her scraps wrapped, and turned now to putting away the -dishes Phil had dried. “You know,” she said, “either I’m getting daffy -in my old age, or something mighty queer’s going on around here.” - -“How come, Mrs. Butler?” Phil asked. - -“Well, I’ll let you figure it out. This afternoon I put a blanket out -on the line to air. A little while ago I went out to get it, and it -was gone. I even got a flashlight to follow the line down to the barn, -thinking maybe I’d put that blanket farther away from the house than -I’d figured.” - -“And it wasn’t there?” Phil asked. - -“Nowheres about. Not even on the ground, figuring maybe the wind might -have taken it--if there’d been a wind. Asked your pa, asked your -grandpa if they’d taken it.” - -“Golly, that is strange,” Ronnie agreed. - -“Some tramp, probably,” Mrs. Butler grumbled, going to the closet to -get her coat. But something in her voice told Ronnie she didn’t believe -it. - - - - -_Chapter 4_ - - -After Mrs. Butler had left, Ronnie headed for the sunny room on the -ground floor of the back wing of the house. There he found Grandfather -seated in his Morris chair, working frantically at the dials of his -radio transmitter. “Confounded sunspots,” the old man growled. “I just -can’t seem to make contact with Donavon tonight.” - -“Maybe he’s not home.” - -“Now that’s as foolish an explanation as I’ve ever heard. Of course -he’s home! He’s been home every night for the past two years, all ready -to give me his next move and hope like the devil that he’s got me -stymied.” - -Ronnie looked over at the table beside the transmitter where -Grandfather had his chess set. It was a beautiful board of alternating -light and dark squares of imported inlaid woods. The chessmen -themselves were large and ornate and handsomely carved from the best -ivory. - -The crackle in the loudspeaker was suddenly broken by Albert Donavon’s -voice in Detroit. “W3x2Z calling W2N4L. Come in, W2N4L.” - -“Why in blazes are you telling _me_ to come in, you old fogy?” -Grandfather retorted. “I’ve been trying to raise you for the past ten -minutes. What’s the matter--you afraid I’m going to check you with my -next move?” - -“There isn’t a move in the books you could check me with!” Donavon -returned. - -They chatted for a few minutes about the weather and each other’s -health, and then exchanged their moves. “Move my castle to White’s king -rook file, third rank,” Grandfather told him, “and then sweat that one -out!” - -“Why you old buzzard!” Donavon came back, “you think that’s going to -help you? Wait until you see what I’ve got in store for _you_! Move my -queen’s bishop to the king knight’s file, fifth rank. Now figure that -out if you can!” - -“Ha!” Grandfather was indignant. “You’ll have to get up early in the -morning to find a move that I can’t figure out. Your trouble always has -been that you jump to too hasty conclusions, Donavon!” - -But Grandfather looked worried, Ronnie noticed. He was studying the -board and frowning. “See you tomorrow night, same time!” Donavon signed -off, and the loudspeaker went dead. - -Then Grandfather turned off his transmitter and receiver. “Thinks he -has me cornered, does he! Well, let him figure out that move I gave -_him_!” - -He leaned back in his chair. “Ronnie,” he said, “it’s nice having you -back in here with me like old times. I’ve been fearing that maybe -you and I were drifting apart of late.” He closed his eyes for a few -moments and leaned his head back against his chair. “So many things -have been slipping from me these past weeks, so many things.” He opened -his eyes again and looked at Ronnie. “You aren’t going to slip from me -too, are you, boy?” - -“Of course not, Gramps. It’s because you’ve been worried about the -village and I didn’t want to pester you,” Ronnie explained. “That’s why -I haven’t been coming in here to see you so much lately.” - -“Of course, and you’ve been worried too!” Grandfather added. “Why, -it’s been written all over you. You wouldn’t be my boy if you weren’t -worrying about the village.” He stretched out his game leg to ease -some of the pain. “You won’t be forgetting the wonderful times we had -together in the village now, will you, boy?” - -“No, sir, Gramps!” Ronnie exclaimed. “Why, just this afternoon I was -telling Mr. Caldwell some of the stories you told me!” - -“Caldwell? I don’t recall that name.” - -Ronnie explained to Grandfather how Caldwell had driven into the -village and how Bill and he had taken the man on a tour of the -buildings. “And he gave me and Bill a swell idea, Gramps. We’re going -to make money so we can build a dam across that pass where Goose Brook -comes through, and then they won’t have to flood the valley and--” - -“Say, hold on there a minute, boy! You’re going faster than a runaway -locomotive down a steep grade, and I lost you a ways back. Now just how -are you going to make this money, and _what_ pass are you going to dam -up? This all sounds pretty fantastic to me.” - -But by the time Ronnie had finished explaining his plans, Grandfather -was nodding his head slowly and puckering his lips the way he did when -he was almost convinced. “There’s a chance ... there’s a chance,” he -kept repeating. “I know the spot you mean. It would take a lot of fill, -but it’s not impossible. And with folks in town stirring things up for -the Seaway, it might come about. Of course, you realize you couldn’t -raise near enough money yourself to do the job, don’t you?” - -“Maybe not, Grandpa, but somebody’s got to start things going.” - -“You never said a truer word, boy! You’ve got my blessings. Go to it, -and don’t forget, just because I’ve got a leg here that won’t do its -job any longer doesn’t mean I can’t help. There’s one thing I got -plenty of--advice!” - -Ronnie smiled up at his grandfather. “We’ll lick this yet, won’t we, -Gramps? And now will you tell me about the candlesticks?” - -The old man nodded, then frowned. “Now where in tarnation do I begin a -story like this? Well, let’s begin with your great-great-grandfather, -Ezra Rorth. He was the son of the man who founded the Glassworks down -in the valley, but it was really Ezra who built it up so that it was -known practically around the world for its fine glass. I reckon Ezra -was a real craftsman, an artist in his trade. He had a habit, so I -hear, of rarely duplicating what he once had made. - -“Well, now, this Ezra, for some reason nobody’s ever been able to -figure out, took in a partner, a man by the name of Jacob Williams. -Seems like both these men fell in love about the same time and got -themselves engaged. Then they decided to hold a double wedding -ceremony. Old Ezra, about that time, got the idea he and Jacob ought -to give their brides-to-be something extra special for a wedding -present. So the two went off for three, four days into the Glassworks -and shut themselves up and said they didn’t want anybody busting in -and bothering them for any reason at all. When they came out, they’d -created two pairs of those candlesticks, one pair for each bride. Those -in the dining room came right down the family tree from generation to -generation. I gave them to your grandmother, and when your dad got -married he gave them to your mother. It’s your turn next, seeing you’re -the oldest.” - -“Me?” Ronnie blushed. “I’m never going to get married, not on your -life.” - -Grandfather roared with laughter. “You’ll sing a different tune in -another ten years--maybe sooner.” - -“No, sir! I’m going to stick around and take care of _you_, -Grandfather!” - -“Well, that’s mighty nice of you to say, lad. Tarnation, you don’t know -how sad this whole affair with the village has made me. And your father -isn’t showing the fighting spirit I expected of him. So it’s good to -hear you say nice things like that.” - -“Dad really is fighting, Grandpa. I know he is--in his own sort of way.” - -“Well, maybe so, and I’m sure sorry I lost my temper like I did at the -table. Always was one for blowing off steam and then feeling sorry -about it afterward. I’m glad that’s _one_ trait you didn’t inherit from -me.” - -Ronnie got up, stretching, and then started for the door. “Gramps?” -he said, turning about suddenly. “You’ll tell me about the boarded-up -building too, won’t you?” - -Grandfather’s eyes came closed wearily, as if he were trying to shut -out thoughts of the building. “No, boy,” he answered finally, his eyes -still closed. “Let’s let its secret die along with me. I searched the -place timber to timber, but I found nothing. She’s stubborn, that -building, just like some of the Rorths. I guess she’s old and set -in her ways, and if she won’t tell me what happened, she won’t tell -anybody.” - -“She likes me, Grandfather. I know she does. I’ve sat on the roof lots -of times, and listened to the swifts down in her chimney, and I’m sure -she was telling me to look! But I don’t know what to look for.” - -Grandfather’s eyes were open again and he was smiling. “You’re a clever -rascal, you are, boy! Trying to touch my sentiments, are you? Well, -I’ve made up my mind the secret’s to die with me, so there’s no use in -your pestering further.” - -“Oh, all right. But I think it’s a shame, letting the secret get buried -under all that water.” - -Grandfather’s smile faded and his face grew flushed and the vein on his -temple began to swell and turn purple. He started to rise, too, but -suddenly changed his mind and sank back down and rested his head back -against the chair. “I won’t get tempered over it again,” he said, more -to himself than Ronnie. “But don’t you go talking like that any more. -Remember, always keep thinking the _best_ is going to happen.” - -“I really do believe that, Gramps. I was just saying what I did because -I hoped you’d change your mind and tell me the secret.” - -“Well, I’ll think on it. I’ll think on it. Maybe I’ll decide to tell -you. But don’t bother me about it any more, you hear?” - -“Yes, Gramps.” - -“All right. Now go on and get out of here. I’m tired and I’m going to -bed.” - -Ronnie was tired too, but he stopped in the dining room on his way -upstairs to take another look at the candlesticks. They _were_ -beautiful. Twelve cut-glass, diamond-shaped crystals hung by spun glass -chains in a circle from the rim of the candle holder. The base and -stick itself were of solid frosted glass, embellished with intricate -designs of rose and turquoise embossing. He set one of the crystals in -motion and it tinkled like a bell against its neighbor crystal. - -He climbed the stairs to the upstairs hall. Phil was in his own room, -working at his desk. Ronnie poked his head inside and watched his -brother cutting out baseball players’ pictures from the backs of cereal -boxes he had been accumulating. “Bill and I are starting a business in -the morning. You can come in with us if you want.” - -“What kind of a business? If it’s work, you can count me out.” - -Ronnie explained what they had in mind. Phil seemed interested. “I’ll -sleep on it,” he told Ronnie and went on with his work. - -Ronnie moved down the hall and entered his own room. He didn’t turn -on the light, but instead went to the window and, brushing back the -curtains, stared out into the blackness. - -The moon was at the quarter, but there was enough light from it to -light up patches of the St. Lawrence River so that it looked like -stretches of a concrete highway cutting through the darkness. Below and -a little to the left, the night was blackest, and here Ronnie located -the deserted village. - -For a moment he thought he could picture the black, inky water covering -the land as the floodwaters rose behind the proposed dam. The thought -of such a thing happening sent his stomach sinking. - -Then suddenly his eyes widened. He blinked a few times to make sure he -wasn’t seeing something that wasn’t there. - -It was there all right! Directly in the center of the black patch of -night where he had located the village, a halo of light lay shimmering -over the roof of one of the buildings. It moved a little to the left, -then shifted back again slowly, faded slightly, and brightened again. - -Ronnie rubbed at the windowpane to clear the glass. But he couldn’t -erase the light he had seen--not for another minute or two anyway. Then -it disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. - - - - -_Chapter 5_ - - -Ronnie was up bright and early the next morning. All the time he was -washing himself and brushing his teeth, he was trying to figure out -what it was he had seen the night before. - -It had looked somewhat like a flashlight beam hitting the thick foliage -from underneath a tree. But that wouldn’t account for the way the light -had reflected from the sloping-roof surface of one of the buildings. - -“I reckon that was just about where the boarded-up building is,” he -told himself. - -He wondered if he should tell anybody about what he had seen. Nobody -was likely to believe him. In fact, he was having a hard job trying -to convince himself that his eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on him. -Sometimes the netting in the screens made lights take on strange shapes -and do crazy things. Or maybe it was the moon coming out suddenly from -behind a cloud and lighting up the roof of the building. Yet this -wasn’t the first time he had gazed out over the deserted village from -his bedroom window, and he had never seen the light before. He pulled -on his trousers and went down to the kitchen where he found his father -at the table finishing a bowl of cold cereal. “Morning, Dad,” he said. - -“Morning, Ronnie! What’s the special occasion--getting up so early, I -mean?” - -The boy explained about the plan Bill and he had made--how they hoped -to attract tourists to the deserted village and perhaps earn some money -too. - -“Sounds like a fine idea to me, son!” Mr. Rorth nodded his head. “Let -me know if I can help you in any way.” - -Mr. Rorth washed his dish out at the sink and set it into the drain to -dry. “A fine day for haying,” he said glancing out the window at the -sky. “In a few days I’ll need you and Phil to help gather it in.” - -After his father had left, Ronnie got his breakfast of fruit juice and -cereal from the refrigerator and pantry shelf and then sat down at the -table to eat. - -While he was eating, he thought over all the things Bill and he would -do that day to prepare for their new business venture. He jotted them -down on a piece of scrap paper: “Clean out all the buildings that are -in pretty good shape. Cut off all the branches that stick out over the -dirt road and the cobblestone road. Clear a small parking place. Print -a sign to put on the highway.” - -Then he added: “Tell Bill what I saw last night?” He added two more -question marks at the end of the words. - -Just as Ronnie was finishing his meal, he heard Mrs. Butler drive up -in her car. A few minutes later she came bustling into the kitchen. -“Well,” she exclaimed, “aren’t you the early bird!” - -She opened the cupboard door and placed her pocketbook inside. -“Strangest thing about that blanket,” she said to Ronnie. “I was sure -I’d find it this morning. But I don’t see hide nor hair of it. Did you -make your bed, youngster?” - -Ronnie flushed. “No, ma’am,” he confessed. - -“I might have guessed. Well, I’ll take care of it for you this once. -’Pears like you’ve got some mighty important things on your mind, or -you wouldn’t be up so early. Keep your eyes peeled for that blanket.” -She picked up the carpet sweeper from beside the refrigerator and -hurried from the room. - -Phil shuffled into the kitchen, still in his pajamas. He fell into a -chair and yawned deeply. “That cereal looks O.K. Mind fixing me up a -batch?” - -“Help yourself. Be my guest.” Another idea had come to Ronnie and he -jotted it down on his list: “Maybe make some circulars to leave around -town telling about the village.” Lots of tourists came through Massena -on their way to the Thousand Islands. Some might be interested in -seeing the old glassworks. - -Phil settled himself at the table with a bowl of corn flakes and a -bottle of milk. “Watcha writing?” he asked his brother. - -“Just jotting down some ideas about starting our business.” - -“Maybe I’ll tag along and see what it’s all about. If it looks -interesting, I’ll think about joining up.” - -“Don’t put yourself out.” - -“Aw, I don’t mind. In fact, it sounds kind of intriguing. Maybe I can -pick up a few fast bucks to get that bicycle I’ve had my eye on.” - -Ronnie put down the pencil, folded up the paper and stuffed it in his -trouser pocket. “All the money we make is going into helping to save -the village. If you want to come, you’d better get dressed because I’m -taking off in a few minutes.” - -“You can go on ahead. I’ll join you later.” - -Ronnie washed out his plate and glass and put them away. Then he left -the house. The sun was hardly over the treetops, and the grass still -sparkled with early morning dew. A fine haze streaked the horizon, and -the boy knew it was going to be hot before the day was over. He cut -through the orchard, slid down the embankment, and cut into the forest -where the buildings of the village were scattered. - -On the cobbled road he paused and whistled shrilly, a signal to Bill. -He listened, but no answer came back to him. Well, he’d wait for Bill -by the boarded-up house. - -He cut down the side path to the building. The bare earth, where the -leaves had blown away, was damp from the night dew, and his bare feet -padded noiselessly along. He broke out into the small clearing that -faced the front of the building and stopped abruptly. - -For a second he had thought the figure moving hurriedly away from the -rear of the building was Bill, and he had been just about to whistle a -greeting. Now he saw that it was a man, and while he could only see a -portion of his shoulders and head, he thought of Mr. Caldwell, the man -who had driven into the village the day before. “Hi, Mr. Caldwell!” he -yelled. - -The man turned for an instant to face the boy, then whirled about and -hurried into the woods. - -The man’s face had been in the shadows for that single instant he had -faced Ronnie, and the boy still wasn’t sure whether he was the man -who had paid them the visit and promised to return for a talk with Mr. -Rorth. Ronnie shrugged, as if to tell himself that it really didn’t -matter. If it had been Caldwell, he’d explain his actions later. - -Ronnie decided to take a quick swing around the building to see if he -could find anything that might tell him about the light he had seen the -evening before. The rusty lock, snapped in place three or four years -before when Grandfather had abandoned his search, was still in place. -The window shutters were as tightly closed. Everything looked perfectly -normal. - -“Strangest thing ever,” he said to himself. He was beginning to believe -he _had_ been seeing things the night before. - -He spied a narrow crack where the shutter did not fit tight against the -window frame, but it was a little too high to look through. But off in -one of the thickets of hemlock saplings, he saw a fair-sized log. He -grabbed hold of it, rolled it over beneath the window, and then wedged -a smaller piece of wood under it to keep it from moving. - -Holding onto the window frame for support, Ronnie climbed onto the log -and placed his right eye against the crack. The room was dark except -for the glow from a faint patch of light that found its way down the -chimney flues. - -The light, however, was sufficient for him to make a very puzzling -discovery. Somebody, apparently, had spent the night sleeping in the -boarded-up house! Spread out on the hearth was Mrs. Butler’s missing -blanket. The stub of a candle was waxed securely to the floor, and a -flashlight lay to one side. - -“Hi, Ronnie!” he heard Bill’s voice behind him. “Gee, let me take a -look inside too!” - -Ronnie stepped down from the log. “Hi, Bill. I just discovered the -queerest thing. You take a look and tell me what _you_ think.” - -“Sure thing!” Bill was only too happy to comply. He climbed the log -and, shielding his eyes, peered through the crack. A minute later he -was down on the ground again facing Ronnie. “Looks like somebody’s been -sleeping in there!” he exclaimed. - -“Just what _I_ thought!” Ronnie agreed. “And that looks just like the -blanket Mrs. Butler lost yesterday. I know it because it’s the one she -uses when she takes her nap in the afternoon. I’d know that Indian -blanket anywhere!” - -“Well! Let’s go in and take a look around,” Bill exclaimed. - -“In?” Ronnie was flabbergasted. “Why, I don’t know how _he_ got in! I -just looked at the lock, and--and all the shutters are still nailed -shut--I _think_.” - -“Couldn’t be!” Bill started out on his own inspection tour. He joined -Ronnie a few minutes later, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re -right,” he said. “I couldn’t find any way to get in, either. You’d -better tell your dad about this, Ronnie!” - -“I’ll sure do that,” he said. - -“And maybe your grandfather will open up and take a look inside to find -out what’s going on.” - -“Yea, sure.” Ronnie was still too deep in thought to pay much attention -to Bill’s remarks. _How_ had the intruder gotten in? he asked himself -over and over again. Mrs. Butler had hung the blanket on the line the -day before, and now Ronnie was sure that it was inside the boarded-up -building. But _who_ had put it there, and _how_ had he gotten inside? - -The boys didn’t give up searching for an answer until they had -re-examined the four walls and had even climbed to the roof for an -inspection. “Maybe he went down the chimney!” Bill suggested. - -“Don’t be silly!” Ronnie laughed. “Even a baby couldn’t get down -there.” He peered over the top and looked down the flue. “Besides, the -swifts’ nest is still there, and it would be broken if anyone had gone -down.” - -Just then Bill spied Phil coming down the cobblestone road. “Hey, -Ron-_nie_. Hey, Bill,” Phil called out. - -“Don’t let on what we’ve found inside,” Bill warned Ronnie. “It’s our -secret--yours and mine. O.K.?” - -Ronnie nodded. They went down the path to meet Phil, who had seated -himself on a fallen log to wait for them to join him. He had cut -himself a walking stick from a wild cherry tree and was busy paring -ringlets and designs by stripping off the bark. The live wood showed -through, a pale green. - -“Thought you’d never get here,” he said without looking up from his -work. “How’s the business coming?” - -“We haven’t started yet.” Bill turned to Ronnie. “I was thinking last -night that first off, we’ve got to have an office to work in, and where -we can keep all our stuff.” - -“That’s right!” Ronnie agreed. - -“How about one of the workers’ cottages?” Phil suggested. “Gramps fixed -up a couple of them and they’re still in good shape.” - -Ronnie and Bill agreed, and the three set off down the cobbled road, -crossed Goose Brook and struck out down the overgrown path that led -to the row of workers’ cottages. Only two of them were still in good -repair, the two on each end of the row that formerly contained close -to a dozen. Of the rest, most had completely fallen to ruin. Only their -foundations and chimneys were still standing. A few had walls, but the -roofs were caved in and rotting. - -The boys chose the one closest to the cobbled road and set to work -cleaning it up. While Ronnie and Phil removed the debris that littered -the floor, Bill ran home to get a broom and pail and mop. - -By noontime the walls and floors had been mopped with water from the -brook, a makeshift desk had been constructed from old lumber, and -several rickety but serviceable chairs had been located in other -buildings. - -“We should have done this a long time ago,” Bill said, wiping the -perspiration from his forehead, “even if it was just for a clubhouse. -It’s real neat!” - -Before leaving for lunch they agreed to return that afternoon and begin -work on some of the items Ronnie had written on his list at breakfast -that morning. “The road from the highway comes first,” he decided. -“Then, cleaning up the buildings we’re going to use in our tour. Then, -the sign.” - -Phil groaned. “I just remembered,” he announced. “I’ve got a date with -the hammock for the afternoon.” - -When Ronnie came within sight of his own house fifteen minutes later, -he recognized Mr. Caldwell’s station wagon parked near the back door. -He’d already left Phil a good distance behind, so he began to run, -afraid that he might already have missed something of importance. - -Mr. Caldwell was in the barn, talking with Ronnie’s father. He looked -up and smiled in the boy’s direction as Ronnie entered. “Hello, -Ronald,” he said. - -“Hi!” Ronnie answered. - -Ronnie tagged along behind his father and Mr. Caldwell as they walked -slowly from the barn and then stopped alongside Mr. Caldwell’s car for -a few final words. Then Mr. Caldwell climbed into his station wagon and -started the engine. Ronnie waved good-by. - -“Dad,” he asked, following his father back to the barn, “what did he -want?” - -“Supposing you come up in the loft with me and help pile up the hay you -knocked down the other day. Then I’ll be able to get the rest of it -in after it’s finished drying on the fields. I’ll tell you about Mr. -Caldwell while we work.” - -Ronnie followed his father up the ladder. It was stifling hot in the -loft. Mr. Rorth opened the two loft doors that faced onto the barnyard. -Overhead a wasp darted angrily among the beams, droning like a model -airplane. - -Mr. Rorth picked up two pitchforks and handed one of them to Ronnie. -“How come you’re so interested in this Mr. Caldwell?” he asked, -starting to move some of the hay toward the rear of the loft. - -Ronnie grinned. “I guess maybe because I’m just plain nosey!” he -answered. - -Mr. Rorth had gathered up a large pile of hay. Now he jabbed the -tines of his fork underneath it and heaved the load to the top of the -stack. Then he turned to face the boy. “Couldn’t ask for a more honest -answer than the one you gave me, could I?” he queried. “I’ll say this, -though, about the man,” he went on, more seriously, “I’ll say that I -was impressed by the way he talked. He seemed genuinely interested in -antiques, particularly glassware. And apparently he’s built up quite a -name for himself as a connoisseur of old glass.” - -Ronnie thought about what his father had just told him. “Dad, what’s a -connoisseur?” - -“A connoisseur? Well, he’s a person who knows a great deal about some -special art subject. Caldwell got interested in glassware when he was a -boy. It seems his family had a couple of pieces of Rorth glassware that -had been handed down from one generation to the next. He started doing -some research on them, and pretty soon he was studying up on all makes -of glassware. Now he’s writing a book on early American glassware. He -wants to include a few chapters about Rorth glass.” - -Ronnie stopped work long enough to turn toward his father. “And is that -why Caldwell came to see you?” he asked. - -“Yes, in a way.” Mr. Rorth leaned lightly on the handle of his fork. -“He wants to spend some time here poking around in the buildings and -talking with your grandfather about the history of the Glassworks. He -thought maybe he could bed down in one of the buildings in the village.” - -“He _does_!” Ronnie exclaimed. “Golly, maybe he’ll help us set up our -business, specially if he knows so much about glassware. Think he -might, Dad?” - -“Well, now, I don’t know. He’s coming here to learn more about it -himself. But you ask him if you want.” - -Ronnie went over to the opening of the loft and sat down on the edge -with his feet dangling out over the barnyard. The perspiration was -running down his body in streams, and he wanted to cool off. The -hayseeds were sticking to his skin, too, and itching something awful. - -His father came over and stood behind him, leaning on the handle of his -fork, trying to catch a few puffs of the cooler air. - -“When’s he moving in, Dad?” Ronnie asked. - -“Right after lunch, I think. He went back to check out of the motel.” - -“I wonder if he really slept in the motel last night,” Ronnie mused. - -“Why do you ask that?” - -“Because _somebody_ slept in the old office building, that’s why. And -who else would it be excepting Mr. Caldwell?” - -“That’s nonsense, Ronnie,” his father protested. “Why would Mr. -Caldwell want to sleep in the old office building? And how would he get -in without breaking down the door?” - -“That’s what Bill and I were wondering too.” - -Mr. Rorth shook his head slowly as if to say, “These kids!” and then -picked up his fork and moved back to work. Ronnie got up and followed -him. “Don’t you believe me, Dad?” Ronnie asked. - -“Well,” Mr. Rorth said, grinning, “I’ll say I’m having a hard time -believing you. For instance, how can you tell that a man slept -there--what evidence do you have?” - -“Well, there’s a little crack in the window, and Bill and I climbed up -and looked through it. We saw the blanket Mrs. Butler was looking for -last night.” - -Mr. Rorth raised his eyebrows a bit and looked straight at Ronnie. -“Well, that _is_ convincing.” He thought about it for a moment. “Tell -you what, Ronnie. I’m going down to the village later this afternoon to -see if Mr. Caldwell got settled all right. I’ll take a look at the old -office building on the way.” - -“The crack is in the south window and you can peek in through there.” - -“Never mind the crack. I’ll bring the key--if that old lock will still -turn. Last time I looked it was wrapped with a cloth to keep it from -rusting.” - -“Not any more it isn’t,” said Ronnie. - -After lunch Ronnie gathered together some tools and lumber to use in -building a sign for the highway. With these under his arms, he stopped -by the grape arbor where Phil was lying in the hammock. “You coming -down?” he asked, hoping he would so he could carry some of the load. - -Phil eyed the lumber and tools. “I’ll be down after my siesta,” he -said. “Nobody with any sense exercises during the heat of the day.” - -By resting his load on the ground every few hundred feet, Ronnie -reached their new office without too much trouble. Bill hadn’t shown up -yet, so Ronnie stretched out in one of their chairs, making plans for -the afternoon while he waited for his friend. - -But after five minutes he grew restless and decided he’d kill some -time by taking another peek through the shutter into the boarded-up -building. He slipped out of the office and made his way toward the -building. Soon he was standing on the log and peering through the crack. - -“Oh, _no_!” he exclaimed suddenly. “Now what’s Dad going to think of -me?” - -The blanket, candle, and flashlight were no longer in sight. - - - - -_Chapter 6_ - - -“That man,” Ronnie told himself again and again as he trudged back to -their office, “that man I saw this morning running from the boarded-up -house is the person who slept in there last night.” And “that man” had -looked an awful lot like Mr. Caldwell, even seen from a distance and -hidden somewhat by the early morning shadows. - -Ronnie groaned. He sure did hate the thought of the teasing he’d get -when his father inspected the building and found nothing there. - -Bill was waiting for him when he reached their office building. “’Bout -time you got here,” he said. - -“I’ve been here,” Ronnie retorted. “I went over to take another peek -into the boarded-up building. But I wished I hadn’t.” - -“How come?” - -Ronnie told him. Bill groaned too. “I told my pa about it, too, and he -said he was going to call your pa on the telephone. Somebody’s made a -monkey out of us for sure!” - -“Well, _we_ know somebody slept there last night,” Ronnie announced -stoutly. “Some mighty strange things are going on around here, let me -tell you.” He decided to break down and tell Bill about the peculiar -light he’d seen the evening before, and about the man who looked like -Mr. Caldwell who had turned and run when the boy had shouted his name. - -Bill gave a long, loud whistle of amazement. “Looks like we’ve got -_two_ things to do this summer--save the village and solve this -mystery, too.” - -But within a few minutes they had forgotten the mysterious prowler. -Armed with the pruning sheers and sickle that Bill had brought with -him, they started clearing the overhanging branches from both sides of -the dirt lane. A half hour later, when they were within sight of the -main road, Mr. Caldwell’s station wagon turned off the highway and came -toward them. - -He stopped alongside the boys and poked his head out the window. “Hop -in and I’ll drive you back in--that is, if you’re finished.” - -Ronnie nodded and the two climbed into the front seat. “You’ve done a -fine job of clearing the roadway,” Mr. Caldwell said. “You are going -ahead with your tourist business, I take it.” - -“Yes,” Ronnie answered, “how did you know about it?” - -“Your father told me.” Mr. Caldwell swung off the dirt road onto the -cobblestones. “Now, the question is--which building shall I occupy? -Your father said I could have my choice.” - -“How about one of the workers’ cottages?” Bill suggested. “We’re -using one of them for our office, but there’s a real good one with a -fireplace at the other end of the row.” - -“Sounds like just what I’m looking for,” Caldwell agreed. - -Ronnie and Bill helped Mr. Caldwell unload his suitcases and cardboard -cartons from the rear of the station wagon and carry them into the -cottage. Then they sat on the floor with their backs against a wall and -watched him unpack. - -Just about that time, Mr. Rorth drove up in his pickup truck. In the -back he had a cot and mattress, blankets and sheets, a table and a few -chairs, as well as some cooking utensils. - -“These should make you comfortable,” he told Mr. Caldwell. - -Ronnie walked back to the truck beside his father. “Now,” said Mr. -Rorth, “let’s take a look at the evidence of this mysterious guest -we’re supposed to be harboring in the old office building!” - -Ronnie looked up sheepishly at his father. “It’s not there any more, -Dad,” he said. - -“Oh? So the ghost picked up his bedding and walked away, eh?” - -“But it _was_ there this morning, Dad. Honest it was. Bill saw it too. -He’ll tell you.” - -Mr. Rorth stared at his son a moment, then laughed and climbed into the -truck. Ronnie’s face was scarlet as he turned back to join Bill. - -For the remainder of the afternoon the boys worked at cleaning up the -gristmill and the general store. Phil joined them about three o’clock, -but as usual he wasn’t much help. - -Twice during the afternoon they took a breather to see how Mr. Caldwell -was coming with his unpacking. On their final visit, Ronnie exclaimed, -“Gosh, Mr. Caldwell, you’ve got this place looking just like home!” - -“And that’s what it’s going to be for a couple of weeks. Who knows, I -might just decide to stay on indefinitely!” - -“Oh, but you couldn’t do that--not unless you want to be under water,” -Ronnie explained. - -Mr. Caldwell looked at Ronnie questioningly, not knowing whether to -take the boy’s remark seriously or as some kind of joke. “Are you -fooling?” he asked. - -“Oh no. In a year or two, when they build the dams on the St. Lawrence -Seaway, this’ll all be under water. Gramps is furious, but Dad says he -can’t do anything about it.” - -“What a pity. What a great pity!” Mr. Caldwell exclaimed. “I’m -certainly glad I decided to come here when I did.” - -Mr. Caldwell’s alarm clock showed four-thirty. Bill suggested that -they start work cleaning up the main building where the glass had been -manufactured and packed. “We’ll never get started showing people around -at the rate we’re going,” he told Ronnie and Phil. - -Ronnie, of course, didn’t need any convincing. He would work all night -if it would step up their opening date. Phil tagged along reluctantly. - -They managed to cart five or six loads of the larger debris from the -building and dump it in the woods out of sight, and then Bill announced -that it was probably time for him to get home. He had chores to do -before supper, and so did Ronnie and Phil. - -They walked back to the office together. Bill wanted to gather up his -tools to take home. “I’ve got to be _sure_ to get these back,” he -explained. “A couple of nights ago a saw and hammer and a couple of -other tools disappeared from the barn, and Pa insists I took them and -left them somewhere.” - -“We haven’t been using any tools like that,” Ronnie said indignantly. - -They walked down the cobbled road to where their paths separated. “You -know,” Bill suggested, “we could work on the sign tonight and leave the -cleaning up for the daytime. Think you could get away for a while after -supper?” - -“Sure,” said Ronnie. He turned to his brother. “Want to come too, Phil?” - -Phil mumbled something about a television show. - -When Ronnie got home, he pitched into his chores immediately. He chased -the few remaining hens into the chicken house, filled their trough -with water, and fastened the door shut. He stabled the horse and then -watered and fed her. Then he went into the house to collect the garbage -and trash to take to the dump for burning. - -Returning from the dump, he caught sight of his father driving the -tractor and pulling the mowers down the farm road from the fields. -Ronnie cut through the triangle of alder bushes to meet him. “Say, -Dad,” he asked, climbing up beside him, “could I go back down to the -village after supper and work for a while with Bill? We’re going to -make our sign to put out on the highway.” - -“I don’t see why not. You pretty near ready to start your big business -venture?” - -“Just about, I guess.” - -Mr. Rorth nodded his head in approval. “I was in town today and I -happened to run into Steve Mercer. He’s president of the historical -society. Told me that they’d written a letter to the Seaway saying -their society’s violently opposed to any flooding of the village unless -it’s absolutely necessary.” - -Ronnie’s heart leaped. “Maybe that’ll help us get permission to build -the dam across the top of the valley.” - -“It might,” his father agreed. A smile tugged at his lips. “Think you -can raise that kind of money?” - -“No,” Ronnie said honestly. “But it’ll get the ball rolling, and that’s -what counts, Grandpa says.” - -“And of course he’s right,” Mr. Rorth agreed. “Heaven knows I want to -see the village spared as much as you and Gramps. But I can’t let the -whole farm go to pieces in the meantime. You’ve got to be practical -about these things.” - - * * * * * - -When Ronnie reached the office at eight o’clock, Bill was waiting for -him. Bill had brought a kerosene lantern and it was already burning -when Ronnie entered the door. Outside, the late evening shadows were -deepening among the trees, and the peepers were piping down in the -marshes along the river. - -“Pa gave me a piece of plywood for our sign,” Bill announced, “and I -brought some paint and brushes.” - -They sat down at their improvised desk and composed the words they -would letter on the sign: - - Original Buildings and Furnaces - of One of America’s Renowned Glassworks - from the Last Century - Including a Haunted Building with a Strange History - Complete Tour: Adults--50¢ Children--25¢ - -“That ought to get their curiosity roused up!” Bill exclaimed when they -had finished. “Now let’s get it laid out on the plywood.” - -The time passed quickly for the two. Outside, the night closed in among -the old buildings and the silent trees. - -“Now that looks right nice!” Bill said at last standing back to survey -the sign. “Looks almost like a real sign painter made it. Tomorrow, -first thing, we’ll get it up on the road.” - -Ronnie glanced at his wrist watch. “I’d best be getting on home. -Nothing much more we can do tonight anyway.” - -They picked up their flashlights, and then Bill blew out the lantern. -The two stepped out into the night. The beams from the flashlights -cut a solid lane down the path as they made their way toward the -cobblestone road. Bill was in the lead. Suddenly he stopped and pointed -off into the trees. “Look!” he whispered. - -It was the light again, the same light Ronnie had seen last night from -his bedroom window. Now that it was closer, he could make out more of -the detail. - -At first glance it seemed like some strange, unearthly cloud resting -motionless over the top of the building. But Ronnie was quick -to discover that what he really saw was the light striking the -undersurface of the thick canopy of foliage that overhung the roof, -setting the leaves aglow. - -Ronnie moved closer to his friend and whispered, “Sure looks spooky, -doesn’t it? First off it does, anyway.” - -“Yea,” Bill answered, “sure does. Somebody must be behind the building, -pointing a flashlight up into the trees.” - -Ronnie shook his head. “Whoever’s doing it is _inside_ the building, -poking around in the chimney. Otherwise you’d see the light in a -circle.” - -“Maybe you’re right. Let’s slip over and take a peek through the crack -in the shutter.” - -“I’m with you, boy!” Ronnie answered. “Let’s go!” - - - - -_Chapter 7_ - - -Ronnie shivered. The shiver started at his shoulder blades, traveled -down his spine, and made his flesh stand out in goose pimples. Just -a few feet ahead, almost in the thick blackness that lay between the -bushes along the path, he could make out Bill’s light-colored shirt. -And at the end of the path lay the padlocked building with its strange -halo of light still shimmering in the foliage over the roof. - -As they drew closer, Ronnie could see that the light did come from -the chimney as he had suspected. “Somebody poking a flashlight around -in the chimney flues, all right!” he thought. But why? Was it just a -trick to scare Bill and him away for some unknown reason, or was this -intruder searching for something? - -They were almost to the building when the light went out and the -blackness closed in over the roof. Ronnie shivered again. The building -seemed lonelier and more desolate than it had before. - -Bill turned about and came close to Ronnie. “There’s somebody inside -for sure!” he whispered. Ronnie could feel his friend’s breath against -his cheek. “Listen. I can hear him walking around.” - -Ronnie heard the sounds too--floor boards creaking under the intruder’s -weight. “Come on,” he breathed, and taking his friend’s arm, steered -him toward the side of the building. - -The log was still in place below the window. Ronnie found a hold on -the window frame and pulled himself up. He leveled his eye against the -crack and peered inside. - -Only a small portion of the interior came within his view, and the -intruder, whoever he was, was out of range. But a portion of his -flashlight beam was visible and lit up the fireplace and the hearth -before it. Then the light shifted suddenly to the other side, stayed -out of view for a moment, and then returned. - -A moment later the light went out completely and the building was -plunged into complete blackness. - -Ronnie felt Bill tugging at his arm. “I hear something around back!” -his friend warned. “Maybe he’s getting out.” - -“But there’s no way out through the back,” Ronnie protested. Hadn’t -Bill and he searched every square foot of the outside of the building? -But then, the intruder had to enter and leave the building _somewhere_. - -Ronnie stole another quick look through the crack before making up his -mind. The interior was still pitch-black. “You stay here and watch the -front and sides,” he directed Bill. “I’ll see what’s going on around -back.” - -Before Bill could protest, Ronnie had dropped from the log and was -making his way toward the rear of the building. It wasn’t easy finding -a way through the thick tangle of vines and bushes, but he didn’t want -to risk giving his presence away by turning on the flashlight. - -He rounded the corner of the building just in time to see the figure -of a man step back, away from the rear wall of the old office. For -a moment or two his face was silhouetted against a patch of sky. -“Caldwell!” Ronnie called angrily before he realized what a foolish -thing he was doing. - -The man’s hand rose. A brilliant beam of light struck the boy full in -the face, blinding him instantly. Then the light went out and the man -sprang away into the darkness. - -Burning with anger and disappointed from the stupid mistake he had -made, Ronnie leaped wildly after him, and plunged into the undergrowth. -He had taken no more than a few steps when he tripped over a log and -hurtled headlong through the air. He landed with a jolt in a tangle -of briars and his head smashed against a tree trunk. Whirling lights -and brilliant flashes stood out before his eyes as he fought for -consciousness. - -The next thing he knew Bill was standing over him. “You all right, -Ronnie?” Bill was asking. “Ronnie, you all right? Say something, can’t -you?” - -Ronnie struggled to sit up. The top of his head throbbed and he could -feel a lump rising. “I--I guess I’m all right,” he said. - -He tried to stand up. The trees, the sky, the building started to swing -around before his eyes. He grabbed Bill’s hand for support. - -Within a few minutes he felt better. Bill took his arm and helped him -down the path. “Golly, I sure as shootin’ messed that up,” he said to -Bill. Then he told his friend what happened. - -“So you figure it was Mr. Caldwell?” Bill asked when Ronnie had -finished. - -“Well, I reckon I did _then_, or I wouldn’t have called his name. -But, gosh, now I’m not so sure. It was plenty dark. What a fool I was -yelling out to him. Boy, could I kick myself in the pants for being so -stupid.” - -“Yea,” Bill agreed, “yea, if you weren’t so woozy, I’d do it for you. -But what do you say we pay Caldwell a hurry call? I think we can still -beat him back to his cottage, seeing he’s got to detour around through -the woods. Feel well enough to try it?” - -Ronnie agreed that he did. Except for a slight throbbing in his head, -he felt as well as he had before the accident. - -They hurried down the cobblestone road, using their flashlights only -when they needed them to find the way. They approached Caldwell’s -cottage cautiously. Light was shining from the two windows that faced -the path. - -“Let’s take a peek in the window first,” Bill whispered. “You know--see -what he’s doing before he gets wise that we’re here.” - -They crept noiselessly to the window and peered over the sill. Caldwell -was seated before a small table that held his typewriter and a kerosene -lamp. He was busily at work. - -Bill leaned over to whisper in Ronnie’s ear. “Boy, either he’s real -sneaky or else he wasn’t ever out of the building,” he said. “He -_looks_ as if he’d been at work for hours.” - -“Maybe he has been,” Ronnie said. But if Caldwell wasn’t their man, why -had he turned so instinctively when Ronnie had called out his name? - -“Let’s go in and have a talk with him just the same,” Bill suggested. -“But don’t let him know we suspect him of anything.” - -Caldwell opened the door to them after Bill had knocked. “Well!” he -exclaimed, motioning for them to come in. “How did you know I was just -itching for a little company?” - -The two boys sat down on the edge of his cot. - -Caldwell turned his chair away from his typewriter to sit facing them. -“What are you doing down here at this time of the night?” - -“We were working on our sign,” Bill answered. - -“I thought I saw a light coming from your office windows, and I was -thinking about going down to investigate earlier. But I got so wrapped -up in my work I just never got around to it.” - -Ronnie glanced over at Bill to find his friend looking at him too. Bill -was thinking the same thing, evidently. Caldwell was claiming that he -hadn’t left his cabin all evening. That didn’t prove a _thing_, of -course, Ronnie realized. In fact, Caldwell might have told them this -just to cover his movements. - -Mr. Caldwell got up and crossed over to his “kitchen” and returned with -a box of crackers. “I can’t offer you much, but perhaps you’ll have a -few crackers?” - -“Thanks,” Bill answered taking several. “We can’t stay much longer. -I’ve got to be getting back home soon.” - -A miller moth made a dive-bomb attack at the lamp. Caldwell picked up a -folded newspaper he had handy and swatted the insect. The lamp swayed -precariously and the moth flew off unharmed. - -“Dad’s got some old screens in the barn,” Ronnie said. - -“I’ll bet you they could be made to fit the windows. Might even be a -screen door. I’ll ask him about putting them up.” - -“You just get them to me--along with some tools--and I’ll do the -putting up, gladly!” the man answered. - -Bill stuffed the last cracker into his mouth. “We’d better be getting -along right now.” - -Mr. Caldwell came to the door with them. “If I can help you with your -tourist business in any way, just say the word. You’re welcome to use -any of the information I’ve gathered when you’re talking about the -village.” - -“Thanks, Mr. Caldwell,” Ronnie answered. “We just might take you up on -that. I’ve been thinking maybe we’d mimeograph a little booklet about -the place.” He turned to Bill. “We could use the Grange mimeograph, and -the paper wouldn’t cost much. We could tell all about the Glassworks -and life in the village in the olden days and--” - -“And the mysterious locked-up office building,” Bill added, picking -up the idea with great interest, “and even about those old glass -candlesticks of your grandfather’s, Ronnie!” - -“Candlesticks!” exclaimed Mr. Caldwell. “_Rorth_ candlesticks?” - -Ronnie nodded. - -“They must be worth a great deal,” Caldwell said. “What do they look -like?” - -Ronnie described them. Caldwell nodded slowly as Ronnie brought out -detail after detail. “I’d certainly like to see them sometime,” he said -when Ronnie had finished. - -“Come on up to the house any time,” Ronnie offered. “I’m sure Grandpa -would be glad to show them to you.” - -When they were alone outside, Bill turned to Ronnie. “You know,” he -said, “I think Caldwell is kind of a swell guy. I just can’t believe -he’s the one sneaking around the village and running off when we catch -sight of him.” - -Ronnie thought about this after he had left Bill and was hurrying -up the steep incline to the orchard above. Was Bill right about Mr. -Caldwell? There were arguments for and against. That silhouette of the -man’s face against the night sky, for instance. Ronnie had tried again -and again during the evening to convince himself that he had been wrong -when he had called out Caldwell’s name. But somehow he just couldn’t do -it. And he couldn’t forget what had happened that morning! It had been -daylight then. Was it just a coincidence that _both_ times Caldwell’s -name had come to his mind? - -He’d talk to Gramps about it, that’s what he’d do. But when he arrived -home he found the door to his grandfather’s room closed and no light -showing from underneath. - -He climbed the stairs and headed for his room. Phil was in his own -room, in his pajamas, and lying on his bed with a pile of old comic -books at his side. A wild idea hit Ronnie suddenly and he poked his -head into Phil’s room. “Have you been in the house all evening?” he -demanded. Maybe, just maybe, Phil was playing tricks on them and he had -been in the padlocked house! - -Phil looked at his brother in surprise. “What’s the matter--the heat -got you or something? Sure I was here all the time.” - -“OK. I was just wondering.” - -Phil dropped his comic book and sat up. “Say, something real -interesting must have happened to you down in the village, or you -wouldn’t be putting me on the witness stand. Come on, out with it.” - -“Nothing happened. You’re imagining things, that’s all.” Ronnie hurried -down the hall, hoping that Phil wouldn’t have the energy to follow him. - -Phil didn’t. Ronnie ducked into his room and closed the door. Then he -went over to the window and looked out. - -The valley was in complete darkness. Even the lights in Mr. Caldwell’s -cottage were out. The deserted village was asleep. - - - - -_Chapter 8_ - - -After breakfast the following morning Ronnie looked for Gramps in his -room, but there was no sign of him there nor anywhere about the house. -It was Mrs. Butler who told Ronnie where his grandfather had gone. -“Why, seems to me I saw him headed out the door a while back,” she -said. “Went off toward the orchard, I’d guess.” - -Ronnie took off after his grandfather. He found him sitting on a -rock at the top of the bluff and looking out over the valley and the -deserted village. - -“Hi, Gramps,” Ronnie greeted him. - -“Well, now, boy, come set a spell with me. My old legs won’t let me get -down there in the village any more, but by golly, they can’t keep me -from sitting here and looking.” - -“Gramps?” - -Grandfather shifted his position by leaning heavily on his cane. He -faced Ronnie. “Boy, you’ve got something on your mind, and don’t tell -me you haven’t because I’ve come to know when you’re troubled.” - -Ronnie nodded. “There’s something going on down in the village that I’m -all mixed up about.” - -“You’re darned tootin’ there’s something going on down there!” the old -man retorted. “Those Seaway people plotting and scheming to take the -village away from me. I know what’s going on.” - -“Not that, Gramps. Something else.” Ronnie went on to tell him about -the blanket and the candle he had seen through the crack in the -shutter, and about the strange light that had startled Bill and him the -night before. He told Gramps about the mysterious prowler too. - -“Gramps,” he concluded, “do you suppose it’s got anything to do with -the secret of the boarded-up building? Maybe there’s something hidden -there that this man is looking for.” - -Grandfather looked at Ronnie sharply. “What man?” he demanded. - -Ronnie looked away. “I don’t know who it was,” he answered. - -“Come on, boy. Speak up if you know!” - -“Really, Gramps. I’m not sure. I don’t want to say until I’m real sure.” - -Grandfather didn’t press the point. “Ronnie,” he said, “this village -has been the love and joy of my life. But lately it’s just as if--just -as if the prophecy were meant to come true.” - -“What prophecy, Gramps?” Ronnie asked. “Is that what the secret’s all -about?” - -“Yes, in a way, I suppose.” The old man looked out over the valley and -then back to the boy. “I reckon the time has come when you must hear -the story. It can’t die the way I’d hoped it would. The past won’t let -it.” - -Gramps took out his pipe and tobacco pouch from his pocket. He filled -the bowl of the pipe and placed the stem between his yellowed teeth. - -“Turn your mind back, boy, to what I was telling you the other evening -when we were talking about the candlesticks.” He lit a match and drew -heavily on the stem of the pipe until the tobacco glowed crimson. -Then he exhaled the blue smoke in a cloud that rose over his head. -“I told you about your great-great-grandfather Ezra and his partner -Jacob Williams, if you’ll recollect. This Williams fellow was a kind -of no-good scoundrel, from everything I’ve heard tell, and why Ezra -got bamboozled into such an arrangement, nobody’ll ever know. Took -him in as a full partner he did, lock, stock, and barrel, or in other -words--Glassworks, land, and merchandise.” - -“Then half this land doesn’t really belong to us, Gramps? Is that -right?” - -“Yep, I reckon so, if there’s anyone around to claim it. I’ll come -to that later. Well, anyway, these two partners seemed to have -gotten along well for a number of years. The business flourished. -Rorth glassware got to be known practically around the world. Then -around 1886 or thereabouts, things started worsening up, and by -1888 the company was well-nigh bankrupt. Now this Jacob Williams, -who was keeping the books, finally got around to telling your -great-great-grandfather how bad things were, and darned if he didn’t -accuse Ezra of milking the company dry. Yep, he claimed Ezra had been -stealing quantities of money and glassware from the company. And this -Williams didn’t stop at that. He spread it all around the neighborhood, -and pretty soon people began to believe it was true.” - -“But it really wasn’t, was it, Gramps?” Ronnie asked anxiously. - -“Can’t really answer that because it’s never been proven one way or -the other. But maybe when you hear the rest of what happened, you’ll -understand it a mite better. Now one day in June of 1889 Jacob Williams -disappeared. Of course, everybody started saying Ezra had done away -with him to keep him from accusing Ezra of the thefts. And I guess -there was some evidence to make people believe it, too. First of all, -more money and glassware were missing. Then there was this man, John -Sutton, a worker at the Glassworks, who testified that he’d heard Ezra -and Jacob Williams arguing and shouting at one another. Then, when he -passed by the building again later, he claims he heard Jacob screaming -for help. He didn’t go in, figuring it was none of his business, but -later on he got to thinking about it, and went back. There was no sign -of Ezra or Jacob Williams. Fact is, that was the last anybody ever -heard of Jacob Williams. Old Ezra made a search for his partner--even -put notice of a reward in the paper for anybody sending news of him. -It was like the earth had swallowed Jacob--him and the money and the -missing glassware.” - -Grandfather tamped his pipe with a leathery thumb and continued. “Well, -boy, people here put two and two together, and there began to be talk. -When people begin to talk, they make things bigger and meaner. Old -Ezra had killed Jacob to cover up his own thefts and he’d hidden the -body somewhere. Search parties went over every square foot of the -village, but they didn’t turn up a clue. Well, no matter, people said, -Jacob Williams’ curse was on the Rorth family until Jacob’s death was -avenged.” - -Grandfather puffed hurriedly at his pipe to start up the dying coals. -“But what happened to Great-great-grandfather Ezra?” Ronnie asked. - -“The case came before the grand jury, but the jury failed to indict -Ezra. There wasn’t proof of anything, really. So Ezra was freed, but -people didn’t stop accusing him for a long time. Some even tried to -find Jacob Williams’ son, then a man in his late twenties, to persuade -him to come back and avenge his father’s death. But he wasn’t anywhere -to be found. - -“Then came reports of people who claimed they’d seen Jacob Williams’ -ghost near the old office building, and there were those who said the -ghost had cried out that he’d never stop haunting the Rorth family -until his death was avenged. Funny thing was, though--no Rorth ever saw -this ghost!” - -“Which just proves the whole thing’s a phony!” Ronnie exclaimed. “Who -believes in ghosts, anyway?” - -“No one--excepting maybe those who haven’t gotten a proper education. -But there’s more to this story. A few years after Williams disappeared, -an epidemic of typhoid struck the village. Probably came from drinking -the water out of Goose Brook. Anyway, lots of people died and the rest -left like rats from a sinking ship. Soon there were only Ezra and his -family left. He sent them away, too, while he stayed behind to close -up. The Glassworks never opened again. When Ezra’s wife and my father -returned, they had the office boarded up tight and padlocked, and I -guess it was never opened until I went in there five or six years ago.” - -“You were hunting for something, weren’t you, Gramps?” - -“Yep.” - -“Something that would prove Ezra didn’t harm his partner?” - -“Yep, that’s right. It was a terrible blot on the family name. I -couldn’t stand the thought of it. But all my searching proved nothing. -I’m afraid the evidence--if there is any--will be covered by the -floodwaters when they come.” - -“_Now_ who’s the one giving up without a fight?” - -Grandfather smiled down at Ronnie. “You’re right, boy. That wasn’t a -Rorth talking then, but a discouraged, old man.” - -Ronnie looked down into the valley. The thin mists that had settled in -the lowlands during the night were dissipating now under the hot sun. -“Gramps, do you think this man I saw is hunting for evidence too--the -way you were?” - -Grandfather thought over the question for a moment or two. “Nope, I -don’t think so, Ronald. More’n likely--if he’s hunting for anything at -all--he’s after the money and glassware that was stolen. There’ve been -others before him.” - -“Gramps?” Ronnie asked again. “What finally happened to -Great-great-grandfather Ezra?” - -“Well, when my father and mother returned after the epidemic was over, -they found him in the office building. He was dead from the typhoid. -But everyone said it was Jacob’s ghost that did it.” - -The old man grasped the head of his cane with both hands and pulled -himself to his feet. He stood for a minute with the hot breeze ruffling -his snow-white beard and hair while he looked down into the valley. His -sharp eyes darted from one building to another and finally rested upon -the old, padlocked building. - -“The answer’s in there somewhere,” Ronnie heard him say, although the -wind tried to take his words away. “I hope the good Lord will let me -live long enough to see it found.” He turned to face the boy. “Ronnie,” -he said, “Ronnie, your father’s in town now, but when he comes back -tonight, you tell him I said he’s to let you have the keys to the Rorth -office building. You and this friend of yours take a good look around -inside and maybe you can find what this man is doing in there. And -maybe your keen, young eyes will find what I’ve failed to find all the -times I looked.” - -“Sure, Gramps!” Ronnie’s eyes lit up with excitement. “You bet we’ll -find something to prove Great-great-grandfather Ezra didn’t harm Mr. -Williams. And maybe we’ll find the glassware--and the money too!” - -Grandfather was looking down into the valley again. “Went through every -paper in the place,” he was saying, not waiting for Ronnie to finish -talking. “Hundreds of them. But not a clue. Not a single clue. Just old -bills and statements and records. Put them all back in the files, I -did, just the way I found them. But somewhere in that building there’s -an answer. I’m convinced of that.” - -He drew himself up tall and breathed in deeply and squared his -shoulders. “We aren’t licked yet. No, sir, not by a long shot! Now, -boy, how about helping an old man back to the house?” - - - - -_Chapter 9_ - - -“Now we’re officially in business!” Ronnie exclaimed. He stowed the -spade he had been carrying in the corner of their office and dropped -into a chair. His hair was wet with perspiration and beads of it were -rolling down his face and stomach. “That’s the hardest ground I’ve ever -had to dig a hole in,” he added, fanning himself with a newspaper. - -The boys had just finished erecting the sign alongside the highway. -Layers of coarse gravel and heavy blue clay had made the job of digging -difficult. But, as Bill had said, they wanted the sign planted plenty -deep so the first heavy wind wouldn’t carry it away. “Who knows,” he -had added, “we may want it there a long, long time!” - -On their way back from the highway, Ronnie had told Bill everything -that Grandfather had said about old Ezra Rorth. Bill said nothing -until they reached the office. “Ronnie,” he said then, “Ronnie, this -afternoon you bring the key to the padlocked building with you, you -hear? We’ve got business to attend to in there!” - -“You bet we have,” Ronnie agreed. “Once we find out who this man is -who’s sneaking around the village--and _why_ too--maybe we’ll get to -the bottom of all these shenanigans.” - -Bill nodded. “We’ll search the building from top to bottom, and maybe -we’ll have more luck than your grandfather did. Maybe we’ll clean up -this mess around your family name.” - -“I _know_ my great-great-grandfather didn’t harm Jacob Williams or -steal anything, either. I just know it.” - -“Sure, Ronnie, sure, but we’ve got to prove it. And that isn’t going -to be easy, not after all these years have passed. But we’ll do it. -Every minute we’ve got when we aren’t showing people around, we’ll use -to hunt for clues. And the first thing we do is search that old office -building, so don’t forget to bring the keys.” - -Ronnie sprawled a little lower in his chair and watched a drop of -perspiration run down over a fold of skin on his stomach. Bill, he -knew, wanted to hunt for clues immediately, but it was just too hot -to move. It all seemed like such a tremendous, almost impossible job. -Hadn’t Grandfather tried and failed? - -A moment later Phil sauntered into the building and plunked himself -down in the one remaining chair. “I don’t know why I killed myself -coming down here,” he sighed. - -“I don’t see why you did either,” Ronnie commented with a smile. “All -you did was move from the hammock to that chair. You shouldn’t exert -yourself so much.” - -“That’s what I keep telling myself,” said Phil. - -A horsefly buzzed angrily across the ceiling and slammed into the wall. -It fell dizzily for a few feet and then regained its balance. Off it -went in the opposite direction and slammed into the other wall. “Crazy -critter,” Phil commented. “See how he’s exerting himself--and where -does it get him?” - -Before Ronnie could think of an appropriate answer, there were -footsteps on the path and Mr. Caldwell popped his head in the door. He -entered and perched himself on the edge of the desk. “I’m going up to -your house this afternoon to take a look at those candlesticks,” he -told Ronnie. “From the description you gave me I’d say that the pair I -have at home are identical.” - -The horsefly suddenly stopped buzzing and the office seemed strangely -quiet. Ronnie sat up and looked at Mr. Caldwell, his mouth hanging open -just a bit. “Did--did you say you--you had a pair of candlesticks like -Gramps’?” - -“Yes.” Mr. Caldwell looked puzzled. “Is that so strange?” - -Ronnie gulped and nodded. “Yes, sir. It is.” - -“I don’t see why. There were probably quite a few pairs turned out -during the years the Glassworks was in operation.” - -Ronnie opened his mouth to protest, and closed it again. There was -plenty of time to tell Mr. Caldwell what he knew. He decided to play -it safe for the time being. “Yes,” he answered, “yes, I suppose there -_could_ be quite a few around, if they haven’t been lost or destroyed.” - -A car drew up in the improvised parking lot and came to a stop. Ronnie, -looking out the window, saw a man, woman, and two boys leave the car -and start toward the office. Ronnie and Bill went out to meet them. - -“We’d like to take the tour. Are there guides?” - -“Yes, sir,” Ronnie answered. “We’d be glad to take you about.” - -The man looked first at Ronnie and then at Bill. He seemed a bit -skeptical. “Well, all right,” he said finally. “Where do we begin?” - -Ronnie and Bill led them down the path to the cobblestone road. “This -is the original road that ran through the center of the village,” he -told them. “Some of the cobblestones have been replaced from time to -time, but mostly it’s just the way it used to be. Mules used to pull -cartloads of sand along this road to be used in making the glass.” - -They swung off the cobblestone road and approached the two-story -building beside Goose Brook. Bill, slipping up beside Ronnie, -whispered: “Hey, you’re doing all right!” - -“Now this was the gristmill where all the wheat from the surrounding -fields was ground into flour. That overshot water wheel you see there -was in running order when my grandfather was a boy. He says our family -still used it to grind the grain.” - -They visited the main building where the glass had been made and blown. -From here they moved to the general store, the blacksmith shop, the -smith shop, the carriage buildings, and the workers’ cottages. This -brought them in a circle back to their office. - -There, they found another car pulled into the parking area. Two men -were waiting inside the office. Before entering, Bill and Ronnie -collected their fees and said good-by to the first group. “We enjoyed -the tour very much,” the man told Ronnie and Bill. “It was well worth -the stop.” - -“Thank you, sir!” Ronnie beamed. “Tell your friends about it.” - -Mr. Caldwell was still in the office, chatting with the two men. He -introduced them to Ronnie and Bill. “This is Mr. Perkins, and this is -Mr. Brown.” Ronnie and Bill shook hands with the men. - -“They’re interested in learning more about the business you’ve -started,” Caldwell went on to explain. “You see, they’re from the -Massena Sunday paper, and they’re thinking about writing a story for -next Sunday’s edition.” - -“That’s right,” Brown broke in. “We feel that more people will take an -interest in the fate of this place if they’ve heard about what you two -boys are doing. Besides, it’ll help bring you business!” - -“Gee, that’s swell of you!” Ronnie exclaimed. “Bill and I are awfully -anxious to do everything we can to save the village.” - -Mr. Perkins pulled out a notebook and seated himself at the desk. -“Let’s make that our first question,” he said. “Just how do you expect -to save the old village by taking tourists through it?” - -Ronnie explained how they hoped to raise some of the money to build a -dam across the narrow gap in the valley through which Goose Brook ran -down to the river. “My dad says it could be done,” Ronnie continued. -“’Course, we won’t get enough money ourselves to do it. But we’re -hoping maybe other people will get worked up enough to want to help -out.” - -“People are beginning to wake up already,” Mr. Brown said. “I happen to -know that your father saw Steve Mercer the other day and put a bug in -his ear about the village. Steve wrote to the Seaway Authority, trying -to convince them to use your plan and save the village. He got some -kind of a letter back--but they didn’t commit themselves one way or -the other. It’ll take time, but I’m sure it can be done.” - -Mr. Brown’s remark gave Ronnie some of the encouragement he needed. -Sure, he’d had his doubts, right from the beginning when he’d first -thought of opening the village to the public. They would need public -support, and perhaps more money too--unless the Seaway agreed to foot -the bill. - -By the time the two men were ready to leave, Mr. Perkins had several -pages of notes, some of them on the history of the village itself. “I -think I’ll get a statement from the Seaway Authority, too,” Brown said -as he slid into the driver’s seat. He had an impish smile on his face. -“That will really put them on the spot! They know how the people around -here feel about the village, and if there’s a way to save it, they’ll -have a hard time explaining why not!” - -After the car had driven off, Mr. Caldwell left to work on the notes -he had gathered in the Glassworks during the morning. Ronnie, Phil, -and Bill walked back toward their office. Ronnie had cooled off -considerably, and now he felt more like working again. There wasn’t -time before lunch for hunting for clues or cleaning out a building, but -he had an idea in mind for a sign to hang outside the office door. It -would read: “Tours from 9-12 and 1-5. OFFICE.” - -He had found a suitable piece of wood the day before and now he set -to work sandpapering it down smooth. Bill sat opposite him, tipping -back in his chair again. Phil seemed restless, and a few minutes later -announced that he was going back to the house. - -“You know,” Bill said thoughtfully as he watched Ronnie rubbing -vigorously with the sandpaper, “you know, Ronnie, there are two things -that bother me. Two questions I can’t answer.” - -“Yes?” Ronnie asked looking up for a moment. “What are they?” - -“Well, the first one is this: How is this fellow we’ve seen around here -getting in and out of the padlocked building?” - -“That’s a question maybe we can answer this afternoon when I get the -key and we get a chance to look inside,” Ronnie said. - -“Maybe. But I don’t see what we can see from the inside that we can’t -see from the outside.” - -Ronnie ran his hand over the wood to see how smooth it was. “Oh, I -don’t know about that. Supposing he’s dug a tunnel? We couldn’t see -that from the outside. Anyway, what’s the other question?” - -“This question’s a real stickler,” Bill said. “Remember what Mr. -Caldwell said before--that he has a pair of candlesticks like your -grandfather’s?” - -“You mean, he _thinks_ he has. He hasn’t seen ours yet.” - -“Well, let’s just say that he finds out this afternoon that he _has_. -And let’s say these candlesticks have come down through his family the -way he claims.” - -“Get to the point, will you?” Ronnie was impatient. - -“All right. My question’s this: Doesn’t that mean that Mr. Caldwell -owns half this land?” - - - - -_Chapter 10_ - - -While Ronnie climbed the bluff and made his way through the orchard -on his way home to lunch, he did a great deal of thinking about the -question that Bill had raised. He knew why his friend had asked it. If -the candlesticks had come down through the Caldwell family--probably -on his mother’s side--then it would be pretty safe to assume that they -were the pair Jacob Williams had made for his bride. And if they were, -then Mr. Caldwell and his brother were direct descendants of Williams, -and would have a claim against the property. - -But did Mr. Caldwell know about this? If he didn’t know now, would he -put two and two together and come up with an answer? That depended upon -how much he knew about the history of the candlesticks, Ronnie decided. -And from the way Caldwell had talked earlier that afternoon, the boy -doubted very much that he was aware of how the candlesticks had come -into his family. - -Then probably he wouldn’t know anything about the hidden glassware or -the money either, which would cross him off the list of suspects for -the mysterious prowler--unless, of course, the prowler wasn’t hunting -for the money and glassware. - -By the time Ronnie reached the house he had decided one thing only: it -was all very, very confusing! - -Mrs. Butler served Ronnie, Phil, and the two men their lunch at the -kitchen table. Now that the hay was in the barn--Ronnie and Phil had -spent the previous day helping their father load the truck in the field -and hoist the hay to the loft--Mr. Rorth had turned his attention to -the orchard. The young fruit was ready for spraying. “The weather’s -going to hold for a few more days, I think,” Ronnie’s father told the -others, “so I think I’ll mix a batch of spray this afternoon. Phil, you -want to help me?” - -“Oh, Dad! That stuff makes my eyes water and I cough and sneeze--” - -“All right. You don’t _have_ to. I just thought maybe you were looking -for something to do. You’ll have the hammock worn through by the end of -the summer at the rate you’re using it.” - -The telephone rang. Ronnie volunteered to answer it. He went into the -hall at the foot of the stairs and lifted the receiver. - -It was Bill, calling to tell Ronnie that he had to work that afternoon. -“Pa’s mending some fences, and I got to help,” Bill said. “But Ronnie, -somebody should be at the office, in case we get any tourists.” - -Ronnie agreed that this was so. “I’ll hang around,” he answered. - -After lunch, Ronnie went to the cold cellar and selected two apples, -which he stuffed into his pockets. Then he went out to the barn to see -how his father was getting on with the job of mixing spray. “I’ll help -you, Dad,” he said, “if you really need help. Only I promised Bill I’d -stay down at the village in case we got tourists.” - -“Thanks, son,” his father answered. “I’ll get along all right. This is -really a one-man job.” - -Ronnie watched his father measure out the poison powder. “Dad? Gramps -said I could have the key to the locked-up building.” - -Mr. Rorth stopped long enough in his work to look up at the boy. “Oh?” - -“Really, Pa. I told him about how somebody’s been in the building. Bill -and I saw him again after I told you about it.” - -“Well, if your grandfather said you could go in, it’s all right with -me. The key’s in the left-hand front drawer of my desk in the living -room.” - -Ronnie went back into the house. Phil was seated at the desk putting -together a model airplane. “What’re you after?” he demanded, as Ronnie -pulled open the desk drawer. - -“Nothing.” Ronnie was evasive. He found the key and pocketed it. - -“Hey! That’s the key to the locked-up building!” Phil protested. - -“I know it. Gramps said I could use it.” - -“He did! Boy, you really rate with him, don’t you?” - -“You can come along if you want to.” - -Phil thought it over. “Naw, I’ll stay here and finish this up. It’s too -hot outside. Besides, there’s nothing in that building that isn’t in -all the rest. Just a lot of dust and dirt and a few rats’ nests.” - -Ten minutes later Ronnie had the door of their office open and was -sitting on the doorsill waiting for customers. He had the key to the -locked-up building in his pocket, but somehow it didn’t seem quite fair -to Bill to go inside without him. - -After a while Ronnie got tired just sitting and doing nothing, so he -went inside and finished up the sign he had been working on. Then he -found a rock and an old nail and using these, tacked the sign into -place over the top of the door. - -He sat down on the doorsill again and waited. A porcupine was rattling -and thrashing on the thin, top branches of a maple tree. Ronnie watched -it for a while. The animal didn’t seem to have a care in the world. - -The afternoon wore on, but no tourists appeared. Ronnie got up and -started slowly down the path. It wouldn’t hurt to take one quick trip -around the locked-up building and maybe steal a peek through the crack -in the shutter. Then he could climb up on the roof and sit there for a -time. He could see so much more from up there, and if a car came up the -dirt road, he’d know about it in time to get back to the office. - -He circled around the old office building as he’d planned and then he -climbed up on the log and peered through the window. Everything looked -just about the same as the last time, except for some white objects -scattered about the floor. He couldn’t make out what they were because -of the darkness, but he decided they might be pieces of paper. - -Well, he’d take one more quick look at the outside of the building -and then he’d get up on the roof and see if he could spot any river -boats on the St. Lawrence. But when he got around to the rear of -the building, something on the ground caught his eye. Nothing very -startling, but the thin layer of sawdust sprinkled on top of some of -the leaves set him wondering. Carpenter ants, maybe--or had someone -been sawing firewood? Mr. Caldwell, perhaps, the boy concluded. - -But when he looked about for some sign of the white butt ends of the -discarded pieces of logs that would surely be left lying around, he -found none. His brow puckered in a frown. - -He gathered a pinch of the sawdust and brought it up closer to his -face so he could examine it, rolling it around between his fingers to -get the feel of it. He couldn’t be sure, but it felt fresh. Maybe this -sawdust could help him find out how the stranger was getting into the -building. - -He turned to inspect the rear wall of the building. At first glance -it looked just like all the other walls. But when he looked closer he -found a faint, irregular crack following the contour of the shingles. -Tracing it, he discovered that it formed a rough square. “I’ll bet -that whole section comes out!” he whispered. Apparently the shingles -had been removed first, then a hole cut through the boards between the -studs, and the shingles nailed cleverly back in place. - -Ronnie remembered the tools that Bill’s father had found missing from -his barn. Someone, the boy thought, had gone to a great deal of trouble -to make sure that no one found his entranceway! - -He’d have to try the trap door out, of course, to see how it worked. He -gripped the shingles from underneath and pushed up gently. The section -moved and then the bottom came free; and a minute later the entire -piece had come away from the wall. - -Ronnie poked his head inside and looked around. The air smelled stale -and moldy. He heard the flutter of wings beating against the inside of -the chimney and knew that one of the swifts was entering the nest. In -the semidarkness he could make out some of the larger objects in the -room--the fireplace, an old-fashioned roll-top desk, a filing cabinet, -and several chairs. - -He withdrew his head and slipped his feet through instead. Then, -twisting about with his back toward the inside, he pulled the upper -part of his body through. - -For a minute he stood near the opening, not knowing quite what to do -next. He had a strange, uneasy feeling that somebody was watching him. -Perhaps it would be better if he put the trap door back into place. -Then if the man who made it should come by outside, he wouldn’t notice -anything different and he’d go away. - -But after he had the trap door back in its place, he was a little sorry -that he’d done it. It was pitch-black in the room now. He felt in his -pocket and found a package of book matches. He tore one loose and -struck it. The flame seemed very feeble, but it gave him a few moments -to look around the room. He noticed the papers scattered about the -floor and saw that the filing cabinet near him had been emptied, and -the drawers left leaning against the wall. - -It was clear to the boy that someone had been searching through the -papers of the old Rorth Glassworks. - -When the match had burned out he wet his finger and cooled the hot end -and dropped the match to the floor. He lit another and moved toward -the fireplace. His foot brushed against something. Looking down, he -discovered the stub of a candle and he stooped to pick it up. - -The light from the candle gave him a better view of the room. Now he -could see an old leather-upholstered chair, a brass spittoon, and a -metal coat rack. Raising the candle, he saw above the mantelpiece a -white-bearded man with a bald head, rimmed with tufts of fluffy hair. -The man looked down at him with sharp, piercing, brown eyes from a -massive oak picture frame. - -Ronnie backed up a few steps and the eyes seemed to follow him as he -moved. “Great-great-grandfather?” he asked, but when he heard the sound -of his voice he grinned at his foolishness. - -He lowered the candle hastily and thrust it inside the huge opening -of the fireplace. A partially decomposed mouse lay just beneath the -pair of beautifully molded andirons. Ronnie poked his head inside the -fireplace and looked up. The light from the candle reached almost -as high as the swifts’ nest. Sure, Ronnie told himself, a powerful -flashlight shining up the chimney flues could have made the weird light -they had seen several evenings before. - -He heard the young swifts chirping in the nest overhead and saw a -single yellow beak protruding over the edge for a second or two. “I’m -not going to hurt you none,” he said, and then realized that the sound -of his voice would frighten the young birds even more than the light. - -Ronnie backed out of the fireplace and stood for a moment or two near -the center of the room, undecided on what he would do next. He wished -that he hadn’t come through the trap door, but had come around and -opened the regular door with his key. Then he’d have more light and -could inspect the building and its furnishings more carefully. Well, -he’d have time to do that when Bill and he returned. - -He started toward the rear wall, ready to leave. But he had taken no -more than a few steps when he froze in his tracks, his heart racing -wildly. - -From outside, behind the building, he could hear the sound of -approaching footsteps in the dry leaves--the same quick footsteps he -had heard inside the building. - - - - -_Chapter 11_ - - -Bill Beckney’s cat had cornered a mouse in the concrete manure pit one -afternoon the year before. The mouse ran from one side of the pit to -the other trying to avoid the cat’s claws. - -Ronnie remembered the picture all too vividly now as he stood with his -feet frozen to the floor and his heart beating like a tom-tom, and the -sound of the footsteps coming closer and closer with each second. Only -now _he_ was the mouse! - -He knew there wasn’t a chance that he could escape. The door was -padlocked on the other side, and even the key in his pocket couldn’t -help him. The opening in the wall through which he had come would place -him face to face with his opponent. - -He had to hide, but where? Anywhere, just as long as he did it quickly! - -His legs and feet came to life again. He swung about, holding up the -candle as he searched for a place large enough to hide. The flickering -light picked out the fireplace. - -He started for it quickly. Behind him, small creaks and thumps told him -that the section of wall was being removed. Doubling over, he swung his -body into the fireplace. The acrid smell of stale, wet ashes struck -his nose. He straightened up and blew out the candle. - -Suddenly light flooded the fireplace. The section of wall had been -completely removed. Looking down, he saw his feet and legs illuminated -as by a floodlight. He knew he couldn’t stay where he was if he wanted -to remain hidden. - -Desperately reaching up his hands, he found a narrow ledge, and using -this as a support, he pulled his feet up until he was sure they were -out of sight. Then he moved them cautiously until he found a small -ledge where he could gain a toehold. Now he could ease the strain on -his hands and arms. - -Whoever was in the room had evidently returned to continue his search. -A door came open with a jerk, and more papers fluttered to the floor -within the boy’s range of vision. “Please, _please_ don’t do any more -hunting in the fireplace,” Ronnie prayed. - -The minutes dragged on. The muscles in the boy’s arms and legs and back -began to ache. Twice he thought of moving, but each time he decided -against it. Too risky. He couldn’t take the chance of slipping or -making a noise. - -Now the intruder was tapping with some heavy object, first against the -floor boards in different parts of the room and then upon the bricks of -the fireplace. Now, Ronnie thought! Now would be a good chance to ease -his muscles. If he moved very carefully, the small sounds he might make -would be drowned out by the tapping. Shifting some of his weight to his -right leg, he began to slide his palm along the top of the ledge toward -the rear of the fireplace. He had moved no more than a few inches when -the side of his hand touched an object resting on the ledge. He knew it -wasn’t part of the brickwork because it moved along with his hand. It -might be--well, perhaps a book of some kind, he decided. - -A book! Maybe, just maybe, this was the very thing that the intruder -was looking for! And just maybe it was the clue that Grandfather had -hunted for and never found! A tingle of excitement and anticipation ran -down Ronnie’s back. He just _had_ to get hold of the object and find -out for sure what it was. - -And he could do it, too--with risk, of course, that he’d lose his -balance and fall from his perch. It was going to take a lot of good -balancing and some muscle testing, too! But Ronnie loved a challenge -such as this. - -Summoning all his strength, he rested his entire weight on one small -part of his inner wrist. At the same time he curled his fingers up over -the object until they reached the flat surface at the top. Then with a -quick, sudden movement, he shifted his entire hand to where his fingers -had been. - -Now his fingers could explore in all directions without fear of losing -his balance and falling from his perch. It took him only a few moments -to prove to himself that his first guess had been correct: he had -discovered a small, thick book! - -Outside the fireplace, the sounds suddenly increased. Apparently the -intruder was losing patience, and had thrown caution away. Over went -the desk on its side with a loud crash. Out came the drawers, one after -another. Then the desk went over again. Papers flew over the floor in -every direction. “Confound it!” the man growled, “there’s got to be -something here _somewhere_! I’ll find it if I have to tear down the -whole confounded building.” - -Ronnie grinned to himself in the darkness of his hiding place and -his fingers tightened on the book. If the man only knew how close he -had come to finding what he wanted those nights he had searched the -fireplace with his light! - -But then Ronnie’s grin faded. The man’s words were still ringing in -his ears and there was something familiar about the sound of the -voice--something that made Ronnie think of Caldwell. And yet, there was -something to the voice that _wasn’t_ Caldwell’s. - -The light at the bottom of the fireplace brightened and Ronnie heard -the footsteps approaching the fireplace. He drew in his breath and held -it. He flattened his body as close against the wall as he dared without -risking his balance. - -The footsteps stopped near the hearth. The man coughed. The soles of -his shoes scraped against the hearthstone as he shifted his position. -Then Ronnie heard the scratch of a match and smelled cigarette smoke. - -Ronnie frowned, puzzled. He’d never seen Caldwell smoke. Of course -that wouldn’t disprove positively that this man was Caldwell. But it -confused Ronnie more than ever. - -At last the man turned and crossed the room, and the boy breathed more -freely again. The footsteps moved toward the rear wall. There they -stopped for a moment. Then Ronnie heard the section of wall being -removed, and a flood of light from outside filled the room. - -Ronnie sighed long and deep. At last the man was leaving! - -As soon as the wall section was back in place, Ronnie took a firm grip -on the book and dropped to the floor. A moment later he was out of the -fireplace and standing in the blackness of the room, trying to make up -his mind what to do next. - -One thing he did want to do, and that was to catch a glimpse of the -intruder before he disappeared into the woods. He hurried across the -room, tripping over one of the desk drawers, but managing to catch his -balance just in time to save himself from a headlong fall. He reached -the wall, pushed open the section of wall a few inches from the top, -and peered out. - -The brilliant light blinded him for a few seconds. Then he saw the man -disappearing into the trees a short distance from the building. But all -Ronnie could see was the back of his head and shoulders. The rest of -his body was hidden in the underbrush. - -It was Caldwell, and then again it wasn’t Caldwell. Ronnie just -couldn’t be positive. “I reckon I’m never going to get a real close-up -look at this fellow,” he told himself. - -He pulled the section of wall closed again. Better to wait a few -minutes until he was sure the man would not see him climbing from the -building. - -“Ronnie! Oh, hey, Ronnie!” he heard Bill’s voice. It seemed to be -coming from the direction of their office. The suddenness of his -friend’s voice made Ronnie jump. He had seemed so far away from his -normal, everyday life during the past twenty minutes. - -He found Bill wandering slowly up the cobbled road while he called -Ronnie’s name every few minutes. “Where in tarnation have you been?” he -demanded when Ronnie reached him. “I got through working, so I thought -I’d come join you.” - -“Come on down to our office and I’ll tell you all about it!” Ronnie -exclaimed. “And, boy, will your eyes pop when you hear about it.” - -Bill’s eyes didn’t pop when he had heard Ronnie’s story, but he -certainly was as excited about the find as his friend. “Golly, maybe -we’ve got something real important at last. Let’s see it, Ronnie.” - -They sat down together at the desk, and Ronnie placed the old book -before them. It was old--very old. Its leather-bound cover was warped -from water and age. Heavy rains down through the years had found their -way to the book’s resting place, and drop by drop had soaked through -its pages. - -Carefully Ronnie opened the book. The long columns of figures, page -after page of them, were still legible despite the water damage. -“Doesn’t look very exciting,” Bill said. “There’s nothing but numbers -and entries like a bank book.” - -“But then why would it be hidden in the chimney?” Ronnie asked as he -continued to turn the pages. “That old office is full of papers just -like this.” His voice showed his disappointment. - -He had almost reached the last page when he exclaimed, “Look! Writing! -It looks like a diary!” - -“Oh, boy!” Bill exclaimed in excitement. “Now maybe we’re getting -somewhere.” He pulled the volume closer so he could see it better. -Ronnie began to read aloud while Bill followed the words with his eyes. - - “July 10, 1892. I am desperately ill with the typhoid, and sick at - heart because now, when the evidence that would clear my name is at - hand, I have not the strength to bring it from where it is hidden. - All in this place have gone away, including my dear wife and son. - There is none here to whom I can reveal my discovery. My strength - is waning too fast for me to hope to reach town with what I now - know. Therefore, I shall take these last moments to set down the - facts that will clear my name and the name of those who will come - after me. - - “But what if Jacob’s son should find this account and destroy it - for the sake of his own good name? I must hide the ledger in the - chimney, hoping that someone of my family will think to look on the - secret shelf where I have hidden things before. - - “Here let it be known that it was Jacob’s own greed and deceit that - caused his death, and not my hand, as so many have claimed. For - years he stole from our company, and the proof lies with him below. - To cover up his thefts of money, and to direct the guilt to me, he, - from time to time, hid parts of various glass shipments, making - it appear that they had been stolen from outside. He also entered - large debit values in the books to cover his withdrawals of money. - - “As I write this, his body lies below, together with the evidence - of his guilt. How he was trapped there will probably never be - known. Rising waters may have caught him unawares. He did much - planning for his crimes, but in the end he was trapped by his own - foolishness and sent to a slow death. My strength fails. I must - hide the ledger--” - -Ronnie turned the page. The next one was blank. “I guess that’s all,” -he said quietly. It seemed to the boy as if his great-great-grandfather -had been in the room talking to him during those last few moments of -his life. He thought of the eyes watching him from the picture over -the fireplace in the padlocked building earlier that afternoon. Yes, -in spirit anyway, Ezra had come back again to make one last desperate -effort to save the Rorth name. Almost as if he knew there wasn’t much -time left to get it done, Ronnie thought. - -He felt the pressure of Bill’s hand about his arm, and the movement -brought his thoughts racing back to the present. He looked up at -Bill. His friend’s face was turned toward the window. “Ronnie,” Bill -whispered to him, “somebody was watching us through that window!” - - - - -_Chapter 12_ - - -Ronnie went directly to his room when he reached the house. Bill and he -had decided that this would be the best place to keep the old ledger -after what had happened at their office. And since Bill couldn’t be -sure whom he had seen at the window, they had to protect their new -possession against an unknown adversary. Anybody, really, could be -under suspicion. “I saw him out of the corner of my eyes,” Bill had -told Ronnie afterward. “When I swung my head around he was gone. All I -know for sure is that he was wearing something red. That’s what first -caught my attention.” - -“I don’t remember Caldwell wearing red,” Ronnie had said. - -They had searched the area outside their office as soon as the initial -surprise had worn off, but had failed to catch even a glimpse of the -man. And then the search had been interrupted by the arrival of two -cars, and by the time they’d taken the two groups around, it was too -late to continue hunting. - -Now Ronnie stretched out on his bed with the old volume propped up -against his pillow. He wanted to reread his great-great-grandfather’s -notations and do some thinking about them. - -A little while later he got up to find a pencil and a piece of paper. -He sat down on the edge of the bed with a magazine beneath the paper. -At the top of the paper he wrote: “THE IMPORTANT THINGS I’VE FOUND OUT -FROM READING GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER’S DIARY.” - -Then underneath he began to jot down each important fact: - - 1. Great-great-grandfather didn’t murder Mr. Jacob Williams the way - people think. - - 2. This Mr. Williams was the one who was stealing the glassware and - money, not Great-great-grandfather. Williams tried to pin it on - Great-great-grandfather. - - 3. Great-great-grandfather, just before he wrote in this ledger, - had found the glassware and money (and Jacob Williams’ body, too) - somewhere “down below.” - - 4. I guess Williams’ son knew about the stealing, and - Great-great-grandfather was afraid he’d destroy the ledger if he - found it so he could protect his father’s name. - - 5. Just before he died, Great-great-grandfather hid the ledger in - the fireplace because he couldn’t get to the house. - -When Ronnie had finished, he stretched out on his back with his knees -up in the air and the paper resting against them. He read over what he -had written. Most of the ideas were interesting because they proved -Great-great-grandfather’s innocence. But only _Number Three_ seemed -to be any help at all in finding the hidden glassware and money. And -this one was so vague, Ronnie couldn’t see that it would be much help -either. “Down there” could be anywhere on the face of the earth! Well, -maybe not _that_ large an area, but anyway it could mean the whole -deserted village. And Ronnie couldn’t see Bill and himself digging up -the whole village to find the lost glassware and money. - -Ronnie rested his head back against the bed and stared at the ceiling, -thinking. Surely Great-great-grandfather must have wanted his heirs to -find the lost articles, and if he did, he certainly would have given -adequate directions for finding them. “Why, ‘down there’ must mean -underneath the old office building,” Ronnie thought, “because that’s -where Great-great-grandfather was when he wrote this!” - -It was a startling discovery, and its possibilities set the boy’s heart -racing. Wouldn’t Grandfather be surprised when Ronnie placed the diary -before him and announced, “There, Gramps, there’s the proof you wanted -about Great-great-grandfather Ezra!” Wouldn’t Gramps smile then! - -But maybe it would be better to wait until he had the glassware and the -money. Then Gramps’ eyes would really open wide. Yes, that’s what he’d -do--throw the whole thing at Gramps all at one time! - -Ronnie wanted to run from the house and down through the orchard to -the village and then tear every board loose from the floor of the -old, padlocked building until he knew for sure that he had figured -correctly. He got up from the bed and went to the window. The sun was -sinking fast. In another hour or two it would be dark, too late in the -day to start his search. Besides, he wanted Bill with him when he found -the glassware and money. He decided to make a trip to the kitchen to -see how Mrs. Butler was getting on with supper. - -“Lands sake!” she exclaimed when he asked her how long it would be -before he could eat. “Land sakes, you’re getting as bad as your -brother--always thinking of filling your stomach.” - -“Well, it’s the right time of the day to be thinking of that,” he told -her. “Say, where’s Phil, anyway?” - -“I suppose he’s in the living room with your grandfather and that Mr. -Caldwell who came to see the candlesticks a while ago.” - -“He _is_!” Now wasn’t that a fine kettle of fish, he thought. Here he -was missing out on a very important event while he dawdled around in -the kitchen talking with Mrs. Butler. - -He hurried down the hall. The door to the living room was partially -closed. Ronnie poked his head through the opening. The two Rorth -candlesticks were standing on the desk. Mr. Caldwell was seated near -them and Grandfather directly across from him. Phil was lolling on the -couch, his bare feet resting on the wall and his head propped up with -a pillow. He seemed more interested in the comic magazine on his chest -than what was going on in the room. - -Grandfather caught sight of Ronnie. “Come in, boy. Come in.” - -Ronnie pushed the door open the rest of the way and came over to sit on -the floor near Grandfather’s chair. - -“I have just finished explaining to Mr. Caldwell that if he really has -a pair of candlesticks like these,” Grandfather said to Ronnie, “and if -they have come down to him through the family, then I guess we can be -pretty sure he’s related in some way to the Jacob Williams who was a -partner of your great-great-grandfather.” - -Ronnie gulped. Grandfather had told Mr. Caldwell all this? But, why? -_Why?_ - -His amazement must have shown in his face, for Grandfather gave him a -searching look and explained gently, “It’s got to be that way, Ronald. -There would be no advantage in keeping the information from him. You -see, the Seaway has learned of the unsettled title to the deserted -village land. At first I thought this would help me--I thought they -would be snarled up in such legal troubles that it would be better for -them to build the dam the way we want than to be held up for a year, -maybe more, fighting us in the courts. But it doesn’t work that way, I -learned. The Seaway just puts half the value of the property away in a -bank in trust, and if and when the person who’s got a claim on the land -shows up, why, the money’s there and waiting.” - -“I see,” Ronnie said. Only he didn’t, not really. - -“This way the whole affair’s settled, once and for all.” He looked -closely at Ronnie to see how the boy was taking what he had said. - -“Confound it, Ronnie,” he went on, his face flushing slightly. -“Confound it, you don’t think I _like_ what’s going on, do you? -I’m still fighting, boy, fighting for the village. And saving the -village from being destroyed, that’s the important thing. Maybe with -Mr. Caldwell as a half-owner, we’ll add strength to our side of the -fighting. Seems to me this man’s kind of keen on saving the village, -too.” - -Ronnie looked over at Caldwell. “Are you, Mr. Caldwell?” he asked. -He wasn’t seeing Caldwell, not really. He was seeing the man who had -slipped into the padlocked building that afternoon, the man who had -overturned furniture and thrown the family papers about on the floor. - -“Very much so, Ronald,” Mr. Caldwell answered. He spoke with genuine -feeling. Perhaps it wasn’t fair to accuse him, Ronnie told himself. He -had never made a positive identification. And yet--yet there were so -many times that Ronnie had _almost_ been sure. - -“This comes as such a complete surprise,” Mr. Caldwell was speaking -again. “I shall certainly have to look into the matter. I suppose there -are agencies that will trace a family tree?” - -Grandfather nodded. “I’d get myself a good lawyer, if I were you. He’ll -tell you if you’ve got claim to the property.” - -“My brother was the one who was interested in our family tree--and the -family history of the candlesticks. As a boy, he was always snooping -through old trunks and boxes in the attic.” Caldwell went over and -stood before the candlesticks, touching the glass crystals lightly -and lovingly with the tips of his fingers. “Beautiful, beautiful -workmanship,” he said. - -“Why don’t you ask your brother?” Phil rolled over to a sitting -position. “Maybe he’s been holding out on you. Maybe he knows all about -the property.” - -Mr. Caldwell did not look around. “I--I’m afraid that’s impossible,” he -answered finally. “He’s--away.” - -Ronnie brought his knees up against his stomach and then wrapped his -arms about his legs to hold them close. He looked over at Caldwell. How -much did the man _really_ know? Was this all a put-up job--pretending -he had no knowledge of his relationship to Jacob Williams? Acting as -if he didn’t know a thing, so Ronnie would not connect him with his -mysterious prowlings about the village? - -Ronnie sighed. It was all very puzzling. But somehow he couldn’t -believe that Mr. Caldwell was guilty of deceiving them. Ronnie had to -admit to himself that he liked the man. - -The room had grown darker. Off in the distance Ronnie heard the low -rumble of thunder. The back door slammed shut and Mr. Rorth came down -the hallway and poked his head into the room. “Hi, everyone,” he said -cheerfully. “Mr. Caldwell, how are you? By the way, I dropped some -screen doors and windows off at your place, but I didn’t have time to -put them up. I left some nails and a hammer, though, and you can tack -them up temporarily.” - -“Many thanks!” Caldwell said. “I can certainly use the screens! I never -knew there were so many insects in the world until I came here. Too bad -you left the hammer, though. I have one of my own.” - -Whose hammer, Ronnie wondered? Caldwell’s--or was it the one that had -disappeared from Bill’s barn? - -The room grew another shade darker. A brilliant flash of lightning -dispelled the darkness for a brief moment, and then the thunder broke. -The house vibrated from the sound. - -Mr. Caldwell moved toward the door. “I’d best be going before the storm -breaks.” - -“Come along,” Mr. Rorth offered, “and I’ll take you most of the way in -the truck. You’ll never make it before it rains.” - -The truck was hardly out of sight when the rain fell in torrents. -Ronnie, at the living room window, watched the puddles grow deeper -and deeper. The rain turned to hail and beat against the pane like a -kettledrum solo. A streak of lightning split the black clouds and -pierced the earth. Almost immediately a crack of thunder seemed to -explode overhead. The rain fell heavier. - -Ronnie turned from the window and let the curtains fall back into -place. Grandfather got up from his chair. “I might as well do a little -DXing while I wait on supper to be served up,” he announced. “Ronnie, -does that sound interesting to you?” - -“I don’t think so, Gramps. Really, you shouldn’t DX during a -thunderstorm.” - -“Fiddlesticks! Rubbish! If the lightning’s got your name written on -it, it’ll strike you no matter what! Besides, what’s there left for me -around here now?” - -He stomped from the room as fast as his cane would permit. Phil turned -over heavily on the couch, bringing his magazine around with him. -Ronnie watched his brother for a moment, then turned and left the room. - -He went upstairs to his bedroom because he could think of nothing -better to do. For a while he stood by his window watching the storm. -Below, he saw his father’s truck drive into the yard and come to a -quick stop. Mr. Rorth got out and ran for the back door. - -And down in the deserted village Ronnie saw another figure running in -the rain. The figure appeared out of the trees and ran toward the rear -wall of the padlocked building. It disappeared from sight behind the -building. Ronnie waited for it to reappear, but the minutes passed -without another movement in the village. - -The boy remembered Great-great-grandfather’s words in his diary: “His -body lies below, together with the evidence of his guilt.” There was -no doubt in the boy’s mind now what his great-great-grandfather had -meant. Down below the padlocked building, of course. - -And Ronnie remembered, too, how savagely the stranger had attacked the -interior of the building that afternoon overturning furniture, pounding -on the walls, scattering the papers. - -It wouldn’t be long, Ronnie realized, before the man would begin to rip -up the floor boards. - -“Bill and I have _got_ to get there first!” he told himself. - - - - -_Chapter 13_ - - -The thunderstorm did not roll away to bother other parts of the country -as thunderstorms usually do. Instead, it turned into a steady downpour -that showed no signs of letting up. The barnyard flooded and the water -ran down the driveway in small streams that washed away the gravel and -left gullies along the edges. - -All night it rained, and when Ronnie awoke the next morning it was -still coming down. After breakfast the boy moved from one room to -the next, trying to decide what to do. He was worried about what the -intruder might have discovered during the night. Perhaps by now he had -found the money and glassware and had already left the village with his -loot. - -Ronnie made up his mind. He went to the telephone and called Bill. He -told him about the figuring he had done, how he believed the money and -glassware were hidden somewhere beneath the padlocked building, and how -he was afraid the intruder might already have found it. “We’ve got to -work fast, Bill,” he said urgently. - -“I’m with you, Ronnie,” Bill agreed. “I can get away, I think. Can -you?” - -“I’ll wear boots and my raincoat and cape. My dad’ll say yes, for sure.” - -“Then I’ll see you there! And bring the ledger book. I want to see the -part you’re talking about. Meet you in our office in twenty minutes.” - -Ronnie went to find his father to get permission. “Now how in the world -would I know where he is?” Mrs. Butler protested. She had just arrived -and was removing her plastic raincoat and hat. “Go look in the barn. He -generally works there when the weather’s bad like this.” - -Ronnie dashed across the yard and sailed through the open barn doors. -He found his father at his workbench cutting tomato poles from old -boards on his power saw. - -“Sure, go ahead,” Mr. Rorth agreed. “A little rain’s not going to hurt -anybody.” - -Ronnie ran back to the house. He went up to his room and got the -ledger. Then he got his boots, raincoat, and rubber raincape from the -hall closet. Phil appeared from the kitchen. “Where are you heading -for, Ronnie?” he asked. - -“I’m meeting Bill down at the village. Want to come?” - -Phil looked at Ronnie as if his brother had asked him to go to the -moon. “Are you kidding?” he laughed. “I wouldn’t go out in this weather -if the house was on fire.” - -Ronnie slipped the ledger under his raincoat where it would be -protected from the weather. “Say,” Phil demanded, “what’s that?” - -“Just a book,” Ronnie answered. He wasn’t going to take the time now to -explain. Besides, Phil knew so little about what had happened during -the past few days that Ronnie would have to start at the beginning if -his brother were to understand how important the book was. - -“Yea, but what _kind_ of a book?” Phil persisted. Ronnie retreated -toward the door, but Phil followed him. - -“Oh, an old book I found in the padlocked building,” Ronnie admitted -finally as he opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. - -“Say,” he heard Phil exclaim as the door closed on his words. -“Something’s going on around here--” - -Ronnie splashed through the puddles in the driveway and entered the -orchard. The rain drummed down on his rubber hood. Little rivers -drained from his shoulders. He held the book tight as he plunged down -the soggy bluff and entered the trees at the bottom. - -Down in the valley he breathed deep of the pungent odor of pine, -released by the long rain. Off to the right, partially hidden by the -ground fog that had been trapped beneath the heavy foliage when the -cooler rain touched the warm earth, Ronnie saw the old bakery building. -Its broken, crumbled walls and sections of rotting roof seemed -unusually deserted and lonely in the faint light. - -Ronnie shivered suddenly and continued down the narrow path. Wet -branches snapped back against his raincoat and sprayed water into his -face. He stopped a moment to shift the ledger higher up under his arm. - -And then suddenly there was a movement in the bushes at the side of the -path. Before the boy could turn, someone seized him from behind and, -grasping his arms, pinned them behind his back. Ronnie felt the ledger -slipping from his hold. It started to fall beneath his raincoat. - -He struggled to free himself, but his assailant was strong. He tried, -too, to twist his head about so he could see who it was. But his -raincape blocked his vision on both sides. - -“All right, kid!” A man’s voice growled close to the boy’s ear. “Let’s -have it!” - -“H--have w--what?” Ronnie gasped. - -“The book I saw you kids looking at yesterday in that shack of yours.” -The man tightened his grip on the boy’s arms, and Ronnie winced. And -just at that moment the ledger slipped to the ground. - -“So you’ve got it with you, eh? Well, that’s so much the better!” The -man loosened his grip somewhat. Then he gave Ronnie a terrific shove -that sent the boy sprawling headlong into the wet leaves. - -Ronnie was more angry than he was hurt. He had just one idea in his -mind--to get a close look at this man now that he had the opportunity. -No sooner had he struck the ground than he rolled over and pulled -himself up to a sitting position. - -The man was bending over to pick up the ledger. But when he -straightened up he was facing directly toward the boy. Ronnie found -himself face to face with his opponent. - -“Mr.--Mr. _Caldwell_!” Ronnie exclaimed. The man’s thin summer clothes -were soaked to the skin and his thick, straight hair was matted to his -head on top and hanging over his forehead in ropelike strands. - -But Caldwell paid no attention to the boy’s remark. Book in hand, he -walked off down the path in the direction of the old bakery. - -“Give me back my book!” Ronnie shouted after him. “Why, why--you--” He -took off after the man, leaping onto his back and clinging there with -all his strength. - -But he was no match for Caldwell. With his free hand the man released -the boy’s grip from about his neck. Then, still holding Ronnie’s wrist, -he flung the boy from him. Ronnie sailed into the bushes, rolled over -several times and came to a stop. By the time he had pulled himself to -his feet Caldwell had disappeared. - -Dejectedly the boy turned and made his way slowly toward their office -to tell Bill the disheartening news. - -Bill had the door unlocked, but closed, to keep out the rain and chill. -Ronnie came inside, pulled off his raincape. He didn’t have to tell -Bill that something unpleasant had happened. His friend read it in -Ronnie’s face. - -“You did everything you could have done,” Bill said to him after Ronnie -had told him the story. “Don’t feel bad about it.” Bill went over to -sit on the edge of the desk. “So it _has_ been Caldwell all along--and -him acting so sweet and nice. You sure, Ronnie?” - -Ronnie nodded. “It was him all right. Of course, he looked a little -different because he was as wet as a drowned rat.” - -“You mean he wasn’t wearing a raincoat--or anything like that?” - -“Nope.” It did seem strange, now that Ronnie had time to think about -it. Certainly Caldwell would have brought enough clothing with him -for all kinds of weather. But hadn’t he _seen_ Caldwell face to face? -Raincoat or no raincoat, it _was_ Mr. Caldwell all right! “Well, _now_ -what do we do?” he asked Bill. - -“Why, just what we planned, of course!” Bill explained. “And maybe -we’ve got the jump on Caldwell after all! Because why would he take the -ledger from you if he had found the money and glassware, or knew where -it was?” - -“I see what you mean!” Ronnie exclaimed. “He wouldn’t _need_ the ledger -if he was close to finding the money and glassware.” - -“Right! He’s probably getting desperate. He saw us with the old book -and decided it might contain an answer to what he wanted to know. Maybe -he even heard us reading parts of it.” - -Ronnie walked over to the window. Streams of water ran down from the -roof. The wind was lifting now and the trees were bending under its -force. Ronnie turned to face his friend. “Bill, if I hadn’t seen -Caldwell face to face, I don’t think I could believe he’s the man who’s -been doing all this snooping. And you know, even while he was grabbing -me back there on the path, I didn’t think it was him. He just didn’t -talk like Caldwell--or act like him either.” - -“Well, you never do really know a man until you’ve been around him a -good long while--that’s what my pa says.” Bill pulled his raincape over -his head. “We’re just wasting time sitting here and talking. Let’s get -over to the padlocked building. I brought a flashlight. Did you bring -the key?” - -Ronnie patted his trouser leg. “Right here in my pocket!” he exclaimed. - -They closed the door to their office and started down the puddle-filled -path. The rain beat against their raincapes and coats, and overhead the -trees lashed wildly in the rising wind. A dead branch fell to the path -behind them. - -When they reached the cobblestone road they saw Phil coming toward -them, huddled inside his raincoat and pushing against the wind. “I -figured something was up,” he said to Bill and Ronnie when he had -reached them. “Come on, out with it. What have you two got up your -sleeves--and where’s that old book you had, Ronnie?” - -Ronnie glanced at his friend. Bill nodded that as far as he was -concerned he didn’t care if Phil was brought in on their venture. So -while they walked to the padlocked building, Bill and Ronnie supplied -Phil with whatever information he needed to bring him up to date. - -When they arrived at the old Rorth Glassworks office building, Ronnie -brought the key from his pocket and inserted it in the rusty lock. He -tried to turn the key but it wouldn’t budge. It wouldn’t turn for Bill -or Phil, either. - -“We’ll have to use Caldwell’s secret trap door,” Ronnie said, and they -hurried around to the rear of the building. - -Ronnie removed the wall section and the three climbed through. Bill lit -his flashlight. Then Ronnie closed the trap door again because, as he -explained to the others, “We don’t want Caldwell to know we’re in here.” - -Bill was exploring the interior with the flashlight. He whistled. “Wow! -Caldwell sure turned this place upside down!” - -Ronnie nodded. Hardly a square foot of the floor was bare of paper or -overturned filing cabinet and desk drawers. Even a few floor boards -here and there were torn loose. - -“Looks just like my bedroom when Mrs. Butler yells at me,” Phil -commented. - -“We’ll never find a way down below with all this clutter,” Ronnie -remarked. “Maybe we should clean up first.” - -Bill agreed and the three set to work picking up the papers and -stuffing them back in the drawers. Next they moved all the furniture to -one side of the room and returned the drawers to their places in the -desk and filing cabinet. “Now we’ll give this cleared side of the room -a real going-over!” Bill said. “Then we’ll move everything to the other -side and search that part. Come on, Phil, let’s get with it.” - -Phil was lighting matches and peering under the floor boards Caldwell -had loosened. “O.K.,” he mumbled. - -They started in the corner and worked systematically back and forth -across the room, taking a few boards at a time. It was Bill’s idea that -Jacob Williams had made some sort of a secret trap door for himself, -and that if the boys searched carefully enough they could find it. -“Then we won’t have to tear up any more of the floor the way Mr. -Caldwell’s done,” he said. - -Bill was working with his penknife at the rear of the building toward -the fireplace. He was jabbing into the wider cracks with the blade, and -then prying upward, hoping to dislodge any loose section. Suddenly he -let out a little cry of triumph. - -Phil didn’t hear Bill because he was inside the fireplace lighting more -matches while he explored. But Ronnie heard him and came over to find -out what he had discovered. “Look, Ronnie,” he said. “I’ve got these -boards up a little way. But I need something stronger. My knife’ll snap -if I push any harder.” - -“Hold everything!” Ronnie directed. During clean-up, Ronnie had seen -a pair of old fire tongs leaning against the fireplace. He found them -easily in the dark and brought them to Bill. Bill examined them by the -light of his flashlight. The ends were flattened like the ends of a -screwdriver. Just the implement they needed! - -Bill inserted the flattened end of the tongs into the crack, removed -the penknife, and pushed down with all his weight. Then he pried the -tongs backward. A section of the flooring began to move upward. Ronnie -grabbed the loose end and pulled. An entire section of the floor came -free. - -“Zowie!” Bill exclaimed. “We’ve found it!” - - - - -_Chapter 14_ - - -Bill’s flashlight broke the inky blackness beneath the opening. - -Three feet below the floor of the office building, Ronnie saw the dry, -hard, crusted earth on which the footings of the building rested. Into -this for a distance of some six feet beneath the trap door, old Jacob -Williams had dug a slanting hole that ran down to the top of an old -drainage culvert. The brick arch, which formed the roof of the culvert, -had been broken through. Below the break-through, the culvert ran in -both directions parallel to the side of the building. - -“Wow!” Bill exclaimed, playing his light about. “A tunnel! And it’s -plenty high enough to walk through, too!” - -“I’ll bet it used to carry drainage water from the village down to the -St. Lawrence,” Ronnie added. - -“Just the kind of place Jacob Williams would want for hiding the -glassware!” - -Phil, hearing the excitement, came over and crouched down beside the -others. He peered over the edge and looked down into the hole. - -Ronnie was trying to estimate the distance to the bottom of the -culvert. He figured it in sections. From the floor of the building -to the ground level was a “crawl space” of about three feet. Then the -hole Jacob Williams had dug was another six feet. That added up to nine -feet. The culvert itself, at the highest point in the arch, was another -six or seven feet. - -Fifteen feet. To Ronnie looking down into the blackness, it seemed more -like a hundred and fifteen! - -“We aren’t thinking of going _down_ there, are we?” Phil asked. “I -suffer from claustrophobia, I’d like you both to know.” - -Bill looked over at Phil. “And we suffer--just hearing you talk,” he -said, grinning a little. Then he looked at Ronnie. “Think we can get -down without a ladder or a rope?” he asked. - -Ronnie studied the problem. “Yes, I think so,” he answered finally. -“We’ll take it in stages. You know--climb down there to the ground -first, then slide down the hole to the top of the culvert. There’s room -to stand there. Then we can swing ourselves down through the opening in -the brickwork.” - -Phil gulped. “That sounds like an awful lot of work,” he said. “And -even harder to get _up_ again.” - -“Nobody’s twisting your arm and making you go,” Bill said. - -Ronnie went first, holding Bill’s flashlight. The others waited above -in the darkness, peering over the edge to watch Ronnie’s progress. -Ronnie had no trouble lowering himself to the ground level. Then he -sent the light from the flashlight down into the hole Williams had dug. - -The remains of an old ladder lay in pieces along the sides of the hole. -Ronnie noticed, too, that steps had been made leading down to the -top of the culvert--pieces of split log hammered into the earth but -protruding far enough to provide a foothold. - -The boy tried the first one. It sustained his weight. He tried -another--and another. He looked up at Bill and Phil and grinned. Things -were going just fine! - -He smiled too soon. The fourth step broke under his weight. His feet -flew out from under him and his back struck the side of the hole. He -slid the rest of the way, carrying with him an avalanche of dirt and -pebbles. - -Luckily, he managed to keep himself from plunging through the opening -in the brickwork and down into the culvert. “You all right?” he heard -Bill calling down. - -“I’m O.K.,” he answered. His voice echoed back hollow and distant from -within the culvert. - -He sat down with his legs hanging over the edge of the broken brickwork -and flashed the light down into the darkness. The bottom looked -sandy--silt carried there by the drainage water over many years. There -was no way to climb in. He’d have to drop. - -He tucked the flashlight under his belt beneath his raincoat and began -to slip forward. Then, when he was on the very edge, he let his body -fall forward. - -He struck bottom on his feet, but the momentum threw him forward and -he landed face first on a patch of slimy sand. Picking himself up, -he found his flashlight and pressed the button. Light bored through -the pitch-blackness. The brick walls were slimy and green, and water -dripped through the bricks and dropped to the floor. In places sand -and earth had seeped through the cracks in the masonry and had formed -mounds and valleys along the culvert floor. - -He looked up and saw Bill and Phil peering down at him under the light -from his flashlight. “What’s it like down there?” Bill asked. - -“Kind of--kind of spooky,” he answered. He heard his voice come back to -him from both ends of the culvert. - -“I’ll be with you in a minute,” Bill called. “Shine the light along the -way.” - -Five minutes later both Phil and Bill had joined Ronnie in the culvert. - -“Nice place to hold a Halloween party,” Phil commented. “I’m kind of -glad now that I decided to come down to the village to see what you two -were cooking up!” - -Bill retrieved his flashlight from Ronnie and began to explore the -culvert with it. “Wow!” he exclaimed suddenly. “Take a look over where -the light’s pointing.” - -Ronnie saw a crude shelf supported by sapling logs which rested on the -culvert floor. The shelf ran for six to seven feet along the side of -the wall, and on it were a number of wooden crates. Protruding from the -excelsior with which the crates were packed, Ronnie could see a number -of glass cannisters, goblets, decanters, and flasks of different colors. - -“Oh, boy!” Bill exploded. He ran forward and removed one of the -pieces, holding out a beautiful rose-tinted goblet of frail, delicate -glass. Around the belly of the piece ran a band of men and women in -eighteenth-century dress, etched into the surface like autumn frost. - -The others had moved to the shelf, too. “Hey, pig,” Phil said to Bill, -“how about sharing some of that light so we can get a look at some of -this stuff, too!” - -Bill laid the light on the shelf and pointed it so Ronnie and Phil -could use it, too. Ronnie lifted another of the crates to the floor. -One by one he removed a set of six wine-glasses and a decanter to match -and placed them on the floor in a nest of excelsior. - -Phil, however, had his eye on something different. He was interested in -a small metal box at the end of the shelf. He took it down, brushed off -the flakes of rust and tried to open the lid. It was rusted fast. - -Bill had reached the bottom of his crate, and now he was carefully -packing the contents back as he had found them. He turned to Ronnie. -“It’s not going to be easy getting these crates out of here,” he said. -“We don’t want to break any.” - -Ronnie nodded. “I know. Yet we can’t leave them here for Caldwell to -claim. One of us will have to go for a rope.” - -“There’s one in the Glassworks building that we were using to haul junk -outside. Maybe we can persuade Phil to go and get it.” - -“Fat chance of doing that!” - -A sudden squeal of surprise and wonderment from Phil interrupted their -discussion. Phil came over to them with the opened metal box in his -hands. “Boy, oh, boy!” he exclaimed. “Have _I_ hit real pay dirt. Just -focus your eyes on what’s inside this box!” - -Ronnie peered inside while Phil held the box so the light from the -flashlight could reach the interior. “Th-the money!” Ronnie gasped. - -“You bet it’s the money!” Phil echoed. He took out a roll of bills and -a handful of gold and silver coins. “And plenty of it, too!” - -“Wow!” Bill exclaimed. “Now we can save the village. We can build the -dam! How much is there, Phil?” - -The bills had been rolled and tied with a piece of cord. Phil opened -the roll easily. Bill got the flashlight from the shelf and they -crouched together in a group while, one by one, Phil laid the big -old-fashioned bills in a pile. There were mostly twenties and hundreds, -with a few fives and tens. Altogether, Phil counted over two thousand -dollars. - -They examined the gold and silver coins next. With these their total -came to twenty-one hundred dollars. - -“Put the money back in the box,” Ronnie directed. “We’ve got to work -fast. I sure feel uneasy about Mr. Caldwell coming back.” - -“You two get the crates over underneath the opening,” Bill said, “and -I’ll run over to the glassworks and get the rope. We’ll have this stuff -out of here and locked up in our office before Caldwell even knows -what’s going on. Then I’ll ask Pa to come down with the truck and we’ll -take it up to your house, Ronnie.” - -Bill had some trouble getting back up to the padlocked building, but -he finally made it. When he had gone, Ronnie set to work lifting the -crates from the shelf and carrying them over to the floor beneath the -opening. Phil seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of matches, and he -left Ronnie to explore up the culvert. By the time Ronnie had finished, -Phil was back. He had a sheepish look on his face, but he was a little -pale, too. - -“What’s eating you?” Ronnie demanded. - -“I--I just met up with Jacob Williams,” Phil answered. “I mean--what’s -left of him.” - -“You mean--you mean his bones are down there?” Ronnie asked, motioning -in the direction Phil had just come from. It really shouldn’t surprise -him, of course, he told himself. Great-great-grandfather Ezra had -mentioned in his diary that he had found Jacob Williams’ body “down -below” and that he didn’t have the strength to get him up. - -When Bill returned with the rope, the three set to work bringing the -crates up to the padlocked building. It was hard, exacting work. One -end of the rope was tied to a rafter in the building and the other -end fastened securely about one of the crates. Then it was a matter -of pulling from the top and guiding the box along the way so that it -didn’t crash against the sides at any time. - -In all, there were six crates to be pulled up. The boys had removed -their raingear and cumbersome boots, but by the time they had finished, -they were dripping with perspiration and covered with dirt and grime. - -But even Phil hadn’t complained. There they were at last--the six -crates and the metal box, piled together in the center of the padlocked -building. The rest seemed easy in comparison. Two trips for each of -them and the crates would be safely stored in their office, ready for -the truck to pick them up. - -Ronnie was all smiles as he and the others stole a minute or two of -their precious time to sit down and catch their breaths. “Golly,” he -said, “I never once thought this would be such an exciting day when I -got up this morning.” - -“Neither did I,” Bill agreed. “When I saw the rain pouring down, I -thought for sure I was in for a real boring day. The most I thought -we’d get done was to maybe clean up another building.” - -“And when I got up,” Phil added, “I told myself to turn around and go -back to sleep.” - -Bill looked over at Phil curiously. “How come you’re so lazy, Phil?” - -Phil grinned back at him. “It just comes naturally, I guess.” - -Ronnie got up. He was on pins and needles for fear something might -happen before they got the money and glassware safely stowed away. He -looked over at the crates. “Maybe we could each carry two of them,” he -suggested, “and make it all in one trip.” - -“Not me!” Phil protested. “After hauling them up from below, you’re -lucky I’ll agree to carry _one_.” - -“Phil’s right,” Bill agreed. “We wouldn’t want to drop and break -anything. This glassware is pretty valuable, I’ll bet.” - -They put on their raingear and boots. Then each selected a crate and -moved it over to the trap door in the rear of the building. Ronnie set -his down so he could remove the section of wall. - -He didn’t have to. The trap door suddenly opened as if by itself. - -And there, framed in the opening, was Caldwell’s face and shoulders. He -had a gun in his hand. - - - - -_Chapter 15_ - - -Ronnie’s heart began to tap-dance inside his chest. He knew, too, that -his mouth was open as wide as it would go and that he couldn’t do a -thing to close it. - -Caldwell stepped inside, holding the gun loosely in his hand. He -brought a flashlight from his pocket. - -“Take your light out of my eyes!” Caldwell commanded Bill. - -“Y--yes, sir,” Bill managed to say. The light clicked off. Caldwell’s -took its place. It was focused, not on the boys, but on the pile of -crates left in the middle of the room. - -“Now wasn’t that nice of you boys to find this stuff for me and to lug -it up, too. Of course you had a slight advantage over me, in that you -had the book longer than me. But I figured it out, too--and just in -time, it appears.” - -Ronnie was looking at a different Caldwell now as the man stood framed -in the light from the rear trap door. This wasn’t the Caldwell he had -known during the past days. This was a cool, deliberate, scheming -Caldwell. This was the man he had tangled with on the path earlier in -the day. - -Caldwell backed around toward the crates, keeping the gun and light -trained on the boys. With the gun in his right hand, and the flashlight -tucked under his left arm, he threw back the cover to the metal box. - -“Well, now,” he said, “this is just what I need! This will cover my -traveling expenses very nicely--with plenty left over besides.” He -picked up the bills and pushed them into his pocket, and then came back -to scoop up the coins. “You boys have been very helpful. Very helpful. -And since you’ve gone to all the trouble of carting this heavy stuff -upstairs for me, I might as well take it along, too. There’s always -some sucker antique dealer along the road who will give me a few bucks -for it.” - -Bill took a step forward, but stopped when Caldwell’s gun came up. “You -sure have had us fooled, Mr. Caldwell,” Bill said. “And we sure were -fools to have trusted you.” - -“Yea, sure, kid.” Caldwell seemed a little puzzled by what Bill had -said. “Well, enough of this. It’ll take me an hour to get loaded and -hit the road.” He swung the light around, searching for something. It -stopped when he found the open trap door leading down to the culvert. - -“O.K., you kids,” he ordered. “Supposing you climb back down into the -cellar.” - -Ronnie’s eyes widened as he gathered the full intent of the order. -“You--you’re not going to lock us up down there?” he gasped. - -“I sure am, kid. You don’t think I’m going to turn you loose so you can -bring the whole neighborhood after me, do you? I need plenty of time to -get this stuff out of here and to hit the road. Now get moving--all of -you.” - -Ronnie stood his ground. “I won’t go,” he said stubbornly. “Why, we’d -never get out of there. Nobody would ever find us,” he added. - -“Well, now, isn’t that too bad!” Caldwell sneered. “Now move before I -push you down--if that’s the way you want it.” - -“We’d better go,” Bill said. - -They filed dejectedly toward the opening in the floor. Bill went first -and Ronnie followed. Before taking his turn, Phil turned to Caldwell. -“How about paying us for bringing the stuff up anyway, huh?” he asked. - -“Don’t get funny, kid.” - -“My name’s Phil--or don’t you remember?” - -“Look, kid, I don’t care one hoot what your name is. Now shake it up -before I help you.” - -When Phil’s head was below the level of the floor, Caldwell dropped the -trap door into place. Ronnie and Bill stood together below the opening -watching Phil descend, Bill holding the light for Phil to see by. -Above, they heard Caldwell driving several nails into the trap door. -Each blow echoed down the long lengths of the tunnel with a hollow -boom. Then suddenly it was silent again, a deep silence that told them -how far away from escape they really were. - -Ronnie shivered. Behind him he heard the steady, rhythmic dripping -of water against the culvert floor. He thought he heard Bill’s heart -beating too. Or was it his own? - -“Anybody got a deck of cards?” Phil asked suddenly and Bill and -Ronnie laughed. For the first time in his life Ronnie appreciated his -brother’s wisecracking. - -They decided then that the first thing they should do was to explore -the entire culvert in hopes that there might be some other way out -beside the trap door. Before they left, however, Ronnie climbed to -test the strength of the trap door, hoping that perhaps Caldwell’s -nails had not been well placed. It was an idle hope. The trap door was -as solid as the rest of the floor. - -Their explorations revealed that one end of the culvert ended in a -cave-in. The other end, sloping rapidly, ran to the river and was -flooded. “And that water’s rising, too,” Bill said to Ronnie as they -made their way back. “All this rain is flooding the river. And the -higher the river gets, the higher the water backs up in here.” - -Ronnie was almost afraid to ask the question that had come to his mind. -“Do you suppose--could the whole culvert get flooded?” - -Bill took Ronnie and Phil over to the wall and showed them several -lines of dried slime which had impregnated the brick. “Each one of -those lines,” he told them, “I’d guess was a water level mark. That -means the water has risen pretty high. One thing we can be sure -of, though, is that the water has never reached to the top of the -archway--not _yet_ anyway.” - -“How come you know that?” Phil asked. - -“Because if it had, Caldwell wouldn’t be walking off with that roll of -money. It would have fallen apart.” - -“I wish it _was_ falling apart,” Phil grumbled. - -They reached that section of the culvert below the building. Here they -selected a drier area of floor and sat down with their backs against -the wall. Bill turned off the flashlight to save the batteries. “O.K.,” -he said to the others. “So here we are--trapped. The only way of escape -is nailed shut. The water’s rising. How far we don’t know yet. Now, -what do we do?” - -Phil’s voice came out of the blackness. “Just go to sleep and wait -until somebody finds us.” - -“You’ll sleep until doomsday,” Ronnie told his brother. “Because -nobody’s ever going to find us here. Except for us, the only one who -knows about this--this dungeon is Mr. Caldwell and it doesn’t look as -if he’s going to tell anyone.” - -“That’s right, Ronnie,” Bill agreed. “And with the padlock still on the -door, who’s going to think of looking inside?” - -“And nobody’ll hear us shouting unless they _do_ come inside,” Phil -added. “I--Yipes!” - -“What’s the matter?” Bill demanded and switched on his flashlight. He -picked Phil out of the darkness. Phil was rubbing at the back of his -neck. - -“A--a drop of cold water went down my back.” - -“Is _that_ all?” Bill grumbled disgustedly. “Well for pity’s sake, put -up your raincoat collar so you don’t scare me like that again. And -don’t yell out again unless it’s something serious.” - -“That’s serious. I could catch pneumonia--or something.” - -“Cut it out, Phil,” Ronnie protested. “We’ve got to _think_. Can’t you -get it through your thick skull that we’re in serious trouble?” - -“Sure I can. I just want to die smiling. I think Jacob’s skeleton was -smiling.” - -Ronnie was tired of Phil’s chatter, and he was tired of staring into -the blackness and seeing nothing, too. So he closed his eyes and rested -his head back against the hard, uneven brick. He wanted to think. -But he couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that he was all alone, a -thousand miles down in the bowels of the earth. He put his hand out -and found Bill’s shoulder and left it there because he felt some -comfort in knowing that his friend was so close. Bill shifted his -position closer to Ronnie. “Keep your chin up, Ronnie,” he heard Bill -whisper. “I’ve got an idea. It might just work.” - -Bill leaned over closer to Ronnie so his mouth was only a few inches -from his friend’s ear. “Here’s the pitch,” he said. “Remember the first -end of the culvert we visited--not the one by the river?” - -Ronnie nodded. “Yea,” he said, remembering Bill couldn’t see him. - -“And remember how it was all cave-in, just a big mess of broken brick -and dirt that had fallen in with it?” - -“Yea,” Ronnie said again. - -“Well, when I was flashing the light about, I noticed one place big -enough to crawl up into. It looked as if it went quite a way toward the -surface. Now, I was thinking maybe we could dig through to the surface -from there.” - -“Hey, Bill, that’s a cool idea! Let’s try it! But what’ll we dig with?” - -“I can jab away with my penknife. The dirt’ll keep falling down into -the culvert.” - -“Let’s go!” Ronnie exclaimed. He was tired of sitting. He wanted to do -something to help them escape--_anything_. - -Bill turned on his light. Phil was stretched out on the floor with his -eyes closed. “Come on,” Ronnie nudged him. “We’ve got things to do.” - -Bill explained his plan to Phil as they moved down the culvert. Phil -agreed that it was worth the try. - -They reached the end of the culvert. Bill played the beam of his -flashlight about among the giant slabs of concrete and brick that had -tumbled to the floor of the culvert. Inky black crevices ran upward -between the pieces of rubble, and as Bill moved the flashlight about -looking for the crevice he had in mind, the jutting ends of the masonry -cast weird shadows upon the walls and floor. - -“There it is!” Bill said suddenly, holding his light steady. “That’s -the one. See how far up it goes?” - -Ronnie saw a twisting passage, which gradually grew smaller toward the -top. Halfway up, a giant slab almost sealed the crevice into two parts, -but Ronnie judged that there would possibly be room for Bill to squeeze -past. - -Bill removed his raingear and handed Ronnie the flashlight. “Keep the -light where I need it,” he instructed. Then he boosted himself into the -opening and began to worm his way upward. Protruding edges of brick -and mortar gave him support for his feet or a hold for his hands. Soon -Ronnie saw him enter the narrow aperture. - -Bill continued to edge forward, forcing his shoulders and arms between -the two giant slabs. Then he stopped and began to struggle. Ronnie -could see that he was wedged tightly between the two slabs. - -“H--help! I--I’m caught,” Ronnie heard Bill’s muffled voice. - -Ronnie slipped out of his raincoat and boots and handed the light to -Phil. Then he grasped the ledge of the lowest block of masonry and -pulled himself up into the mouth of the crevice. From here he worked -his way upward until his outstretched hands found Bill’s shoes. He took -a firm grip about his friend’s ankles--and pulled. Bill’s body did not -budge. Ronnie might just as well have tried to move the rubble. - -“It’s no use, Ronnie,” Bill said in a whimper. - -“Keep your chin up, pal,” Ronnie answered. “I’ll think of a way. Just -don’t struggle or you’ll swell up and then it’ll be even harder to get -you free.” - -Ronnie lay back against the cold stone and tried to catch his -breath--and _think_. He _had_ to find a way to free Bill. With help so -far away it was up to him to save his friend. - -A section of brick was jabbing into his back just under the shoulder -blades. He shifted his position to ease the discomfort. His shoulders -rubbed against a section of smooth, slimy moss--and an idea came to -him. He’d read stories of how the bodies of trapped men had been -greased, and then had slipped out quite easily. The nearest grease -bucket was in the barn, but wouldn’t wet slime do just as well? - -He twisted his body about so he could call down to Phil. “Get me a -good, big handful of that slime down at the other end of the culvert. -And hurry.” - -Phil nodded that he understood. He turned quickly and started for the -river end of the culvert, leaving Ronnie in the pitch-black. Ronnie -lay back against the rock and rested. Above him he heard Bill’s forced -breathing and an occasional groan. He heard the gentle dripping of -water, too, and felt something crawling down the back of his shirt. - -It seemed an eternity before Phil returned with both hands loaded with -slime, the flashlight tucked under his arm. - -Ronnie had to come down a way before the slime could be transferred to -his own hands. And now he’d have to work his way up again to where Bill -was caught, and he’d have to do it without the use of his hands. It -wasn’t going to be easy. With both hands cupping the precious stuff, he -had no way of holding on. - -He managed it, however, using only his feet and elbows. Now his head -was alongside Bill’s knees and he could reach up and force the slime -between the rubble and his friend’s shoulders. Bill understood what -Ronnie was attempting to do, for he worked his body about to spread the -application. Inch by inch Bill squirmed his way backward--and suddenly -he was free. - -Then something happened that _Ronnie_ hadn’t foreseen. Bill’s shoulders -came free so unexpectedly that before either Bill or Ronnie could check -the momentum, Bill had lost his balance. His body slipped backward, -struck the side of a concrete slab and landed on the culvert floor with -one leg doubled under him. - -Phil was already kneeling beside Bill’s body by the time Ronnie had -climbed down. The light from the flashlight was on Bill’s face. -“My leg. Oh, Ronnie, my leg!” Bill groaned and grimaced from the -pain. Sweat broke out on his forehead in large drops. His lips were -purple-blue and his face was as white as the sweat shirt he was wearing. - -“Ronnie,” Bill whispered, “Ronnie, _please_. Do something for me. -Please, _do_ something.” - - - - -_Chapter 16_ - - -Ronnie stooped down beside his friend and wiped the perspiration from -his forehead. “Sure, Bill, we’ll have you fixed up in no time,” he said. - -He took Bill’s raincoat and covered him with it, wrapping it around -underneath as far as he dared without moving the injured leg. Then -he set to work massaging Bill’s wrists and limbs to restore the -circulation. And all the while he worked, he was glad for those hours -of practice and study that he’d given to learning first aid at Scout -meetings and at home. His first-aid merit badge was proving its worth! - -He looked up at Phil. “Down the culvert I saw some boards that must -have washed in one time or another. I’ll need a couple of splints. Go -get them.” - -Phil nodded. Ronnie handed him the flashlight, and his brother moved -off down the culvert. Ronnie continued chafing Bill’s wrists in the -dark. He could feel the rapid pulse and knew that his friend was in -slight shock. He’d have to treat that first. The leg could wait. He -continued to massage Bill’s limbs and arms. - -Phil returned with an armful of boards. Ronnie signaled for him to drop -them and to take over the job that he had been doing. The flashlight -showed that the color was beginning to return to Bill’s face. His -pulse was slowing down to normal now, too. - -Ronnie got up and came around to kneel by Bill’s feet. He swallowed -hard. This was going to be a real tricky job--straightening out Bill’s -leg without compounding the fracture. Ronnie had done it plenty of -times in practice, but then there had been no broken bones that could -jab through the flesh if he made a wrong move. - -He reached in under the raincoat and felt his way forward until he -could get a hold on Bill’s shoe. When he was ready, he instructed Phil -to grasp Bill around the armpits and to lift him gradually. As the -weight of Bill’s body was removed from the leg, Ronnie took a firm grip -about Bill’s ankle and began the slow, tedious task of straightening -the leg. All the time he moved the leg out from under his friend’s -body, he applied a steady forward tension to keep the broken bone from -working into the flesh. Several times Bill cried out in pain. - -Now the leg was ready for splinting. Ronnie selected several of the -longer boards. He ripped sections from his own shirt and placed these -against Bill’s leg and laid the boards gently on top. Then he tore -strips of cloth and bound them about the boards and the leg until the -splints were firmly in place. - -Only then did he realize that he was soaking wet from perspiration and -that he was shivering from nervous tension. “There,” he said to Bill, -“I guess that’ll hold you until we get rescued.” - -Bill smiled weakly. “Thanks, pal,” he said. - -Ronnie turned to his brother. “Think we can carry him back to the spot -where we came in?” - -“We probably can,” Phil answered, “but I don’t think we ought to. You -see, the river’s risen since you were there, and that part of the -tunnel’s under a foot of water now.” - -Ronnie tried desperately not to let Bill know how frightened he was. -“Then--then we’ll put Bill up on that shelf where the crates of -glassware used to be.” - -“O.K.,” Phil answered. “That sounds like a good idea, because it isn’t -going to be long before the whole culvert’s covered with water. It’s -coming in fast!” - -Ronnie wished his brother could see his face so Phil would know what he -was thinking. Of all the stupid things to let Bill hear! It would be -simple for Ronnie and Phil to climb to a safe level in the crawl space -beneath the building, but never in a million years could they get Bill -up there. And Bill wouldn’t know, of course, that Ronnie would never -leave him behind--no matter how high the water rose. - -They brought Bill down the culvert without too much difficulty and -lifted him up onto the shelf where he could lie down. There was room -for Phil and Ronnie to sit, too, and although they had their boots on, -they preferred this to standing in the water. - -Now that Bill had been taken care of, Ronnie had time to think about -plans for their escape. He sat on the edge of the shelf with his feet -dangling over the edge and watched the water swirl in from the river. -He could go back and continue the plan that Bill had been attempting -before his accident. But somehow Ronnie doubted the wisdom of this. -There must be a better way. - -He looked over at Phil. “Got any ideas?” he asked. - -“Ideas about what?” - -“Ideas about getting out of here, of course!” - -“Not right offhand,” Phil answered. “But I’ll think on it.” - -Ronnie didn’t want to count too heavily on that! Phil had never been -one for finding a way out of a scrape. Phil had always relied upon -his brother for an answer--or he had just simply evaded the issue -completely if that were possible. - -Bill raised his head a few inches and placed his arm underneath to -support himself. “Don’t try my idea,” he said, “it just won’t work. -Nobody but the thin man from the circus could get through that opening.” - -“I don’t intend to,” Ronnie answered. “Except maybe as a last resort.” - -“Yea,” Phil said. “And by that time you’ll be thin enough to squeeze -through.” - -Ronnie smiled a little at Phil’s remark. He turned off the flashlight -to save the batteries. “We’ve certainly made a mess of everything, -haven’t we?” Bill’s voice reached Ronnie from out of the darkness. “Let -the glassware and money slip right out of our hands. Got ourselves -trapped down here. Me with a busted leg. And I guess we’re about as far -from saving the village as we ever were. Well, my pa says it’s always -darkest before the dawn. Maybe things will get better from here on.” - -The silence closed in again, except for the steady dripping of water -against the flooded floor. It sounded to Ronnie as if a hundred distant -bells of different pitch were all ringing at the same time. It was hard -sitting here in the darkness, waiting ... wondering if they’d ever get -out again. - -“Ronnie?” Bill asked. “You suppose our folks are out looking for us -now?” - -“Maybe. Depending on how late it is. I’ve lost all idea of the time.” - -“Nobody’ll ever find us down here,” Bill continued. “They won’t even -look inside the padlocked building because they’ll see that the lock’s -still on the door. I wish we could attract their attention somehow.” - -“I’ve got plenty of matches left,” Phil announced. “Want me to burn -down the building? Nobody could miss seeing _that_!” - -Ronnie wasn’t sure if Phil was being serious, or if this was another of -his attempts at humor. Whichever it was, Ronnie couldn’t go along with -his brother’s suggestion. With the building on fire, the culvert was -sure to fill with smoke and fumes, perhaps to the point where it might -suffocate them. “No, Phil,” he told his brother, “that’s too risky.” - -“Then how about just burning through the trap door?” Phil added. “How -about that?” - -Ronnie found himself shaking his head. “No, Phil. It would never stop -with the trap door. Besides, I don’t think we’ve got enough kindling to -get it started. No, we’ve got to think of a better way.” - -“Then how about _you_ putting out with a few?” Phil demanded of his -brother. - -“Maybe I can if you’ll keep quiet for a few minutes.” - -Ronnie rested his chin on his palm and braced his elbow on top of his -leg. He stared into the blackness. There was some merit to Phil’s idea. -Not fire, of course. That was too dangerous. But some kind of a signal -that could be seen at a distance. - -He thought over all the different ways of signaling he’d ever heard -of. There were whistles and bells and horns. There were lights and -radio beams, flags, hands, smoke.... The Indians had used smoke signals! - -Ronnie stiffened, straightening up. He let out a little high-pitched -sound of approval. “Ronnie?” Bill asked. “You all right, Ronnie?” - -“Sure I’m all right! I just had an idea that might work. I guess I -surprised myself with it!” - -“You sounded like something bit you,” Phil grumbled. - -“Let’s hear your idea, Ronnie,” Bill said. - -“Well, remember right after Caldwell nailed the trap door shut I went -up to test how strong it was? While I was there I saw a little metal -door in the base of the fireplace. You know, a door to an ash box.” - -“Sure, Ronnie, sure,” Bill said excitedly. “We’ve got one in our -fireplace--down in the cellar.” - -“Well, my idea is to build a real smoky fire in the box. It’ll travel -up to the fireplace and then on up the chimney--I hope!” - -“That’s a great idea!” Bill exclaimed. “I sure wish I could help you -with it.” - -“We’ll need kindling,” Ronnie went on. “There’s more of that where Phil -got your splints. But the real problem is finding something that’ll -give a lot of thick smoke and won’t burn up too quickly.” - -“Like rubber,” Phil said. - -“Say, Phil, you’re really using your brains at last!” Ronnie exclaimed. -“And rubber’s something we’ve got plenty of! Three raincoats, three -pairs of boots, and the soles off our shoes, too, if we need them.” - -“I’ve got a penknife,” Bill said, his enthusiasm mounting as the pain -in his leg subsided. “You can cut the rubber into chunks and then feed -them into the fire. Why, with the supply we’ve got we can keep a signal -fire going for hours and hours!” - -They set to work immediately. Bill found he could help, too, after -he had pulled himself up to a sitting position. He used the knife to -cut up the heavier pieces of boots. Phil and Ronnie worked at the -raincoats, ripping the fabric, first into strips and then into smaller -pieces. Soon they had a large pile between them in the middle of the -shelf. - -Phil waded down the culvert to gather kindling. In the meantime Ronnie -took off his torn shirt and, tying a knot about the neck end, used the -piece of clothing as a sack to carry the chunks of rubber while he -climbed to the crawl-space above. - -Phil joined him in front of the ash box a few minutes later. “All I -could find was wet wood,” he told Ronnie. “The floodwater has picked it -all up. We’ll need something dry to get the fire started.” - -Ronnie inspected the wood Phil had brought. “Yes, I guess you’re right. -We’ll have to take part of the shelf. Suppose you go down and rip off a -few boards. You take the flashlight. I think I can manage in the dark.” - -It wasn’t easy breaking up the wood in the darkness. He was continually -hitting his head on the low floor beams. But by the time Phil returned -with the flashlight and several pieces of dry wood, Ronnie had most of -the work done. - -Then suddenly there were sounds overhead--footsteps creaking across the -floor, a muffled murmur of voices. Ronnie drew a deep breath and let it -all out in a shout. “Dad! Dad! We’re down here!” - -“Bust a hole in the floor if you can’t find the trap door!” yelled Phil. - -Ronnie’s heart beat wildly as he heard the screech of nails being -pulled from the wood. The trap door was lifted. Phil uttered a soft -groan of relief. And then an all-too-familiar voice said harshly, -“O.K.! Down you go!” - -For a moment the two boys stood frozen. Then, with a swiftness amazing -for him, Phil pointed the flashlight at the trap door. Caldwell was -standing near the opening, motioning with his gun to someone in the -shadows behind him. - -As the light struck him, Caldwell made a low, snarling sound and -whirled around to level his gun at the boys below. “Put out that -light!” he commanded. - -Phil obeyed hastily, but in the split second it had taken him to find -the switch, a second man had stepped into the light. Ronnie gasped. -He knew, from Phil’s simultaneous gasp, that he had not been dreaming. -There were _two_ Mr. Caldwells! - - - - -_Chapter 17_ - - -Huddled together in the dark, the two boys and the man heard the thud -of the trap door as it was dropped, the ring of a hammer against -the nails being driven back into the wood. Nobody spoke. Ronnie was -conscious of the heavy breathing of the man who had joined them in -their prison, of Phil’s shoulder pressing against his as though for -reassurance. - -In the building above there were footsteps again, an occasional thump -and scrape as though something were being dragged across the floor -toward the opening in the wall. For several moments there would be -silence; then the sounds would begin again. - -“The glass!” said Ronnie at last. “He’s taking the glass away.” - -“And he’s got the money,” Phil moaned. - -Suddenly Ronnie was angry. He grabbed the flashlight from Phil -and turned it full on their companion. “Who are you?” he demanded -furiously. “And who’s that guy upstairs?” - -Caldwell winced, then put his hand firmly on the flashlight and lowered -it so that the beam would not blind him. “One minute,” he said softly. -“Losing our heads won’t help. You know me. The man upstairs is my twin -brother; the black sheep of the family, I guess you’d call him.” - -“Oh,” said Ronnie and Phil together. Ronnie saw the whole picture now. -He had felt all along that the man who had attacked him on the trail -and stolen the ledger couldn’t be the Caldwell he knew. He’d felt the -difference at the time, but what was he to think? The two men were -identical in appearance. - -“Larry arrived the same time I did,” Caldwell went on. The sounds above -had ceased and the cut-out piece of wall had been put back into place. -“But until today I had no idea that he was here. He appeared at my -cottage late this morning and demanded the keys to the station wagon. -When I refused, he threatened me with a gun.” - -“Your own brother pulled a gun on you?” Ronnie asked in amazement. - -“Something went wrong with Larry,” Caldwell answered seriously. “He’s -been in trouble all his life. In fact, he escaped from the state -penitentiary last week.” - -“He _did_!” Phil exclaimed. “Golly, a convict right here in the -village, and we never even guessed!” - -“But why did he hide out here?” asked Ronnie. - -“I figure he had two things in mind,” said Caldwell. “First, since the -deserted village has been opened to tourists, nobody would think of -looking here for an escaped convict. If he saw anybody coming, there -would be plenty of buildings to hide in. Second, Larry was obsessed -all his life by that old story about the stolen Rorth glassware and -the money and the murder. He said he knew the glass must be hidden -somewhere, because it had never showed up on the market.” - -“Well,” said Ronnie glumly. “He was right. He’s got it now, and the -money, too, and the old diary that proves Great-great-grandfather -didn’t murder his partner.” - -Mr. Caldwell wasn’t interested in the murder or the money. “Glass!” he -exclaimed. “Rorth glassware! You mean Larry found some here?” - -“Crates of it,” said Phil. “Only Ronnie and Bill and I found it. That’s -how come we’re down here, so we can’t tell on him.” - -“Rorth glass!” moaned Caldwell. “And here we are where it won’t even -do us a bit of good to think about it. I guess that’s why Larry put me -down here, too. He knew I’d move heaven and earth to get it out of his -hands.” - -“He’s probably miles away in your station wagon by now,” said Ronnie. - -The mild-mannered Caldwell suddenly turned and gripped Ronnie by the -shoulders. “Look!” he said fiercely. “We’ve _got_ to get out of here. -It was nearly midnight when Larry brought me here. He had me driving -him around for hours looking for a road he could use to get through the -police road blocks. Then, after we found an old abandoned logging road, -he had me drive back here so he could pick up the loot and put me down -here where I couldn’t contact the police. It will be daylight soon. -Folks will be up and about before long. Isn’t there any way we can let -them know we’re here? If we all yelled at once, do you think they’d -hear us?” - -“The smoke signal!” Ronnie exclaimed, and at once began to break up the -dry wood Phil had brought. At the same time he explained their plan to -Caldwell, who thought it a good idea. “They won’t miss it,” he said. -“The whole town’s been looking for you kids since yesterday afternoon. -They’ve scoured the village for you twice, to my knowledge, but, of -course, nobody thought to look underground.” - -Ronnie grinned, despite his anxiety. “Boy!” he said, “will we have a -story to tell!” Then he sobered. “If only that guy hadn’t gotten away -with the glass and the money!” - -“I’ve a feeling he won’t get far,” said Caldwell. “There’s been an -alarm out for him ever since he escaped. The police don’t fool around -in cases like this. My main concern is how we get out of this place. -What can I do to help?” - -“Nothing, frankly,” said Ronnie. “Phil and I will tend to the smoke -signals. There’s nothing else to do, unless you want to go back and -keep Bill company.” He explained what had happened to Bill’s leg, and -Caldwell was only too glad to do what he could to cheer the boy. - -“Tell him,” said Ronnie, “we’ll be out of here before he knows it.” - -Phil held the flashlight while Ronnie showed Caldwell the best way down -to the culvert. Then the two boys turned back to their work. Phil held -the flashlight against the ash box while Ronnie inspected it. The iron -door was rusted, but not enough to prevent Ronnie from swinging it -open. It squealed and protested and showers of rust flakes fell to the -ground. - -Ronnie poked the light inside and held his face to the opening. -“There’s an opening at the top,” he said to Phil. “It must go all the -way up into the fireplace, or else how did the ashes get down to the -box?” - -Using Bill’s knife, Ronnie shaved some of the kindling wood into -tiny splinters. He placed these in the ash box first, arranging them -carefully so there was sufficient air space between each piece. Over -these, in tepee style, he placed the larger pieces of dry wood. “All -ready for the match,” he told Phil, reaching for one. - -“Let me do it,” Phil insisted. “They’re my matches, and where would we -be now if I hadn’t grabbed a pocketful this morning?” - -Ronnie didn’t argue the point. He watched his brother apply the flame -to the kindling and saw the fire creep upward into the larger pieces. - -“So far, so good!” Ronnie exclaimed. The orange light from the fire was -reflected in Phil’s face. “Let’s put all the dry wood on first and get -as hot a fire as we can. Then we’ll use the wet stuff.” - -Soon they had quite a blaze going in the ash box. It crackled and -sputtered, and the metal banged every once in a while as it expanded -from the heat. The wet wood dampened the fire considerably after it was -applied, but as the pieces dried out from the heat, they too caught and -burned fiercely. - -“Now we’re ready for the rubber!” Ronnie announced later. He tossed the -first piece into the fire. It sputtered for a moment, melting about the -edges. A thick cloud of inky-black smoke filled the ash box and crowded -into the opening at the top. - -Ronnie threw in a few more pieces and then slammed the door shut to -keep the smoke inside. “Now all we can do is wait,” Ronnie said to his -brother. - -“And throw on more rubber,” Phil added. - -“--and maybe pray a little,” Ronnie said. If this didn’t work, what -else was there left for them to try? - -“Ronnie?” Phil asked softly. - -“Yes?” - -“How long can people live without food and water?” - -Phil must have been reading his mind, Ronnie thought. He’d been asking -himself the same question. “Seems to me I read that people live longer -without food than they can without water.” - -“That’s good, because we have plenty of water.” Phil switched off the -flashlight. Some light leaked through the cracks around the door of the -ash box. - -“Seems to me we ought to purify the water before we drink it,” Ronnie -said. He opened the door a bit to peer inside at the fire. The rubber -was burning slowly and the pieces that were now in the fire should last -for quite a while. - -“The heck with all that trouble,” Phil answered. “In an emergency like -this we can drink the water the way it is.” - -“It should be sterilized--if we can find a way to do it,” Ronnie -insisted. - -“Well, I’m dying of thirst right now,” Phil said. He panted like a dog -to illustrate to Ronnie how much he needed a drink. “Think I’ll go down -and get one.” - -“Try to hold off for a while, huh, Phil?” Ronnie asked him. “Maybe we -can boil some water over this fire.” - -“Sure!” Phil growled. “I’ll hold it in my cupped hands while it heats -up! Be sensible, Ronnie. You know we’ve got nothing to heat it in.” - -But despite his arguing, Phil apparently decided to follow Ronnie’s -advice. He made no move to go below. Instead he switched the flashlight -on again, and picking up Bill’s penknife, began to jab at the floor -boards over his head. “Who knows,” he said, “maybe I can cut a hole -through and we can climb out.” - -But after five minutes of jabbing and poking and scraping Phil had -made a hole no bigger than a fifty-cent piece, and hardly as deep. -“Darnedest wood I ever cut into,” he complained. - -“Oak maybe--or chestnut,” Ronnie answered. He opened the door to the -ash box and threw in another piece of rubber. “Lumber was cheap in -those days, Phil. They didn’t skimp on buildings the way Dad says they -do today. I’ll bet those boards are an inch and a half thick. And you’d -need a hole a foot across before we could slip through.” - -“_I’d_ need one a foot and a half!” Phil grinned. He went on working -with the knife, doubling his efforts by jabbing at the wood from a -greater distance and with more speed. - -“Now I went and did it!” he said disgustedly. The knife blade had -snapped near the hinge. He threw the broken piece of blade on the hard, -dry earth and stomped on it in anger. “Why the heck did I have to try -so hard?” he asked. “I’m always messing things up.” - -Ronnie wanted to scold his brother for being so careless with the -knife, but he bit his lip and kept quiet. They still had the small -blade, if as a last resort they needed a knife. And the way things were -going, it looked as if they were going to have to think of some other -way to free themselves. At least an hour had passed since Ronnie had -thrown on the first piece of rubber and the black smoke had rolled up -the chimney. Why hadn’t someone come? Was the smoke finding a way to -the top of the flues, or was it rolling out into the room overhead? - -They decided then that they’d take turns at keeping the fire fed. They -drew splinters of wood to see which of them would go first. Phil drew -the short one. “You’ll need more kindling from time to time,” Ronnie -told Phil as he prepared to go below and stretch out a bit on the shelf -and maybe talk to Bill or get some sleep. “Want me to bring some up?” - -“I’ll get it when I need it,” Phil replied. “There’s still some of this -wet stuff left. Say, who gets the flashlight?” - -“I’ll need it to get down below,” Ronnie said. - -“So I’ll light your way for you from here. Look, Ronnie, if I don’t get -the light, I don’t tend the fire. Then when you take over, you’ll get -the light.” - -“O.K.,” Ronnie agreed. “See you later.” - -The long hours dragged by. With each one that passed, Ronnie’s faith -in the smoke signals he had devised grew less and less. Twice he -relieved Phil. More wood had to be taken from the shelf, and now there -was barely room enough for Bill to sit upright. The water pouring in -from the St. Lawrence had risen another three feet. Soon the top of -the shelf would be awash. And still worse, their supply of rubber was -getting low. “Soon we’ll have to cut up the soles of our shoes,” Ronnie -said. “Why doesn’t someone come?” - -“I think it’s probably still dark out,” Phil said, “and no one can see -the smoke unless they’re close by.” - -Ronnie had lost all sense of time, and no one among them had a watch. -He’d slept a few times when he wasn’t tending the fire, short naps -during which he was more awake than asleep. - -Sometime later they used the small blade of Bill’s knife to cut the -heels and rubber soles from their shoes. Phil went up with Ronnie to -feed some of it into the fire. They lay on their sides before the ash -box. Phil picked up some of the soft, powdery earth and watched it -sift through his fingers. “I wish I could eat this stuff,” he said. “I -wish I could eat _something_.” - -Ronnie nodded. “I’m hungry too,” he admitted. “It seems like days and -days that we’ve been down here.” - -Ronnie dropped off to sleep for a while, waking only long enough to -place another piece or two of the rubber into the fire. Soon the last -piece was gone. “That’s it,” he said to Phil. “That’s all there is.” - -But Phil didn’t hear him. He was asleep. Ronnie sat up, and opening -the door of the ash box, watched the last piece of rubber burn away to -nothing. Soon nothing remained within the box but a few black, cold -cinders. - -Now what, he asked himself? What was there left to try? If only he had -a tool of some kind--a pick or a shovel. With the pick he could smash a -way through the stout floor boards. With the shovel he could dig to the -surface. But he _didn’t_ have a pick or a shovel. All he had was Bill’s -broken penknife. The little blade was left, of course, but it wasn’t -strong enough for such a giant job as cutting through the trap door or -the floor. - -But perhaps it would be better than doing nothing, better than just -waiting and hoping. It would take a long, long time. One little -splinter of wood after another. Minute after minute. Hour after hour. -Being very careful not to get angry as Phil had done and break another -blade. - -Eventually he might get through--if his strength lasted. - -He chose a spot where there were no knots and the wood looked softest. -Chip after chip he removed, each no longer or thicker than a needle. -“I’ll never get through,” he thought. “Not ever.” - -And then, like something in a dream, he heard voices overhead, muffled -and indistinct. Then he heard a louder sound--the crash of an ax -breaking through one of the walls. A section of the siding gave way -and crashed to the floor. The voices were louder now, and Ronnie heard -footsteps, too, crossing the room. - -“That was a smoke signal we saw from the chimney.” It was his father’s -voice speaking! “As sure as I’m standing here, it was a signal.” - -A wide grin broadened Ronnie’s face and lit up his eyes. The sound of -his father’s voice was the most wonderful thing he’d ever heard in his -life. “Dad! Dad!” he called. “We’re down here.” - -Then Ronnie turned and gently shook his brother. “You can wake up now, -Phil. Dad’s here,” he said. - - - - -_Chapter 18_ - - -A burning, August sun scorched the long stretches of the St. Lawrence -River Valley. For two weeks it had blazed down from a cloudless sky, -evaporating the last remaining moisture from the soil. Ronnie came out -of the house and crossed the barnyard, his bare feet stirring dust -clouds that hung behind him and marked his path. The powder-dry dust -felt as soft as talcum against the soles of his feet. - -Ronnie made his way toward the orchard. Here it was cooler, for the -earth was wet from days of irrigation. - -Ronnie spied his father’s blue overalls and white T shirt among the -peach trees to the right. “Pa?” he called. - -“Yes, Ronnie?” Mr. Rorth was reeling out a section of rubber hose, a -feeder line to connect to the main metal pipe that ran to the brook. - -“I got a call from Mr. Mercer just a while ago. You know him--he’s the -president of the historical society in town. He wants Bill and me to -come to a meeting tonight. He says the Seaway people will have a big -official there to discuss the village.” - -“That’s wonderful!” - -“Dad, will you drive us in?” Ronnie asked. - -“Tonight?” Mr. Rorth thought it over. “I think so. In fact, I’d kind of -like to sit in on that meeting myself. Maybe Gramps would like to go, -too.” - -“The heat’s got him bad,” Ronnie reminded his father. - -“Yes, I know. But when it comes to the village, Gramps would go from -here to Timbuktu in the hottest weather.” - -Ronnie grinned. “Yes, I know.” - -He left his father then and swung off toward the village. He’d been -there only a few minutes when he saw two men approaching. One of them -was carrying a transit. They set up the transit on a level spot at the -top of the east side of the gap. One man stayed with the instrument, -while the other climbed to the other side of the stream and held up -a long measured stick. Ronnie went over to him. “What’re you doing, -mister?” - -“Surveying.” - -“I mean, how come you’re surveying?” - -“Because the boss sent me here, that’s why.” He looked over at the boy -and saw that Ronnie was more than just idly curious. “Well, it seems -there’s going to be a meeting tonight and the boss wants some figures -about whether it’s possible to build a cofferdam across this gap,” he -added. - -“Do you think it _can_ be built?” Ronnie asked--and held his breath -while he waited for the answer. - -The man looked about him, examining the narrow valley with its steep, -tree-filled slopes. “Sure,” he answered. “Of course, that’s only _my_ -opinion. Now beat it, kid. You’re taking my mind off the job.” - -Despite the heat, Ronnie began to run. He felt light all over. His feet -hardly seemed to touch the ground. The dam _could_ be built. Now, if -_only_ the Seaway would agree to have it done. If the meeting tonight -was a success, he vowed, then there would be nothing more he could ask -for. - -He broke out of a thick clump of hemlock saplings and came out on the -riverbank just as his brother swung himself off the fallen tree trunk -on the end of their “ducking” rope. Phil arched out over the water with -his legs curled up against his body and then, letting go, dropped like -a bullet. He came up sputtering and spitting water and brushing his -hair from his eyes. - -“Come on in, Ron!” he yelled. - -Ronnie undressed quickly and soon he was in the water beside his -brother. Bill appeared minutes later. His leg was still in a cast. -“Darn old doctor!” he grumbled good-naturedly. “I sure wish he’d let me -go in.” - -However, Ronnie had devised a way by which Bill could at least get -cooled off. After Bill had undressed, Ronnie and Phil bound his cast -with a strip of canvas they had on hand for this purpose. Then the two -bombarded Bill with bucketful after bucketful of water. “O.K.! O.K.!” -Bill called for mercy. “Enough!” - -The three lay down on a moss bank to dry, while Ronnie described his -meeting with the surveyors. “And, Bill,” he went on, “we’ve been asked -to a meeting tonight with the historical society, and Dad says he’ll -drive us into town.” - -Bill grinned. “It’s really beginning to look as though we might save -the village after all!” he exclaimed. “We made over a hundred dollars -exhibiting the glassware. Altogether, counting the money we found down -in the culvert, and what we earned during the past two months taking -tourists around the village, and what we got from selling the gold and -silver coins to a collector, plus the exhibition money--why, we’ve got -over three thousand dollars!” - -Exhibiting the glassware had been Ronnie’s idea, but it was Mr. -Caldwell who had done a great deal to make it a success. He had sent -announcements to antique dealers throughout the vicinity, and many of -them had come. Curious townspeople had come, too, and each visitor had -been charged an admission fee of fifty cents. - -“I wonder when Mr. Caldwell will be back,” Bill said as he struggled to -get his pants over the cast and metal support. “He’s been gone almost -two weeks now.” - -“I guess it takes time to work out all those legal matters,” Ronnie -answered. - -Ronnie thought about Mr. Caldwell as he and Phil started for home. The -day after Mr. Caldwell and the boys had been rescued from the culvert, -Caldwell had paid a call on Grandfather. “I want to get a lawyer to -make out papers that will relinquish all Jacob Williams’ claims to -the deserted village,” he had announced. “Then I’ll go up to the -penitentiary and have my brother sign them, too.” - -“Supposing he refuses?” Grandfather had asked. - -Caldwell had smiled. “I don’t think he will. He’s got ten years of his -old sentence to finish--plus whatever he gets for escaping. I think if -I offer him a small amount of money, he’ll see my way!” - -“Well, now,” Grandfather had said, “that’s very decent of you, Mr. -Caldwell. But why should you go to all this trouble and expense?” - -“I was hoping, sir,” Caldwell had answered, “that you and Ronnie might -consider letting me select a few pieces of the Rorth glassware. That -would more than repay me.” - -Caldwell left a week later with the papers the lawyer had drawn up. -He promised to return as soon as he’d visited his brother. “I’ve got -plenty of work left on my book,” he had told Ronnie, “so keep my place -cleaned and ready for me!” - -When Ronnie and Phil reached the house, supper was already on the -table. Grandfather was dressed in his best summer suit with a white -shirt and necktie. “How come, Grandpa?” Phil asked. - -“How come? Why, you don’t think for one minute I’m going to miss that -meeting tonight. Thunderation, they won’t get anywhere unless I’m there -to lend a hand.” - -Grandfather did lend his hand that night--and his voice, too! But it -was Ronnie’s plea, perhaps, which did the most toward convincing the -Seaway official that the village had to be saved. “Mister,” Ronnie told -him, sitting on one side of the long conference table, “every building -down in the village has got a story to tell about its past. Gramps told -me all of them when I was a boy, and I’ve never forgotten a one. Lots -of these stories I’ve told to the tourists who have come to see the -village. And do you know what so many of them have said to me when they -left? They said they’d never been anywhere that helped them so much -to understand how people lived and worked back in the last century. -And if the village can be saved, you know what we can do? Well, we’ve -got enough of the old furnishings left from the general store, for -instance, to fit it out just like it was a hundred years ago. And -Gramps says that with some fixing up we can do the same thing for the -gristmill, the smith shop, and even the main glassworks. Can’t we, -Gramps?” Ronnie asked, smiling across at his grandfather. - -“Why, you bet we can, boy! That village is just chuck-full of history.” - -After the meeting Mr. Mercer, Ronnie’s grandfather and father, a lawyer -whom the historical society had hired, and the official from the Seaway -went into a smaller room in the back of the building and closed the -door. Ronnie, Phil, and Bill waited in the car. It was almost an hour -later before Gramps and Dad joined them. - -Grandfather was smiling. “Well, we did it, lad!” he said to Ronnie -and the others. “We’ve got ourselves a proposition that’ll save the -village.” - -During the ride home Gramps did most of the talking. “You’ve got to -put in the money you boys have earned and the money you found,” he -explained the terms of the agreement. “The historical society will lend -another three thousand--you’ve got to pay that back, Ronnie, from money -you get showing people around the village. The Seaway will pay the rest -of the bill, build the dam, and maintain it.” - -“Yipee!” Ronnie exclaimed. - -“I’m right proud of you, Ronnie--proud of all you boys,” Grandfather -added. “That Seaway fellow told me that it was what you boys have done -this summer that convinced him. He said any youngsters who would put -their hearts and souls and time into something worthwhile like this, -why, they deserved to get what they were working for.” - -Late that night a thunderstorm broke. Thunder boomed incessantly, and -the lightning was so vivid that Ronnie’s room was as bright as noonday. -But twenty minutes later the storm had stopped and when Ronnie opened -his window again a cool breeze blew through. - -When Grandfather came into the kitchen for breakfast the next morning -he was as full of life and pep as a puppy. “Prayed for this cool -weather, I did!” he exclaimed. “Prayed for cool weather and I prayed -for the village, too. Seems like I got both my wishes.” - -After breakfast Ronnie and Grandfather took a walk. “I want to see the -village again,” Grandfather said. “I want to see it again knowing that -it’ll be here after I’m gone, and even after you’re gone, Ronnie.” He -stepped along briskly as if suddenly he’d found a new pair of legs. - -They stood at the top of the bluff near a large bull hickory tree. -Below, the village lay peaceful and quiet in the early morning light. -The red brick of the glassworks caught the sunlight and reflected it, -glowing like molten lava. - -“I’m proud of you, lad.” Grandfather was talking again. “I’m proud of -you for helping to save the village and bringing back honor and respect -to the Rorth name. And you know, boy, you took to yourself a little -bit of what we Rorths stand for, just from the working and fighting -you’ve been doing. Folks become what they believe in and fight for. You -understand what I’m trying to say to you, boy?” - -Ronnie blushed. “No, sir, I don’t,” he answered. - -“Well, you will some day. Yes, sir, boy,” he said, “we’ve had -everything pretty much the way we wanted it, haven’t we? Everything _I_ -wanted anyway. All but one thing, that is.” - -“What’s that, Gramps?” - -“Well, darned if I didn’t lose the chess game to that old fox Donavon! -But then, guess I can’t hog the whole barrel of apples, can I?” - - - - -Transcriber’s Note: - -The table of contents was added by the transcriber. - -Variations in hyphenated words have been retained as published in the -original publication. The following has been changed: - - Page 41 - jabbed the tongs of his fork _changed to_ - jabbed the tines of his fork - - Page 42 - that had been handled _changed to_ - that had been handed - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF THE DESERTED -VILLAGE *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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Hoppenstedt</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Mystery of the Deserted Village</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Elbert M. Hoppenstedt</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: September 19, 2021 [eBook #66341]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Stephen Hutcheson, Sue Clark, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF THE DESERTED VILLAGE ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter width500 x-ebookmaker-drop" id="cover2"> - <img src="images/cover2.jpg" width="500" height="752" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<h1><cite>The Mystery of the Deserted Village</cite></h1> - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider2 x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<h2>Contents</h2> -</div> - -<table summary="Contents"> -<tr> -<td class="tdl"> </td> -<td class="tdr2 smcap">Page</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter  1</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#i">1</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter  2</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#ii">15</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter  3</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#iii">23</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter  4</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#iv">30</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter  5</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#v">38</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter  6</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#vi">50</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter  7</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#vii">57</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter  8</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#viii">65</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter  9</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#ix">72</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter 10</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#x">79</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter 11</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xi">87</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter 12</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xii">96</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter 13</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xiii">104</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter 14</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xiv">113</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter 15</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xv">121</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter 16</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xvi">130</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter 17</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xvii">138</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Chapter 18</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xviii">148</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - - - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<p class="center p180"><cite>The Mystery of the<br /> -Deserted Village</cite></p> - -<hr class="divider2" /> - -<p class="center">by<br /> -<span class="p140">Elbert M. Hoppenstedt</span></p> - -<p class="center mt3"><span class="p120"><em>Franklin Watts, Inc.</em></span><br /> -575 Lexington Avenue · New York 22</p> -</div> - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider2 x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<p class="center"><em>Library of Congress Catalog Card Number</em>: 60-11186</p> - -<p class="center">© 1960 by Franklin Watts, Inc.<br /> -Printed in the United States of America</p> - -<p class="center">FIRST PRINTING</p> -</div> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider2 x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<p class="center p140" id="dedication"><em>For Richard</em></p> -</div> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_1">1</span> -</div> - -<p class="center p180"><cite>The Mystery of the Deserted Village</cite></p> - -<h2 id="i"><em>Chapter 1</em></h2> - -<p class="first">Ronnie was in the hayloft sliding down the piles of newly-stacked -hay when he heard the car drive up into the yard and come to a stop. -Spitting a mouthful of hayseeds from his lips and tongue, he ran over -to the open doors and peered down into the yard.</p> - -<p>The car was shiny and new, a big black sedan with white-walled tires. A -man in a business suit carrying a briefcase climbed out of the driver’s -seat and headed briskly for the front door of the house.</p> - -<p>Ronnie knew who he was and why he was here, and his heart sank. Why -did the St. Lawrence Seaway need a piece of the Rorth farm land, and -<em>why</em> did it have to be just that part where the deserted village -lay?</p> - -<p>Of course he really knew the answers to his questions. What he meant -was—why did it have to <em>happen</em> that way? Why did the land have -to be so low that when the dam was built and the waters of the St. -Lawrence River began to pile up behind it, the deserted village would -be flooded?</p> - -<p>He thought of Grandfather and Father in the parlor talking with the man -and he wondered about what they were saying and how it would all turn -out. The last time Mr.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_2">2</span> Evans had come in his black sedan Grandfather -had gotten very angry and Ronnie had heard him shouting and thumping -his cane on the floor.</p> - -<p>Ronnie went over to the opening in the loft floor and, grasping the -ladder, climbed quickly down to the bottom. It was darker below, and -for a moment the boy had trouble seeing his way. He heard Beatrice -stamping in her stall, and smelled the sharp, pungent odor of fresh -manure.</p> - -<p>His bare feet padded across the hard earth floor as he moved toward the -barn door. A moment later he was out in the glaring sunlight, the full -heat of the afternoon striking him on his bare shoulders and back.</p> - -<p>He saw his brother Phil lying in the hammock beneath the grape arbor.</p> - -<p>“Hey, Phil!” he called. “That man’s here again.”</p> - -<p>Phil opened his eyes lazily. “What man?” he asked indifferently.</p> - -<p>Ronnie squatted down beside him. “The man from the Seaway, of course. I -just hope Grandfather gets hopping mad again and gives it to him good. -Nobody’s got a right to just come along and tell a person he’s got to -sell his land. Nobody!”</p> - -<p>Phil closed his eyes again and started the hammock swinging.</p> - -<p>“Of course <em>you</em> don’t care one bit, Philip Rorth!” Ronnie -continued. “I think Grandfather was right. He said you’re not a -<em>real</em> Rorth! ’Cause a <em>real</em> Rorth’s got fighting blood and -a love for his land, and most of all he wouldn’t let the village go -without a fight.”</p> - -<p>Phil opened his left eye and squinted up at his brother.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">3</span> “All the -fighting in the world’s not going to save the village, Ronnie, ’cause -when the government wants something, it gets it. <em>Period!</em>”</p> - -<p>Ronnie turned away in disgust. What could he expect of Phil? His -brother had never gotten excited about anything, and he probably never -would.</p> - -<p>He headed toward the other side of the house, partly because it was -shady there, but mostly because he knew the parlor window was open and -he might be able to hear what was going on inside.</p> - -<p>He passed the woodshed and swung around the corner of the house. Almost -immediately he heard Grandfather’s voice. “Why, young fellow, do you -know this land’s been in the family close onto a hundred and fifty -years? And you come along, and without so much as a how-do-you-do, -tell me I got to up and off it? Hah! Well, I’ve got a lawyer, too, to -protect my rights!”</p> - -<p>Ronnie settled down in the shade near the lilac bushes. He really -wasn’t eavesdropping. He’d been wanting to weed the lily-of-the-valley -bed for some time now, and this was a perfect time to do it with the -sun on the other side of the house. He grabbed hold of a ragweed and -started to pull it, but he stopped tugging after a few seconds so he -could hear what Mr. Evans was saying.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Rorth,” the man said, his voice like a whisper compared to -Grandfather’s, “Mr. Rorth, I wish you’d try to understand. We—”</p> - -<p>He didn’t get any further because when Grandfather was angry he didn’t -usually give anyone else much time to talk. “I don’t understand, eh? -Well, young fellow, I understand<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">4</span> just fine, and just don’t you bother -giving me any more of that hogwash about how wonderful it will be when -big ships can come sailing down the river from the ocean to the Great -Lakes, because that doesn’t touch me one bit.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie heard his father’s voice next. “Father,” said Mr. Rorth, “it -doesn’t do a bit of good getting yourself all upset like this. The -Seaway Authority has told us that the water level of the lake formed -behind the dam will cover the section of land where the deserted -village is, and for this reason it will have to be purchased. There -isn’t a thing we can do about it. Our lawyer has told us that himself.”</p> - -<p>“More hogwash! Sometimes I think that lawyer is working for both sides -and against the middle.”</p> - -<p>The weed came loose from the ground with a suddenness that sent Ronnie -reeling backward. Before he could catch himself he had crashed against -the side of the house. When he looked up, there was his father peering -at him from behind the screen. “Ronnie, what are you doing out there?”</p> - -<p>“I—I’m weeding the lily of the valley,” he managed to stammer.</p> - -<p>“Well, you’d better weed it some other time. Now go somewhere else.”</p> - -<p>“Y—yes, sir.” Ronnie wandered away toward the front of the house. He -felt ashamed for having been caught snooping, and he was peeved at -himself too. He wanted to hear what happened next. He hoped and prayed -that there could be something that would save the village.</p> - -<p>Almost without thinking, he headed across the dirt road that led out to -the paved highway and then he entered the apple orchard. The blossoms -had faded already, and in their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">5</span> place were clusters of tiny green -knobs with big whiskers on the ends.</p> - -<p>A few minutes later he left the orchard and stood for a moment at the -top of the bluff, looking down into the tight little valley where the -buildings of the deserted village lay half hidden among the hemlocks -and spruce and maples and oaks. Great-great-grandfather Ezra Rorth’s -father had built the village, and had chosen a beautiful location. The -brick and stone buildings were nestled comfortably in the deep ravine. -A cobbled road ran through the center of the village, and Goose Brook -raced along its rock-strewn course down to the St. Lawrence.</p> - -<p>Every time he stopped to look at the village from up here on the bluff, -Ronnie thought of Grandfather. When Ronnie was hardly old enough to -walk, his grandfather had brought him here. For many years after that -the old man and the boy had walked together down the cobbled road in -the late evenings, and Grandfather had told stories of the days when -the village was alive with people, and the glass furnace belched smoke -day and night and Rorth glassware was known almost around the world.</p> - -<p>Now, as always, the village drew Ronnie like a magnet. He raced down -the face of the bluff, whirling his arms about like propeller blades to -keep his balance. At the bottom he stopped. Now that he was here, he -couldn’t decide just which part of the village he wanted to visit. He -could swing on the wild grapevines in front of the gristmill, and maybe -take off his trousers and go sailing feet first into the millpond. Or, -he could have fun climbing around on the pile of rubble that remained -from the old bakery building.</p> - -<p>He decided to visit the old, padlocked, boarded-up building<span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">6</span> which -had been the office of the Glassworks back in Great-great-grandfather -Ezra’s days. He started down the path, keeping his eyes open for any -big toadstools he could splatter against a tree trunk. Then he spied -Bill.</p> - -<p>His best friend was coming through the trees from the opposite -direction. Ronnie put his fingers to his lips and whistled shrilly.</p> - -<p>“I was just coming over to your place,” Bill greeted him. “Where are -you headed?”</p> - -<p>“No place special. Thought maybe I’d climb around on the old office -building roof and maybe get a look at that swift nest down the chimney. -You figuring on something else?”</p> - -<p>“Nope.”</p> - -<p>They started down the path together. “You know, Ronnie,” Bill said as -they came to the cobblestone road through the middle of the village, -“you know, I’d sure like to get a look inside that building sometime. -How come your grandfather keeps it all locked up with shutters on the -windows?”</p> - -<p>“He’s had it open once or twice.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve never seen it open.”</p> - -<p>“I guess that’s because he hasn’t opened it up since we were big enough -to remember,” Ronnie said.</p> - -<p>“My pa was talking about it the other night. He said it’s supposed to -be haunted. You believe that, Ronnie?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie thought it over. “Maybe, maybe not.” He wouldn’t let Bill know -how he really felt. Grandfather never seemed to want to talk about the -building, so perhaps there <em>was</em> something that he wanted to hide. -Of course, Ronnie had heard the stories from others, about how his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">7</span> -great-great-grandfather Ezra had killed someone in the office building -and had robbed the Glassworks of money. No two people told the same -story, and Ronnie had decided not to believe any of them.</p> - -<p>“I’d sure like to get inside,” Bill repeated.</p> - -<p>The old office stood back from the cobblestone road. Two giant sentinel -pines towered over the roof, dwarfing the building and the sapling -hemlocks and pines that crowded close to its sides.</p> - -<p>“Race you to it!” Bill yelled suddenly and started down the narrow path -from the cobbled road.</p> - -<p>Ronnie knew he couldn’t outrun Bill with his longer legs, but he’d -sure try anyway. Gasping for breath, Ronnie reached his friend, who -had dropped to the ground and stretched himself out in a nest of last -year’s leaves just in front of the padlocked door. Ronnie threw himself -down beside Bill.</p> - -<p>They lay there for a few minutes catching their breaths. Then Bill got -up and began to hunt around on the ground. He found a rock and brought -it over to the door.</p> - -<p>“What are you aiming to do?” Ronnie asked.</p> - -<p>“I can smash that lock easy,” Bill answered.</p> - -<p>Ronnie pulled himself to his feet. “Forget it. We were going to climb -to the roof and look down the chimney at the swift’s nest—remember?”</p> - -<p>Bill looked at the stone in his hand and then into Ronnie’s face. -“O.K.,” he said, letting the rock drop to the ground. “Some other time, -maybe. But, by golly, I sure want to see what’s inside.”</p> - -<p>“Grandfather said there’s nothing much. And he knows because he’s -hunted through everything.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">8</span> -Bill had shinnied up a young sapling and was pulling himself carefully -onto the roof. “What was he looking for?” he grunted.</p> - -<p>Ronnie started up after him and by the time he reached Bill’s side he -had conveniently forgotten to answer the question. They mounted the -slope together and then edged their way down the other side where the -chimney was located. Bill had no trouble peering down into the chimney -flue, but Ronnie had to stand on his toes to do it.</p> - -<p>“See anything?” Ronnie asked.</p> - -<p>“I can make out the nest. See it, over there toward the back? I think -there are eggs in it.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Ronnie agreed. “Looks like three of them.”</p> - -<p>They watched for a minute or two more and then lost interest. Instead, -they sat down on the edge of the roof, with their legs hanging -dangerously over the side.</p> - -<p>Off in the distance, Ronnie could see a stretch of the St. Lawrence -River and a smudge of smoke from a river boat, now already out of sight.</p> - -<p>“A man from the Seaway’s at the house talking with Dad and -Grandfather,” he said suddenly.</p> - -<p>“The Seaway’s dickering with my pa, too,” Bill said. “Pa says it’s the -best thing that ever came to him. They’re going to pay him five hundred -dollars an acre, and most of it’s no-good swamp land. ’Course, it’s -different with you, Ronnie. I know it’s the village that’s going.”</p> - -<p>“I wish there was something I could do.”</p> - -<p>“Pa says there’s not a chance.”</p> - -<p>“I know. Grandfather won’t say it, but he knows he’s licked.”</p> - -<p>“Sure is a shame, because they don’t really need that part<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">9</span> where the -village is. Not for the main steamship lanes, anyway. But just because -it’s bottom land and will flood up, it’s got to go.”</p> - -<p>“Goose Brook will be swallowed up, too.”</p> - -<p>“Too bad your great-great-grandfather didn’t build the village on high -ground. But then, I guess they used the stream for power to turn the -wheels for the gristmill.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie nodded. “I sure as shooting wish I could just pile up a heap of -ground along the river to keep the water out. Then they wouldn’t want -the village land.”</p> - -<p>He was looking at the narrow gap where Goose Brook tumbled between the -two bluffs that formed the margins of the valley. Why, it wasn’t more -than seventy-five or a hundred feet across, and if it were filled in, -the water behind the new Seaway dam could rise as high as it needed to -without flooding the valley.</p> - -<p>Ronnie almost lost his balance and plunged over the edge as the thought -struck him. “Wow!” he exclaimed. “I’ve just gotten the coolest idea you -ever did hear of. Now why in the name of common sense didn’t I think of -it sooner?”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure I don’t know,” Bill answered, “seeing I haven’t got the -slightest idea of what you’re talking about.”</p> - -<p>“Well, come on and I’ll show you!” Ronnie exploded. Then he scrambled -up the roof and back over the other side, and swung himself into the -sapling like a monkey let out of its cage.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">10</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="ii"><em>Chapter 2</em></h2> - -<p class="first">Ronnie was so busy telling Bill about his idea, and Bill was listening -to it so intently, that neither of the boys saw the station wagon until -it was almost upon them. “... and if we could build a dam across that -narrow gap the village could be saved,” Ronnie was saying.</p> - -<p>It was Bill who saw the station wagon first and he stopped dead in his -tracks. “Look, Ronnie,” he exclaimed, “a car—in <em>here</em>!”</p> - -<p>There was an old dirt road leading from the highway and connecting -with the cobblestone road, but neither of the boys could ever remember -seeing it used. But now that Ronnie thought about it, there wasn’t any -reason why it couldn’t be used—if someone had a mind to get to the -village without walking, someone traveling along the highway, that is. -And here apparently was someone who wanted to do just that.</p> - -<p>The man stopped the car, turned off the engine, and stepped out. He -came toward the boys, smiling broadly. “You don’t know how glad I am -to see you. I thought sure I was lost and the road was too narrow to -turn around and go back to the highway.” He took a step toward Ronnie, -offering<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">11</span> his hand. “My name’s Caldwell,” he said. “Joseph Caldwell.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie shook hands. “I’m Ronnie, and this here’s Bill. You looking for -something special, mister?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. The old Rorth Glassworks.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve found it,” Bill answered.</p> - -<p>“But there’s nothing here any more, Mr. Caldwell,” Ronnie added -quickly. “I mean, they don’t make glass now—not for the last -seventy-five or eighty years, near-abouts.”</p> - -<p>“I know.” The man smiled faintly. “Anybody who’s traveled up that dirt -road could guess that there’s been no activity here for years.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie grinned. “Now that you’re here, what are you fixing to do?” he -asked.</p> - -<p>“Well, what I’d like to do is look the place over. But I suppose I’ll -have to get permission first.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie shook his head. “You won’t have to do that, Mr. Caldwell. This -land belongs to my grandfather. He’ll let you look. Maybe you’d like to -have us show you around?”</p> - -<p>“I’d like that very much!” Mr. Caldwell answered.</p> - -<p>As Ronnie led the man down the cobbled street, a hundred stories -Grandfather had told him about the village leaped to his mind and -begged to be told. He remembered the evening Grandfather and he had sat -on the top of the bluff overlooking the village, with the bats circling -overhead and the buildings standing silent below and fading from sight -among the trees in the gathering darkness. How vividly Grandfather -had told the story of the great fire of 1871 when ten of the workers’ -cottages had burned to the ground, and Great-great-grandfather Ezra had -worked beside<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">12</span> his men, battling the blaze until he had fallen from -smoke poisoning.</p> - -<p>Or, the winter of the great blizzard when the roof of the Glassworks -had caved in from the weight, and when the drifts were so high it took -three days to dig out the road so that supplies could be procured from -the storehouses.</p> - -<p>He remembered, too, the story Grandfather told about the duchess -from Bavaria who had visited the Works because she admired the Rorth -glassware so much. Great-great-grandfather had blown a special piece -for her that day, and she, in turn, had left a treasured piece of -Bavarian glass.</p> - -<p>They approached the two-story building beside Goose Brook. “This was -the gristmill,” Ronnie told Mr. Caldwell. “Every bit of flour and meal -for the village was made here from the grain grown on the fields up -above where Dad has his orchards now.”</p> - -<p>Caldwell inspected the huge, overshot waterwheel mounted on its two -stone-and-cement piers and connected to the inside of the building with -a rusty shaft by which the power was transferred to the grinding stones.</p> - -<p>They went inside. A musty smell of damp stone and stale air touched -Ronnie’s nostrils. The large grinding stone stood motionless now. Big -copper caldrons and stone mixing pots gave evidence that the grain had -not only been ground to flour, but baked into bread as well. A massive -fireplace with an iron oven on each side formed the entire rear wall.</p> - -<p>Caldwell poked about among the smaller articles for a while and then -followed the boys outside. Next they visited the main building where -the glass had been made and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">13</span> blown. Bill showed the man the main -furnace with its four openings into the main chimney which rose like a -giant above the furnace and disappeared through the roof. Some of the -long-handled “pots” in which the glass was heated were still stacked -against the wall.</p> - -<p>Otherwise, the building was bare of its former equipment. Caldwell led -the way outside. “I’ve got time for more—if you have,” he announced.</p> - -<p>The church, sawmill, and a few of the workers’ houses which were still -intact, followed. Then came a quick inspection of the smith shop and -finally the old office.</p> - -<p>“All boarded up and locked, I see!” Caldwell commented. “Something -special housed inside?”</p> - -<p>“Why, no, sir!” Ronnie answered. He didn’t feel like giving an -explanation of something so personal that even Grandfather didn’t like -to talk about it.</p> - -<p>Caldwell didn’t press his question. “I certainly am impressed by how -well preserved some of the buildings are,” he said instead.</p> - -<p>“That’s because Grandfather didn’t want to see the village fall to -pieces,” Ronnie answered. “Before he came down with his gout he spent -days working down here, every time he could get away from the farm. He -told me for a while he even milled his own lumber from the wood lot -so’s he could afford to do it.”</p> - -<p>“Your grandfather must have a real love for this place,” the man said -sincerely.</p> - -<p>“I reckon it’s just about the biggest thing in his life.” Ronnie was -going to add “and mine too,” but he didn’t because Caldwell had turned -away and had started down the path toward the cobbled road.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">14</span> -“Grandpa even replaced some of these stones in the old roadbed,” Ronnie -added as the three headed back toward Mr. Caldwell’s car.</p> - -<p>He handed each of the boys a quarter. “You’ve been real fine guides,” -he said. “Thank you for taking me around.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t need to pay us, mister,” Ronnie said, handing the money -back. “Bill and I—we would have hung around here anyway.”</p> - -<p>“Keep it, please,” the man insisted. “Who knows—I may want you to help -me more, and then I wouldn’t feel right asking you, would I?”</p> - -<p>“All right,” Ronnie agreed. Bill had already pocketed his quarter. -“Say, Mr. Caldwell,” Ronnie had an idea, “do you suppose other people -would pay money to have us show them around?”</p> - -<p>Mr. Caldwell thought about the question. “I’m sure you could attract -quite a few interested people—if they knew about it.” He opened the -door to his car. “Say, son, I wonder if I could come to see your -parents tomorrow and your grandfather, too.”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t got any mother. She died when I was born. But you can sure -come to see Dad and Grandfather. Something you want, maybe?”</p> - -<p>“Well, perhaps. You see, I’m writing a book about early American -glassware, and an idea just struck me that might prove interesting. But -let me go back to my motel and think it over, and I’ll tell you about -it tomorrow when I visit your folks.”</p> - -<p>“Suits me fine,” Ronnie answered.</p> - -<p>Caldwell climbed into his car and started the engine.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">15</span> Ronnie and -Bill watched him while he maneuvered his machine about on the narrow, -cobbled roadway and headed in the opposite direction. Then Caldwell -leaned from the window and waved good-by. He started back up the road -toward the highway in low gear.</p> - -<p>Bill turned to Ronnie.</p> - -<p>“Now just what do you suppose brought him here to see the village in -the first place? He couldn’t have stumbled on it just by accident, -that’s for sure!”</p> - -<p>“He was eying the locked-up building mighty suspicious-like, I’ll tell -you that!” Ronnie added. “Did you see him, Bill?”</p> - -<p>Bill nodded his head. “He’s come here for something, and I don’t think -writing a book is the whole answer.”</p> - -<p>They walked up the path together, picking up old acorns and shooting -them into the trees. Suddenly Bill stopped and confronted Ronnie. “How -come you asked him would other people pay money to see the village, -Ronnie?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I was putting one and one together, and I think I came up with two.”</p> - -<p>“And what’s this two you came up with?”</p> - -<p>“Well, that narrow gap where Goose Brook comes down through the valley, -plus some money we might be able to earn this summer showing people -around. Maybe it equals a dam and saving the village.”</p> - -<p>Bill thought about that while he searched the dried leaves beneath a -giant bull oak for more ammunition. “How much you figure a dam would -cost?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie shrugged. “I haven’t got the slightest idea. A hundred dollars, -maybe?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">16</span> -Bill shook his head. “Maybe more like a thousand. Maybe ten thousand.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it would be a <em>beginning</em> anyway. And I know people -hereabouts who would want to see the village saved, too, and I’ll bet -if they heard how we were working to earn money, maybe they’d help out -too. My dad knows the president of the historical society in town, -and he told Dad he was sick hearing about how the village would be -bulldozed and flooded, and if there was anything the society could do -to help, he should just speak up.” Ronnie sighed. “I’d sure like to -<em>try</em> to earn the money to save the village. It would be fun, -too—you and me and maybe Phil, if he wants to, and you don’t care.”</p> - -<p>“And then if we can’t use the money for the village, we can always have -it to put in the bank.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s try it, huh, Bill?” Ronnie said.</p> - -<p>“It’s a deal! Rorth and Beckney, Guided Tours of the Rorth Glassworks’ -Deserted Village.”</p> - -<p>As they walked together down the path, each of the boys was filled with -ideas as to how they would proceed. There would have to be a sign on -the highway, of course. And the road leading into the village would -need some repairs, and the branches overhanging it should be pruned -short. They’d have to decide upon how much to charge and what they’d -tell their guests about each of the buildings.</p> - -<p>They stopped where the path divided—one route leading toward the -Beckney farm, the other, up the embankment to the Rorth orchard.</p> - -<p>“Tomorrow, Bill?” Ronnie asked him.</p> - -<p>“Tomorrow, partner!” Bill answered.</p> - -<p>Ronnie turned and began to run, digging his toes into<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">17</span> the embankment -as he scrambled to the top. He raced through the apple orchard, leaping -a time or two to grab at a pea-sized apple. He suddenly felt light -enough to fly. At least now he’d be <em>doing</em> something to save the -deserted village, not just standing by and listening to Grandfather -argue with Mr. Evans.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">18</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="iii"><em>Chapter 3</em></h2> - -<p class="first">When Ronnie entered the house, he was whistling a tune through the -space between his two front teeth. In the living room he found Phil -sprawled out on the couch with his head propped up against a pillow and -a comic book in his hands. Phil turned a page and looked up at Ronnie. -“Hi!” he said. “Where’ve you been?”</p> - -<p>“Down in the village.” Ronnie went over to Dad’s desk to see if there -might be some important-looking papers as a result of the meeting that -afternoon. “Don’t you get tired of lying around all the time?” he asked -Phil.</p> - -<p>“Not me.” Phil shifted his position. “It’ll take me another month to -rest up from a year of school. What’re you looking for?”</p> - -<p>“Oh—nothing. Maybe a deed to the village property.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing like that—yet. Gramp’s lawyer arrived soon after you got -booted away from the window, and they got nowhere from then on!”</p> - -<p>“How’d you know what happened to me?”</p> - -<p>“Because I was listening from the other side—from the hall! Soon’s -the lawyer arrived, Gramps began demanding a lot more money for the -property than the Seaway wanted to give, and they argued about that for -a while and then<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">19</span> Mr. Evans left. I’m telling you all this because I -know you’re going to ask me anyway.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie nodded. “Sure I want to know about it. Where’s Dad?”</p> - -<p>“Out in the barn, I think.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie turned and headed for the kitchen, where he was met with a frown -from Mrs. Butler, who did the housework and prepared the meals for the -Rorths.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Butler was a huge woman with a heavy-set jaw and a sharp, straight -nose and piercing eyes that darted rapidly from one place to another.</p> - -<p>“Now don’t you be running off somewhere!” she warned Ronnie. “Supper’s -nearly ready to serve up, and if it’s like usual I’ll have to hunt the -four corners of the farm to find everyone.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, ma’am. I mean no ma’am.”</p> - -<p>“If you’re going out back, take a look at the gas tank for me, will -you? I don’t think it’s been exchanged in a month.”</p> - -<p>The indicator showed the tank to be almost half-full. Ronnie passed -this information on to Mrs. Butler and then hurried toward the barn, -chasing a dozen chickens out of his path.</p> - -<p>His father was sitting on the homemade, bicycle-propelled grindstone -sharpening one of the blades to his haymower. He didn’t look up from -his work as Ronnie came to a stop at his side and stood watching him.</p> - -<p>“Want me to spell you, Dad?” Ronnie shouted above the racket.</p> - -<p>Mr. Rorth slowed down his pumping and then climbed off. “All right,” he -answered. “I’m on the last one, but my legs are getting tired.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">20</span> -Ronnie climbed onto the seat and started turning the pedals. The -eight-inch-diameter stone began to whirl. Sparks shot in every -direction as Mr. Rorth laid the edge of the blade against the stone.</p> - -<p>A few minutes later, he signaled the boy to stop. “There, that’s -better,” he said, running his finger cautiously along the edge of the -blade. “Now if the weather holds out, I can get the north field cut and -maybe into the loft.”</p> - -<p>“You’re going to have company in the morning, Dad,” Ronnie said.</p> - -<p>“<em>Now</em> who’s coming?” Mr. Rorth sounded annoyed. “I wasted the -whole afternoon on this property deal when I should have been haying. -Now who’s going to take over another half a day?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie sympathized with his father. It wasn’t an easy job teaching -agriculture in the local high school during the winter and then trying -to run a sixty-acre farm during the growing season. Ronnie wanted to -say, “I’ll give you a hand, Dad,” but he couldn’t summon enough will -power to do it because he was looking forward so eagerly to starting -his business venture.</p> - -<p>Instead, he answered his father’s question. “Mr. Caldwell, Dad.”</p> - -<p>“Caldwell? Never heard of him.”</p> - -<p>“Me neither, until a little while ago. He came driving into the village -while Bill and I were there, and he asked us to show him all around. -And after we’d done that, he said he’d an idea he wanted to see you -about—you and Grandfather.”</p> - -<p>“Well, whatever it is, I’m sure Grandfather can take care of it by -himself.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Butler’s voice bellowed from the rear door. “Come<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">21</span> and get it! -Come and get it before I throw it down the sink.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Rorth grinned to himself. “Nice wholesome creature, that Mrs. -Butler. But heaven knows what we would do without her.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Rorth wiped his hands free of grease and started toward the -barnyard door. Ronnie snapped off the overhead bulb and followed. -“Dad,” he said, hurrying to catch up, “Dad, if you need me with the -haying, I’ll help.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Rorth thought it over. “I guess not. Thanks, son. Maybe after I -get it cut, you can help load the truck. And I’ll probably need a hand -getting it up into the loft, the same as last week.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie went into the dining room to wait for the others to arrive. He -stood in front of the sideboard, idly tinkling the bullet-sized glass -crystals that hung in a circle of dewdrops from the rim of one of the -Rorth candlesticks. A ray of light from the ceiling chandelier struck -one of the crystals, and a rainbow of colors danced before the boy’s -eyes.</p> - -<p>Grandfather’s cane came thumping into the room and stopped behind the -boy. “You watch your step with that candlestick!” Grandfather warned. -“Doesn’t pay to monkey around with it for no good purpose. There’s -little enough of the old Rorth glassware left in the world, and those -two candlesticks are the prize of the lot.”</p> - -<p>“I won’t harm it, Grandfather.”</p> - -<p>“I know. I know. I’ve heard you say that before—with disastrous -results. Those sticks, next to the village, are the pride of my life. -Now you wouldn’t want to have <em>everything</em> taken from me, would -you, lad?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">22</span> -“No, Grandfather.” He turned away from the sideboard and looked up at -his grandfather. “Grandpa,” he said, “Dad told me once there was a -story about the candlesticks. Will you tell me about it? Dad said you -were the one to tell me if I was to know.”</p> - -<p>Grandfather’s gray eyes twinkled for a moment. “Remember how not so -long ago you used to come sit a spell in my room after supper, and we’d -talk about the village and about your Great-great-grandfather Ezra and -about the Glassworks?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie nodded.</p> - -<p>“Well, maybe if you were to slip in for a while tonight, we could talk -about the candlesticks.”</p> - -<p>“And maybe about the locked-up building, too, huh, Grandpa?”</p> - -<p>The old man frowned. “That’s best forgotten, lad, best forgotten.”</p> - -<p>Phil was already seated at the table, and Mrs. Butler was glaring in -Ronnie’s direction, warning him to do the same. He helped Grandfather -into his special armchair at the head of the table, and then slipped -around and sat down next to Phil. Grandfather said grace, Mrs. Butler -brought in the corned beef and cabbage, and Mr. Rorth made a late -entrance to take his place opposite Grandfather. Mr. Rorth’s face was -drawn into a frown. “I wish,” he exclaimed irritably, “the Seaway would -hurry up and buy the land so I could get on with the farm work.”</p> - -<p>A loud snort from Grandfather warned him that he had not worded his -feelings in quite the way the old man would understand. “What I mean -is,” he hurried to correct himself, “what I mean is that we haven’t got -a ghost of a chance<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">23</span> of saving it, so we might as well be done with the -whole thing.” But it was too late. Grandfather had already risen to his -feet, his hand turning white as he clenched the handle of his cane. His -face was a fiery red against his snow-white hair, and the vein on his -right forehead popped from the surface like a big purple knot.</p> - -<p>For a moment he was so angry his words wouldn’t come out straight. -“You, why, you—you’re a traitor to the Rorths! The village is the -soul, the heart, the <em>life</em> of this family, and you throw it away -in a few idle words. Why, why this boy here,” he pointed to Ronnie, -“has a greater appreciation for what the village means. Far greater. -I can’t understand it. I just can’t understand it.” He sank back down -into his chair, breathing rapidly.</p> - -<p>For a minute there wasn’t a sound in the room. Ronnie could hear a -cricket chirping mournfully in the cellar. Then his father looked up -from his plate. “I’m sorry,” he said to Grandfather. “I really didn’t -mean it the way it sounded.”</p> - -<p>Grandfather grunted, but said nothing.</p> - -<p>After supper Ronnie and Phil helped Mrs. Butler with the dishes. “Folks -down in town are mighty sad knowing the old deserted village isn’t to -be spared,” she said as she wrapped up some of the table scraps to take -home to her cats. “Mighty sad. It’s surprising how many folks there -have a fond spot in their hearts for the place. Fact is, there’s talk -going around to do something about saving it—if there’s a way to get -it done.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie pricked up his ears at this. “Gosh, do you think they can?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll tell you, boy, sometimes public opinion is powerful strong -magic when it comes to something like this.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">24</span> The government doesn’t -like to rouse up public sentiments if they can help it.”</p> - -<p>There was a lot to what Mrs. Butler had said, and Ronnie stored the -information away for later use. Maybe a combination of raising money -for the dam and getting the townspeople interested might just turn -the trick. Now, more than ever, he was anxious to get started on his -venture.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Butler had her scraps wrapped, and turned now to putting away the -dishes Phil had dried. “You know,” she said, “either I’m getting daffy -in my old age, or something mighty queer’s going on around here.”</p> - -<p>“How come, Mrs. Butler?” Phil asked.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll let you figure it out. This afternoon I put a blanket out -on the line to air. A little while ago I went out to get it, and it -was gone. I even got a flashlight to follow the line down to the barn, -thinking maybe I’d put that blanket farther away from the house than -I’d figured.”</p> - -<p>“And it wasn’t there?” Phil asked.</p> - -<p>“Nowheres about. Not even on the ground, figuring maybe the wind might -have taken it—if there’d been a wind. Asked your pa, asked your -grandpa if they’d taken it.”</p> - -<p>“Golly, that is strange,” Ronnie agreed.</p> - -<p>“Some tramp, probably,” Mrs. Butler grumbled, going to the closet to -get her coat. But something in her voice told Ronnie she didn’t believe -it.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">25</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="iv"><em>Chapter 4</em></h2> - -<p class="first">After Mrs. Butler had left, Ronnie headed for the sunny room on the -ground floor of the back wing of the house. There he found Grandfather -seated in his Morris chair, working frantically at the dials of his -radio transmitter. “Confounded sunspots,” the old man growled. “I just -can’t seem to make contact with Donavon tonight.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he’s not home.”</p> - -<p>“Now that’s as foolish an explanation as I’ve ever heard. Of course -he’s home! He’s been home every night for the past two years, all ready -to give me his next move and hope like the devil that he’s got me -stymied.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie looked over at the table beside the transmitter where -Grandfather had his chess set. It was a beautiful board of alternating -light and dark squares of imported inlaid woods. The chessmen -themselves were large and ornate and handsomely carved from the best -ivory.</p> - -<p>The crackle in the loudspeaker was suddenly broken by Albert Donavon’s -voice in Detroit. “W3x2Z calling W2N4L. Come in, W2N4L.”</p> - -<p>“Why in blazes are you telling <em>me</em> to come in, you old fogy?” -Grandfather retorted. “I’ve been trying to raise you<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">26</span> for the past ten -minutes. What’s the matter—you afraid I’m going to check you with my -next move?”</p> - -<p>“There isn’t a move in the books you could check me with!” Donavon -returned.</p> - -<p>They chatted for a few minutes about the weather and each other’s -health, and then exchanged their moves. “Move my castle to White’s king -rook file, third rank,” Grandfather told him, “and then sweat that one -out!”</p> - -<p>“Why you old buzzard!” Donavon came back, “you think that’s going to -help you? Wait until you see what I’ve got in store for <em>you</em>! -Move my queen’s bishop to the king knight’s file, fifth rank. Now -figure that out if you can!”</p> - -<p>“Ha!” Grandfather was indignant. “You’ll have to get up early in the -morning to find a move that I can’t figure out. Your trouble always has -been that you jump to too hasty conclusions, Donavon!”</p> - -<p>But Grandfather looked worried, Ronnie noticed. He was studying the -board and frowning. “See you tomorrow night, same time!” Donavon signed -off, and the loudspeaker went dead.</p> - -<p>Then Grandfather turned off his transmitter and receiver. “Thinks he -has me cornered, does he! Well, let him figure out that move I gave -<em>him</em>!”</p> - -<p>He leaned back in his chair. “Ronnie,” he said, “it’s nice having you -back in here with me like old times. I’ve been fearing that maybe -you and I were drifting apart of late.” He closed his eyes for a few -moments and leaned his head back against his chair. “So many things -have been slipping from me these past weeks, so many things.” He opened -his eyes again and looked at Ronnie. “You aren’t going to slip from me -too, are you, boy?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">27</span> -“Of course not, Gramps. It’s because you’ve been worried about the -village and I didn’t want to pester you,” Ronnie explained. “That’s why -I haven’t been coming in here to see you so much lately.”</p> - -<p>“Of course, and you’ve been worried too!” Grandfather added. “Why, -it’s been written all over you. You wouldn’t be my boy if you weren’t -worrying about the village.” He stretched out his game leg to ease -some of the pain. “You won’t be forgetting the wonderful times we had -together in the village now, will you, boy?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir, Gramps!” Ronnie exclaimed. “Why, just this afternoon I was -telling Mr. Caldwell some of the stories you told me!”</p> - -<p>“Caldwell? I don’t recall that name.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie explained to Grandfather how Caldwell had driven into the -village and how Bill and he had taken the man on a tour of the -buildings. “And he gave me and Bill a swell idea, Gramps. We’re going -to make money so we can build a dam across that pass where Goose Brook -comes through, and then they won’t have to flood the valley and—”</p> - -<p>“Say, hold on there a minute, boy! You’re going faster than a runaway -locomotive down a steep grade, and I lost you a ways back. Now just how -are you going to make this money, and <em>what</em> pass are you going to -dam up? This all sounds pretty fantastic to me.”</p> - -<p>But by the time Ronnie had finished explaining his plans, Grandfather -was nodding his head slowly and puckering his lips the way he did when -he was almost convinced. “There’s a chance ... there’s a chance,” he -kept repeating. “I know the spot you mean. It would take a lot of fill, -but it’s not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">28</span> impossible. And with folks in town stirring things up for -the Seaway, it might come about. Of course, you realize you couldn’t -raise near enough money yourself to do the job, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Maybe not, Grandpa, but somebody’s got to start things going.”</p> - -<p>“You never said a truer word, boy! You’ve got my blessings. Go to it, -and don’t forget, just because I’ve got a leg here that won’t do its -job any longer doesn’t mean I can’t help. There’s one thing I got -plenty of—advice!”</p> - -<p>Ronnie smiled up at his grandfather. “We’ll lick this yet, won’t we, -Gramps? And now will you tell me about the candlesticks?”</p> - -<p>The old man nodded, then frowned. “Now where in tarnation do I begin a -story like this? Well, let’s begin with your great-great-grandfather, -Ezra Rorth. He was the son of the man who founded the Glassworks down -in the valley, but it was really Ezra who built it up so that it was -known practically around the world for its fine glass. I reckon Ezra -was a real craftsman, an artist in his trade. He had a habit, so I -hear, of rarely duplicating what he once had made.</p> - -<p>“Well, now, this Ezra, for some reason nobody’s ever been able to -figure out, took in a partner, a man by the name of Jacob Williams. -Seems like both these men fell in love about the same time and got -themselves engaged. Then they decided to hold a double wedding -ceremony. Old Ezra, about that time, got the idea he and Jacob ought -to give their brides-to-be something extra special for a wedding -present. So the two went off for three, four days into the Glassworks -and shut themselves up and said they didn’t want anybody busting in -and bothering them for any reason<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">29</span> at all. When they came out, they’d -created two pairs of those candlesticks, one pair for each bride. Those -in the dining room came right down the family tree from generation to -generation. I gave them to your grandmother, and when your dad got -married he gave them to your mother. It’s your turn next, seeing you’re -the oldest.”</p> - -<p>“Me?” Ronnie blushed. “I’m never going to get married, not on your -life.”</p> - -<p>Grandfather roared with laughter. “You’ll sing a different tune in -another ten years—maybe sooner.”</p> - -<p>“No, sir! I’m going to stick around and take care of <em>you</em>, -Grandfather!”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s mighty nice of you to say, lad. Tarnation, you don’t know -how sad this whole affair with the village has made me. And your father -isn’t showing the fighting spirit I expected of him. So it’s good to -hear you say nice things like that.”</p> - -<p>“Dad really is fighting, Grandpa. I know he is—in his own sort of way.”</p> - -<p>“Well, maybe so, and I’m sure sorry I lost my temper like I did at the -table. Always was one for blowing off steam and then feeling sorry -about it afterward. I’m glad that’s <em>one</em> trait you didn’t inherit -from me.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie got up, stretching, and then started for the door. “Gramps?” -he said, turning about suddenly. “You’ll tell me about the boarded-up -building too, won’t you?”</p> - -<p>Grandfather’s eyes came closed wearily, as if he were trying to shut -out thoughts of the building. “No, boy,” he answered finally, his eyes -still closed. “Let’s let its secret die along with me. I searched the -place timber to timber, but I found nothing. She’s stubborn, that -building, just<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">30</span> like some of the Rorths. I guess she’s old and set -in her ways, and if she won’t tell me what happened, she won’t tell -anybody.”</p> - -<p>“She likes me, Grandfather. I know she does. I’ve sat on the roof lots -of times, and listened to the swifts down in her chimney, and I’m sure -she was telling me to look! But I don’t know what to look for.”</p> - -<p>Grandfather’s eyes were open again and he was smiling. “You’re a clever -rascal, you are, boy! Trying to touch my sentiments, are you? Well, -I’ve made up my mind the secret’s to die with me, so there’s no use in -your pestering further.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, all right. But I think it’s a shame, letting the secret get buried -under all that water.”</p> - -<p>Grandfather’s smile faded and his face grew flushed and the vein on his -temple began to swell and turn purple. He started to rise, too, but -suddenly changed his mind and sank back down and rested his head back -against the chair. “I won’t get tempered over it again,” he said, more -to himself than Ronnie. “But don’t you go talking like that any more. -Remember, always keep thinking the <em>best</em> is going to happen.”</p> - -<p>“I really do believe that, Gramps. I was just saying what I did because -I hoped you’d change your mind and tell me the secret.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll think on it. I’ll think on it. Maybe I’ll decide to tell -you. But don’t bother me about it any more, you hear?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Gramps.”</p> - -<p>“All right. Now go on and get out of here. I’m tired and I’m going to -bed.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">31</span> -Ronnie was tired too, but he stopped in the dining room on his way -upstairs to take another look at the candlesticks. They <em>were</em> -beautiful. Twelve cut-glass, diamond-shaped crystals hung by spun glass -chains in a circle from the rim of the candle holder. The base and -stick itself were of solid frosted glass, embellished with intricate -designs of rose and turquoise embossing. He set one of the crystals in -motion and it tinkled like a bell against its neighbor crystal.</p> - -<p>He climbed the stairs to the upstairs hall. Phil was in his own room, -working at his desk. Ronnie poked his head inside and watched his -brother cutting out baseball players’ pictures from the backs of cereal -boxes he had been accumulating. “Bill and I are starting a business in -the morning. You can come in with us if you want.”</p> - -<p>“What kind of a business? If it’s work, you can count me out.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie explained what they had in mind. Phil seemed interested. “I’ll -sleep on it,” he told Ronnie and went on with his work.</p> - -<p>Ronnie moved down the hall and entered his own room. He didn’t turn -on the light, but instead went to the window and, brushing back the -curtains, stared out into the blackness.</p> - -<p>The moon was at the quarter, but there was enough light from it to -light up patches of the St. Lawrence River so that it looked like -stretches of a concrete highway cutting through the darkness. Below and -a little to the left, the night was blackest, and here Ronnie located -the deserted village.</p> - -<p>For a moment he thought he could picture the black, inky water covering -the land as the floodwaters rose behind<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">32</span> the proposed dam. The thought -of such a thing happening sent his stomach sinking.</p> - -<p>Then suddenly his eyes widened. He blinked a few times to make sure he -wasn’t seeing something that wasn’t there.</p> - -<p>It was there all right! Directly in the center of the black patch of -night where he had located the village, a halo of light lay shimmering -over the roof of one of the buildings. It moved a little to the left, -then shifted back again slowly, faded slightly, and brightened again.</p> - -<p>Ronnie rubbed at the windowpane to clear the glass. But he couldn’t -erase the light he had seen—not for another minute or two anyway. Then -it disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">33</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="v"><em>Chapter 5</em></h2> - -<p class="first">Ronnie was up bright and early the next morning. All the time he was -washing himself and brushing his teeth, he was trying to figure out -what it was he had seen the night before.</p> - -<p>It had looked somewhat like a flashlight beam hitting the thick foliage -from underneath a tree. But that wouldn’t account for the way the light -had reflected from the sloping-roof surface of one of the buildings.</p> - -<p>“I reckon that was just about where the boarded-up building is,” he -told himself.</p> - -<p>He wondered if he should tell anybody about what he had seen. Nobody -was likely to believe him. In fact, he was having a hard job trying -to convince himself that his eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on him. -Sometimes the netting in the screens made lights take on strange shapes -and do crazy things. Or maybe it was the moon coming out suddenly from -behind a cloud and lighting up the roof of the building. Yet this -wasn’t the first time he had gazed out over the deserted village from -his bedroom window, and he had never seen the light before. He pulled -on his trousers and went down to the kitchen where he found his father<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">34</span> -at the table finishing a bowl of cold cereal. “Morning, Dad,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Morning, Ronnie! What’s the special occasion—getting up so early, I -mean?”</p> - -<p>The boy explained about the plan Bill and he had made—how they hoped -to attract tourists to the deserted village and perhaps earn some money -too.</p> - -<p>“Sounds like a fine idea to me, son!” Mr. Rorth nodded his head. “Let -me know if I can help you in any way.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Rorth washed his dish out at the sink and set it into the drain to -dry. “A fine day for haying,” he said glancing out the window at the -sky. “In a few days I’ll need you and Phil to help gather it in.”</p> - -<p>After his father had left, Ronnie got his breakfast of fruit juice and -cereal from the refrigerator and pantry shelf and then sat down at the -table to eat.</p> - -<p>While he was eating, he thought over all the things Bill and he would -do that day to prepare for their new business venture. He jotted them -down on a piece of scrap paper: “Clean out all the buildings that are -in pretty good shape. Cut off all the branches that stick out over the -dirt road and the cobblestone road. Clear a small parking place. Print -a sign to put on the highway.”</p> - -<p>Then he added: “Tell Bill what I saw last night?” He added two more -question marks at the end of the words.</p> - -<p>Just as Ronnie was finishing his meal, he heard Mrs. Butler drive up -in her car. A few minutes later she came bustling into the kitchen. -“Well,” she exclaimed, “aren’t you the early bird!”</p> - -<p>She opened the cupboard door and placed her pocketbook inside. -“Strangest thing about that blanket,” she said<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">35</span> to Ronnie. “I was sure -I’d find it this morning. But I don’t see hide nor hair of it. Did you -make your bed, youngster?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie flushed. “No, ma’am,” he confessed.</p> - -<p>“I might have guessed. Well, I’ll take care of it for you this once. -’Pears like you’ve got some mighty important things on your mind, or -you wouldn’t be up so early. Keep your eyes peeled for that blanket.” -She picked up the carpet sweeper from beside the refrigerator and -hurried from the room.</p> - -<p>Phil shuffled into the kitchen, still in his pajamas. He fell into a -chair and yawned deeply. “That cereal looks O.K. Mind fixing me up a -batch?”</p> - -<p>“Help yourself. Be my guest.” Another idea had come to Ronnie and he -jotted it down on his list: “Maybe make some circulars to leave around -town telling about the village.” Lots of tourists came through Massena -on their way to the Thousand Islands. Some might be interested in -seeing the old glassworks.</p> - -<p>Phil settled himself at the table with a bowl of corn flakes and a -bottle of milk. “Watcha writing?” he asked his brother.</p> - -<p>“Just jotting down some ideas about starting our business.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe I’ll tag along and see what it’s all about. If it looks -interesting, I’ll think about joining up.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t put yourself out.”</p> - -<p>“Aw, I don’t mind. In fact, it sounds kind of intriguing. Maybe I can -pick up a few fast bucks to get that bicycle I’ve had my eye on.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie put down the pencil, folded up the paper and stuffed it in his -trouser pocket. “All the money we make is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">36</span> going into helping to save -the village. If you want to come, you’d better get dressed because I’m -taking off in a few minutes.”</p> - -<p>“You can go on ahead. I’ll join you later.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie washed out his plate and glass and put them away. Then he left -the house. The sun was hardly over the treetops, and the grass still -sparkled with early morning dew. A fine haze streaked the horizon, and -the boy knew it was going to be hot before the day was over. He cut -through the orchard, slid down the embankment, and cut into the forest -where the buildings of the village were scattered.</p> - -<p>On the cobbled road he paused and whistled shrilly, a signal to Bill. -He listened, but no answer came back to him. Well, he’d wait for Bill -by the boarded-up house.</p> - -<p>He cut down the side path to the building. The bare earth, where the -leaves had blown away, was damp from the night dew, and his bare feet -padded noiselessly along. He broke out into the small clearing that -faced the front of the building and stopped abruptly.</p> - -<p>For a second he had thought the figure moving hurriedly away from the -rear of the building was Bill, and he had been just about to whistle a -greeting. Now he saw that it was a man, and while he could only see a -portion of his shoulders and head, he thought of Mr. Caldwell, the man -who had driven into the village the day before. “Hi, Mr. Caldwell!” he -yelled.</p> - -<p>The man turned for an instant to face the boy, then whirled about and -hurried into the woods.</p> - -<p>The man’s face had been in the shadows for that single instant he had -faced Ronnie, and the boy still wasn’t sure<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">37</span> whether he was the man -who had paid them the visit and promised to return for a talk with Mr. -Rorth. Ronnie shrugged, as if to tell himself that it really didn’t -matter. If it had been Caldwell, he’d explain his actions later.</p> - -<p>Ronnie decided to take a quick swing around the building to see if he -could find anything that might tell him about the light he had seen the -evening before. The rusty lock, snapped in place three or four years -before when Grandfather had abandoned his search, was still in place. -The window shutters were as tightly closed. Everything looked perfectly -normal.</p> - -<p>“Strangest thing ever,” he said to himself. He was beginning to believe -he <em>had</em> been seeing things the night before.</p> - -<p>He spied a narrow crack where the shutter did not fit tight against the -window frame, but it was a little too high to look through. But off in -one of the thickets of hemlock saplings, he saw a fair-sized log. He -grabbed hold of it, rolled it over beneath the window, and then wedged -a smaller piece of wood under it to keep it from moving.</p> - -<p>Holding onto the window frame for support, Ronnie climbed onto the log -and placed his right eye against the crack. The room was dark except -for the glow from a faint patch of light that found its way down the -chimney flues.</p> - -<p>The light, however, was sufficient for him to make a very puzzling -discovery. Somebody, apparently, had spent the night sleeping in the -boarded-up house! Spread out on the hearth was Mrs. Butler’s missing -blanket. The stub of a candle was waxed securely to the floor, and a -flashlight lay to one side.</p> - -<p>“Hi, Ronnie!” he heard Bill’s voice behind him. “Gee, let me take a -look inside too!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">38</span> -Ronnie stepped down from the log. “Hi, Bill. I just discovered the -queerest thing. You take a look and tell me what <em>you</em> think.”</p> - -<p>“Sure thing!” Bill was only too happy to comply. He climbed the log -and, shielding his eyes, peered through the crack. A minute later he -was down on the ground again facing Ronnie. “Looks like somebody’s been -sleeping in there!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“Just what <em>I</em> thought!” Ronnie agreed. “And that looks just like -the blanket Mrs. Butler lost yesterday. I know it because it’s the one -she uses when she takes her nap in the afternoon. I’d know that Indian -blanket anywhere!”</p> - -<p>“Well! Let’s go in and take a look around,” Bill exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“In?” Ronnie was flabbergasted. “Why, I don’t know how <em>he</em> got -in! I just looked at the lock, and—and all the shutters are still -nailed shut—I <em>think</em>.”</p> - -<p>“Couldn’t be!” Bill started out on his own inspection tour. He joined -Ronnie a few minutes later, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re -right,” he said. “I couldn’t find any way to get in, either. You’d -better tell your dad about this, Ronnie!”</p> - -<p>“I’ll sure do that,” he said.</p> - -<p>“And maybe your grandfather will open up and take a look inside to find -out what’s going on.”</p> - -<p>“Yea, sure.” Ronnie was still too deep in thought to pay much attention -to Bill’s remarks. <em>How</em> had the intruder gotten in? he asked -himself over and over again. Mrs. Butler had hung the blanket on the -line the day before, and now Ronnie was sure that it was inside the -boarded-up building. But <em>who</em> had put it there, and <em>how</em> -had he gotten inside?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">39</span> -The boys didn’t give up searching for an answer until they had -re-examined the four walls and had even climbed to the roof for an -inspection. “Maybe he went down the chimney!” Bill suggested.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be silly!” Ronnie laughed. “Even a baby couldn’t get down -there.” He peered over the top and looked down the flue. “Besides, the -swifts’ nest is still there, and it would be broken if anyone had gone -down.”</p> - -<p>Just then Bill spied Phil coming down the cobblestone road. “Hey, -Ron-<em>nie</em>. Hey, Bill,” Phil called out.</p> - -<p>“Don’t let on what we’ve found inside,” Bill warned Ronnie. “It’s our -secret—yours and mine. O.K.?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie nodded. They went down the path to meet Phil, who had seated -himself on a fallen log to wait for them to join him. He had cut -himself a walking stick from a wild cherry tree and was busy paring -ringlets and designs by stripping off the bark. The live wood showed -through, a pale green.</p> - -<p>“Thought you’d never get here,” he said without looking up from his -work. “How’s the business coming?”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t started yet.” Bill turned to Ronnie. “I was thinking last -night that first off, we’ve got to have an office to work in, and where -we can keep all our stuff.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right!” Ronnie agreed.</p> - -<p>“How about one of the workers’ cottages?” Phil suggested. “Gramps fixed -up a couple of them and they’re still in good shape.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie and Bill agreed, and the three set off down the cobbled road, -crossed Goose Brook and struck out down the overgrown path that led -to the row of workers’ cottages. Only two of them were still in good -repair, the two on each<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">40</span> end of the row that formerly contained close -to a dozen. Of the rest, most had completely fallen to ruin. Only their -foundations and chimneys were still standing. A few had walls, but the -roofs were caved in and rotting.</p> - -<p>The boys chose the one closest to the cobbled road and set to work -cleaning it up. While Ronnie and Phil removed the debris that littered -the floor, Bill ran home to get a broom and pail and mop.</p> - -<p>By noontime the walls and floors had been mopped with water from the -brook, a makeshift desk had been constructed from old lumber, and -several rickety but serviceable chairs had been located in other -buildings.</p> - -<p>“We should have done this a long time ago,” Bill said, wiping the -perspiration from his forehead, “even if it was just for a clubhouse. -It’s real neat!”</p> - -<p>Before leaving for lunch they agreed to return that afternoon and begin -work on some of the items Ronnie had written on his list at breakfast -that morning. “The road from the highway comes first,” he decided. -“Then, cleaning up the buildings we’re going to use in our tour. Then, -the sign.”</p> - -<p>Phil groaned. “I just remembered,” he announced. “I’ve got a date with -the hammock for the afternoon.”</p> - -<p>When Ronnie came within sight of his own house fifteen minutes later, -he recognized Mr. Caldwell’s station wagon parked near the back door. -He’d already left Phil a good distance behind, so he began to run, -afraid that he might already have missed something of importance.</p> - -<p>Mr. Caldwell was in the barn, talking with Ronnie’s father. He looked -up and smiled in the boy’s direction as Ronnie entered. “Hello, -Ronald,” he said.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">41</span> -“Hi!” Ronnie answered.</p> - -<p>Ronnie tagged along behind his father and Mr. Caldwell as they walked -slowly from the barn and then stopped alongside Mr. Caldwell’s car for -a few final words. Then Mr. Caldwell climbed into his station wagon and -started the engine. Ronnie waved good-by.</p> - -<p>“Dad,” he asked, following his father back to the barn, “what did he -want?”</p> - -<p>“Supposing you come up in the loft with me and help pile up the hay you -knocked down the other day. Then I’ll be able to get the rest of it -in after it’s finished drying on the fields. I’ll tell you about Mr. -Caldwell while we work.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie followed his father up the ladder. It was stifling hot in the -loft. Mr. Rorth opened the two loft doors that faced onto the barnyard. -Overhead a wasp darted angrily among the beams, droning like a model -airplane.</p> - -<p>Mr. Rorth picked up two pitchforks and handed one of them to Ronnie. -“How come you’re so interested in this Mr. Caldwell?” he asked, -starting to move some of the hay toward the rear of the loft.</p> - -<p>Ronnie grinned. “I guess maybe because I’m just plain nosey!” he -answered.</p> - -<p>Mr. Rorth had gathered up a large pile of hay. Now he jabbed the -<a id="tines"></a><ins title="Original has 'tongs'">tines</ins> -of his fork underneath it and heaved the load to the top of the -stack. Then he turned to face the boy. “Couldn’t ask for a more honest -answer than the one you gave me, could I?” he queried. “I’ll say this, -though, about the man,” he went on, more seriously, “I’ll say that I -was impressed by the way he talked. He seemed genuinely interested in -antiques, particularly glassware. And apparently<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">42</span> he’s built up quite a -name for himself as a connoisseur of old glass.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie thought about what his father had just told him. “Dad, what’s a -connoisseur?”</p> - -<p>“A connoisseur? Well, he’s a person who knows a great deal about some -special art subject. Caldwell got interested in glassware when he was -a boy. It seems his family had a couple of pieces of Rorth glassware -that had been <a id="handed"></a><ins title="Original has 'handled'">handed</ins> -down from one generation to the next. -He started doing some research on them, and pretty soon he was studying -up on all makes of glassware. Now he’s writing a book on early American -glassware. He wants to include a few chapters about Rorth glass.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie stopped work long enough to turn toward his father. “And is that -why Caldwell came to see you?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes, in a way.” Mr. Rorth leaned lightly on the handle of his fork. -“He wants to spend some time here poking around in the buildings and -talking with your grandfather about the history of the Glassworks. He -thought maybe he could bed down in one of the buildings in the village.”</p> - -<p>“He <em>does</em>!” Ronnie exclaimed. “Golly, maybe he’ll help us set up -our business, specially if he knows so much about glassware. Think he -might, Dad?”</p> - -<p>“Well, now, I don’t know. He’s coming here to learn more about it -himself. But you ask him if you want.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie went over to the opening of the loft and sat down on the edge -with his feet dangling out over the barnyard. The perspiration was -running down his body in streams, and he wanted to cool off. The -hayseeds were sticking to his skin, too, and itching something awful.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">43</span> -His father came over and stood behind him, leaning on the handle of his -fork, trying to catch a few puffs of the cooler air.</p> - -<p>“When’s he moving in, Dad?” Ronnie asked.</p> - -<p>“Right after lunch, I think. He went back to check out of the motel.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder if he really slept in the motel last night,” Ronnie mused.</p> - -<p>“Why do you ask that?”</p> - -<p>“Because <em>somebody</em> slept in the old office building, that’s why. -And who else would it be excepting Mr. Caldwell?”</p> - -<p>“That’s nonsense, Ronnie,” his father protested. “Why would Mr. -Caldwell want to sleep in the old office building? And how would he get -in without breaking down the door?”</p> - -<p>“That’s what Bill and I were wondering too.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Rorth shook his head slowly as if to say, “These kids!” and then -picked up his fork and moved back to work. Ronnie got up and followed -him. “Don’t you believe me, Dad?” Ronnie asked.</p> - -<p>“Well,” Mr. Rorth said, grinning, “I’ll say I’m having a hard time -believing you. For instance, how can you tell that a man slept -there—what evidence do you have?”</p> - -<p>“Well, there’s a little crack in the window, and Bill and I climbed up -and looked through it. We saw the blanket Mrs. Butler was looking for -last night.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Rorth raised his eyebrows a bit and looked straight at Ronnie. -“Well, that <em>is</em> convincing.” He thought about it for a moment. -“Tell you what, Ronnie. I’m going down to the village later this -afternoon to see if Mr. Caldwell got settled all right. I’ll take a -look at the old office building on the way.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">44</span> -“The crack is in the south window and you can peek in through there.”</p> - -<p>“Never mind the crack. I’ll bring the key—if that old lock will still -turn. Last time I looked it was wrapped with a cloth to keep it from -rusting.”</p> - -<p>“Not any more it isn’t,” said Ronnie.</p> - -<p>After lunch Ronnie gathered together some tools and lumber to use in -building a sign for the highway. With these under his arms, he stopped -by the grape arbor where Phil was lying in the hammock. “You coming -down?” he asked, hoping he would so he could carry some of the load.</p> - -<p>Phil eyed the lumber and tools. “I’ll be down after my siesta,” he -said. “Nobody with any sense exercises during the heat of the day.”</p> - -<p>By resting his load on the ground every few hundred feet, Ronnie -reached their new office without too much trouble. Bill hadn’t shown up -yet, so Ronnie stretched out in one of their chairs, making plans for -the afternoon while he waited for his friend.</p> - -<p>But after five minutes he grew restless and decided he’d kill some -time by taking another peek through the shutter into the boarded-up -building. He slipped out of the office and made his way toward the -building. Soon he was standing on the log and peering through the crack.</p> - -<p>“Oh, <em>no</em>!” he exclaimed suddenly. “Now what’s Dad going to think -of me?”</p> - -<p>The blanket, candle, and flashlight were no longer in sight.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">45</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="vi"><em>Chapter 6</em></h2> - -<p class="first">“That man,” Ronnie told himself again and again as he trudged back to -their office, “that man I saw this morning running from the boarded-up -house is the person who slept in there last night.” And “that man” had -looked an awful lot like Mr. Caldwell, even seen from a distance and -hidden somewhat by the early morning shadows.</p> - -<p>Ronnie groaned. He sure did hate the thought of the teasing he’d get -when his father inspected the building and found nothing there.</p> - -<p>Bill was waiting for him when he reached their office building. “’Bout -time you got here,” he said.</p> - -<p>“I’ve been here,” Ronnie retorted. “I went over to take another peek -into the boarded-up building. But I wished I hadn’t.”</p> - -<p>“How come?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie told him. Bill groaned too. “I told my pa about it, too, and he -said he was going to call your pa on the telephone. Somebody’s made a -monkey out of us for sure!”</p> - -<p>“Well, <em>we</em> know somebody slept there last night,” Ronnie -announced stoutly. “Some mighty strange things are going on around -here, let me tell you.” He decided to break down<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">46</span> and tell Bill about -the peculiar light he’d seen the evening before, and about the man -who looked like Mr. Caldwell who had turned and run when the boy had -shouted his name.</p> - -<p>Bill gave a long, loud whistle of amazement. “Looks like we’ve got -<em>two</em> things to do this summer—save the village and solve this -mystery, too.”</p> - -<p>But within a few minutes they had forgotten the mysterious prowler. -Armed with the pruning sheers and sickle that Bill had brought with -him, they started clearing the overhanging branches from both sides of -the dirt lane. A half hour later, when they were within sight of the -main road, Mr. Caldwell’s station wagon turned off the highway and came -toward them.</p> - -<p>He stopped alongside the boys and poked his head out the window. “Hop -in and I’ll drive you back in—that is, if you’re finished.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie nodded and the two climbed into the front seat. “You’ve done a -fine job of clearing the roadway,” Mr. Caldwell said. “You are going -ahead with your tourist business, I take it.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Ronnie answered, “how did you know about it?”</p> - -<p>“Your father told me.” Mr. Caldwell swung off the dirt road onto the -cobblestones. “Now, the question is—which building shall I occupy? -Your father said I could have my choice.”</p> - -<p>“How about one of the workers’ cottages?” Bill suggested. “We’re -using one of them for our office, but there’s a real good one with a -fireplace at the other end of the row.”</p> - -<p>“Sounds like just what I’m looking for,” Caldwell agreed.</p> - -<p>Ronnie and Bill helped Mr. Caldwell unload his suitcases<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">47</span> and cardboard -cartons from the rear of the station wagon and carry them into the -cottage. Then they sat on the floor with their backs against a wall and -watched him unpack.</p> - -<p>Just about that time, Mr. Rorth drove up in his pickup truck. In the -back he had a cot and mattress, blankets and sheets, a table and a few -chairs, as well as some cooking utensils.</p> - -<p>“These should make you comfortable,” he told Mr. Caldwell.</p> - -<p>Ronnie walked back to the truck beside his father. “Now,” said Mr. -Rorth, “let’s take a look at the evidence of this mysterious guest -we’re supposed to be harboring in the old office building!”</p> - -<p>Ronnie looked up sheepishly at his father. “It’s not there any more, -Dad,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Oh? So the ghost picked up his bedding and walked away, eh?”</p> - -<p>“But it <em>was</em> there this morning, Dad. Honest it was. Bill saw it -too. He’ll tell you.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Rorth stared at his son a moment, then laughed and climbed into the -truck. Ronnie’s face was scarlet as he turned back to join Bill.</p> - -<p>For the remainder of the afternoon the boys worked at cleaning up the -gristmill and the general store. Phil joined them about three o’clock, -but as usual he wasn’t much help.</p> - -<p>Twice during the afternoon they took a breather to see how Mr. Caldwell -was coming with his unpacking. On their final visit, Ronnie exclaimed, -“Gosh, Mr. Caldwell, you’ve got this place looking just like home!”</p> - -<p>“And that’s what it’s going to be for a couple of weeks. Who knows, I -might just decide to stay on indefinitely!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">48</span> -“Oh, but you couldn’t do that—not unless you want to be under water,” -Ronnie explained.</p> - -<p>Mr. Caldwell looked at Ronnie questioningly, not knowing whether to -take the boy’s remark seriously or as some kind of joke. “Are you -fooling?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh no. In a year or two, when they build the dams on the St. Lawrence -Seaway, this’ll all be under water. Gramps is furious, but Dad says he -can’t do anything about it.”</p> - -<p>“What a pity. What a great pity!” Mr. Caldwell exclaimed. “I’m -certainly glad I decided to come here when I did.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Caldwell’s alarm clock showed four-thirty. Bill suggested that -they start work cleaning up the main building where the glass had been -manufactured and packed. “We’ll never get started showing people around -at the rate we’re going,” he told Ronnie and Phil.</p> - -<p>Ronnie, of course, didn’t need any convincing. He would work all night -if it would step up their opening date. Phil tagged along reluctantly.</p> - -<p>They managed to cart five or six loads of the larger debris from the -building and dump it in the woods out of sight, and then Bill announced -that it was probably time for him to get home. He had chores to do -before supper, and so did Ronnie and Phil.</p> - -<p>They walked back to the office together. Bill wanted to gather up his -tools to take home. “I’ve got to be <em>sure</em> to get these back,” he -explained. “A couple of nights ago a saw and hammer and a couple of -other tools disappeared from the barn, and Pa insists I took them and -left them somewhere.”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t been using any tools like that,” Ronnie said indignantly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">49</span> -They walked down the cobbled road to where their paths separated. “You -know,” Bill suggested, “we could work on the sign tonight and leave the -cleaning up for the daytime. Think you could get away for a while after -supper?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” said Ronnie. He turned to his brother. “Want to come too, Phil?”</p> - -<p>Phil mumbled something about a television show.</p> - -<p>When Ronnie got home, he pitched into his chores immediately. He chased -the few remaining hens into the chicken house, filled their trough -with water, and fastened the door shut. He stabled the horse and then -watered and fed her. Then he went into the house to collect the garbage -and trash to take to the dump for burning.</p> - -<p>Returning from the dump, he caught sight of his father driving the -tractor and pulling the mowers down the farm road from the fields. -Ronnie cut through the triangle of alder bushes to meet him. “Say, -Dad,” he asked, climbing up beside him, “could I go back down to the -village after supper and work for a while with Bill? We’re going to -make our sign to put out on the highway.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see why not. You pretty near ready to start your big business -venture?”</p> - -<p>“Just about, I guess.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Rorth nodded his head in approval. “I was in town today and I -happened to run into Steve Mercer. He’s president of the historical -society. Told me that they’d written a letter to the Seaway saying -their society’s violently opposed to any flooding of the village unless -it’s absolutely necessary.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie’s heart leaped. “Maybe that’ll help us get permission to build -the dam across the top of the valley.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">50</span> -“It might,” his father agreed. A smile tugged at his lips. “Think you -can raise that kind of money?”</p> - -<p>“No,” Ronnie said honestly. “But it’ll get the ball rolling, and that’s -what counts, Grandpa says.”</p> - -<p>“And of course he’s right,” Mr. Rorth agreed. “Heaven knows I want to -see the village spared as much as you and Gramps. But I can’t let the -whole farm go to pieces in the meantime. You’ve got to be practical -about these things.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When Ronnie reached the office at eight o’clock, Bill was waiting for -him. Bill had brought a kerosene lantern and it was already burning -when Ronnie entered the door. Outside, the late evening shadows were -deepening among the trees, and the peepers were piping down in the -marshes along the river.</p> - -<p>“Pa gave me a piece of plywood for our sign,” Bill announced, “and I -brought some paint and brushes.”</p> - -<p>They sat down at their improvised desk and composed the words they -would letter on the sign:</p> - -<div class="block"> -<p class="center"> - Original Buildings and Furnaces<br /> - of One of America’s Renowned Glassworks<br /> - from the Last Century<br /> -Including a Haunted Building with a Strange History<br /> -Complete Tour: Adults—50¢ <span class="pl5">Children</span>—25¢</p> -</div> - -<p>“That ought to get their curiosity roused up!” Bill exclaimed when they -had finished. “Now let’s get it laid out on the plywood.”</p> - -<p>The time passed quickly for the two. Outside, the night closed in among -the old buildings and the silent trees.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">51</span> -“Now that looks right nice!” Bill said at last standing back to survey -the sign. “Looks almost like a real sign painter made it. Tomorrow, -first thing, we’ll get it up on the road.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie glanced at his wrist watch. “I’d best be getting on home. -Nothing much more we can do tonight anyway.”</p> - -<p>They picked up their flashlights, and then Bill blew out the lantern. -The two stepped out into the night. The beams from the flashlights -cut a solid lane down the path as they made their way toward the -cobblestone road. Bill was in the lead. Suddenly he stopped and pointed -off into the trees. “Look!” he whispered.</p> - -<p>It was the light again, the same light Ronnie had seen last night from -his bedroom window. Now that it was closer, he could make out more of -the detail.</p> - -<p>At first glance it seemed like some strange, unearthly cloud resting -motionless over the top of the building. But Ronnie was quick -to discover that what he really saw was the light striking the -undersurface of the thick canopy of foliage that overhung the roof, -setting the leaves aglow.</p> - -<p>Ronnie moved closer to his friend and whispered, “Sure looks spooky, -doesn’t it? First off it does, anyway.”</p> - -<p>“Yea,” Bill answered, “sure does. Somebody must be behind the building, -pointing a flashlight up into the trees.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie shook his head. “Whoever’s doing it is <em>inside</em> the -building, poking around in the chimney. Otherwise you’d see the light -in a circle.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe you’re right. Let’s slip over and take a peek through the crack -in the shutter.”</p> - -<p>“I’m with you, boy!” Ronnie answered. “Let’s go!”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">52</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="vii"><em>Chapter 7</em></h2> - -<p class="first">Ronnie shivered. The shiver started at his shoulder blades, traveled -down his spine, and made his flesh stand out in goose pimples. Just -a few feet ahead, almost in the thick blackness that lay between the -bushes along the path, he could make out Bill’s light-colored shirt. -And at the end of the path lay the padlocked building with its strange -halo of light still shimmering in the foliage over the roof.</p> - -<p>As they drew closer, Ronnie could see that the light did come from -the chimney as he had suspected. “Somebody poking a flashlight around -in the chimney flues, all right!” he thought. But why? Was it just a -trick to scare Bill and him away for some unknown reason, or was this -intruder searching for something?</p> - -<p>They were almost to the building when the light went out and the -blackness closed in over the roof. Ronnie shivered again. The building -seemed lonelier and more desolate than it had before.</p> - -<p>Bill turned about and came close to Ronnie. “There’s somebody inside -for sure!” he whispered. Ronnie could feel<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">53</span> his friend’s breath against -his cheek. “Listen. I can hear him walking around.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie heard the sounds too—floor boards creaking under the intruder’s -weight. “Come on,” he breathed, and taking his friend’s arm, steered -him toward the side of the building.</p> - -<p>The log was still in place below the window. Ronnie found a hold on -the window frame and pulled himself up. He leveled his eye against the -crack and peered inside.</p> - -<p>Only a small portion of the interior came within his view, and the -intruder, whoever he was, was out of range. But a portion of his -flashlight beam was visible and lit up the fireplace and the hearth -before it. Then the light shifted suddenly to the other side, stayed -out of view for a moment, and then returned.</p> - -<p>A moment later the light went out completely and the building was -plunged into complete blackness.</p> - -<p>Ronnie felt Bill tugging at his arm. “I hear something around back!” -his friend warned. “Maybe he’s getting out.”</p> - -<p>“But there’s no way out through the back,” Ronnie protested. Hadn’t -Bill and he searched every square foot of the outside of the -building? But then, the intruder had to enter and leave the building -<em>somewhere</em>.</p> - -<p>Ronnie stole another quick look through the crack before making up his -mind. The interior was still pitch-black. “You stay here and watch the -front and sides,” he directed Bill. “I’ll see what’s going on around -back.”</p> - -<p>Before Bill could protest, Ronnie had dropped from the log and was -making his way toward the rear of the building. It wasn’t easy finding -a way through the thick tangle of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">54</span> vines and bushes, but he didn’t want -to risk giving his presence away by turning on the flashlight.</p> - -<p>He rounded the corner of the building just in time to see the figure -of a man step back, away from the rear wall of the old office. For -a moment or two his face was silhouetted against a patch of sky. -“Caldwell!” Ronnie called angrily before he realized what a foolish -thing he was doing.</p> - -<p>The man’s hand rose. A brilliant beam of light struck the boy full in -the face, blinding him instantly. Then the light went out and the man -sprang away into the darkness.</p> - -<p>Burning with anger and disappointed from the stupid mistake he had -made, Ronnie leaped wildly after him, and plunged into the undergrowth. -He had taken no more than a few steps when he tripped over a log and -hurtled headlong through the air. He landed with a jolt in a tangle -of briars and his head smashed against a tree trunk. Whirling lights -and brilliant flashes stood out before his eyes as he fought for -consciousness.</p> - -<p>The next thing he knew Bill was standing over him. “You all right, -Ronnie?” Bill was asking. “Ronnie, you all right? Say something, can’t -you?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie struggled to sit up. The top of his head throbbed and he could -feel a lump rising. “I—I guess I’m all right,” he said.</p> - -<p>He tried to stand up. The trees, the sky, the building started to swing -around before his eyes. He grabbed Bill’s hand for support.</p> - -<p>Within a few minutes he felt better. Bill took his arm and helped him -down the path. “Golly, I sure as shootin’ messed that up,” he said to -Bill. Then he told his friend what happened.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">55</span> -“So you figure it was Mr. Caldwell?” Bill asked when Ronnie had -finished.</p> - -<p>“Well, I reckon I did <em>then</em>, or I wouldn’t have called his name. -But, gosh, now I’m not so sure. It was plenty dark. What a fool I was -yelling out to him. Boy, could I kick myself in the pants for being so -stupid.”</p> - -<p>“Yea,” Bill agreed, “yea, if you weren’t so woozy, I’d do it for you. -But what do you say we pay Caldwell a hurry call? I think we can still -beat him back to his cottage, seeing he’s got to detour around through -the woods. Feel well enough to try it?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie agreed that he did. Except for a slight throbbing in his head, -he felt as well as he had before the accident.</p> - -<p>They hurried down the cobblestone road, using their flashlights only -when they needed them to find the way. They approached Caldwell’s -cottage cautiously. Light was shining from the two windows that faced -the path.</p> - -<p>“Let’s take a peek in the window first,” Bill whispered. “You know—see -what he’s doing before he gets wise that we’re here.”</p> - -<p>They crept noiselessly to the window and peered over the sill. Caldwell -was seated before a small table that held his typewriter and a kerosene -lamp. He was busily at work.</p> - -<p>Bill leaned over to whisper in Ronnie’s ear. “Boy, either he’s real -sneaky or else he wasn’t ever out of the building,” he said. “He -<em>looks</em> as if he’d been at work for hours.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he has been,” Ronnie said. But if Caldwell wasn’t their man, why -had he turned so instinctively when Ronnie had called out his name?</p> - -<p>“Let’s go in and have a talk with him just the same,”<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">56</span> Bill suggested. -“But don’t let him know we suspect him of anything.”</p> - -<p>Caldwell opened the door to them after Bill had knocked. “Well!” he -exclaimed, motioning for them to come in. “How did you know I was just -itching for a little company?”</p> - -<p>The two boys sat down on the edge of his cot.</p> - -<p>Caldwell turned his chair away from his typewriter to sit facing them. -“What are you doing down here at this time of the night?”</p> - -<p>“We were working on our sign,” Bill answered.</p> - -<p>“I thought I saw a light coming from your office windows, and I was -thinking about going down to investigate earlier. But I got so wrapped -up in my work I just never got around to it.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie glanced over at Bill to find his friend looking at him too. Bill -was thinking the same thing, evidently. Caldwell was claiming that he -hadn’t left his cabin all evening. That didn’t prove a <em>thing</em>, of -course, Ronnie realized. In fact, Caldwell might have told them this -just to cover his movements.</p> - -<p>Mr. Caldwell got up and crossed over to his “kitchen” and returned with -a box of crackers. “I can’t offer you much, but perhaps you’ll have a -few crackers?”</p> - -<p>“Thanks,” Bill answered taking several. “We can’t stay much longer. -I’ve got to be getting back home soon.”</p> - -<p>A miller moth made a dive-bomb attack at the lamp. Caldwell picked up a -folded newspaper he had handy and swatted the insect. The lamp swayed -precariously and the moth flew off unharmed.</p> - -<p>“Dad’s got some old screens in the barn,” Ronnie said.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">57</span> -“I’ll bet you they could be made to fit the windows. Might even be a -screen door. I’ll ask him about putting them up.”</p> - -<p>“You just get them to me—along with some tools—and I’ll do the -putting up, gladly!” the man answered.</p> - -<p>Bill stuffed the last cracker into his mouth. “We’d better be getting -along right now.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Caldwell came to the door with them. “If I can help you with your -tourist business in any way, just say the word. You’re welcome to use -any of the information I’ve gathered when you’re talking about the -village.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks, Mr. Caldwell,” Ronnie answered. “We just might take you up on -that. I’ve been thinking maybe we’d mimeograph a little booklet about -the place.” He turned to Bill. “We could use the Grange mimeograph, and -the paper wouldn’t cost much. We could tell all about the Glassworks -and life in the village in the olden days and—”</p> - -<p>“And the mysterious locked-up office building,” Bill added, picking -up the idea with great interest, “and even about those old glass -candlesticks of your grandfather’s, Ronnie!”</p> - -<p>“Candlesticks!” exclaimed Mr. Caldwell. “<em>Rorth</em> candlesticks?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie nodded.</p> - -<p>“They must be worth a great deal,” Caldwell said. “What do they look -like?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie described them. Caldwell nodded slowly as Ronnie brought out -detail after detail. “I’d certainly like to see them sometime,” he said -when Ronnie had finished.</p> - -<p>“Come on up to the house any time,” Ronnie offered. “I’m sure Grandpa -would be glad to show them to you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">58</span> -When they were alone outside, Bill turned to Ronnie. “You know,” he -said, “I think Caldwell is kind of a swell guy. I just can’t believe -he’s the one sneaking around the village and running off when we catch -sight of him.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie thought about this after he had left Bill and was hurrying -up the steep incline to the orchard above. Was Bill right about Mr. -Caldwell? There were arguments for and against. That silhouette of the -man’s face against the night sky, for instance. Ronnie had tried again -and again during the evening to convince himself that he had been wrong -when he had called out Caldwell’s name. But somehow he just couldn’t -do it. And he couldn’t forget what had happened that morning! It had -been daylight then. Was it just a coincidence that <em>both</em> times -Caldwell’s name had come to his mind?</p> - -<p>He’d talk to Gramps about it, that’s what he’d do. But when he arrived -home he found the door to his grandfather’s room closed and no light -showing from underneath.</p> - -<p>He climbed the stairs and headed for his room. Phil was in his own -room, in his pajamas, and lying on his bed with a pile of old comic -books at his side. A wild idea hit Ronnie suddenly and he poked his -head into Phil’s room. “Have you been in the house all evening?” he -demanded. Maybe, just maybe, Phil was playing tricks on them and he had -been in the padlocked house!</p> - -<p>Phil looked at his brother in surprise. “What’s the matter—the heat -got you or something? Sure I was here all the time.”</p> - -<p>“OK. I was just wondering.”</p> - -<p>Phil dropped his comic book and sat up. “Say, something real -interesting must have happened to you down in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">59</span> village, or you -wouldn’t be putting me on the witness stand. Come on, out with it.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing happened. You’re imagining things, that’s all.” Ronnie hurried -down the hall, hoping that Phil wouldn’t have the energy to follow him.</p> - -<p>Phil didn’t. Ronnie ducked into his room and closed the door. Then he -went over to the window and looked out.</p> - -<p>The valley was in complete darkness. Even the lights in Mr. Caldwell’s -cottage were out. The deserted village was asleep.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">60</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="viii"><em>Chapter 8</em></h2> - -<p class="first">After breakfast the following morning Ronnie looked for Gramps in his -room, but there was no sign of him there nor anywhere about the house. -It was Mrs. Butler who told Ronnie where his grandfather had gone. -“Why, seems to me I saw him headed out the door a while back,” she -said. “Went off toward the orchard, I’d guess.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie took off after his grandfather. He found him sitting on a -rock at the top of the bluff and looking out over the valley and the -deserted village.</p> - -<p>“Hi, Gramps,” Ronnie greeted him.</p> - -<p>“Well, now, boy, come set a spell with me. My old legs won’t let me get -down there in the village any more, but by golly, they can’t keep me -from sitting here and looking.”</p> - -<p>“Gramps?”</p> - -<p>Grandfather shifted his position by leaning heavily on his cane. He -faced Ronnie. “Boy, you’ve got something on your mind, and don’t tell -me you haven’t because I’ve come to know when you’re troubled.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie nodded. “There’s something going on down in the village that I’m -all mixed up about.”</p> - -<p>“You’re darned tootin’ there’s something going on down there!” the old -man retorted. “Those Seaway people plotting<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">61</span> and scheming to take the -village away from me. I know what’s going on.”</p> - -<p>“Not that, Gramps. Something else.” Ronnie went on to tell him about -the blanket and the candle he had seen through the crack in the -shutter, and about the strange light that had startled Bill and him the -night before. He told Gramps about the mysterious prowler too.</p> - -<p>“Gramps,” he concluded, “do you suppose it’s got anything to do with -the secret of the boarded-up building? Maybe there’s something hidden -there that this man is looking for.”</p> - -<p>Grandfather looked at Ronnie sharply. “What man?” he demanded.</p> - -<p>Ronnie looked away. “I don’t know who it was,” he answered.</p> - -<p>“Come on, boy. Speak up if you know!”</p> - -<p>“Really, Gramps. I’m not sure. I don’t want to say until I’m real sure.”</p> - -<p>Grandfather didn’t press the point. “Ronnie,” he said, “this village -has been the love and joy of my life. But lately it’s just as if—just -as if the prophecy were meant to come true.”</p> - -<p>“What prophecy, Gramps?” Ronnie asked. “Is that what the secret’s all -about?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, in a way, I suppose.” The old man looked out over the valley and -then back to the boy. “I reckon the time has come when you must hear -the story. It can’t die the way I’d hoped it would. The past won’t let -it.”</p> - -<p>Gramps took out his pipe and tobacco pouch from his pocket. He filled -the bowl of the pipe and placed the stem between his yellowed teeth.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">62</span> -“Turn your mind back, boy, to what I was telling you the other evening -when we were talking about the candlesticks.” He lit a match and drew -heavily on the stem of the pipe until the tobacco glowed crimson. -Then he exhaled the blue smoke in a cloud that rose over his head. -“I told you about your great-great-grandfather Ezra and his partner -Jacob Williams, if you’ll recollect. This Williams fellow was a kind -of no-good scoundrel, from everything I’ve heard tell, and why Ezra -got bamboozled into such an arrangement, nobody’ll ever know. Took -him in as a full partner he did, lock, stock, and barrel, or in other -words—Glassworks, land, and merchandise.”</p> - -<p>“Then half this land doesn’t really belong to us, Gramps? Is that -right?”</p> - -<p>“Yep, I reckon so, if there’s anyone around to claim it. I’ll come -to that later. Well, anyway, these two partners seemed to have -gotten along well for a number of years. The business flourished. -Rorth glassware got to be known practically around the world. Then -around 1886 or thereabouts, things started worsening up, and by -1888 the company was well-nigh bankrupt. Now this Jacob Williams, -who was keeping the books, finally got around to telling your -great-great-grandfather how bad things were, and darned if he didn’t -accuse Ezra of milking the company dry. Yep, he claimed Ezra had been -stealing quantities of money and glassware from the company. And this -Williams didn’t stop at that. He spread it all around the neighborhood, -and pretty soon people began to believe it was true.”</p> - -<p>“But it really wasn’t, was it, Gramps?” Ronnie asked anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Can’t really answer that because it’s never been proven<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">63</span> one way or -the other. But maybe when you hear the rest of what happened, you’ll -understand it a mite better. Now one day in June of 1889 Jacob Williams -disappeared. Of course, everybody started saying Ezra had done away -with him to keep him from accusing Ezra of the thefts. And I guess -there was some evidence to make people believe it, too. First of all, -more money and glassware were missing. Then there was this man, John -Sutton, a worker at the Glassworks, who testified that he’d heard Ezra -and Jacob Williams arguing and shouting at one another. Then, when he -passed by the building again later, he claims he heard Jacob screaming -for help. He didn’t go in, figuring it was none of his business, but -later on he got to thinking about it, and went back. There was no sign -of Ezra or Jacob Williams. Fact is, that was the last anybody ever -heard of Jacob Williams. Old Ezra made a search for his partner—even -put notice of a reward in the paper for anybody sending news of him. -It was like the earth had swallowed Jacob—him and the money and the -missing glassware.”</p> - -<p>Grandfather tamped his pipe with a leathery thumb and continued. “Well, -boy, people here put two and two together, and there began to be talk. -When people begin to talk, they make things bigger and meaner. Old -Ezra had killed Jacob to cover up his own thefts and he’d hidden the -body somewhere. Search parties went over every square foot of the -village, but they didn’t turn up a clue. Well, no matter, people said, -Jacob Williams’ curse was on the Rorth family until Jacob’s death was -avenged.”</p> - -<p>Grandfather puffed hurriedly at his pipe to start up the dying coals. -“But what happened to Great-great-grandfather Ezra?” Ronnie asked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">64</span> -“The case came before the grand jury, but the jury failed to indict -Ezra. There wasn’t proof of anything, really. So Ezra was freed, but -people didn’t stop accusing him for a long time. Some even tried to -find Jacob Williams’ son, then a man in his late twenties, to persuade -him to come back and avenge his father’s death. But he wasn’t anywhere -to be found.</p> - -<p>“Then came reports of people who claimed they’d seen Jacob Williams’ -ghost near the old office building, and there were those who said the -ghost had cried out that he’d never stop haunting the Rorth family -until his death was avenged. Funny thing was, though—no Rorth ever saw -this ghost!”</p> - -<p>“Which just proves the whole thing’s a phony!” Ronnie exclaimed. “Who -believes in ghosts, anyway?”</p> - -<p>“No one—excepting maybe those who haven’t gotten a proper education. -But there’s more to this story. A few years after Williams disappeared, -an epidemic of typhoid struck the village. Probably came from drinking -the water out of Goose Brook. Anyway, lots of people died and the rest -left like rats from a sinking ship. Soon there were only Ezra and his -family left. He sent them away, too, while he stayed behind to close -up. The Glassworks never opened again. When Ezra’s wife and my father -returned, they had the office boarded up tight and padlocked, and I -guess it was never opened until I went in there five or six years ago.”</p> - -<p>“You were hunting for something, weren’t you, Gramps?”</p> - -<p>“Yep.”</p> - -<p>“Something that would prove Ezra didn’t harm his partner?”</p> - -<p>“Yep, that’s right. It was a terrible blot on the family name. I -couldn’t stand the thought of it. But all my searching<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">65</span> proved nothing. -I’m afraid the evidence—if there is any—will be covered by the -floodwaters when they come.”</p> - -<p>“<em>Now</em> who’s the one giving up without a fight?”</p> - -<p>Grandfather smiled down at Ronnie. “You’re right, boy. That wasn’t a -Rorth talking then, but a discouraged, old man.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie looked down into the valley. The thin mists that had settled in -the lowlands during the night were dissipating now under the hot sun. -“Gramps, do you think this man I saw is hunting for evidence too—the -way you were?”</p> - -<p>Grandfather thought over the question for a moment or two. “Nope, I -don’t think so, Ronald. More’n likely—if he’s hunting for anything at -all—he’s after the money and glassware that was stolen. There’ve been -others before him.”</p> - -<p>“Gramps?” Ronnie asked again. “What finally happened to -Great-great-grandfather Ezra?”</p> - -<p>“Well, when my father and mother returned after the epidemic was over, -they found him in the office building. He was dead from the typhoid. -But everyone said it was Jacob’s ghost that did it.”</p> - -<p>The old man grasped the head of his cane with both hands and pulled -himself to his feet. He stood for a minute with the hot breeze ruffling -his snow-white beard and hair while he looked down into the valley. His -sharp eyes darted from one building to another and finally rested upon -the old, padlocked building.</p> - -<p>“The answer’s in there somewhere,” Ronnie heard him say, although the -wind tried to take his words away. “I hope the good Lord will let me -live long enough to see it found.” He turned to face the boy. “Ronnie,” -he said, “Ronnie, your father’s in town now, but when he comes<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">66</span> back -tonight, you tell him I said he’s to let you have the keys to the Rorth -office building. You and this friend of yours take a good look around -inside and maybe you can find what this man is doing in there. And -maybe your keen, young eyes will find what I’ve failed to find all the -times I looked.”</p> - -<p>“Sure, Gramps!” Ronnie’s eyes lit up with excitement. “You bet we’ll -find something to prove Great-great-grandfather Ezra didn’t harm Mr. -Williams. And maybe we’ll find the glassware—and the money too!”</p> - -<p>Grandfather was looking down into the valley again. “Went through every -paper in the place,” he was saying, not waiting for Ronnie to finish -talking. “Hundreds of them. But not a clue. Not a single clue. Just old -bills and statements and records. Put them all back in the files, I -did, just the way I found them. But somewhere in that building there’s -an answer. I’m convinced of that.”</p> - -<p>He drew himself up tall and breathed in deeply and squared his -shoulders. “We aren’t licked yet. No, sir, not by a long shot! Now, -boy, how about helping an old man back to the house?”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">67</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="ix"><em>Chapter 9</em></h2> - -<p class="first">“Now we’re officially in business!” Ronnie exclaimed. He stowed the -spade he had been carrying in the corner of their office and dropped -into a chair. His hair was wet with perspiration and beads of it were -rolling down his face and stomach. “That’s the hardest ground I’ve ever -had to dig a hole in,” he added, fanning himself with a newspaper.</p> - -<p>The boys had just finished erecting the sign alongside the highway. -Layers of coarse gravel and heavy blue clay had made the job of digging -difficult. But, as Bill had said, they wanted the sign planted plenty -deep so the first heavy wind wouldn’t carry it away. “Who knows,” he -had added, “we may want it there a long, long time!”</p> - -<p>On their way back from the highway, Ronnie had told Bill everything -that Grandfather had said about old Ezra Rorth. Bill said nothing -until they reached the office. “Ronnie,” he said then, “Ronnie, this -afternoon you bring the key to the padlocked building with you, you -hear? We’ve got business to attend to in there!”</p> - -<p>“You bet we have,” Ronnie agreed. “Once we find out who this man is -who’s sneaking around the village—and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">68</span> <em>why</em> too—maybe we’ll get -to the bottom of all these shenanigans.”</p> - -<p>Bill nodded. “We’ll search the building from top to bottom, and maybe -we’ll have more luck than your grandfather did. Maybe we’ll clean up -this mess around your family name.”</p> - -<p>“I <em>know</em> my great-great-grandfather didn’t harm Jacob Williams or -steal anything, either. I just know it.”</p> - -<p>“Sure, Ronnie, sure, but we’ve got to prove it. And that isn’t going -to be easy, not after all these years have passed. But we’ll do it. -Every minute we’ve got when we aren’t showing people around, we’ll use -to hunt for clues. And the first thing we do is search that old office -building, so don’t forget to bring the keys.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie sprawled a little lower in his chair and watched a drop of -perspiration run down over a fold of skin on his stomach. Bill, he -knew, wanted to hunt for clues immediately, but it was just too hot -to move. It all seemed like such a tremendous, almost impossible job. -Hadn’t Grandfather tried and failed?</p> - -<p>A moment later Phil sauntered into the building and plunked himself -down in the one remaining chair. “I don’t know why I killed myself -coming down here,” he sighed.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see why you did either,” Ronnie commented with a smile. “All -you did was move from the hammock to that chair. You shouldn’t exert -yourself so much.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I keep telling myself,” said Phil.</p> - -<p>A horsefly buzzed angrily across the ceiling and slammed into the wall. -It fell dizzily for a few feet and then regained its balance. Off it -went in the opposite direction and slammed into the other wall. “Crazy -critter,” Phil commented.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">69</span> “See how he’s exerting himself—and where -does it get him?”</p> - -<p>Before Ronnie could think of an appropriate answer, there were -footsteps on the path and Mr. Caldwell popped his head in the door. He -entered and perched himself on the edge of the desk. “I’m going up to -your house this afternoon to take a look at those candlesticks,” he -told Ronnie. “From the description you gave me I’d say that the pair I -have at home are identical.”</p> - -<p>The horsefly suddenly stopped buzzing and the office seemed strangely -quiet. Ronnie sat up and looked at Mr. Caldwell, his mouth hanging open -just a bit. “Did—did you say you—you had a pair of candlesticks like -Gramps’?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.” Mr. Caldwell looked puzzled. “Is that so strange?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie gulped and nodded. “Yes, sir. It is.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see why. There were probably quite a few pairs turned out -during the years the Glassworks was in operation.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie opened his mouth to protest, and closed it again. There was -plenty of time to tell Mr. Caldwell what he knew. He decided to play -it safe for the time being. “Yes,” he answered, “yes, I suppose there -<em>could</em> be quite a few around, if they haven’t been lost or -destroyed.”</p> - -<p>A car drew up in the improvised parking lot and came to a stop. Ronnie, -looking out the window, saw a man, woman, and two boys leave the car -and start toward the office. Ronnie and Bill went out to meet them.</p> - -<p>“We’d like to take the tour. Are there guides?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” Ronnie answered. “We’d be glad to take you about.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">70</span> -The man looked first at Ronnie and then at Bill. He seemed a bit -skeptical. “Well, all right,” he said finally. “Where do we begin?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie and Bill led them down the path to the cobblestone road. “This -is the original road that ran through the center of the village,” he -told them. “Some of the cobblestones have been replaced from time to -time, but mostly it’s just the way it used to be. Mules used to pull -cartloads of sand along this road to be used in making the glass.”</p> - -<p>They swung off the cobblestone road and approached the two-story -building beside Goose Brook. Bill, slipping up beside Ronnie, -whispered: “Hey, you’re doing all right!”</p> - -<p>“Now this was the gristmill where all the wheat from the surrounding -fields was ground into flour. That overshot water wheel you see there -was in running order when my grandfather was a boy. He says our family -still used it to grind the grain.”</p> - -<p>They visited the main building where the glass had been made and blown. -From here they moved to the general store, the blacksmith shop, the -smith shop, the carriage buildings, and the workers’ cottages. This -brought them in a circle back to their office.</p> - -<p>There, they found another car pulled into the parking area. Two men -were waiting inside the office. Before entering, Bill and Ronnie -collected their fees and said good-by to the first group. “We enjoyed -the tour very much,” the man told Ronnie and Bill. “It was well worth -the stop.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, sir!” Ronnie beamed. “Tell your friends about it.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Caldwell was still in the office, chatting with the two<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">71</span> men. He -introduced them to Ronnie and Bill. “This is Mr. Perkins, and this is -Mr. Brown.” Ronnie and Bill shook hands with the men.</p> - -<p>“They’re interested in learning more about the business you’ve -started,” Caldwell went on to explain. “You see, they’re from the -Massena Sunday paper, and they’re thinking about writing a story for -next Sunday’s edition.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” Brown broke in. “We feel that more people will take an -interest in the fate of this place if they’ve heard about what you two -boys are doing. Besides, it’ll help bring you business!”</p> - -<p>“Gee, that’s swell of you!” Ronnie exclaimed. “Bill and I are awfully -anxious to do everything we can to save the village.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Perkins pulled out a notebook and seated himself at the desk. -“Let’s make that our first question,” he said. “Just how do you expect -to save the old village by taking tourists through it?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie explained how they hoped to raise some of the money to build a -dam across the narrow gap in the valley through which Goose Brook ran -down to the river. “My dad says it could be done,” Ronnie continued. -“’Course, we won’t get enough money ourselves to do it. But we’re -hoping maybe other people will get worked up enough to want to help -out.”</p> - -<p>“People are beginning to wake up already,” Mr. Brown said. “I happen to -know that your father saw Steve Mercer the other day and put a bug in -his ear about the village. Steve wrote to the Seaway Authority, trying -to convince them to use your plan and save the village. He got some -kind of a letter back—but they didn’t commit themselves<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">72</span> one way or -the other. It’ll take time, but I’m sure it can be done.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Brown’s remark gave Ronnie some of the encouragement he needed. -Sure, he’d had his doubts, right from the beginning when he’d first -thought of opening the village to the public. They would need public -support, and perhaps more money too—unless the Seaway agreed to foot -the bill.</p> - -<p>By the time the two men were ready to leave, Mr. Perkins had several -pages of notes, some of them on the history of the village itself. “I -think I’ll get a statement from the Seaway Authority, too,” Brown said -as he slid into the driver’s seat. He had an impish smile on his face. -“That will really put them on the spot! They know how the people around -here feel about the village, and if there’s a way to save it, they’ll -have a hard time explaining why not!”</p> - -<p>After the car had driven off, Mr. Caldwell left to work on the notes -he had gathered in the Glassworks during the morning. Ronnie, Phil, -and Bill walked back toward their office. Ronnie had cooled off -considerably, and now he felt more like working again. There wasn’t -time before lunch for hunting for clues or cleaning out a building, but -he had an idea in mind for a sign to hang outside the office door. It -would read: “Tours from 9–12 and 1–5. OFFICE.”</p> - -<p>He had found a suitable piece of wood the day before and now he set -to work sandpapering it down smooth. Bill sat opposite him, tipping -back in his chair again. Phil seemed restless, and a few minutes later -announced that he was going back to the house.</p> - -<p>“You know,” Bill said thoughtfully as he watched Ronnie rubbing -vigorously with the sandpaper, “you know, Ronnie,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">73</span> there are two things -that bother me. Two questions I can’t answer.”</p> - -<p>“Yes?” Ronnie asked looking up for a moment. “What are they?”</p> - -<p>“Well, the first one is this: How is this fellow we’ve seen around here -getting in and out of the padlocked building?”</p> - -<p>“That’s a question maybe we can answer this afternoon when I get the -key and we get a chance to look inside,” Ronnie said.</p> - -<p>“Maybe. But I don’t see what we can see from the inside that we can’t -see from the outside.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie ran his hand over the wood to see how smooth it was. “Oh, I -don’t know about that. Supposing he’s dug a tunnel? We couldn’t see -that from the outside. Anyway, what’s the other question?”</p> - -<p>“This question’s a real stickler,” Bill said. “Remember what Mr. -Caldwell said before—that he has a pair of candlesticks like your -grandfather’s?”</p> - -<p>“You mean, he <em>thinks</em> he has. He hasn’t seen ours yet.”</p> - -<p>“Well, let’s just say that he finds out this afternoon that he -<em>has</em>. And let’s say these candlesticks have come down through his -family the way he claims.”</p> - -<p>“Get to the point, will you?” Ronnie was impatient.</p> - -<p>“All right. My question’s this: Doesn’t that mean that Mr. Caldwell -owns half this land?”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">74</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="x"><em>Chapter 10</em></h2> - -<p class="first">While Ronnie climbed the bluff and made his way through the orchard -on his way home to lunch, he did a great deal of thinking about the -question that Bill had raised. He knew why his friend had asked it. If -the candlesticks had come down through the Caldwell family—probably -on his mother’s side—then it would be pretty safe to assume that they -were the pair Jacob Williams had made for his bride. And if they were, -then Mr. Caldwell and his brother were direct descendants of Williams, -and would have a claim against the property.</p> - -<p>But did Mr. Caldwell know about this? If he didn’t know now, would he -put two and two together and come up with an answer? That depended upon -how much he knew about the history of the candlesticks, Ronnie decided. -And from the way Caldwell had talked earlier that afternoon, the boy -doubted very much that he was aware of how the candlesticks had come -into his family.</p> - -<p>Then probably he wouldn’t know anything about the hidden glassware or -the money either, which would cross him off the list of suspects for -the mysterious prowler—unless,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">75</span> of course, the prowler wasn’t hunting -for the money and glassware.</p> - -<p>By the time Ronnie reached the house he had decided one thing only: it -was all very, very confusing!</p> - -<p>Mrs. Butler served Ronnie, Phil, and the two men their lunch at the -kitchen table. Now that the hay was in the barn—Ronnie and Phil had -spent the previous day helping their father load the truck in the field -and hoist the hay to the loft—Mr. Rorth had turned his attention to -the orchard. The young fruit was ready for spraying. “The weather’s -going to hold for a few more days, I think,” Ronnie’s father told the -others, “so I think I’ll mix a batch of spray this afternoon. Phil, you -want to help me?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Dad! That stuff makes my eyes water and I cough and sneeze—”</p> - -<p>“All right. You don’t <em>have</em> to. I just thought maybe you were -looking for something to do. You’ll have the hammock worn through by -the end of the summer at the rate you’re using it.”</p> - -<p>The telephone rang. Ronnie volunteered to answer it. He went into the -hall at the foot of the stairs and lifted the receiver.</p> - -<p>It was Bill, calling to tell Ronnie that he had to work that afternoon. -“Pa’s mending some fences, and I got to help,” Bill said. “But Ronnie, -somebody should be at the office, in case we get any tourists.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie agreed that this was so. “I’ll hang around,” he answered.</p> - -<p>After lunch, Ronnie went to the cold cellar and selected two apples, -which he stuffed into his pockets. Then he went<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">76</span> out to the barn to see -how his father was getting on with the job of mixing spray. “I’ll help -you, Dad,” he said, “if you really need help. Only I promised Bill I’d -stay down at the village in case we got tourists.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks, son,” his father answered. “I’ll get along all right. This is -really a one-man job.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie watched his father measure out the poison powder. “Dad? Gramps -said I could have the key to the locked-up building.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Rorth stopped long enough in his work to look up at the boy. “Oh?”</p> - -<p>“Really, Pa. I told him about how somebody’s been in the building. Bill -and I saw him again after I told you about it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if your grandfather said you could go in, it’s all right with -me. The key’s in the left-hand front drawer of my desk in the living -room.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie went back into the house. Phil was seated at the desk putting -together a model airplane. “What’re you after?” he demanded, as Ronnie -pulled open the desk drawer.</p> - -<p>“Nothing.” Ronnie was evasive. He found the key and pocketed it.</p> - -<p>“Hey! That’s the key to the locked-up building!” Phil protested.</p> - -<p>“I know it. Gramps said I could use it.”</p> - -<p>“He did! Boy, you really rate with him, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>“You can come along if you want to.”</p> - -<p>Phil thought it over. “Naw, I’ll stay here and finish this up. It’s too -hot outside. Besides, there’s nothing in that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">77</span> building that isn’t in -all the rest. Just a lot of dust and dirt and a few rats’ nests.”</p> - -<p>Ten minutes later Ronnie had the door of their office open and was -sitting on the doorsill waiting for customers. He had the key to the -locked-up building in his pocket, but somehow it didn’t seem quite fair -to Bill to go inside without him.</p> - -<p>After a while Ronnie got tired just sitting and doing nothing, so he -went inside and finished up the sign he had been working on. Then he -found a rock and an old nail and using these, tacked the sign into -place over the top of the door.</p> - -<p>He sat down on the doorsill again and waited. A porcupine was rattling -and thrashing on the thin, top branches of a maple tree. Ronnie watched -it for a while. The animal didn’t seem to have a care in the world.</p> - -<p>The afternoon wore on, but no tourists appeared. Ronnie got up and -started slowly down the path. It wouldn’t hurt to take one quick trip -around the locked-up building and maybe steal a peek through the crack -in the shutter. Then he could climb up on the roof and sit there for a -time. He could see so much more from up there, and if a car came up the -dirt road, he’d know about it in time to get back to the office.</p> - -<p>He circled around the old office building as he’d planned and then he -climbed up on the log and peered through the window. Everything looked -just about the same as the last time, except for some white objects -scattered about the floor. He couldn’t make out what they were because -of the darkness, but he decided they might be pieces of paper.</p> - -<p>Well, he’d take one more quick look at the outside of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">78</span> the building -and then he’d get up on the roof and see if he could spot any river -boats on the St. Lawrence. But when he got around to the rear of -the building, something on the ground caught his eye. Nothing very -startling, but the thin layer of sawdust sprinkled on top of some of -the leaves set him wondering. Carpenter ants, maybe—or had someone -been sawing firewood? Mr. Caldwell, perhaps, the boy concluded.</p> - -<p>But when he looked about for some sign of the white butt ends of the -discarded pieces of logs that would surely be left lying around, he -found none. His brow puckered in a frown.</p> - -<p>He gathered a pinch of the sawdust and brought it up closer to his -face so he could examine it, rolling it around between his fingers to -get the feel of it. He couldn’t be sure, but it felt fresh. Maybe this -sawdust could help him find out how the stranger was getting into the -building.</p> - -<p>He turned to inspect the rear wall of the building. At first glance -it looked just like all the other walls. But when he looked closer he -found a faint, irregular crack following the contour of the shingles. -Tracing it, he discovered that it formed a rough square. “I’ll bet -that whole section comes out!” he whispered. Apparently the shingles -had been removed first, then a hole cut through the boards between the -studs, and the shingles nailed cleverly back in place.</p> - -<p>Ronnie remembered the tools that Bill’s father had found missing from -his barn. Someone, the boy thought, had gone to a great deal of trouble -to make sure that no one found his entranceway!</p> - -<p>He’d have to try the trap door out, of course, to see how it worked. He -gripped the shingles from underneath and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">79</span> pushed up gently. The section -moved and then the bottom came free; and a minute later the entire -piece had come away from the wall.</p> - -<p>Ronnie poked his head inside and looked around. The air smelled stale -and moldy. He heard the flutter of wings beating against the inside of -the chimney and knew that one of the swifts was entering the nest. In -the semidarkness he could make out some of the larger objects in the -room—the fireplace, an old-fashioned roll-top desk, a filing cabinet, -and several chairs.</p> - -<p>He withdrew his head and slipped his feet through instead. Then, -twisting about with his back toward the inside, he pulled the upper -part of his body through.</p> - -<p>For a minute he stood near the opening, not knowing quite what to do -next. He had a strange, uneasy feeling that somebody was watching him. -Perhaps it would be better if he put the trap door back into place. -Then if the man who made it should come by outside, he wouldn’t notice -anything different and he’d go away.</p> - -<p>But after he had the trap door back in its place, he was a little sorry -that he’d done it. It was pitch-black in the room now. He felt in his -pocket and found a package of book matches. He tore one loose and -struck it. The flame seemed very feeble, but it gave him a few moments -to look around the room. He noticed the papers scattered about the -floor and saw that the filing cabinet near him had been emptied, and -the drawers left leaning against the wall.</p> - -<p>It was clear to the boy that someone had been searching through the -papers of the old Rorth Glassworks.</p> - -<p>When the match had burned out he wet his finger and cooled the hot end -and dropped the match to the floor.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">80</span> He lit another and moved toward -the fireplace. His foot brushed against something. Looking down, he -discovered the stub of a candle and he stooped to pick it up.</p> - -<p>The light from the candle gave him a better view of the room. Now he -could see an old leather-upholstered chair, a brass spittoon, and a -metal coat rack. Raising the candle, he saw above the mantelpiece a -white-bearded man with a bald head, rimmed with tufts of fluffy hair. -The man looked down at him with sharp, piercing, brown eyes from a -massive oak picture frame.</p> - -<p>Ronnie backed up a few steps and the eyes seemed to follow him as he -moved. “Great-great-grandfather?” he asked, but when he heard the sound -of his voice he grinned at his foolishness.</p> - -<p>He lowered the candle hastily and thrust it inside the huge opening -of the fireplace. A partially decomposed mouse lay just beneath the -pair of beautifully molded andirons. Ronnie poked his head inside the -fireplace and looked up. The light from the candle reached almost -as high as the swifts’ nest. Sure, Ronnie told himself, a powerful -flashlight shining up the chimney flues could have made the weird light -they had seen several evenings before.</p> - -<p>He heard the young swifts chirping in the nest overhead and saw a -single yellow beak protruding over the edge for a second or two. “I’m -not going to hurt you none,” he said, and then realized that the sound -of his voice would frighten the young birds even more than the light.</p> - -<p>Ronnie backed out of the fireplace and stood for a moment or two near -the center of the room, undecided on what he would do next. He wished -that he hadn’t come through the trap door, but had come around and -opened the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">81</span> regular door with his key. Then he’d have more light and -could inspect the building and its furnishings more carefully. Well, -he’d have time to do that when Bill and he returned.</p> - -<p>He started toward the rear wall, ready to leave. But he had taken no -more than a few steps when he froze in his tracks, his heart racing -wildly.</p> - -<p>From outside, behind the building, he could hear the sound of -approaching footsteps in the dry leaves—the same quick footsteps he -had heard inside the building.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">82</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="xi"><em>Chapter 11</em></h2> - -<p class="first">Bill Beckney’s cat had cornered a mouse in the concrete manure pit one -afternoon the year before. The mouse ran from one side of the pit to -the other trying to avoid the cat’s claws.</p> - -<p>Ronnie remembered the picture all too vividly now as he stood with his -feet frozen to the floor and his heart beating like a tom-tom, and the -sound of the footsteps coming closer and closer with each second. Only -now <em>he</em> was the mouse!</p> - -<p>He knew there wasn’t a chance that he could escape. The door was -padlocked on the other side, and even the key in his pocket couldn’t -help him. The opening in the wall through which he had come would place -him face to face with his opponent.</p> - -<p>He had to hide, but where? Anywhere, just as long as he did it quickly!</p> - -<p>His legs and feet came to life again. He swung about, holding up the -candle as he searched for a place large enough to hide. The flickering -light picked out the fireplace.</p> - -<p>He started for it quickly. Behind him, small creaks and thumps told him -that the section of wall was being removed. Doubling over, he swung his -body into the fireplace. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">83</span> acrid smell of stale, wet ashes struck -his nose. He straightened up and blew out the candle.</p> - -<p>Suddenly light flooded the fireplace. The section of wall had been -completely removed. Looking down, he saw his feet and legs illuminated -as by a floodlight. He knew he couldn’t stay where he was if he wanted -to remain hidden.</p> - -<p>Desperately reaching up his hands, he found a narrow ledge, and using -this as a support, he pulled his feet up until he was sure they were -out of sight. Then he moved them cautiously until he found a small -ledge where he could gain a toehold. Now he could ease the strain on -his hands and arms.</p> - -<p>Whoever was in the room had evidently returned to continue his search. -A door came open with a jerk, and more papers fluttered to the floor -within the boy’s range of vision. “Please, <em>please</em> don’t do any -more hunting in the fireplace,” Ronnie prayed.</p> - -<p>The minutes dragged on. The muscles in the boy’s arms and legs and back -began to ache. Twice he thought of moving, but each time he decided -against it. Too risky. He couldn’t take the chance of slipping or -making a noise.</p> - -<p>Now the intruder was tapping with some heavy object, first against the -floor boards in different parts of the room and then upon the bricks of -the fireplace. Now, Ronnie thought! Now would be a good chance to ease -his muscles. If he moved very carefully, the small sounds he might make -would be drowned out by the tapping. Shifting some of his weight to his -right leg, he began to slide his palm along the top of the ledge toward -the rear of the fireplace. He had moved no more than a few inches when -the side of his hand touched an object resting on the ledge. He knew it -wasn’t<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">84</span> part of the brickwork because it moved along with his hand. It -might be—well, perhaps a book of some kind, he decided.</p> - -<p>A book! Maybe, just maybe, this was the very thing that the intruder -was looking for! And just maybe it was the clue that Grandfather had -hunted for and never found! A tingle of excitement and anticipation ran -down Ronnie’s back. He just <em>had</em> to get hold of the object and -find out for sure what it was.</p> - -<p>And he could do it, too—with risk, of course, that he’d lose his -balance and fall from his perch. It was going to take a lot of good -balancing and some muscle testing, too! But Ronnie loved a challenge -such as this.</p> - -<p>Summoning all his strength, he rested his entire weight on one small -part of his inner wrist. At the same time he curled his fingers up over -the object until they reached the flat surface at the top. Then with a -quick, sudden movement, he shifted his entire hand to where his fingers -had been.</p> - -<p>Now his fingers could explore in all directions without fear of losing -his balance and falling from his perch. It took him only a few moments -to prove to himself that his first guess had been correct: he had -discovered a small, thick book!</p> - -<p>Outside the fireplace, the sounds suddenly increased. Apparently the -intruder was losing patience, and had thrown caution away. Over went -the desk on its side with a loud crash. Out came the drawers, one after -another. Then the desk went over again. Papers flew over the floor in -every direction. “Confound it!” the man growled, “there’s got to be -something here <em>somewhere</em>! I’ll find it if I have to tear down -the whole confounded building.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">85</span> -Ronnie grinned to himself in the darkness of his hiding place and -his fingers tightened on the book. If the man only knew how close he -had come to finding what he wanted those nights he had searched the -fireplace with his light!</p> - -<p>But then Ronnie’s grin faded. The man’s words were still ringing in -his ears and there was something familiar about the sound of the -voice—something that made Ronnie think of Caldwell. And yet, there was -something to the voice that <em>wasn’t</em> Caldwell’s.</p> - -<p>The light at the bottom of the fireplace brightened and Ronnie heard -the footsteps approaching the fireplace. He drew in his breath and held -it. He flattened his body as close against the wall as he dared without -risking his balance.</p> - -<p>The footsteps stopped near the hearth. The man coughed. The soles of -his shoes scraped against the hearthstone as he shifted his position. -Then Ronnie heard the scratch of a match and smelled cigarette smoke.</p> - -<p>Ronnie frowned, puzzled. He’d never seen Caldwell smoke. Of course -that wouldn’t disprove positively that this man was Caldwell. But it -confused Ronnie more than ever.</p> - -<p>At last the man turned and crossed the room, and the boy breathed more -freely again. The footsteps moved toward the rear wall. There they -stopped for a moment. Then Ronnie heard the section of wall being -removed, and a flood of light from outside filled the room.</p> - -<p>Ronnie sighed long and deep. At last the man was leaving!</p> - -<p>As soon as the wall section was back in place, Ronnie took a firm grip -on the book and dropped to the floor. A moment later he was out of the -fireplace and standing in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">86</span> the blackness of the room, trying to make up -his mind what to do next.</p> - -<p>One thing he did want to do, and that was to catch a glimpse of the -intruder before he disappeared into the woods. He hurried across the -room, tripping over one of the desk drawers, but managing to catch his -balance just in time to save himself from a headlong fall. He reached -the wall, pushed open the section of wall a few inches from the top, -and peered out.</p> - -<p>The brilliant light blinded him for a few seconds. Then he saw the man -disappearing into the trees a short distance from the building. But all -Ronnie could see was the back of his head and shoulders. The rest of -his body was hidden in the underbrush.</p> - -<p>It was Caldwell, and then again it wasn’t Caldwell. Ronnie just -couldn’t be positive. “I reckon I’m never going to get a real close-up -look at this fellow,” he told himself.</p> - -<p>He pulled the section of wall closed again. Better to wait a few -minutes until he was sure the man would not see him climbing from the -building.</p> - -<p>“Ronnie! Oh, hey, Ronnie!” he heard Bill’s voice. It seemed to be -coming from the direction of their office. The suddenness of his -friend’s voice made Ronnie jump. He had seemed so far away from his -normal, everyday life during the past twenty minutes.</p> - -<p>He found Bill wandering slowly up the cobbled road while he called -Ronnie’s name every few minutes. “Where in tarnation have you been?” he -demanded when Ronnie reached him. “I got through working, so I thought -I’d come join you.”</p> - -<p>“Come on down to our office and I’ll tell you all about<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">87</span> it!” Ronnie -exclaimed. “And, boy, will your eyes pop when you hear about it.”</p> - -<p>Bill’s eyes didn’t pop when he had heard Ronnie’s story, but he -certainly was as excited about the find as his friend. “Golly, maybe -we’ve got something real important at last. Let’s see it, Ronnie.”</p> - -<p>They sat down together at the desk, and Ronnie placed the old book -before them. It was old—very old. Its leather-bound cover was warped -from water and age. Heavy rains down through the years had found their -way to the book’s resting place, and drop by drop had soaked through -its pages.</p> - -<p>Carefully Ronnie opened the book. The long columns of figures, page -after page of them, were still legible despite the water damage. -“Doesn’t look very exciting,” Bill said. “There’s nothing but numbers -and entries like a bank book.”</p> - -<p>“But then why would it be hidden in the chimney?” Ronnie asked as he -continued to turn the pages. “That old office is full of papers just -like this.” His voice showed his disappointment.</p> - -<p>He had almost reached the last page when he exclaimed, “Look! Writing! -It looks like a diary!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, boy!” Bill exclaimed in excitement. “Now maybe we’re getting -somewhere.” He pulled the volume closer so he could see it better. -Ronnie began to read aloud while Bill followed the words with his eyes.</p> - -<blockquote> -<p>“July 10, 1892. I am desperately ill with the typhoid, and sick at -heart because now, when the evidence that would clear my name is at -hand, I have not the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">88</span> strength to bring it from where it is hidden. -All in this place have gone away, including my dear wife and son. -There is none here to whom I can reveal my discovery. My strength -is waning too fast for me to hope to reach town with what I now -know. Therefore, I shall take these last moments to set down the -facts that will clear my name and the name of those who will come -after me.</p> - -<p>“But what if Jacob’s son should find this account and destroy it -for the sake of his own good name? I must hide the ledger in the -chimney, hoping that someone of my family will think to look on the -secret shelf where I have hidden things before.</p> - -<p>“Here let it be known that it was Jacob’s own greed and deceit that -caused his death, and not my hand, as so many have claimed. For -years he stole from our company, and the proof lies with him below. -To cover up his thefts of money, and to direct the guilt to me, he, -from time to time, hid parts of various glass shipments, making -it appear that they had been stolen from outside. He also entered -large debit values in the books to cover his withdrawals of money.</p> - -<p>“As I write this, his body lies below, together with the evidence -of his guilt. How he was trapped there will probably never be -known. Rising waters may have caught him unawares. He did much -planning for his crimes, but in the end he was trapped by his own -foolishness and sent to a slow death. My strength fails. I must -hide the ledger—”</p> -</blockquote> - -<p>Ronnie turned the page. The next one was blank. “I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">89</span> guess that’s all,” -he said quietly. It seemed to the boy as if his great-great-grandfather -had been in the room talking to him during those last few moments of -his life. He thought of the eyes watching him from the picture over -the fireplace in the padlocked building earlier that afternoon. Yes, -in spirit anyway, Ezra had come back again to make one last desperate -effort to save the Rorth name. Almost as if he knew there wasn’t much -time left to get it done, Ronnie thought.</p> - -<p>He felt the pressure of Bill’s hand about his arm, and the movement -brought his thoughts racing back to the present. He looked up at -Bill. His friend’s face was turned toward the window. “Ronnie,” Bill -whispered to him, “somebody was watching us through that window!”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">90</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="xii"><em>Chapter 12</em></h2> - -<p class="first">Ronnie went directly to his room when he reached the house. Bill and he -had decided that this would be the best place to keep the old ledger -after what had happened at their office. And since Bill couldn’t be -sure whom he had seen at the window, they had to protect their new -possession against an unknown adversary. Anybody, really, could be -under suspicion. “I saw him out of the corner of my eyes,” Bill had -told Ronnie afterward. “When I swung my head around he was gone. All I -know for sure is that he was wearing something red. That’s what first -caught my attention.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t remember Caldwell wearing red,” Ronnie had said.</p> - -<p>They had searched the area outside their office as soon as the initial -surprise had worn off, but had failed to catch even a glimpse of the -man. And then the search had been interrupted by the arrival of two -cars, and by the time they’d taken the two groups around, it was too -late to continue hunting.</p> - -<p>Now Ronnie stretched out on his bed with the old volume propped up -against his pillow. He wanted to reread<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">91</span> his great-great-grandfather’s -notations and do some thinking about them.</p> - -<p>A little while later he got up to find a pencil and a piece of paper. -He sat down on the edge of the bed with a magazine beneath the paper. -At the top of the paper he wrote: “<span class="allsmcap">THE IMPORTANT THINGS I’VE FOUND -OUT FROM READING GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER’S DIARY</span>.”</p> - -<p>Then underneath he began to jot down each important fact:</p> - -<blockquote> -<p>1. Great-great-grandfather didn’t murder Mr. Jacob Williams the way -people think.</p> - -<p>2. This Mr. Williams was the one who was stealing the glassware and -money, not Great-great-grandfather. Williams tried to pin it on -Great-great-grandfather.</p> - -<p>3. Great-great-grandfather, just before he wrote in this ledger, -had found the glassware and money (and Jacob Williams’ body, too) -somewhere “down below.”</p> - -<p>4. I guess Williams’ son knew about the stealing, and -Great-great-grandfather was afraid he’d destroy the ledger if he -found it so he could protect his father’s name.</p> - -<p>5. Just before he died, Great-great-grandfather hid the ledger in -the fireplace because he couldn’t get to the house.</p> -</blockquote> - -<p>When Ronnie had finished, he stretched out on his back with his knees -up in the air and the paper resting against them. He read over what he -had written. Most of the ideas were interesting because they proved -Great-great-grandfather’s innocence. But only <em>Number Three</em> -seemed to be any help at all in finding the hidden glassware and money. -And this one was so vague, Ronnie couldn’t see that it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">92</span> would be much -help either. “Down there” could be anywhere on the face of the earth! -Well, maybe not <em>that</em> large an area, but anyway it could mean -the whole deserted village. And Ronnie couldn’t see Bill and himself -digging up the whole village to find the lost glassware and money.</p> - -<p>Ronnie rested his head back against the bed and stared at the ceiling, -thinking. Surely Great-great-grandfather must have wanted his heirs to -find the lost articles, and if he did, he certainly would have given -adequate directions for finding them. “Why, ‘down there’ must mean -underneath the old office building,” Ronnie thought, “because that’s -where Great-great-grandfather was when he wrote this!”</p> - -<p>It was a startling discovery, and its possibilities set the boy’s heart -racing. Wouldn’t Grandfather be surprised when Ronnie placed the diary -before him and announced, “There, Gramps, there’s the proof you wanted -about Great-great-grandfather Ezra!” Wouldn’t Gramps smile then!</p> - -<p>But maybe it would be better to wait until he had the glassware and the -money. Then Gramps’ eyes would really open wide. Yes, that’s what he’d -do—throw the whole thing at Gramps all at one time!</p> - -<p>Ronnie wanted to run from the house and down through the orchard to -the village and then tear every board loose from the floor of the -old, padlocked building until he knew for sure that he had figured -correctly. He got up from the bed and went to the window. The sun was -sinking fast. In another hour or two it would be dark, too late in the -day to start his search. Besides, he wanted Bill with him when he found -the glassware and money. He decided to make a trip to the kitchen to -see how Mrs. Butler was getting on with supper.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">93</span> -“Lands sake!” she exclaimed when he asked her how long it would be -before he could eat. “Land sakes, you’re getting as bad as your -brother—always thinking of filling your stomach.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s the right time of the day to be thinking of that,” he told -her. “Say, where’s Phil, anyway?”</p> - -<p>“I suppose he’s in the living room with your grandfather and that Mr. -Caldwell who came to see the candlesticks a while ago.”</p> - -<p>“He <em>is</em>!” Now wasn’t that a fine kettle of fish, he thought. Here -he was missing out on a very important event while he dawdled around in -the kitchen talking with Mrs. Butler.</p> - -<p>He hurried down the hall. The door to the living room was partially -closed. Ronnie poked his head through the opening. The two Rorth -candlesticks were standing on the desk. Mr. Caldwell was seated near -them and Grandfather directly across from him. Phil was lolling on the -couch, his bare feet resting on the wall and his head propped up with -a pillow. He seemed more interested in the comic magazine on his chest -than what was going on in the room.</p> - -<p>Grandfather caught sight of Ronnie. “Come in, boy. Come in.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie pushed the door open the rest of the way and came over to sit on -the floor near Grandfather’s chair.</p> - -<p>“I have just finished explaining to Mr. Caldwell that if he really has -a pair of candlesticks like these,” Grandfather said to Ronnie, “and if -they have come down to him through the family, then I guess we can be -pretty sure he’s related in some way to the Jacob Williams who was a -partner of your great-great-grandfather.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">94</span> -Ronnie gulped. Grandfather had told Mr. Caldwell all this? But, why? -<em>Why?</em></p> - -<p>His amazement must have shown in his face, for Grandfather gave him a -searching look and explained gently, “It’s got to be that way, Ronald. -There would be no advantage in keeping the information from him. You -see, the Seaway has learned of the unsettled title to the deserted -village land. At first I thought this would help me—I thought they -would be snarled up in such legal troubles that it would be better for -them to build the dam the way we want than to be held up for a year, -maybe more, fighting us in the courts. But it doesn’t work that way, I -learned. The Seaway just puts half the value of the property away in a -bank in trust, and if and when the person who’s got a claim on the land -shows up, why, the money’s there and waiting.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” Ronnie said. Only he didn’t, not really.</p> - -<p>“This way the whole affair’s settled, once and for all.” He looked -closely at Ronnie to see how the boy was taking what he had said.</p> - -<p>“Confound it, Ronnie,” he went on, his face flushing slightly. -“Confound it, you don’t think I <em>like</em> what’s going on, do you? -I’m still fighting, boy, fighting for the village. And saving the -village from being destroyed, that’s the important thing. Maybe with -Mr. Caldwell as a half-owner, we’ll add strength to our side of the -fighting. Seems to me this man’s kind of keen on saving the village, -too.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie looked over at Caldwell. “Are you, Mr. Caldwell?” he asked. -He wasn’t seeing Caldwell, not really. He was seeing the man who had -slipped into the padlocked building that afternoon, the man who had -overturned furniture and thrown the family papers about on the floor.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">95</span> -“Very much so, Ronald,” Mr. Caldwell answered. He spoke with genuine -feeling. Perhaps it wasn’t fair to accuse him, Ronnie told himself. He -had never made a positive identification. And yet—yet there were so -many times that Ronnie had <em>almost</em> been sure.</p> - -<p>“This comes as such a complete surprise,” Mr. Caldwell was speaking -again. “I shall certainly have to look into the matter. I suppose there -are agencies that will trace a family tree?”</p> - -<p>Grandfather nodded. “I’d get myself a good lawyer, if I were you. He’ll -tell you if you’ve got claim to the property.”</p> - -<p>“My brother was the one who was interested in our family tree—and the -family history of the candlesticks. As a boy, he was always snooping -through old trunks and boxes in the attic.” Caldwell went over and -stood before the candlesticks, touching the glass crystals lightly -and lovingly with the tips of his fingers. “Beautiful, beautiful -workmanship,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you ask your brother?” Phil rolled over to a sitting -position. “Maybe he’s been holding out on you. Maybe he knows all about -the property.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Caldwell did not look around. “I—I’m afraid that’s impossible,” he -answered finally. “He’s—away.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie brought his knees up against his stomach and then wrapped his -arms about his legs to hold them close. He looked over at Caldwell. -How much did the man <em>really</em> know? Was this all a put-up -job—pretending he had no knowledge of his relationship to Jacob -Williams? Acting as if he didn’t know a thing, so Ronnie would not -connect him with his mysterious prowlings about the village?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">96</span> -Ronnie sighed. It was all very puzzling. But somehow he couldn’t -believe that Mr. Caldwell was guilty of deceiving them. Ronnie had to -admit to himself that he liked the man.</p> - -<p>The room had grown darker. Off in the distance Ronnie heard the low -rumble of thunder. The back door slammed shut and Mr. Rorth came down -the hallway and poked his head into the room. “Hi, everyone,” he said -cheerfully. “Mr. Caldwell, how are you? By the way, I dropped some -screen doors and windows off at your place, but I didn’t have time to -put them up. I left some nails and a hammer, though, and you can tack -them up temporarily.”</p> - -<p>“Many thanks!” Caldwell said. “I can certainly use the screens! I never -knew there were so many insects in the world until I came here. Too bad -you left the hammer, though. I have one of my own.”</p> - -<p>Whose hammer, Ronnie wondered? Caldwell’s—or was it the one that had -disappeared from Bill’s barn?</p> - -<p>The room grew another shade darker. A brilliant flash of lightning -dispelled the darkness for a brief moment, and then the thunder broke. -The house vibrated from the sound.</p> - -<p>Mr. Caldwell moved toward the door. “I’d best be going before the storm -breaks.”</p> - -<p>“Come along,” Mr. Rorth offered, “and I’ll take you most of the way in -the truck. You’ll never make it before it rains.”</p> - -<p>The truck was hardly out of sight when the rain fell in torrents. -Ronnie, at the living room window, watched the puddles grow deeper -and deeper. The rain turned to hail and beat against the pane like a -kettledrum solo. A streak<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">97</span> of lightning split the black clouds and -pierced the earth. Almost immediately a crack of thunder seemed to -explode overhead. The rain fell heavier.</p> - -<p>Ronnie turned from the window and let the curtains fall back into -place. Grandfather got up from his chair. “I might as well do a little -DXing while I wait on supper to be served up,” he announced. “Ronnie, -does that sound interesting to you?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so, Gramps. Really, you shouldn’t DX during a -thunderstorm.”</p> - -<p>“Fiddlesticks! Rubbish! If the lightning’s got your name written on -it, it’ll strike you no matter what! Besides, what’s there left for me -around here now?”</p> - -<p>He stomped from the room as fast as his cane would permit. Phil turned -over heavily on the couch, bringing his magazine around with him. -Ronnie watched his brother for a moment, then turned and left the room.</p> - -<p>He went upstairs to his bedroom because he could think of nothing -better to do. For a while he stood by his window watching the storm. -Below, he saw his father’s truck drive into the yard and come to a -quick stop. Mr. Rorth got out and ran for the back door.</p> - -<p>And down in the deserted village Ronnie saw another figure running in -the rain. The figure appeared out of the trees and ran toward the rear -wall of the padlocked building. It disappeared from sight behind the -building. Ronnie waited for it to reappear, but the minutes passed -without another movement in the village.</p> - -<p>The boy remembered Great-great-grandfather’s words in his diary: “His -body lies below, together with the evidence of his guilt.” There was -no doubt in the boy’s mind now<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">98</span> what his great-great-grandfather had -meant. Down below the padlocked building, of course.</p> - -<p>And Ronnie remembered, too, how savagely the stranger had attacked the -interior of the building that afternoon overturning furniture, pounding -on the walls, scattering the papers.</p> - -<p>It wouldn’t be long, Ronnie realized, before the man would begin to rip -up the floor boards.</p> - -<p>“Bill and I have <em>got</em> to get there first!” he told himself.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">99</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="xiii"><em>Chapter 13</em></h2> - -<p class="first">The thunderstorm did not roll away to bother other parts of the country -as thunderstorms usually do. Instead, it turned into a steady downpour -that showed no signs of letting up. The barnyard flooded and the water -ran down the driveway in small streams that washed away the gravel and -left gullies along the edges.</p> - -<p>All night it rained, and when Ronnie awoke the next morning it was -still coming down. After breakfast the boy moved from one room to -the next, trying to decide what to do. He was worried about what the -intruder might have discovered during the night. Perhaps by now he had -found the money and glassware and had already left the village with his -loot.</p> - -<p>Ronnie made up his mind. He went to the telephone and called Bill. He -told him about the figuring he had done, how he believed the money and -glassware were hidden somewhere beneath the padlocked building, and how -he was afraid the intruder might already have found it. “We’ve got to -work fast, Bill,” he said urgently.</p> - -<p>“I’m with you, Ronnie,” Bill agreed. “I can get away, I think. Can -you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">100</span> -“I’ll wear boots and my raincoat and cape. My dad’ll say yes, for sure.”</p> - -<p>“Then I’ll see you there! And bring the ledger book. I want to see the -part you’re talking about. Meet you in our office in twenty minutes.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie went to find his father to get permission. “Now how in the world -would I know where he is?” Mrs. Butler protested. She had just arrived -and was removing her plastic raincoat and hat. “Go look in the barn. He -generally works there when the weather’s bad like this.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie dashed across the yard and sailed through the open barn doors. -He found his father at his workbench cutting tomato poles from old -boards on his power saw.</p> - -<p>“Sure, go ahead,” Mr. Rorth agreed. “A little rain’s not going to hurt -anybody.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie ran back to the house. He went up to his room and got the -ledger. Then he got his boots, raincoat, and rubber raincape from the -hall closet. Phil appeared from the kitchen. “Where are you heading -for, Ronnie?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I’m meeting Bill down at the village. Want to come?”</p> - -<p>Phil looked at Ronnie as if his brother had asked him to go to the -moon. “Are you kidding?” he laughed. “I wouldn’t go out in this weather -if the house was on fire.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie slipped the ledger under his raincoat where it would be -protected from the weather. “Say,” Phil demanded, “what’s that?”</p> - -<p>“Just a book,” Ronnie answered. He wasn’t going to take the time now to -explain. Besides, Phil knew so little about what had happened during -the past few days that Ronnie would have to start at the beginning if -his brother were to understand how important the book was.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">101</span> -“Yea, but what <em>kind</em> of a book?” Phil persisted. Ronnie retreated -toward the door, but Phil followed him.</p> - -<p>“Oh, an old book I found in the padlocked building,” Ronnie admitted -finally as he opened the door and stepped out onto the porch.</p> - -<p>“Say,” he heard Phil exclaim as the door closed on his words. -“Something’s going on around here—”</p> - -<p>Ronnie splashed through the puddles in the driveway and entered the -orchard. The rain drummed down on his rubber hood. Little rivers -drained from his shoulders. He held the book tight as he plunged down -the soggy bluff and entered the trees at the bottom.</p> - -<p>Down in the valley he breathed deep of the pungent odor of pine, -released by the long rain. Off to the right, partially hidden by the -ground fog that had been trapped beneath the heavy foliage when the -cooler rain touched the warm earth, Ronnie saw the old bakery building. -Its broken, crumbled walls and sections of rotting roof seemed -unusually deserted and lonely in the faint light.</p> - -<p>Ronnie shivered suddenly and continued down the narrow path. Wet -branches snapped back against his raincoat and sprayed water into his -face. He stopped a moment to shift the ledger higher up under his arm.</p> - -<p>And then suddenly there was a movement in the bushes at the side of the -path. Before the boy could turn, someone seized him from behind and, -grasping his arms, pinned them behind his back. Ronnie felt the ledger -slipping from his hold. It started to fall beneath his raincoat.</p> - -<p>He struggled to free himself, but his assailant was strong. He tried, -too, to twist his head about so he could see who it was. But his -raincape blocked his vision on both sides.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">102</span> -“All right, kid!” A man’s voice growled close to the boy’s ear. “Let’s -have it!”</p> - -<p>“H—have w—what?” Ronnie gasped.</p> - -<p>“The book I saw you kids looking at yesterday in that shack of yours.” -The man tightened his grip on the boy’s arms, and Ronnie winced. And -just at that moment the ledger slipped to the ground.</p> - -<p>“So you’ve got it with you, eh? Well, that’s so much the better!” The -man loosened his grip somewhat. Then he gave Ronnie a terrific shove -that sent the boy sprawling headlong into the wet leaves.</p> - -<p>Ronnie was more angry than he was hurt. He had just one idea in his -mind—to get a close look at this man now that he had the opportunity. -No sooner had he struck the ground than he rolled over and pulled -himself up to a sitting position.</p> - -<p>The man was bending over to pick up the ledger. But when he -straightened up he was facing directly toward the boy. Ronnie found -himself face to face with his opponent.</p> - -<p>“Mr.—Mr. <em>Caldwell</em>!” Ronnie exclaimed. The man’s thin summer -clothes were soaked to the skin and his thick, straight hair was matted -to his head on top and hanging over his forehead in ropelike strands.</p> - -<p>But Caldwell paid no attention to the boy’s remark. Book in hand, he -walked off down the path in the direction of the old bakery.</p> - -<p>“Give me back my book!” Ronnie shouted after him. “Why, why—you—” He -took off after the man, leaping onto his back and clinging there with -all his strength.</p> - -<p>But he was no match for Caldwell. With his free hand<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">103</span> the man released -the boy’s grip from about his neck. Then, still holding Ronnie’s wrist, -he flung the boy from him. Ronnie sailed into the bushes, rolled over -several times and came to a stop. By the time he had pulled himself to -his feet Caldwell had disappeared.</p> - -<p>Dejectedly the boy turned and made his way slowly toward their office -to tell Bill the disheartening news.</p> - -<p>Bill had the door unlocked, but closed, to keep out the rain and chill. -Ronnie came inside, pulled off his raincape. He didn’t have to tell -Bill that something unpleasant had happened. His friend read it in -Ronnie’s face.</p> - -<p>“You did everything you could have done,” Bill said to him after Ronnie -had told him the story. “Don’t feel bad about it.” Bill went over -to sit on the edge of the desk. “So it <em>has</em> been Caldwell all -along—and him acting so sweet and nice. You sure, Ronnie?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie nodded. “It was him all right. Of course, he looked a little -different because he was as wet as a drowned rat.”</p> - -<p>“You mean he wasn’t wearing a raincoat—or anything like that?”</p> - -<p>“Nope.” It did seem strange, now that Ronnie had time to think about -it. Certainly Caldwell would have brought enough clothing with him for -all kinds of weather. But hadn’t he <em>seen</em> Caldwell face to face? -Raincoat or no raincoat, it <em>was</em> Mr. Caldwell all right! “Well, -<em>now</em> what do we do?” he asked Bill.</p> - -<p>“Why, just what we planned, of course!” Bill explained. “And maybe -we’ve got the jump on Caldwell after all! Because why would he take the -ledger from you if he had found the money and glassware, or knew where -it was?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">104</span> -“I see what you mean!” Ronnie exclaimed. “He wouldn’t <em>need</em> the -ledger if he was close to finding the money and glassware.”</p> - -<p>“Right! He’s probably getting desperate. He saw us with the old book -and decided it might contain an answer to what he wanted to know. Maybe -he even heard us reading parts of it.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie walked over to the window. Streams of water ran down from the -roof. The wind was lifting now and the trees were bending under its -force. Ronnie turned to face his friend. “Bill, if I hadn’t seen -Caldwell face to face, I don’t think I could believe he’s the man who’s -been doing all this snooping. And you know, even while he was grabbing -me back there on the path, I didn’t think it was him. He just didn’t -talk like Caldwell—or act like him either.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you never do really know a man until you’ve been around him a -good long while—that’s what my pa says.” Bill pulled his raincape over -his head. “We’re just wasting time sitting here and talking. Let’s get -over to the padlocked building. I brought a flashlight. Did you bring -the key?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie patted his trouser leg. “Right here in my pocket!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>They closed the door to their office and started down the puddle-filled -path. The rain beat against their raincapes and coats, and overhead the -trees lashed wildly in the rising wind. A dead branch fell to the path -behind them.</p> - -<p>When they reached the cobblestone road they saw Phil coming toward -them, huddled inside his raincoat and pushing against the wind. “I -figured something was up,” he said to Bill and Ronnie when he had -reached them. “Come on,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">105</span> out with it. What have you two got up your -sleeves—and where’s that old book you had, Ronnie?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie glanced at his friend. Bill nodded that as far as he was -concerned he didn’t care if Phil was brought in on their venture. So -while they walked to the padlocked building, Bill and Ronnie supplied -Phil with whatever information he needed to bring him up to date.</p> - -<p>When they arrived at the old Rorth Glassworks office building, Ronnie -brought the key from his pocket and inserted it in the rusty lock. He -tried to turn the key but it wouldn’t budge. It wouldn’t turn for Bill -or Phil, either.</p> - -<p>“We’ll have to use Caldwell’s secret trap door,” Ronnie said, and they -hurried around to the rear of the building.</p> - -<p>Ronnie removed the wall section and the three climbed through. Bill lit -his flashlight. Then Ronnie closed the trap door again because, as he -explained to the others, “We don’t want Caldwell to know we’re in here.”</p> - -<p>Bill was exploring the interior with the flashlight. He whistled. “Wow! -Caldwell sure turned this place upside down!”</p> - -<p>Ronnie nodded. Hardly a square foot of the floor was bare of paper or -overturned filing cabinet and desk drawers. Even a few floor boards -here and there were torn loose.</p> - -<p>“Looks just like my bedroom when Mrs. Butler yells at me,” Phil -commented.</p> - -<p>“We’ll never find a way down below with all this clutter,” Ronnie -remarked. “Maybe we should clean up first.”</p> - -<p>Bill agreed and the three set to work picking up the papers and -stuffing them back in the drawers. Next they moved all the furniture to -one side of the room and returned the drawers to their places in the -desk and filing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">106</span> cabinet. “Now we’ll give this cleared side of the room -a real going-over!” Bill said. “Then we’ll move everything to the other -side and search that part. Come on, Phil, let’s get with it.”</p> - -<p>Phil was lighting matches and peering under the floor boards Caldwell -had loosened. “O.K.,” he mumbled.</p> - -<p>They started in the corner and worked systematically back and forth -across the room, taking a few boards at a time. It was Bill’s idea that -Jacob Williams had made some sort of a secret trap door for himself, -and that if the boys searched carefully enough they could find it. -“Then we won’t have to tear up any more of the floor the way Mr. -Caldwell’s done,” he said.</p> - -<p>Bill was working with his penknife at the rear of the building toward -the fireplace. He was jabbing into the wider cracks with the blade, and -then prying upward, hoping to dislodge any loose section. Suddenly he -let out a little cry of triumph.</p> - -<p>Phil didn’t hear Bill because he was inside the fireplace lighting more -matches while he explored. But Ronnie heard him and came over to find -out what he had discovered. “Look, Ronnie,” he said. “I’ve got these -boards up a little way. But I need something stronger. My knife’ll snap -if I push any harder.”</p> - -<p>“Hold everything!” Ronnie directed. During clean-up, Ronnie had seen -a pair of old fire tongs leaning against the fireplace. He found them -easily in the dark and brought them to Bill. Bill examined them by the -light of his flashlight. The ends were flattened like the ends of a -screwdriver. Just the implement they needed!</p> - -<p>Bill inserted the flattened end of the tongs into the crack,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">107</span> removed -the penknife, and pushed down with all his weight. Then he pried the -tongs backward. A section of the flooring began to move upward. Ronnie -grabbed the loose end and pulled. An entire section of the floor came -free.</p> - -<p>“Zowie!” Bill exclaimed. “We’ve found it!”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">108</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="xiv"><em>Chapter 14</em></h2> - -<p class="first">Bill’s flashlight broke the inky blackness beneath the opening.</p> - -<p>Three feet below the floor of the office building, Ronnie saw the dry, -hard, crusted earth on which the footings of the building rested. Into -this for a distance of some six feet beneath the trap door, old Jacob -Williams had dug a slanting hole that ran down to the top of an old -drainage culvert. The brick arch, which formed the roof of the culvert, -had been broken through. Below the break-through, the culvert ran in -both directions parallel to the side of the building.</p> - -<p>“Wow!” Bill exclaimed, playing his light about. “A tunnel! And it’s -plenty high enough to walk through, too!”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet it used to carry drainage water from the village down to the -St. Lawrence,” Ronnie added.</p> - -<p>“Just the kind of place Jacob Williams would want for hiding the -glassware!”</p> - -<p>Phil, hearing the excitement, came over and crouched down beside the -others. He peered over the edge and looked down into the hole.</p> - -<p>Ronnie was trying to estimate the distance to the bottom of the -culvert. He figured it in sections. From the floor<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">109</span> of the building -to the ground level was a “crawl space” of about three feet. Then the -hole Jacob Williams had dug was another six feet. That added up to nine -feet. The culvert itself, at the highest point in the arch, was another -six or seven feet.</p> - -<p>Fifteen feet. To Ronnie looking down into the blackness, it seemed more -like a hundred and fifteen!</p> - -<p>“We aren’t thinking of going <em>down</em> there, are we?” Phil asked. “I -suffer from claustrophobia, I’d like you both to know.”</p> - -<p>Bill looked over at Phil. “And we suffer—just hearing you talk,” he -said, grinning a little. Then he looked at Ronnie. “Think we can get -down without a ladder or a rope?” he asked.</p> - -<p>Ronnie studied the problem. “Yes, I think so,” he answered finally. -“We’ll take it in stages. You know—climb down there to the ground -first, then slide down the hole to the top of the culvert. There’s room -to stand there. Then we can swing ourselves down through the opening in -the brickwork.”</p> - -<p>Phil gulped. “That sounds like an awful lot of work,” he said. “And -even harder to get <em>up</em> again.”</p> - -<p>“Nobody’s twisting your arm and making you go,” Bill said.</p> - -<p>Ronnie went first, holding Bill’s flashlight. The others waited above -in the darkness, peering over the edge to watch Ronnie’s progress. -Ronnie had no trouble lowering himself to the ground level. Then he -sent the light from the flashlight down into the hole Williams had dug.</p> - -<p>The remains of an old ladder lay in pieces along the sides of the hole. -Ronnie noticed, too, that steps had been<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">110</span> made leading down to the -top of the culvert—pieces of split log hammered into the earth but -protruding far enough to provide a foothold.</p> - -<p>The boy tried the first one. It sustained his weight. He tried -another—and another. He looked up at Bill and Phil and grinned. Things -were going just fine!</p> - -<p>He smiled too soon. The fourth step broke under his weight. His feet -flew out from under him and his back struck the side of the hole. He -slid the rest of the way, carrying with him an avalanche of dirt and -pebbles.</p> - -<p>Luckily, he managed to keep himself from plunging through the opening -in the brickwork and down into the culvert. “You all right?” he heard -Bill calling down.</p> - -<p>“I’m O.K.,” he answered. His voice echoed back hollow and distant from -within the culvert.</p> - -<p>He sat down with his legs hanging over the edge of the broken brickwork -and flashed the light down into the darkness. The bottom looked -sandy—silt carried there by the drainage water over many years. There -was no way to climb in. He’d have to drop.</p> - -<p>He tucked the flashlight under his belt beneath his raincoat and began -to slip forward. Then, when he was on the very edge, he let his body -fall forward.</p> - -<p>He struck bottom on his feet, but the momentum threw him forward and -he landed face first on a patch of slimy sand. Picking himself up, -he found his flashlight and pressed the button. Light bored through -the pitch-blackness. The brick walls were slimy and green, and water -dripped through the bricks and dropped to the floor. In places sand -and earth had seeped through the cracks in the masonry and had formed -mounds and valleys along the culvert floor.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">111</span> -He looked up and saw Bill and Phil peering down at him under the light -from his flashlight. “What’s it like down there?” Bill asked.</p> - -<p>“Kind of—kind of spooky,” he answered. He heard his voice come back to -him from both ends of the culvert.</p> - -<p>“I’ll be with you in a minute,” Bill called. “Shine the light along the -way.”</p> - -<p>Five minutes later both Phil and Bill had joined Ronnie in the culvert.</p> - -<p>“Nice place to hold a Halloween party,” Phil commented. “I’m kind of -glad now that I decided to come down to the village to see what you two -were cooking up!”</p> - -<p>Bill retrieved his flashlight from Ronnie and began to explore the -culvert with it. “Wow!” he exclaimed suddenly. “Take a look over where -the light’s pointing.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie saw a crude shelf supported by sapling logs which rested on the -culvert floor. The shelf ran for six to seven feet along the side of -the wall, and on it were a number of wooden crates. Protruding from the -excelsior with which the crates were packed, Ronnie could see a number -of glass cannisters, goblets, decanters, and flasks of different colors.</p> - -<p>“Oh, boy!” Bill exploded. He ran forward and removed one of the -pieces, holding out a beautiful rose-tinted goblet of frail, delicate -glass. Around the belly of the piece ran a band of men and women in -eighteenth-century dress, etched into the surface like autumn frost.</p> - -<p>The others had moved to the shelf, too. “Hey, pig,” Phil said to Bill, -“how about sharing some of that light so we can get a look at some of -this stuff, too!”</p> - -<p>Bill laid the light on the shelf and pointed it so Ronnie<span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">112</span> and Phil -could use it, too. Ronnie lifted another of the crates to the floor. -One by one he removed a set of six wine-glasses and a decanter to match -and placed them on the floor in a nest of excelsior.</p> - -<p>Phil, however, had his eye on something different. He was interested in -a small metal box at the end of the shelf. He took it down, brushed off -the flakes of rust and tried to open the lid. It was rusted fast.</p> - -<p>Bill had reached the bottom of his crate, and now he was carefully -packing the contents back as he had found them. He turned to Ronnie. -“It’s not going to be easy getting these crates out of here,” he said. -“We don’t want to break any.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie nodded. “I know. Yet we can’t leave them here for Caldwell to -claim. One of us will have to go for a rope.”</p> - -<p>“There’s one in the Glassworks building that we were using to haul junk -outside. Maybe we can persuade Phil to go and get it.”</p> - -<p>“Fat chance of doing that!”</p> - -<p>A sudden squeal of surprise and wonderment from Phil interrupted their -discussion. Phil came over to them with the opened metal box in his -hands. “Boy, oh, boy!” he exclaimed. “Have <em>I</em> hit real pay dirt. -Just focus your eyes on what’s inside this box!”</p> - -<p>Ronnie peered inside while Phil held the box so the light from the -flashlight could reach the interior. “Th-the money!” Ronnie gasped.</p> - -<p>“You bet it’s the money!” Phil echoed. He took out a roll of bills and -a handful of gold and silver coins. “And plenty of it, too!”</p> - -<p>“Wow!” Bill exclaimed. “Now we can save the village. We can build the -dam! How much is there, Phil?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">113</span> -The bills had been rolled and tied with a piece of cord. Phil opened -the roll easily. Bill got the flashlight from the shelf and they -crouched together in a group while, one by one, Phil laid the big -old-fashioned bills in a pile. There were mostly twenties and hundreds, -with a few fives and tens. Altogether, Phil counted over two thousand -dollars.</p> - -<p>They examined the gold and silver coins next. With these their total -came to twenty-one hundred dollars.</p> - -<p>“Put the money back in the box,” Ronnie directed. “We’ve got to work -fast. I sure feel uneasy about Mr. Caldwell coming back.”</p> - -<p>“You two get the crates over underneath the opening,” Bill said, “and -I’ll run over to the glassworks and get the rope. We’ll have this stuff -out of here and locked up in our office before Caldwell even knows -what’s going on. Then I’ll ask Pa to come down with the truck and we’ll -take it up to your house, Ronnie.”</p> - -<p>Bill had some trouble getting back up to the padlocked building, but -he finally made it. When he had gone, Ronnie set to work lifting the -crates from the shelf and carrying them over to the floor beneath the -opening. Phil seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of matches, and he -left Ronnie to explore up the culvert. By the time Ronnie had finished, -Phil was back. He had a sheepish look on his face, but he was a little -pale, too.</p> - -<p>“What’s eating you?” Ronnie demanded.</p> - -<p>“I—I just met up with Jacob Williams,” Phil answered. “I mean—what’s -left of him.”</p> - -<p>“You mean—you mean his bones are down there?” Ronnie asked, motioning -in the direction Phil had just come<span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">114</span> from. It really shouldn’t surprise -him, of course, he told himself. Great-great-grandfather Ezra had -mentioned in his diary that he had found Jacob Williams’ body “down -below” and that he didn’t have the strength to get him up.</p> - -<p>When Bill returned with the rope, the three set to work bringing the -crates up to the padlocked building. It was hard, exacting work. One -end of the rope was tied to a rafter in the building and the other -end fastened securely about one of the crates. Then it was a matter -of pulling from the top and guiding the box along the way so that it -didn’t crash against the sides at any time.</p> - -<p>In all, there were six crates to be pulled up. The boys had removed -their raingear and cumbersome boots, but by the time they had finished, -they were dripping with perspiration and covered with dirt and grime.</p> - -<p>But even Phil hadn’t complained. There they were at last—the six -crates and the metal box, piled together in the center of the padlocked -building. The rest seemed easy in comparison. Two trips for each of -them and the crates would be safely stored in their office, ready for -the truck to pick them up.</p> - -<p>Ronnie was all smiles as he and the others stole a minute or two of -their precious time to sit down and catch their breaths. “Golly,” he -said, “I never once thought this would be such an exciting day when I -got up this morning.”</p> - -<p>“Neither did I,” Bill agreed. “When I saw the rain pouring down, I -thought for sure I was in for a real boring day. The most I thought -we’d get done was to maybe clean up another building.”</p> - -<p>“And when I got up,” Phil added, “I told myself to turn around and go -back to sleep.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">115</span> -Bill looked over at Phil curiously. “How come you’re so lazy, Phil?”</p> - -<p>Phil grinned back at him. “It just comes naturally, I guess.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie got up. He was on pins and needles for fear something might -happen before they got the money and glassware safely stowed away. He -looked over at the crates. “Maybe we could each carry two of them,” he -suggested, “and make it all in one trip.”</p> - -<p>“Not me!” Phil protested. “After hauling them up from below, you’re -lucky I’ll agree to carry <em>one</em>.”</p> - -<p>“Phil’s right,” Bill agreed. “We wouldn’t want to drop and break -anything. This glassware is pretty valuable, I’ll bet.”</p> - -<p>They put on their raingear and boots. Then each selected a crate and -moved it over to the trap door in the rear of the building. Ronnie set -his down so he could remove the section of wall.</p> - -<p>He didn’t have to. The trap door suddenly opened as if by itself.</p> - -<p>And there, framed in the opening, was Caldwell’s face and shoulders. He -had a gun in his hand.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">116</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="xv"><em>Chapter 15</em></h2> - -<p class="first">Ronnie’s heart began to tap-dance inside his chest. He knew, too, that -his mouth was open as wide as it would go and that he couldn’t do a -thing to close it.</p> - -<p>Caldwell stepped inside, holding the gun loosely in his hand. He -brought a flashlight from his pocket.</p> - -<p>“Take your light out of my eyes!” Caldwell commanded Bill.</p> - -<p>“Y—yes, sir,” Bill managed to say. The light clicked off. Caldwell’s -took its place. It was focused, not on the boys, but on the pile of -crates left in the middle of the room.</p> - -<p>“Now wasn’t that nice of you boys to find this stuff for me and to lug -it up, too. Of course you had a slight advantage over me, in that you -had the book longer than me. But I figured it out, too—and just in -time, it appears.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie was looking at a different Caldwell now as the man stood framed -in the light from the rear trap door. This wasn’t the Caldwell he had -known during the past days. This was a cool, deliberate, scheming -Caldwell. This was the man he had tangled with on the path earlier in -the day.</p> - -<p>Caldwell backed around toward the crates, keeping the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">117</span> gun and light -trained on the boys. With the gun in his right hand, and the flashlight -tucked under his left arm, he threw back the cover to the metal box.</p> - -<p>“Well, now,” he said, “this is just what I need! This will cover my -traveling expenses very nicely—with plenty left over besides.” He -picked up the bills and pushed them into his pocket, and then came back -to scoop up the coins. “You boys have been very helpful. Very helpful. -And since you’ve gone to all the trouble of carting this heavy stuff -upstairs for me, I might as well take it along, too. There’s always -some sucker antique dealer along the road who will give me a few bucks -for it.”</p> - -<p>Bill took a step forward, but stopped when Caldwell’s gun came up. “You -sure have had us fooled, Mr. Caldwell,” Bill said. “And we sure were -fools to have trusted you.”</p> - -<p>“Yea, sure, kid.” Caldwell seemed a little puzzled by what Bill had -said. “Well, enough of this. It’ll take me an hour to get loaded and -hit the road.” He swung the light around, searching for something. It -stopped when he found the open trap door leading down to the culvert.</p> - -<p>“O.K., you kids,” he ordered. “Supposing you climb back down into the -cellar.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie’s eyes widened as he gathered the full intent of the order. -“You—you’re not going to lock us up down there?” he gasped.</p> - -<p>“I sure am, kid. You don’t think I’m going to turn you loose so you can -bring the whole neighborhood after me, do you? I need plenty of time to -get this stuff out of here and to hit the road. Now get moving—all of -you.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie stood his ground. “I won’t go,” he said stubbornly.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">118</span> “Why, we’d -never get out of there. Nobody would ever find us,” he added.</p> - -<p>“Well, now, isn’t that too bad!” Caldwell sneered. “Now move before I -push you down—if that’s the way you want it.”</p> - -<p>“We’d better go,” Bill said.</p> - -<p>They filed dejectedly toward the opening in the floor. Bill went first -and Ronnie followed. Before taking his turn, Phil turned to Caldwell. -“How about paying us for bringing the stuff up anyway, huh?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Don’t get funny, kid.”</p> - -<p>“My name’s Phil—or don’t you remember?”</p> - -<p>“Look, kid, I don’t care one hoot what your name is. Now shake it up -before I help you.”</p> - -<p>When Phil’s head was below the level of the floor, Caldwell dropped the -trap door into place. Ronnie and Bill stood together below the opening -watching Phil descend, Bill holding the light for Phil to see by. -Above, they heard Caldwell driving several nails into the trap door. -Each blow echoed down the long lengths of the tunnel with a hollow -boom. Then suddenly it was silent again, a deep silence that told them -how far away from escape they really were.</p> - -<p>Ronnie shivered. Behind him he heard the steady, rhythmic dripping -of water against the culvert floor. He thought he heard Bill’s heart -beating too. Or was it his own?</p> - -<p>“Anybody got a deck of cards?” Phil asked suddenly and Bill and -Ronnie laughed. For the first time in his life Ronnie appreciated his -brother’s wisecracking.</p> - -<p>They decided then that the first thing they should do was to explore -the entire culvert in hopes that there might be some other way out -beside the trap door. Before they left,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">119</span> however, Ronnie climbed to -test the strength of the trap door, hoping that perhaps Caldwell’s -nails had not been well placed. It was an idle hope. The trap door was -as solid as the rest of the floor.</p> - -<p>Their explorations revealed that one end of the culvert ended in a -cave-in. The other end, sloping rapidly, ran to the river and was -flooded. “And that water’s rising, too,” Bill said to Ronnie as they -made their way back. “All this rain is flooding the river. And the -higher the river gets, the higher the water backs up in here.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie was almost afraid to ask the question that had come to his mind. -“Do you suppose—could the whole culvert get flooded?”</p> - -<p>Bill took Ronnie and Phil over to the wall and showed them several -lines of dried slime which had impregnated the brick. “Each one of -those lines,” he told them, “I’d guess was a water level mark. That -means the water has risen pretty high. One thing we can be sure -of, though, is that the water has never reached to the top of the -archway—not <em>yet</em> anyway.”</p> - -<p>“How come you know that?” Phil asked.</p> - -<p>“Because if it had, Caldwell wouldn’t be walking off with that roll of -money. It would have fallen apart.”</p> - -<p>“I wish it <em>was</em> falling apart,” Phil grumbled.</p> - -<p>They reached that section of the culvert below the building. Here they -selected a drier area of floor and sat down with their backs against -the wall. Bill turned off the flashlight to save the batteries. “O.K.,” -he said to the others. “So here we are—trapped. The only way of escape -is nailed shut. The water’s rising. How far we don’t know yet. Now, -what do we do?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">120</span> -Phil’s voice came out of the blackness. “Just go to sleep and wait -until somebody finds us.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll sleep until doomsday,” Ronnie told his brother. “Because -nobody’s ever going to find us here. Except for us, the only one who -knows about this—this dungeon is Mr. Caldwell and it doesn’t look as -if he’s going to tell anyone.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right, Ronnie,” Bill agreed. “And with the padlock still on the -door, who’s going to think of looking inside?”</p> - -<p>“And nobody’ll hear us shouting unless they <em>do</em> come inside,” -Phil added. “I—Yipes!”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” Bill demanded and switched on his flashlight. He -picked Phil out of the darkness. Phil was rubbing at the back of his -neck.</p> - -<p>“A—a drop of cold water went down my back.”</p> - -<p>“Is <em>that</em> all?” Bill grumbled disgustedly. “Well for pity’s sake, -put up your raincoat collar so you don’t scare me like that again. And -don’t yell out again unless it’s something serious.”</p> - -<p>“That’s serious. I could catch pneumonia—or something.”</p> - -<p>“Cut it out, Phil,” Ronnie protested. “We’ve got to <em>think</em>. Can’t -you get it through your thick skull that we’re in serious trouble?”</p> - -<p>“Sure I can. I just want to die smiling. I think Jacob’s skeleton was -smiling.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie was tired of Phil’s chatter, and he was tired of staring into -the blackness and seeing nothing, too. So he closed his eyes and rested -his head back against the hard, uneven brick. He wanted to think. -But he couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that he was all alone, a -thousand miles down in the bowels of the earth. He put his hand out -and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">121</span> found Bill’s shoulder and left it there because he felt some -comfort in knowing that his friend was so close. Bill shifted his -position closer to Ronnie. “Keep your chin up, Ronnie,” he heard Bill -whisper. “I’ve got an idea. It might just work.”</p> - -<p>Bill leaned over closer to Ronnie so his mouth was only a few inches -from his friend’s ear. “Here’s the pitch,” he said. “Remember the first -end of the culvert we visited—not the one by the river?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie nodded. “Yea,” he said, remembering Bill couldn’t see him.</p> - -<p>“And remember how it was all cave-in, just a big mess of broken brick -and dirt that had fallen in with it?”</p> - -<p>“Yea,” Ronnie said again.</p> - -<p>“Well, when I was flashing the light about, I noticed one place big -enough to crawl up into. It looked as if it went quite a way toward the -surface. Now, I was thinking maybe we could dig through to the surface -from there.”</p> - -<p>“Hey, Bill, that’s a cool idea! Let’s try it! But what’ll we dig with?”</p> - -<p>“I can jab away with my penknife. The dirt’ll keep falling down into -the culvert.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s go!” Ronnie exclaimed. He was tired of sitting. He wanted to do -something to help them escape—<em>anything</em>.</p> - -<p>Bill turned on his light. Phil was stretched out on the floor with his -eyes closed. “Come on,” Ronnie nudged him. “We’ve got things to do.”</p> - -<p>Bill explained his plan to Phil as they moved down the culvert. Phil -agreed that it was worth the try.</p> - -<p>They reached the end of the culvert. Bill played the beam of his -flashlight about among the giant slabs of concrete and brick that had -tumbled to the floor of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">122</span> culvert. Inky black crevices ran upward -between the pieces of rubble, and as Bill moved the flashlight about -looking for the crevice he had in mind, the jutting ends of the masonry -cast weird shadows upon the walls and floor.</p> - -<p>“There it is!” Bill said suddenly, holding his light steady. “That’s -the one. See how far up it goes?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie saw a twisting passage, which gradually grew smaller toward the -top. Halfway up, a giant slab almost sealed the crevice into two parts, -but Ronnie judged that there would possibly be room for Bill to squeeze -past.</p> - -<p>Bill removed his raingear and handed Ronnie the flashlight. “Keep the -light where I need it,” he instructed. Then he boosted himself into the -opening and began to worm his way upward. Protruding edges of brick -and mortar gave him support for his feet or a hold for his hands. Soon -Ronnie saw him enter the narrow aperture.</p> - -<p>Bill continued to edge forward, forcing his shoulders and arms between -the two giant slabs. Then he stopped and began to struggle. Ronnie -could see that he was wedged tightly between the two slabs.</p> - -<p>“H—help! I—I’m caught,” Ronnie heard Bill’s muffled voice.</p> - -<p>Ronnie slipped out of his raincoat and boots and handed the light to -Phil. Then he grasped the ledge of the lowest block of masonry and -pulled himself up into the mouth of the crevice. From here he worked -his way upward until his outstretched hands found Bill’s shoes. He took -a firm grip about his friend’s ankles—and pulled. Bill’s body did not -budge. Ronnie might just as well have tried to move the rubble.</p> - -<p>“It’s no use, Ronnie,” Bill said in a whimper.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">123</span> -“Keep your chin up, pal,” Ronnie answered. “I’ll think of a way. Just -don’t struggle or you’ll swell up and then it’ll be even harder to get -you free.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie lay back against the cold stone and tried to catch his -breath—and <em>think</em>. He <em>had</em> to find a way to free Bill. -With help so far away it was up to him to save his friend.</p> - -<p>A section of brick was jabbing into his back just under the shoulder -blades. He shifted his position to ease the discomfort. His shoulders -rubbed against a section of smooth, slimy moss—and an idea came to -him. He’d read stories of how the bodies of trapped men had been -greased, and then had slipped out quite easily. The nearest grease -bucket was in the barn, but wouldn’t wet slime do just as well?</p> - -<p>He twisted his body about so he could call down to Phil. “Get me a -good, big handful of that slime down at the other end of the culvert. -And hurry.”</p> - -<p>Phil nodded that he understood. He turned quickly and started for the -river end of the culvert, leaving Ronnie in the pitch-black. Ronnie -lay back against the rock and rested. Above him he heard Bill’s forced -breathing and an occasional groan. He heard the gentle dripping of -water, too, and felt something crawling down the back of his shirt.</p> - -<p>It seemed an eternity before Phil returned with both hands loaded with -slime, the flashlight tucked under his arm.</p> - -<p>Ronnie had to come down a way before the slime could be transferred to -his own hands. And now he’d have to work his way up again to where Bill -was caught, and he’d have to do it without the use of his hands. It -wasn’t going to be easy. With both hands cupping the precious stuff, he -had no way of holding on.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">124</span> -He managed it, however, using only his feet and elbows. Now his head -was alongside Bill’s knees and he could reach up and force the slime -between the rubble and his friend’s shoulders. Bill understood what -Ronnie was attempting to do, for he worked his body about to spread the -application. Inch by inch Bill squirmed his way backward—and suddenly -he was free.</p> - -<p>Then something happened that <em>Ronnie</em> hadn’t foreseen. Bill’s -shoulders came free so unexpectedly that before either Bill or Ronnie -could check the momentum, Bill had lost his balance. His body slipped -backward, struck the side of a concrete slab and landed on the culvert -floor with one leg doubled under him.</p> - -<p>Phil was already kneeling beside Bill’s body by the time Ronnie had -climbed down. The light from the flashlight was on Bill’s face. -“My leg. Oh, Ronnie, my leg!” Bill groaned and grimaced from the -pain. Sweat broke out on his forehead in large drops. His lips were -purple-blue and his face was as white as the sweat shirt he was wearing.</p> - -<p>“Ronnie,” Bill whispered, “Ronnie, <em>please</em>. Do something for me. -Please, <em>do</em> something.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">125</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="xvi"><em>Chapter 16</em></h2> - -<p class="first">Ronnie stooped down beside his friend and wiped the perspiration from -his forehead. “Sure, Bill, we’ll have you fixed up in no time,” he said.</p> - -<p>He took Bill’s raincoat and covered him with it, wrapping it around -underneath as far as he dared without moving the injured leg. Then -he set to work massaging Bill’s wrists and limbs to restore the -circulation. And all the while he worked, he was glad for those hours -of practice and study that he’d given to learning first aid at Scout -meetings and at home. His first-aid merit badge was proving its worth!</p> - -<p>He looked up at Phil. “Down the culvert I saw some boards that must -have washed in one time or another. I’ll need a couple of splints. Go -get them.”</p> - -<p>Phil nodded. Ronnie handed him the flashlight, and his brother moved -off down the culvert. Ronnie continued chafing Bill’s wrists in the -dark. He could feel the rapid pulse and knew that his friend was in -slight shock. He’d have to treat that first. The leg could wait. He -continued to massage Bill’s limbs and arms.</p> - -<p>Phil returned with an armful of boards. Ronnie signaled for him to drop -them and to take over the job that he had been doing. The flashlight -showed that the color was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">126</span> beginning to return to Bill’s face. His -pulse was slowing down to normal now, too.</p> - -<p>Ronnie got up and came around to kneel by Bill’s feet. He swallowed -hard. This was going to be a real tricky job—straightening out Bill’s -leg without compounding the fracture. Ronnie had done it plenty of -times in practice, but then there had been no broken bones that could -jab through the flesh if he made a wrong move.</p> - -<p>He reached in under the raincoat and felt his way forward until he -could get a hold on Bill’s shoe. When he was ready, he instructed Phil -to grasp Bill around the armpits and to lift him gradually. As the -weight of Bill’s body was removed from the leg, Ronnie took a firm grip -about Bill’s ankle and began the slow, tedious task of straightening -the leg. All the time he moved the leg out from under his friend’s -body, he applied a steady forward tension to keep the broken bone from -working into the flesh. Several times Bill cried out in pain.</p> - -<p>Now the leg was ready for splinting. Ronnie selected several of the -longer boards. He ripped sections from his own shirt and placed these -against Bill’s leg and laid the boards gently on top. Then he tore -strips of cloth and bound them about the boards and the leg until the -splints were firmly in place.</p> - -<p>Only then did he realize that he was soaking wet from perspiration and -that he was shivering from nervous tension. “There,” he said to Bill, -“I guess that’ll hold you until we get rescued.”</p> - -<p>Bill smiled weakly. “Thanks, pal,” he said.</p> - -<p>Ronnie turned to his brother. “Think we can carry him back to the spot -where we came in?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">127</span> -“We probably can,” Phil answered, “but I don’t think we ought to. You -see, the river’s risen since you were there, and that part of the -tunnel’s under a foot of water now.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie tried desperately not to let Bill know how frightened he was. -“Then—then we’ll put Bill up on that shelf where the crates of -glassware used to be.”</p> - -<p>“O.K.,” Phil answered. “That sounds like a good idea, because it isn’t -going to be long before the whole culvert’s covered with water. It’s -coming in fast!”</p> - -<p>Ronnie wished his brother could see his face so Phil would know what he -was thinking. Of all the stupid things to let Bill hear! It would be -simple for Ronnie and Phil to climb to a safe level in the crawl space -beneath the building, but never in a million years could they get Bill -up there. And Bill wouldn’t know, of course, that Ronnie would never -leave him behind—no matter how high the water rose.</p> - -<p>They brought Bill down the culvert without too much difficulty and -lifted him up onto the shelf where he could lie down. There was room -for Phil and Ronnie to sit, too, and although they had their boots on, -they preferred this to standing in the water.</p> - -<p>Now that Bill had been taken care of, Ronnie had time to think about -plans for their escape. He sat on the edge of the shelf with his feet -dangling over the edge and watched the water swirl in from the river. -He could go back and continue the plan that Bill had been attempting -before his accident. But somehow Ronnie doubted the wisdom of this. -There must be a better way.</p> - -<p>He looked over at Phil. “Got any ideas?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Ideas about what?”</p> - -<p>“Ideas about getting out of here, of course!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">128</span> -“Not right offhand,” Phil answered. “But I’ll think on it.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie didn’t want to count too heavily on that! Phil had never been -one for finding a way out of a scrape. Phil had always relied upon -his brother for an answer—or he had just simply evaded the issue -completely if that were possible.</p> - -<p>Bill raised his head a few inches and placed his arm underneath to -support himself. “Don’t try my idea,” he said, “it just won’t work. -Nobody but the thin man from the circus could get through that opening.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t intend to,” Ronnie answered. “Except maybe as a last resort.”</p> - -<p>“Yea,” Phil said. “And by that time you’ll be thin enough to squeeze -through.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie smiled a little at Phil’s remark. He turned off the flashlight -to save the batteries. “We’ve certainly made a mess of everything, -haven’t we?” Bill’s voice reached Ronnie from out of the darkness. “Let -the glassware and money slip right out of our hands. Got ourselves -trapped down here. Me with a busted leg. And I guess we’re about as far -from saving the village as we ever were. Well, my pa says it’s always -darkest before the dawn. Maybe things will get better from here on.”</p> - -<p>The silence closed in again, except for the steady dripping of water -against the flooded floor. It sounded to Ronnie as if a hundred distant -bells of different pitch were all ringing at the same time. It was hard -sitting here in the darkness, waiting ... wondering if they’d ever get -out again.</p> - -<p>“Ronnie?” Bill asked. “You suppose our folks are out looking for us -now?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">129</span> -“Maybe. Depending on how late it is. I’ve lost all idea of the time.”</p> - -<p>“Nobody’ll ever find us down here,” Bill continued. “They won’t even -look inside the padlocked building because they’ll see that the lock’s -still on the door. I wish we could attract their attention somehow.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got plenty of matches left,” Phil announced. “Want me to burn -down the building? Nobody could miss seeing <em>that</em>!”</p> - -<p>Ronnie wasn’t sure if Phil was being serious, or if this was another of -his attempts at humor. Whichever it was, Ronnie couldn’t go along with -his brother’s suggestion. With the building on fire, the culvert was -sure to fill with smoke and fumes, perhaps to the point where it might -suffocate them. “No, Phil,” he told his brother, “that’s too risky.”</p> - -<p>“Then how about just burning through the trap door?” Phil added. “How -about that?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie found himself shaking his head. “No, Phil. It would never stop -with the trap door. Besides, I don’t think we’ve got enough kindling to -get it started. No, we’ve got to think of a better way.”</p> - -<p>“Then how about <em>you</em> putting out with a few?” Phil demanded of -his brother.</p> - -<p>“Maybe I can if you’ll keep quiet for a few minutes.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie rested his chin on his palm and braced his elbow on top of his -leg. He stared into the blackness. There was some merit to Phil’s idea. -Not fire, of course. That was too dangerous. But some kind of a signal -that could be seen at a distance.</p> - -<p>He thought over all the different ways of signaling he’d<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">130</span> ever heard -of. There were whistles and bells and horns. There were lights and -radio beams, flags, hands, smoke.... The Indians had used smoke signals!</p> - -<p>Ronnie stiffened, straightening up. He let out a little high-pitched -sound of approval. “Ronnie?” Bill asked. “You all right, Ronnie?”</p> - -<p>“Sure I’m all right! I just had an idea that might work. I guess I -surprised myself with it!”</p> - -<p>“You sounded like something bit you,” Phil grumbled.</p> - -<p>“Let’s hear your idea, Ronnie,” Bill said.</p> - -<p>“Well, remember right after Caldwell nailed the trap door shut I went -up to test how strong it was? While I was there I saw a little metal -door in the base of the fireplace. You know, a door to an ash box.”</p> - -<p>“Sure, Ronnie, sure,” Bill said excitedly. “We’ve got one in our -fireplace—down in the cellar.”</p> - -<p>“Well, my idea is to build a real smoky fire in the box. It’ll travel -up to the fireplace and then on up the chimney—I hope!”</p> - -<p>“That’s a great idea!” Bill exclaimed. “I sure wish I could help you -with it.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll need kindling,” Ronnie went on. “There’s more of that where Phil -got your splints. But the real problem is finding something that’ll -give a lot of thick smoke and won’t burn up too quickly.”</p> - -<p>“Like rubber,” Phil said.</p> - -<p>“Say, Phil, you’re really using your brains at last!” Ronnie exclaimed. -“And rubber’s something we’ve got plenty of! Three raincoats, three -pairs of boots, and the soles off our shoes, too, if we need them.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got a penknife,” Bill said, his enthusiasm mounting<span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">131</span> as the pain -in his leg subsided. “You can cut the rubber into chunks and then feed -them into the fire. Why, with the supply we’ve got we can keep a signal -fire going for hours and hours!”</p> - -<p>They set to work immediately. Bill found he could help, too, after -he had pulled himself up to a sitting position. He used the knife to -cut up the heavier pieces of boots. Phil and Ronnie worked at the -raincoats, ripping the fabric, first into strips and then into smaller -pieces. Soon they had a large pile between them in the middle of the -shelf.</p> - -<p>Phil waded down the culvert to gather kindling. In the meantime Ronnie -took off his torn shirt and, tying a knot about the neck end, used the -piece of clothing as a sack to carry the chunks of rubber while he -climbed to the crawl-space above.</p> - -<p>Phil joined him in front of the ash box a few minutes later. “All I -could find was wet wood,” he told Ronnie. “The floodwater has picked it -all up. We’ll need something dry to get the fire started.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie inspected the wood Phil had brought. “Yes, I guess you’re right. -We’ll have to take part of the shelf. Suppose you go down and rip off a -few boards. You take the flashlight. I think I can manage in the dark.”</p> - -<p>It wasn’t easy breaking up the wood in the darkness. He was continually -hitting his head on the low floor beams. But by the time Phil returned -with the flashlight and several pieces of dry wood, Ronnie had most of -the work done.</p> - -<p>Then suddenly there were sounds overhead—footsteps creaking across the -floor, a muffled murmur of voices. Ronnie drew a deep breath and let it -all out in a shout. “Dad! Dad! We’re down here!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">132</span> -“Bust a hole in the floor if you can’t find the trap door!” yelled Phil.</p> - -<p>Ronnie’s heart beat wildly as he heard the screech of nails being -pulled from the wood. The trap door was lifted. Phil uttered a soft -groan of relief. And then an all-too-familiar voice said harshly, -“O.K.! Down you go!”</p> - -<p>For a moment the two boys stood frozen. Then, with a swiftness amazing -for him, Phil pointed the flashlight at the trap door. Caldwell was -standing near the opening, motioning with his gun to someone in the -shadows behind him.</p> - -<p>As the light struck him, Caldwell made a low, snarling sound and -whirled around to level his gun at the boys below. “Put out that -light!” he commanded.</p> - -<p>Phil obeyed hastily, but in the split second it had taken him to find -the switch, a second man had stepped into the light. Ronnie gasped. -He knew, from Phil’s simultaneous gasp, that he had not been dreaming. -There were <em>two</em> Mr. Caldwells!</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">133</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="xvii"><em>Chapter 17</em></h2> - -<p class="first">Huddled together in the dark, the two boys and the man heard the thud -of the trap door as it was dropped, the ring of a hammer against -the nails being driven back into the wood. Nobody spoke. Ronnie was -conscious of the heavy breathing of the man who had joined them in -their prison, of Phil’s shoulder pressing against his as though for -reassurance.</p> - -<p>In the building above there were footsteps again, an occasional thump -and scrape as though something were being dragged across the floor -toward the opening in the wall. For several moments there would be -silence; then the sounds would begin again.</p> - -<p>“The glass!” said Ronnie at last. “He’s taking the glass away.”</p> - -<p>“And he’s got the money,” Phil moaned.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Ronnie was angry. He grabbed the flashlight from Phil -and turned it full on their companion. “Who are you?” he demanded -furiously. “And who’s that guy upstairs?”</p> - -<p>Caldwell winced, then put his hand firmly on the flashlight and lowered -it so that the beam would not blind him. “One minute,” he said softly. -“Losing our heads won’t<span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">134</span> help. You know me. The man upstairs is my twin -brother; the black sheep of the family, I guess you’d call him.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Ronnie and Phil together. Ronnie saw the whole picture now. -He had felt all along that the man who had attacked him on the trail -and stolen the ledger couldn’t be the Caldwell he knew. He’d felt the -difference at the time, but what was he to think? The two men were -identical in appearance.</p> - -<p>“Larry arrived the same time I did,” Caldwell went on. The sounds above -had ceased and the cut-out piece of wall had been put back into place. -“But until today I had no idea that he was here. He appeared at my -cottage late this morning and demanded the keys to the station wagon. -When I refused, he threatened me with a gun.”</p> - -<p>“Your own brother pulled a gun on you?” Ronnie asked in amazement.</p> - -<p>“Something went wrong with Larry,” Caldwell answered seriously. “He’s -been in trouble all his life. In fact, he escaped from the state -penitentiary last week.”</p> - -<p>“He <em>did</em>!” Phil exclaimed. “Golly, a convict right here in the -village, and we never even guessed!”</p> - -<p>“But why did he hide out here?” asked Ronnie.</p> - -<p>“I figure he had two things in mind,” said Caldwell. “First, since the -deserted village has been opened to tourists, nobody would think of -looking here for an escaped convict. If he saw anybody coming, there -would be plenty of buildings to hide in. Second, Larry was obsessed -all his life by that old story about the stolen Rorth glassware and -the money and the murder. He said he knew the glass must be hidden -somewhere, because it had never showed up on the market.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">135</span> -“Well,” said Ronnie glumly. “He was right. He’s got it now, and the -money, too, and the old diary that proves Great-great-grandfather -didn’t murder his partner.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Caldwell wasn’t interested in the murder or the money. “Glass!” he -exclaimed. “Rorth glassware! You mean Larry found some here?”</p> - -<p>“Crates of it,” said Phil. “Only Ronnie and Bill and I found it. That’s -how come we’re down here, so we can’t tell on him.”</p> - -<p>“Rorth glass!” moaned Caldwell. “And here we are where it won’t even -do us a bit of good to think about it. I guess that’s why Larry put me -down here, too. He knew I’d move heaven and earth to get it out of his -hands.”</p> - -<p>“He’s probably miles away in your station wagon by now,” said Ronnie.</p> - -<p>The mild-mannered Caldwell suddenly turned and gripped Ronnie by the -shoulders. “Look!” he said fiercely. “We’ve <em>got</em> to get out of -here. It was nearly midnight when Larry brought me here. He had me -driving him around for hours looking for a road he could use to get -through the police road blocks. Then, after we found an old abandoned -logging road, he had me drive back here so he could pick up the loot -and put me down here where I couldn’t contact the police. It will be -daylight soon. Folks will be up and about before long. Isn’t there any -way we can let them know we’re here? If we all yelled at once, do you -think they’d hear us?”</p> - -<p>“The smoke signal!” Ronnie exclaimed, and at once began to break up the -dry wood Phil had brought. At the same time he explained their plan to -Caldwell, who thought it a good idea. “They won’t miss it,” he said. -“The whole<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">136</span> town’s been looking for you kids since yesterday afternoon. -They’ve scoured the village for you twice, to my knowledge, but, of -course, nobody thought to look underground.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie grinned, despite his anxiety. “Boy!” he said, “will we have a -story to tell!” Then he sobered. “If only that guy hadn’t gotten away -with the glass and the money!”</p> - -<p>“I’ve a feeling he won’t get far,” said Caldwell. “There’s been an -alarm out for him ever since he escaped. The police don’t fool around -in cases like this. My main concern is how we get out of this place. -What can I do to help?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing, frankly,” said Ronnie. “Phil and I will tend to the smoke -signals. There’s nothing else to do, unless you want to go back and -keep Bill company.” He explained what had happened to Bill’s leg, and -Caldwell was only too glad to do what he could to cheer the boy.</p> - -<p>“Tell him,” said Ronnie, “we’ll be out of here before he knows it.”</p> - -<p>Phil held the flashlight while Ronnie showed Caldwell the best way down -to the culvert. Then the two boys turned back to their work. Phil held -the flashlight against the ash box while Ronnie inspected it. The iron -door was rusted, but not enough to prevent Ronnie from swinging it -open. It squealed and protested and showers of rust flakes fell to the -ground.</p> - -<p>Ronnie poked the light inside and held his face to the opening. -“There’s an opening at the top,” he said to Phil. “It must go all the -way up into the fireplace, or else how did the ashes get down to the -box?”</p> - -<p>Using Bill’s knife, Ronnie shaved some of the kindling wood into -tiny splinters. He placed these in the ash box first, arranging them -carefully so there was sufficient air<span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">137</span> space between each piece. Over -these, in tepee style, he placed the larger pieces of dry wood. “All -ready for the match,” he told Phil, reaching for one.</p> - -<p>“Let me do it,” Phil insisted. “They’re my matches, and where would we -be now if I hadn’t grabbed a pocketful this morning?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie didn’t argue the point. He watched his brother apply the flame -to the kindling and saw the fire creep upward into the larger pieces.</p> - -<p>“So far, so good!” Ronnie exclaimed. The orange light from the fire was -reflected in Phil’s face. “Let’s put all the dry wood on first and get -as hot a fire as we can. Then we’ll use the wet stuff.”</p> - -<p>Soon they had quite a blaze going in the ash box. It crackled and -sputtered, and the metal banged every once in a while as it expanded -from the heat. The wet wood dampened the fire considerably after it was -applied, but as the pieces dried out from the heat, they too caught and -burned fiercely.</p> - -<p>“Now we’re ready for the rubber!” Ronnie announced later. He tossed the -first piece into the fire. It sputtered for a moment, melting about the -edges. A thick cloud of inky-black smoke filled the ash box and crowded -into the opening at the top.</p> - -<p>Ronnie threw in a few more pieces and then slammed the door shut to -keep the smoke inside. “Now all we can do is wait,” Ronnie said to his -brother.</p> - -<p>“And throw on more rubber,” Phil added.</p> - -<p>“—and maybe pray a little,” Ronnie said. If this didn’t work, what -else was there left for them to try?</p> - -<p>“Ronnie?” Phil asked softly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">138</span> -“Yes?”</p> - -<p>“How long can people live without food and water?”</p> - -<p>Phil must have been reading his mind, Ronnie thought. He’d been asking -himself the same question. “Seems to me I read that people live longer -without food than they can without water.”</p> - -<p>“That’s good, because we have plenty of water.” Phil switched off the -flashlight. Some light leaked through the cracks around the door of the -ash box.</p> - -<p>“Seems to me we ought to purify the water before we drink it,” Ronnie -said. He opened the door a bit to peer inside at the fire. The rubber -was burning slowly and the pieces that were now in the fire should last -for quite a while.</p> - -<p>“The heck with all that trouble,” Phil answered. “In an emergency like -this we can drink the water the way it is.”</p> - -<p>“It should be sterilized—if we can find a way to do it,” Ronnie -insisted.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m dying of thirst right now,” Phil said. He panted like a dog -to illustrate to Ronnie how much he needed a drink. “Think I’ll go down -and get one.”</p> - -<p>“Try to hold off for a while, huh, Phil?” Ronnie asked him. “Maybe we -can boil some water over this fire.”</p> - -<p>“Sure!” Phil growled. “I’ll hold it in my cupped hands while it heats -up! Be sensible, Ronnie. You know we’ve got nothing to heat it in.”</p> - -<p>But despite his arguing, Phil apparently decided to follow Ronnie’s -advice. He made no move to go below. Instead he switched the flashlight -on again, and picking up Bill’s penknife, began to jab at the floor -boards over his head. “Who knows,” he said, “maybe I can cut a hole -through and we can climb out.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">139</span> -But after five minutes of jabbing and poking and scraping Phil had -made a hole no bigger than a fifty-cent piece, and hardly as deep. -“Darnedest wood I ever cut into,” he complained.</p> - -<p>“Oak maybe—or chestnut,” Ronnie answered. He opened the door to the -ash box and threw in another piece of rubber. “Lumber was cheap in -those days, Phil. They didn’t skimp on buildings the way Dad says they -do today. I’ll bet those boards are an inch and a half thick. And you’d -need a hole a foot across before we could slip through.”</p> - -<p>“<em>I’d</em> need one a foot and a half!” Phil grinned. He went on -working with the knife, doubling his efforts by jabbing at the wood -from a greater distance and with more speed.</p> - -<p>“Now I went and did it!” he said disgustedly. The knife blade had -snapped near the hinge. He threw the broken piece of blade on the hard, -dry earth and stomped on it in anger. “Why the heck did I have to try -so hard?” he asked. “I’m always messing things up.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie wanted to scold his brother for being so careless with the -knife, but he bit his lip and kept quiet. They still had the small -blade, if as a last resort they needed a knife. And the way things were -going, it looked as if they were going to have to think of some other -way to free themselves. At least an hour had passed since Ronnie had -thrown on the first piece of rubber and the black smoke had rolled up -the chimney. Why hadn’t someone come? Was the smoke finding a way to -the top of the flues, or was it rolling out into the room overhead?</p> - -<p>They decided then that they’d take turns at keeping the fire fed. They -drew splinters of wood to see which of them would go first. Phil drew -the short one. “You’ll need more<span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">140</span> kindling from time to time,” Ronnie -told Phil as he prepared to go below and stretch out a bit on the shelf -and maybe talk to Bill or get some sleep. “Want me to bring some up?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll get it when I need it,” Phil replied. “There’s still some of this -wet stuff left. Say, who gets the flashlight?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll need it to get down below,” Ronnie said.</p> - -<p>“So I’ll light your way for you from here. Look, Ronnie, if I don’t get -the light, I don’t tend the fire. Then when you take over, you’ll get -the light.”</p> - -<p>“O.K.,” Ronnie agreed. “See you later.”</p> - -<p>The long hours dragged by. With each one that passed, Ronnie’s faith -in the smoke signals he had devised grew less and less. Twice he -relieved Phil. More wood had to be taken from the shelf, and now there -was barely room enough for Bill to sit upright. The water pouring in -from the St. Lawrence had risen another three feet. Soon the top of -the shelf would be awash. And still worse, their supply of rubber was -getting low. “Soon we’ll have to cut up the soles of our shoes,” Ronnie -said. “Why doesn’t someone come?”</p> - -<p>“I think it’s probably still dark out,” Phil said, “and no one can see -the smoke unless they’re close by.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie had lost all sense of time, and no one among them had a watch. -He’d slept a few times when he wasn’t tending the fire, short naps -during which he was more awake than asleep.</p> - -<p>Sometime later they used the small blade of Bill’s knife to cut the -heels and rubber soles from their shoes. Phil went up with Ronnie to -feed some of it into the fire. They lay on their sides before the ash -box. Phil picked up some<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">141</span> of the soft, powdery earth and watched it -sift through his fingers. “I wish I could eat this stuff,” he said. “I -wish I could eat <em>something</em>.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie nodded. “I’m hungry too,” he admitted. “It seems like days and -days that we’ve been down here.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie dropped off to sleep for a while, waking only long enough to -place another piece or two of the rubber into the fire. Soon the last -piece was gone. “That’s it,” he said to Phil. “That’s all there is.”</p> - -<p>But Phil didn’t hear him. He was asleep. Ronnie sat up, and opening -the door of the ash box, watched the last piece of rubber burn away to -nothing. Soon nothing remained within the box but a few black, cold -cinders.</p> - -<p>Now what, he asked himself? What was there left to try? If only he had -a tool of some kind—a pick or a shovel. With the pick he could smash a -way through the stout floor boards. With the shovel he could dig to the -surface. But he <em>didn’t</em> have a pick or a shovel. All he had was -Bill’s broken penknife. The little blade was left, of course, but it -wasn’t strong enough for such a giant job as cutting through the trap -door or the floor.</p> - -<p>But perhaps it would be better than doing nothing, better than just -waiting and hoping. It would take a long, long time. One little -splinter of wood after another. Minute after minute. Hour after hour. -Being very careful not to get angry as Phil had done and break another -blade.</p> - -<p>Eventually he might get through—if his strength lasted.</p> - -<p>He chose a spot where there were no knots and the wood looked softest. -Chip after chip he removed, each no longer or thicker than a needle. -“I’ll never get through,” he thought. “Not ever.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">142</span> -And then, like something in a dream, he heard voices overhead, muffled -and indistinct. Then he heard a louder sound—the crash of an ax -breaking through one of the walls. A section of the siding gave way -and crashed to the floor. The voices were louder now, and Ronnie heard -footsteps, too, crossing the room.</p> - -<p>“That was a smoke signal we saw from the chimney.” It was his father’s -voice speaking! “As sure as I’m standing here, it was a signal.”</p> - -<p>A wide grin broadened Ronnie’s face and lit up his eyes. The sound of -his father’s voice was the most wonderful thing he’d ever heard in his -life. “Dad! Dad!” he called. “We’re down here.”</p> - -<p>Then Ronnie turned and gently shook his brother. “You can wake up now, -Phil. Dad’s here,” he said.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">143</span> -</div> - -<h2 id="xviii"><em>Chapter 18</em></h2> - -<p class="first">A burning, August sun scorched the long stretches of the St. Lawrence -River Valley. For two weeks it had blazed down from a cloudless sky, -evaporating the last remaining moisture from the soil. Ronnie came out -of the house and crossed the barnyard, his bare feet stirring dust -clouds that hung behind him and marked his path. The powder-dry dust -felt as soft as talcum against the soles of his feet.</p> - -<p>Ronnie made his way toward the orchard. Here it was cooler, for the -earth was wet from days of irrigation.</p> - -<p>Ronnie spied his father’s blue overalls and white T shirt among the -peach trees to the right. “Pa?” he called.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Ronnie?” Mr. Rorth was reeling out a section of rubber hose, a -feeder line to connect to the main metal pipe that ran to the brook.</p> - -<p>“I got a call from Mr. Mercer just a while ago. You know him—he’s the -president of the historical society in town. He wants Bill and me to -come to a meeting tonight. He says the Seaway people will have a big -official there to discuss the village.”</p> - -<p>“That’s wonderful!”</p> - -<p>“Dad, will you drive us in?” Ronnie asked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">144</span> -“Tonight?” Mr. Rorth thought it over. “I think so. In fact, I’d kind of -like to sit in on that meeting myself. Maybe Gramps would like to go, -too.”</p> - -<p>“The heat’s got him bad,” Ronnie reminded his father.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know. But when it comes to the village, Gramps would go from -here to Timbuktu in the hottest weather.”</p> - -<p>Ronnie grinned. “Yes, I know.”</p> - -<p>He left his father then and swung off toward the village. He’d been -there only a few minutes when he saw two men approaching. One of them -was carrying a transit. They set up the transit on a level spot at the -top of the east side of the gap. One man stayed with the instrument, -while the other climbed to the other side of the stream and held up -a long measured stick. Ronnie went over to him. “What’re you doing, -mister?”</p> - -<p>“Surveying.”</p> - -<p>“I mean, how come you’re surveying?”</p> - -<p>“Because the boss sent me here, that’s why.” He looked over at the boy -and saw that Ronnie was more than just idly curious. “Well, it seems -there’s going to be a meeting tonight and the boss wants some figures -about whether it’s possible to build a cofferdam across this gap,” he -added.</p> - -<p>“Do you think it <em>can</em> be built?” Ronnie asked—and held his -breath while he waited for the answer.</p> - -<p>The man looked about him, examining the narrow valley with its steep, -tree-filled slopes. “Sure,” he answered. “Of course, that’s only -<em>my</em> opinion. Now beat it, kid. You’re taking my mind off the job.”</p> - -<p>Despite the heat, Ronnie began to run. He felt light all over. His feet -hardly seemed to touch the ground. The dam<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">145</span> <em>could</em> be built. Now, -if <em>only</em> the Seaway would agree to have it done. If the meeting -tonight was a success, he vowed, then there would be nothing more he -could ask for.</p> - -<p>He broke out of a thick clump of hemlock saplings and came out on the -riverbank just as his brother swung himself off the fallen tree trunk -on the end of their “ducking” rope. Phil arched out over the water with -his legs curled up against his body and then, letting go, dropped like -a bullet. He came up sputtering and spitting water and brushing his -hair from his eyes.</p> - -<p>“Come on in, Ron!” he yelled.</p> - -<p>Ronnie undressed quickly and soon he was in the water beside his -brother. Bill appeared minutes later. His leg was still in a cast. -“Darn old doctor!” he grumbled good-naturedly. “I sure wish he’d let me -go in.”</p> - -<p>However, Ronnie had devised a way by which Bill could at least get -cooled off. After Bill had undressed, Ronnie and Phil bound his cast -with a strip of canvas they had on hand for this purpose. Then the two -bombarded Bill with bucketful after bucketful of water. “O.K.! O.K.!” -Bill called for mercy. “Enough!”</p> - -<p>The three lay down on a moss bank to dry, while Ronnie described his -meeting with the surveyors. “And, Bill,” he went on, “we’ve been asked -to a meeting tonight with the historical society, and Dad says he’ll -drive us into town.”</p> - -<p>Bill grinned. “It’s really beginning to look as though we might save -the village after all!” he exclaimed. “We made over a hundred dollars -exhibiting the glassware. Altogether, counting the money we found down -in the culvert, and what we earned during the past two months taking -tourists around the village, and what we got from selling the gold<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">146</span> and -silver coins to a collector, plus the exhibition money—why, we’ve got -over three thousand dollars!”</p> - -<p>Exhibiting the glassware had been Ronnie’s idea, but it was Mr. -Caldwell who had done a great deal to make it a success. He had sent -announcements to antique dealers throughout the vicinity, and many of -them had come. Curious townspeople had come, too, and each visitor had -been charged an admission fee of fifty cents.</p> - -<p>“I wonder when Mr. Caldwell will be back,” Bill said as he struggled to -get his pants over the cast and metal support. “He’s been gone almost -two weeks now.”</p> - -<p>“I guess it takes time to work out all those legal matters,” Ronnie -answered.</p> - -<p>Ronnie thought about Mr. Caldwell as he and Phil started for home. The -day after Mr. Caldwell and the boys had been rescued from the culvert, -Caldwell had paid a call on Grandfather. “I want to get a lawyer to -make out papers that will relinquish all Jacob Williams’ claims to -the deserted village,” he had announced. “Then I’ll go up to the -penitentiary and have my brother sign them, too.”</p> - -<p>“Supposing he refuses?” Grandfather had asked.</p> - -<p>Caldwell had smiled. “I don’t think he will. He’s got ten years of his -old sentence to finish—plus whatever he gets for escaping. I think if -I offer him a small amount of money, he’ll see my way!”</p> - -<p>“Well, now,” Grandfather had said, “that’s very decent of you, Mr. -Caldwell. But why should you go to all this trouble and expense?”</p> - -<p>“I was hoping, sir,” Caldwell had answered, “that you and Ronnie might -consider letting me select a few pieces of the Rorth glassware. That -would more than repay me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">147</span> -Caldwell left a week later with the papers the lawyer had drawn up. -He promised to return as soon as he’d visited his brother. “I’ve got -plenty of work left on my book,” he had told Ronnie, “so keep my place -cleaned and ready for me!”</p> - -<p>When Ronnie and Phil reached the house, supper was already on the -table. Grandfather was dressed in his best summer suit with a white -shirt and necktie. “How come, Grandpa?” Phil asked.</p> - -<p>“How come? Why, you don’t think for one minute I’m going to miss that -meeting tonight. Thunderation, they won’t get anywhere unless I’m there -to lend a hand.”</p> - -<p>Grandfather did lend his hand that night—and his voice, too! But it -was Ronnie’s plea, perhaps, which did the most toward convincing the -Seaway official that the village had to be saved. “Mister,” Ronnie told -him, sitting on one side of the long conference table, “every building -down in the village has got a story to tell about its past. Gramps told -me all of them when I was a boy, and I’ve never forgotten a one. Lots -of these stories I’ve told to the tourists who have come to see the -village. And do you know what so many of them have said to me when they -left? They said they’d never been anywhere that helped them so much -to understand how people lived and worked back in the last century. -And if the village can be saved, you know what we can do? Well, we’ve -got enough of the old furnishings left from the general store, for -instance, to fit it out just like it was a hundred years ago. And -Gramps says that with some fixing up we can do the same thing for the -gristmill, the smith shop, and even the main glassworks. Can’t we, -Gramps?” Ronnie asked, smiling across at his grandfather.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">148</span> -“Why, you bet we can, boy! That village is just chuck-full of history.”</p> - -<p>After the meeting Mr. Mercer, Ronnie’s grandfather and father, a lawyer -whom the historical society had hired, and the official from the Seaway -went into a smaller room in the back of the building and closed the -door. Ronnie, Phil, and Bill waited in the car. It was almost an hour -later before Gramps and Dad joined them.</p> - -<p>Grandfather was smiling. “Well, we did it, lad!” he said to Ronnie -and the others. “We’ve got ourselves a proposition that’ll save the -village.”</p> - -<p>During the ride home Gramps did most of the talking. “You’ve got to -put in the money you boys have earned and the money you found,” he -explained the terms of the agreement. “The historical society will lend -another three thousand—you’ve got to pay that back, Ronnie, from money -you get showing people around the village. The Seaway will pay the rest -of the bill, build the dam, and maintain it.”</p> - -<p>“Yipee!” Ronnie exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“I’m right proud of you, Ronnie—proud of all you boys,” Grandfather -added. “That Seaway fellow told me that it was what you boys have done -this summer that convinced him. He said any youngsters who would put -their hearts and souls and time into something worthwhile like this, -why, they deserved to get what they were working for.”</p> - -<p>Late that night a thunderstorm broke. Thunder boomed incessantly, and -the lightning was so vivid that Ronnie’s room was as bright as noonday. -But twenty minutes later the storm had stopped and when Ronnie opened -his window again a cool breeze blew through.</p> - -<p>When Grandfather came into the kitchen for breakfast<span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">149</span> the next morning -he was as full of life and pep as a puppy. “Prayed for this cool -weather, I did!” he exclaimed. “Prayed for cool weather and I prayed -for the village, too. Seems like I got both my wishes.”</p> - -<p>After breakfast Ronnie and Grandfather took a walk. “I want to see the -village again,” Grandfather said. “I want to see it again knowing that -it’ll be here after I’m gone, and even after you’re gone, Ronnie.” He -stepped along briskly as if suddenly he’d found a new pair of legs.</p> - -<p>They stood at the top of the bluff near a large bull hickory tree. -Below, the village lay peaceful and quiet in the early morning light. -The red brick of the glassworks caught the sunlight and reflected it, -glowing like molten lava.</p> - -<p>“I’m proud of you, lad.” Grandfather was talking again. “I’m proud of -you for helping to save the village and bringing back honor and respect -to the Rorth name. And you know, boy, you took to yourself a little -bit of what we Rorths stand for, just from the working and fighting -you’ve been doing. Folks become what they believe in and fight for. You -understand what I’m trying to say to you, boy?”</p> - -<p>Ronnie blushed. “No, sir, I don’t,” he answered.</p> - -<p>“Well, you will some day. Yes, sir, boy,” he said, “we’ve had -everything pretty much the way we wanted it, haven’t we? Everything -<em>I</em> wanted anyway. All but one thing, that is.”</p> - -<p>“What’s that, Gramps?”</p> - -<p>“Well, darned if I didn’t lose the chess game to that old fox Donavon! -But then, guess I can’t hog the whole barrel of apples, can I?”</p> - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -</div> -<div class="tn"> -<p class="center">Transcriber’s Note:</p> - -<p class="noi">The table of contents was added by the transcriber.</p> - -<p class="noi">Variations in hyphenated words have been retained as published in the -original publication. The following has been changed:</p> - -<ul> -<li>Page 41<br /> -jabbed the tongs of his fork <i>changed to</i><br /> -jabbed the <a href="#tines">tines</a> of his fork</li> -<li>Page 42<br /> -that had been handled <i>changed to</i><br /> -that had been <a href="#handed">handed</a></li> -</ul> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF THE DESERTED VILLAGE ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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