the warning, then grinned ruefully. “I’d have had a pretty bad bump if that old limb had ever hit me!”
Morton Zucker said he felt responsible for the whole thing. He had promised himself many times to take down the dead tree but had never seemed to have time.
“But you can bet it’s going to come down fast now,” he said with determination.
The diggers decided to go on with their work but to have one of them as a lookout at all times.
“I’ll watch first,” Bess offered, and kept her eyes on the rotted limbs of the old tree.
Nancy, George, and Morton dug furiously. Several times they hit roots. At these moments the searchers hoped they had struck a piece of the old stagecoach or at least a container holding some of its parts. But they had no luck and moved on to another location.
At noontime Bess spoke up. “Let’s take a rest. I forgot to tell you girls I brought some lunch for us. I had the camp chef pack it.”
She went for the package and the three girls sat down in the shade of the knoll to eat roast-beef sandwiches, tomatoes, and cake. Morton, upon learning they had brought their own food, went to the house to get his lunch. In an hour he was back and the work continued.
Time after time fragments of tools and hardware were dug up, but none of them belonged to an old stagecoach. Bess and George became weary of their task. They were just about to suggest quitting, when Morton, who had been quiet for several minutes, called out from a distance:
“Maybe this is what you’re looking for!”
The three girls rushed to his side, just as he lifted up an old wheel.
“We’ve found it!” Bess shrieked excitedly.
The whole group dug furiously in the vicinity. Presently they unearthed a matching wheel, then a third, finally a fourth. All were in bad condition and two would fall apart if lifted up.
“Now where shall we dig?” George asked.
Morton said he thought one person’s guess was as good as another. “Why don’t we dig all the way around these wheels?” he suggested.
They did this and within a few minutes uncovered some rotted leather straps.
“Oh, this is so thrilling!” Bess exclaimed, putting her full weight onto the spade she was using. “I’ve hit something!”
Nancy helped her dig and presently they uncovered a long board. Further digging revealed rusty hinges once attached to the plank. Then came another board evidently originally hinged to the other, but now rotted apart.
“Maybe this is what you’re looking for!”
At almost the same time Morton uncovered a series of long boards. He frowned, then said regretfully, “These could not have belonged to a stagecoach. This was just a farm wagon. It’s my guess the wagon was wrecked at this spot or dragged here and time covered it with earth.”
Bess seemed more disappointed than the others. She had felt so sure the mystery was about to be solved, the frustrated girl was almost in tears.
“This is just awful!” she said, flopping to the ground. “All this work and nothing but a busted old wagon!”
“And it’s been here a long time, I’ll bet,” said George. “I wonder if it belonged to Abner Langstreet.”
Nancy thought it might have. “If he took his old stagecoach apart and carried the pieces away, he would have needed some kind of vehicle to cart it in.”
Bess was inconsolable. “If we keep on digging, we may find the bones of the horses to this wagon,” she said. “I vote we quit right now. Anyway, George and I promised to play tennis late this afternoon.”
Morton said that he too would have to stop work and do the evening farm chores. “But I shan’t stop digging entirely,” he promised Nancy. “You have my curiosity aroused. If that old stagecoach is buried on this farm, I’ll find it!”
Nancy was very weary herself from the arduous work and did not argue about stopping. They all trudged back to the farmhouse where Mrs. Zucker insisted they have glasses of cold milk. The girls washed their
Morton Zucker said he felt responsible for the whole thing. He had promised himself many times to take down the dead tree but had never seemed to have time.
“But you can bet it’s going to come down fast now,” he said with determination.
The diggers decided to go on with their work but to have one of them as a lookout at all times.
“I’ll watch first,” Bess offered, and kept her eyes on the rotted limbs of the old tree.
Nancy, George, and Morton dug furiously. Several times they hit roots. At these moments the searchers hoped they had struck a piece of the old stagecoach or at least a container holding some of its parts. But they had no luck and moved on to another location.
At noontime Bess spoke up. “Let’s take a rest. I forgot to tell you girls I brought some lunch for us. I had the camp chef pack it.”
She went for the package and the three girls sat down in the shade of the knoll to eat roast-beef sandwiches, tomatoes, and cake. Morton, upon learning they had brought their own food, went to the house to get his lunch. In an hour he was back and the work continued.
Time after time fragments of tools and hardware were dug up, but none of them belonged to an old stagecoach. Bess and George became weary of their task. They were just about to suggest quitting, when Morton, who had been quiet for several minutes, called out from a distance:
“Maybe this is what you’re looking for!”
The three girls rushed to his side, just as he lifted up an old wheel.
“We’ve found it!” Bess shrieked excitedly.
The whole group dug furiously in the vicinity. Presently they unearthed a matching wheel, then a third, finally a fourth. All were in bad condition and two would fall apart if lifted up.
“Now where shall we dig?” George asked.
Morton said he thought one person’s guess was as good as another. “Why don’t we dig all the way around these wheels?” he suggested.
They did this and within a few minutes uncovered some rotted leather straps.
“Oh, this is so thrilling!” Bess exclaimed, putting her full weight onto the spade she was using. “I’ve hit something!”
Nancy helped her dig and presently they uncovered a long board. Further digging revealed rusty hinges once attached to the plank. Then came another board evidently originally hinged to the other, but now rotted apart.
“Maybe this is what you’re looking for!”
At almost the same time Morton uncovered a series of long boards. He frowned, then said regretfully, “These could not have belonged to a stagecoach. This was just a farm wagon. It’s my guess the wagon was wrecked at this spot or dragged here and time covered it with earth.”
Bess seemed more disappointed than the others. She had felt so sure the mystery was about to be solved, the frustrated girl was almost in tears.
“This is just awful!” she said, flopping to the ground. “All this work and nothing but a busted old wagon!”
“And it’s been here a long time, I’ll bet,” said George. “I wonder if it belonged to Abner Langstreet.”
Nancy thought it might have. “If he took his old stagecoach apart and carried the pieces away, he would have needed some kind of vehicle to cart it in.”
Bess was inconsolable. “If we keep on digging, we may find the bones of the horses to this wagon,” she said. “I vote we quit right now. Anyway, George and I promised to play tennis late this afternoon.”
Morton said that he too would have to stop work and do the evening farm chores. “But I shan’t stop digging entirely,” he promised Nancy. “You have my curiosity aroused. If that old stagecoach is buried on this farm, I’ll find it!”
Nancy was very weary herself from the arduous work and did not argue about stopping. They all trudged back to the farmhouse where Mrs. Zucker insisted they have glasses of cold milk. The girls washed their
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