The Witch Tree Symbol Part 20

Mr. Esch told the girls that the present owner of the property, Mr. Fuller, had also had bad luck on the farm. No one in his family had disappeared, but his cattle had become ill and died, he had had poor crops and several accidents, and illness had hounded the family.

"Who is operating the farm now?" Nancy asked.

"No one," the man replied. "The Fullers have left, but they have not put the property up for sale. I do not know whether they intend to come back."

Nancy concluded that this might explain why Roger Hoelt and his wife had chosen this particular place in which to hide. He was trying to find out what the secret was. Should he discover it, and learn that the answer might bring him a lot of money, he would undoubtedly offer to buy back the property.

A faraway look came into Groeszdawdi's eyes. Then he said, "You say that maybe MandaKreutz is hiding on the Fuller property?"

"I'm afraid so," Nancy answered. "I'm going to go there and try to find her. Have you any idea what makes the place dangerous, so I could avoid any trouble?"

GroeszdawdiEsch said it was a mystery to him and that he had never heard anything to give him the slightest clue as to what the secret was.

"But the few people who know the story stay away from the place like the plague!" he told them.

Nancy thanked the man for his information and promised to be very careful in her search. He smiled and said he hoped that Manda would be safe at home soon and that her papa would not be too harsh with her.

"Manda is pretty and she is a good worker," he said. "She will soon get a husband and her papa will not have to worry," he added, chuckling.

The girls laughed, recalling that Melinda had said the same thing. They left.

Nancy wanted to start immediately for the Fuller farm, but Bess protested. "Nancy Drew, after all you've heard, you're going to go there?"

"Yes."

"Well, you'll take somebody except just me," she announced firmly. "We'll collect George and half a dozen other people."

Nancy laughed. "Where are we going to get all these people?"

Bess said she did not know, but they were not going alone. The girls continued to discuss the matter as they drove off.

"You're hinting that I call in the police, Bess," said Nancy. "I don't want to do that. We haven't one definite thing to go on. Dragging officers out on what may be a wild-goose chase wouldn't be right.

"What I propose to do is find out whether Mr. and Mrs. Hoelt are really hiding at the Fuller farm. And if Manda is there working for them, I want to get her away before I call the police. We don't want Manda to get any bad publicity."

Bess finally conceded that Nancy was right. "But it's getting late. I won't hear of your going until tomorrow morning."

"All right," Nancy agreed.

Presently she remarked that it was likely the furniture thief and his wife were using Manda as a front. So far as the Amish girl knew, the couple were honest.

"Manda has led a sheltered life," said Nancy. "She would probably believe any story the Hoelts might tell her and pa.s.s it on to any unexpected visitors."

"Of course the unexpected visitors aren't supposed to include you, George, and me," Bess said. "Roger Hoelt tried to brain us in that little cabin. No telling what he'll do if we show up at his real hideout."

Nancy did not comment on this. Instead, she said, "I'm convinced now that the woman who screamed in the woods and ran away was either Manda or Mrs. Hoelt. With the Amish head covering, it's hard to distinguish faces from a distance."

Bess looked worried. She suggested that the secret danger connected with the property might have caused the woman to scream. "Maybe it's some kind of a witch or other hex," she murmured.

"It was probably only a snake," said Nancy.

At the Glicks' farm, Nancy and Bess related their latest news. The children and their parents were intrigued.

"What is a gypsy like?" Becky asked. "And how do you tell fortunes?"

Her mother explained, then said, "There is no more sense to fortunetelling than there is to hexing. Now we will talk no more about nonsense."

The visitors took the cue, changed the subject, and later helped Mrs. Glick prepare supper. Glancing outside, Nancy saw Becky and Henner playing in the barnyard.

As she watched, the little boy raised a slingshot. Nancy was amazed that his parents would let him use this dangerous plaything. Henner was very proficient and could make a stone whistle a long distance through the air.

"Henner would make a good hunter," Nancy remarked to the boy's mother. "He has a very accurate aim with his slingshot."

Mrs. Glick agreed, but said that once in a while he became erratic and hit something he had not intended to. "But he is improving every day," she said.

Directly after supper the three girls took a walk and discussed the mystery again. They had just started back to the house when Mrs. Glick called to them.

"Telephone call for you from home, Bess," she said.

Bess hurried into the house. The other girls followed, thinking there might be some news for them too.

As they stepped through the door, Bess was saying, "h.e.l.lo!" She listened for a few seconds, then hung up.

Suddenly Bess burst into tears!

CHAPTER XVI.

A Slingshot Strikes

"BESS, what happened?" Nancy cried, rus.h.i.+ng to her friend's side and putting an arm around her. "Is it bad news?"

Bess stopped sobbing and said in a quivering voice, "Nancy, I hate to tell you this, but it was your father's secretary calling. Oh dear, I don't know how to break such news."

Nancy's heart began to pound. "Tell me, whatever it is," she begged.

Finally Bess said that Mr. Drew was dangerously ill in a hospital and it was doubtful that he would recover. "He keeps calling for you all the time, Nancy," Bess went on. "Everybody thinks you should come home at once."

Nancy had turned chalk white. She was completely stunned-too stunned even to shed a tear. Like someone in a trance, she turned toward the stairway, saying she would get her car keys and leave at once. Bess quickly said she would go along.

Mrs. Glick hurried to Nancy's side. Putting a motherly arm around the girl's waist, she told her how sorry she was to hear the bad news.

Mr. Glick had risen from his chair. He also came to Nancy's side to offer his sympathy. "You should not be driving all night," he said. "Anyway, it would be faster for you to fly. I will telephone the airport to see about a plane and drive you over there."

Nancy thanked him, agreeing that would be the best way for her to get to River Heights in a hurry. She hoped she would not be too late to see her father alive.