The Clue In The Old Stagecoach Part 24

"That is a problem," the girl detective conceded. "I know what I'll do. I'll call up Art Warner and see what he says."

She hurried to the private phone booth on the first floor and called the lawyer. His wife, who answered, said he was working late at the town hall. "He's at a special meeting, but I know he'd be glad to talk to you," Mrs. Warner a.s.sured the girl.

Nancy put in a call and a few minutes later was talking to Art Warner. When she told him what she had in mind, he said he might be able to help her very easily.

"Please tell me exactly where that piece of property is," he requested.

After Nancy had described the location, the young lawyer asked her to hold the phone a few minutes. Returning, he said:

"I have good news for you. That property belongs to the town of Francisville. Taxes on it were not paid for a long time and the owner lost the piece. You have the permission of the councilmen to dig on it all you please."

"Terrific!" said Nancy excitedly. "I'll let you know the result. Any news for me about Mr. Langstreet?"

"I'm afraid not. But regarding any marriage of his, I think no news is good news."

Nancy said she must go now, and Art Warner wished her luck. She stepped from the booth and went to a house phone at the end of the registry desk. Calling Ned's room she asked him if he and the other boys would be willing to go out right away to do some sleuthing.

"Of course. But what's up?" he asked.

"I can't tell you now, but I'm sure I have a good clue this time."

Ned, who said he had not been asleep, would rouse Burt and Dave and they would all meet at Nancy's convertible in a few minutes. Nancy put down the phone, then went to speak to the night clerk. Smiling, she said, "I wonder if the lodge could do me a big favor? I'd like to borrow several garden digging tools-say six."

The clerk grinned at her. "More sleuthing, Miss Drew?" he asked.

"Now what makes you think such a thing instead of guessing that I might just want to transplant some flowers?" Nancy replied with a chuckle.

"When do you want the tools?" the clerk asked.

"Right away, if possible."

"I'll see that you get them. Where do you want the boy to take them?"

"To my car."

Nancy gave the license number, then said she was going to run back to her room but would return soon. When she and the other girls and the three boys met in the parking lot, the digging tools were standing up against the trunk compartment.

"You think of everything," Ned praised Nancy. "Where in the world did you get these?"

Nancy tossed her head. "From my friend the night clerk. And we'd better put them to good use because he'll certainly be asking what I accomplished."

Ned drove while Nancy, who was now very familiar with the general area, directed him to the special piece of property along the old railroad right of way. Picsently she pointed out an overgrown, rutted lane where she thought he should turn down.

The narrow piece of property stretched a good distance from the road to where the tracks had once been. The railioad embankment was still there.

The group flashed their lights around and even beamed the headlights of the car on the surrounding area. If there had ever been a semaph.o.r.e at the spot, it was gone now. The boys scuffed their feet along the ground and after a while Ned found part of a rusted iron pipe which stuck up alongside a stone.

"Nancy, do you think this might have been the pole that held the semaph.o.r.e?" he asked.

"It might have," she replied. "Anyway, let's start our operations here."

For the second time within a few days, Nancy and her friends started digging for a buried stagecoach. The work went fast. The area all around the suspected semaph.o.r.e pole was being spaded, pickaxed, and shoveled.

Presently Bess gave a squeal. "I've hit something!" she cried out.

The others crowded around. Six inches below the surface they could see the corner of what appeared to be a rusted wrought-iron chest. Everyone helped to uncover the top of it.

"It is a chest!" Bess exclaimed gleefully. "Quick! Let's open it!"

There was no lock on the chest, but it took a little tugging to raise the lid.

"Bridles!" said Nancy excitedly. "One, two, three, four of them! The ones the stagecoach horses wore!"

There was nothing else inside the box, but Ned guessed that there must be other chests containing the various parts of the old stagecoach. Everyone worked feverishly. In a few minutes the top of another chest of thin wrought iron was uncovered. It held the box from under the driver's feet.

"Maybe the clue's inside the box," George spoke up hopefully.

Burt flung back the ancient lid. There was nothing inside.

Work went on for nearly two hours. By this time twenty chests of various sizes had been found. Each contained some part of the old stagecoach and all the pieces were in a fine state of preservation.

"You were right, Nancy," Bess spoke up, "about Great-uncle AbnerLangstreet disposing of his stagecoach with loving care. I suppose he made all these chests in his blacksmith shop and drove over here with them one at a time."

"That's all right," said George, "but where's the clue he hid in one of them?"

"Don't be discouraged," said Nancy. "According to the notes, there are still ten chests to be found."

The next one was unearthed by Nancy and Ned together. Quickly Ned raised the lid. Inside was one of the doors of the old stagecoach. And on top of it lay an unaddressed envelope.

"The clue!" Ned shouted.

Nancy was so excited she was almost afraid to pick up the envelope and look inside it. Her heart was pounding furiously. She did take the envelope out, however, but just then noticed a sweet, sickish odor in the air. Instinctively she held her breath as she turned up the flap of the envelope.

As Nancy started to look inside she suddenly noticed that her friends were acting very queerly. Bess and George seemed to fall to the ground in a faint. Burt and Dave staggered a few steps, then sank to the ground unconscious. Suddenly Nancy noticed Ned let the lid of the chest drop with a loud bang. He toppled over on the ground.

All this time Nancy had been holding her breath because she did not like the sickish odor. But now she knew she must fill her lungs with air.

As she did so, the young sleuth heard a noise a short distance ahead of her. Looking up, she caught a glimpse of Ross Monteith's face. Beside him was a shadowy figure, its arm stretched toward Nancy. On the wrist was a scar!

The hand reached for the envelope. At that moment Nancy blacked out and slumped to the ground.

CHAPTER XX.

Honorary Citizen

IT WAS daylight by the time Nancy and her friends recovered consciousness. One by one they became fully aware of their surroundings.