“What is it?” she asked, blocking the doorway so that the girls could not see beyond her into the living room.
Breathlessly, Penny told of finding the dated stone on the hillside.
“Did you know such a rock was there?” she asked eagerly.
“I’ve never seen any stone with writing on it,” Mrs. Marborough replied. “Goodness knows there are plenty of boulders on my property though.”
“Another stone similar to it was found yesterday on the Gleason farm,” Louise revealed. “Do come and see it, Mrs. Marborough.”
Before the widow could reply, the three were startled by heavy footsteps on the veranda. Turning, the girls saw that Jay Franklin had approached without being observed. Politely, he doffed his hat.
“Excuse me, I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation,” he said, bowing again to Mrs. Marborough. “You were saying something about a rock which bears writing?”
“We found it on the hillside near here,” Penny explained. “It has a date—1599.”
“Then it must be a mate to the stone discovered by Mr. Gleason!”
“I’m sure it is.”
“Will you take me to the spot where you found it?” Mr. Franklin requested. “I am tremendously interested.”
“Of course,” Penny agreed, but her voice lacked enthusiasm.
She glanced toward Louise, noticing that her chum did not look particularly elated either. Neither could have explained the feeling, but Jay Franklin’s arrival detracted from the pleasure of their discovery. Although ashamed of their suspicions, they were afraid that the man might try to take credit for finding the stone.
As if to confirm the thought of the two girls, Jay Franklin remarked that should the newly discovered stone prove similar to the one found at the Gleason farm, he would immediately have it hauled to the Riverview museum.
“Isn’t that for Mrs. Marborough to decide?” Penny asked dryly. “The rock is on her land, you know.”
“To be sure, to be sure,” Mr. Franklin nodded, brushing aside the matter of ownership as if it were of slight consequence.
Mrs. Marborough had gone into the house for a coat. Reappearing, she followed Mr. Franklin and the two girls down the trail where the huge stone lay.
“Did you ever notice this rock?” Penny questioned the mistress of Rose Acres.
“Never,” she replied, “but then I doubt that I ever walked in this particular locality before.”
Jay Franklin stooped to examine the carving, excitedly declaring that it was similar to the marking of the Gleason stone.
“And here are other characters!” he exclaimed, fingering well-weathered grooves which had escaped Penny’s attention. “Indian picture writing!”
“How do you account for two types of carving on the same stone?” Louise inquired skeptically.
“The Indian characters may have been added at a later date,” Mr. Franklin answered. “For all we know, this rock may be one of the most valuable relics ever found in our state! From the historical standpoint, of course. The stone has no commercial value.”
“I imagine the museum will want it,” Penny said thoughtfully.
“Exactly what I was thinking.” Mr. Franklin turned toward Mrs. Marborough to ask: “You would not object to the museum having this stone?”
“Why, no,” she replied. “It has no value to me.”
“Then with your permission, I’ll arrange to have it hauled to Riverview without delay. I’ll buy the stone from you.”
“The museum is entirely welcome to it.”
“There is a possibility that the museum will refuse the stone. In that event you would have the expense of hauling it away again. By purchasing it outright, I can relieve you of all responsibility.”
Giving Mrs. Marborough no opportunity to protest, the real estate man forced a crisp two dollar bill into her unwilling hand.
“There,” he said jovially, “now I am the owner of the stone. I’ll just run down to Truman Crocker’s place and ask him to do the hauling for me.”
The wind was cold, and after Mr. Franklin had gone, Mrs. Marborough went quickly to the house, leaving the girls to await his return.
“I knew something like this would happen,” Penny declared in annoyance. “Now it’s Mr. Franklin’s stone, and the next thing we know, he’ll claim that he discovered it too!”
Louise nodded gloomily, replying that only bad luck had brought the real estate agent to Rose Acres that particular afternoon.
“I have a sneaking notion he came here to buy Mrs. Marborough’s house,” Penny said musingly. “He thinks it would make a good tourist place!”
For half an hour the girls waited patiently. Neither Jay Franklin nor Truman Crocker appeared, so at last they decided it was a waste of time to remain longer. Arriving at home, shortly before the dinner hour, Penny found her father there ahead of her. To her surprise she learned that he already knew of the stone which had been discovered at Rose Acres.
“Information certainly travels fast,” she commented. “I suppose Jay Franklin must have peddled the story the minute he reached town.”
“Yes, he called at theStaroffice to report he had found a stone similar to the one unearthed at the Gleason farm,” Mr. Parker nodded.
“Hefound it!” Penny cried indignantly. “Oh, I knew that old publicity seeker would steal all the credit! Louise and I discovered that rock, and I hope you say so in theStar.”
“Franklin let it drop that he will offer the stone to the museum for five hundred dollars.”
“Well, of all the cheap tricks!” Penny exclaimed, her indignation mounting. “He bought that rock for two dollars, pretending he meant to give it to the museum. Just wait until Mrs. Marborough hears about it!”
“Suppose you tell me the facts,” Mr. Parker invited.
Penny obligingly revealed how she had found the rock by stumbling against it in descending a steep path to the river. Upon learning of the transaction which Jay Franklin had concluded with Mrs. Marborough, Mr. Parker smiled ruefully.
“Franklin always did have a special talent for making money the easy way,” he declared. “I’ll be sorry to see him cheat the museum.”
“Dad, you don’t think Mr. Kaleman will be foolish enough to pay money for that rock?” Penny asked in dismay.
“I am afraid he may. He seems convinced that the Gleason stone is a genuine specimen.”
“You still believe the writing to be faked?”
“I do,” Mr. Parker responded. “I’ll stake my reputation upon it! I said as much to Jay Franklin today and he rather pointedly hinted that he would appreciate having me keep my theories entirely to myself.”
“I guess he doesn’t understand you very well,” Penny smiled. “Now you’ll be more determined than ever to expose the hoax—if hoax it is.”
Mr. Franklin’s action thoroughly annoyed her for she felt that he had deliberately deceived Mrs. Marborough. Wishing to tell Louise Sidell what he had done, she immediately telephoned her chum.
“I’ve learned something you’ll want to hear,” she disclosed. “No, I can’t tell you over the ’phone. Meet me directly after dinner. We might go for a sail on the river.”
The previous summer Mr. Parker had purchased a small sailboat which he kept at a summer camp on the river. Occasionally he enjoyed an outing, but work occupied so much of his time that his daughter and her friends derived far more enjoyment from the craft than he did.
Louise accepted the invitation with alacrity, and later that evening, driving to the river with Penny, listened indignantly to a colored account of how Jay Franklin would profit at the widow’s expense. She agreed with her chum that he had acted dishonestly in trying to sell the stone.
“Perhaps Mrs. Marborough can claim ownership even now,” she suggested thoughtfully.
“Not without a lawsuit,” Penny offered as her opinion. “She sold the rock to Mr. Franklin for two dollars. Remember his final words: ‘Now I am the owner of the stone.’ Oh, he intended to trick her even then!”
The car turned into a private dirt road and soon halted beside a cabin of logs. A cool breeze came from the river, but the girls were prepared for it, having worn warm slack suits.
“It’s a grand night to sail,” Penny declared, leading the way to the boathouse. “We should get as far as the Marborough place if the breeze holds.”
Launching the dinghy, Louise raised the sail while her chum took charge of the tiller. As the canvas filled, the boat heeled slightly and began to pick up speed.
“Now use discretion,” Louise warned as the dinghy tilted farther and farther sideways. “It’s all very well to sail on the bias, but I prefer not to get a ducking!”
During the trip up the river the girls were kept too busy to enjoy the beauty of the night. However, as the boat approached Truman Crocker’s shack, the breeze suddenly died, barely providing steerage way. Holding the tiller by the pressure of her knee, Penny slumped into a half-reclining position.
“Want me to steer for awhile?” Louise inquired.
“Not until we turn and start for home. We’ll have the current with us then, which will help, even if the breeze has died.”
Curiously, Penny gazed toward Truman Crocker’s cabin which was entirely dark. High on the hillside stood the old Marborough mansion and there, too, no lights showed.
“Everyone seems to have gone to bed,” she remarked. “It must be late.”
Louise held her watch so that she could read the figures in the bright moonlight and observed that it was only a quarter past ten.
“Anyway, we should be starting for home,” Penny said. “Coming about!”
Louise prepared to lower her head as the boom swung over, but to her surprise the maneuver was not carried through. Instead of turning, the dinghy kept steadily on its course.
“What’s the idea?” she demanded. “Isn’t there enough breeze to carry us around?”
“I was watching that light up on the hill,” Penny explained.
Louise twisted in the seat to look over her shoulder.
“What light, Penny?”
“It’s gone now, but I saw it an instant ago. There it is again!”
Unmistakably, both girls saw the moving light far up the hill. As they watched, it seemed to approach the dark Marborough house, and then receded.
“Probably someone with a lantern,” Louise remarked indifferently.
“But why should anyone be prowling about Mrs. Marborough’s place at this hour?”
“It does seem strange.”
Deliberately, Penny steered the sailboat toward the beach.
“I think we should investigate,” she declared firmly. “Everyone knows Mrs. Marborough lives alone. Someone may be attempting to break into the house!”
“Oh, Penny, there must be a perfectly good reason for that moving light,” Louise protested as the boat grated on the sand. “You only want an excuse for going to the Marborough place!”
“Perhaps,” her chum acknowledged with a grin. “Jump out and pull us in, will you please?”
“My ankles are nice and dry and I like them that way,” Louise retorted. “If it’s all the same, you do the jumping.”
“All right, I don’t mind—much.” With a laugh, Penny gingerly stepped from the dinghy into shallow water. She pulled the boat farther up onto the shore so that her chum was able to climb out without wetting her feet. Together they furled the sail and removed the steering apparatus which they hid in the nearby bushes.
“I don’t see a light now,” Louise protested after their various tasks had been completed. “Must we climb that steep hill?”
“We must,” Penny declared firmly, taking her by the hand. “Something may be wrong at Mrs. Marborough’s and we ought to find out about it.”
“You just love to investigate things,” Louise accused. “You know as well as I do that there’s not likely to be anything amiss.”
“Someone may be prowling about the grounds! At any rate, my feet are cramped from sitting so long in the boat. We need exercise.”
Finding a trail, the girls climbed it until they were within a hundred yards of the Marborough mansion. Emerging from behind a clump of lilac bushes they suddenly obtained an unobstructed view of the yard.
“There’s the light!” Penny whispered. “See! By the wishing well!”
To their knowledge the girls had made no unusual sound. Yet, apparently the person who prowled in the yard was aware of their approach. As they watched, the lantern was extinguished. Simultaneously, the moon, which had been so bright, moved under a dark cloud.
For several seconds the girls could not see the shadowy figure by the well. When the moon again emerged from behind its shield no one was visible in the yard.
“Whoever was there has hidden!” Penny whispered excitedly. “Louise, after we leave he may attempt to break into the house!”
“What ought we to do?”
“I think we should warn Mrs. Marborough.”
“The house is dark,” Louise said dubiously. “She’s probably in bed.”
“Wouldn’t you want to know about it if someone were prowling about your premises?”
“Yes, of course—but—”
“Then come on,” Penny urged, starting through the tangle of tall grass. “Mrs. Marborough should be very grateful for the warning. It may prevent a burglary.”
In crossing the yard, the girls kept an alert watch of the bushes but could see no one hiding behind them. Nevertheless, they felt certain that the prowler could not have left the grounds.
Penny pounded on the rear door of the Marborough house.
“Not so loud,” Louise warned nervously.
“Mrs. Marborough probably is asleep. I want to awaken her.”
“You will, don’t worry!”
Penny repeated the knock many times, and then was rewarded by the approach of footsteps. The door opened, and Mrs. Marborough, in lace night cap and flannel robe, peered suspiciously at the girls.
“What do you want?” she asked crossly. “Why do you awaken me at such an hour?”
“Don’t you remember us?” Penny said, stepping into the light. “We didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Startle me, fiddlesticks! I am merely annoyed at being awakened from a sound slumber.”
“I’m terribly sorry,” Penny apologized. “We wouldn’t bother you, but we saw someone with a lantern moving about in the yard. We were afraid a burglar might try to break into the house.”
Mrs. Marborough gazed carefully about the yard. “I see no light,” she said stiffly.
“It’s gone now,” Louise admitted. “As we came up from the river, we distinctly saw it near the old wishing well. Penny and I thought that whoever it was hid behind the bushes!”
“You both imagined you saw a light,” the old lady said with biting emphasis. “In any case, I am not afraid of prowlers. My doors have good bolts and I’ll be more than a match for anyone who tries to get inside. Thank you for your interest in my behalf, but really, I am able to look after myself.”
“I’m sorry,” Penny apologized meekly.
“There, your intentions were good,” Mrs. Marborough said in a more kindly tone. “Better go home now and forget it. Young girls shouldn’t be abroad at such a late hour.”
After the door had closed, Penny and Louise slowly retraced their way to the river’s edge.
“Someday I’ll learn never to pay attention to your crazy ideas, Penny Parker,” Louise said, breaking a lengthy silence.
“You saw the light, didn’t you?”
“I thought so, but I’m not sure of anything now. It may have come from the main road.”
“Sorry, but I disagree,” replied Penny. “Oh, well, if Mrs. Marborough wishes to be robbed, I suppose it’s her own affair.”
Launching the dinghy, the girls spread their canvas, and sailing before what wind there was, presently reached the Parker camp. Penny’s father awaited them by the boathouse and helped to haul in the craft.
The girls did not tell Mr. Parker of their little adventure, but the next day at school they discussed it at considerable length. During the night no attempt had been made by anyone to break into the Marborough house. Nevertheless, Penny was unwilling to dismiss the affair as one of her many “mistakes.”
She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time. Rhoda Wiegand sat at one of the tables and appeared troubled.
“Hello, Rhoda,” Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf. “You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!”
“Am I?” the older girl asked, smiling. “I was thinking hard. The truth is, I am rather puzzled.”
“I like puzzles, Rhoda. If you have a knotty problem, why not test it on me?”
“I doubt if you can help me with this one, Penny. Do you remember those two Texas men I told you about?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I don’t trust them,” Rhoda said briefly. “Mr. Coaten has offered to adopt Ted and me.”
“Adopt you!” Penny exclaimed. “Is that why they came here?”
“Seemingly, it is. Mr. Coaten wants to become our legal guardian. I can’t understand why he should show such interest in us.”
“I thought the Breens were looking after you and Ted.”
“They took us in because we had no one else. We never were adopted, and the truth is, we’re a financial burden.”
“Is Mr. Coaten an old friend?”
“I never met him until he came to Riverview. He and his friend, Carl Addison, claim they were closely associated with my father. Neither Ted nor I ever heard Papa speak of them when he was alive.”
“It does seem strange they should show such sudden interest in you,” Penny commented thoughtfully. “You have no property they might wish to control?”
“Ted and I haven’t a penny to our names. Papa never owned land, and what cash he had was absorbed by his last sickness.”
“Then perhaps Mr. Coaten really is a friend.”
“I wish I could think so, but I can’t. Penny, I just feel that he has a selfish purpose behind his apparent kindness. It worries me because I can’t figure it out.”
“Then of course you’ll not agree to the adoption?”
“I don’t want to, Penny. Ted favors it, and so does Mrs. Breen. You see, Mr. Coaten has been very generous with his money.” Rhoda indicated a new dress which she wore. “He gave me this. He made Mrs. Breen accept money, and he’s giving Ted things too.”
“If he’s really a friend of the family—”
“I’ll never believe that he is,” Rhoda interrupted. “Never!”
The ringing of the school bell brought the conversation to an end, but all during the morning Penny thought of what the trailer-camp girl had told her. Knowing nothing concerning the characters of the two strangers, she could not judge their motives.
Another matter caused Penny considerable annoyance. The morning paper had carried a brief item about the record stone found at the Marborough mansion. From her father she had learned that instead of delivering the rock to the museum, Jay Franklin had hauled it to his own home, offering it for sale to the highest bidder. Penny felt that Mrs. Marborough should be told what had occurred, yet neither she nor Louise were eager to visit Rose Acres again.
“After last night I’ve had enough of that place,” Louise declared as they discussed the matter. “Mrs. Marborough was very rude to us.”
“Even so, we should tell her what Jay Franklin has done,” Penny insisted. “Let’s go right after school.”
“I can’t,” Louise declined. “I’ve planned a shopping tour.”
“Then, immediately after dinner,” Penny persisted. “I’ll stop by for you in the car.”
As it developed, various duties kept both girls so busy that it was dusk before they actually drove toward Rose Acres. Louise protested that, considering what had occurred the previous night, it was much too late to call on the widow.
“Mrs. Marborough surely won’t be abed before eight o’clock,” Penny answered carelessly. “If the house should be dark, we can drive away without disturbing her.” Louise made another protest, but knew that as usual Penny would get her way.
A few minutes later the automobile swung around a bend. Directly ahead loomed the old colonial mansion, its windows without lights.
“We may as well turn back,” Louise observed.
Penny slackened speed, gazing toward the unkempt grounds.
“Louise!” she exclaimed tensely. “There it is again! The light!”
“Where?” Louise demanded in disbelief. “I don’t see it.”
As she spoke, the car passed beyond a tall clump of azalea bushes bordering the property. Through its branches both girls saw a light which appeared to be motionless.
“It’s a lantern covered with a cloth to prevent a bright glow!” Louise discerned.
“And it’s close to the wishing well!” Penny added in a thrilled voice. “Lou, there’s something queer going on at this place. Let’s find out about it!”
“How?” Louise asked, forgetting that she had decided to have nothing more to do with her chum’s “ideas.”
“Let’s drive past the house and park up the road,” Penny proposed with a delighted chuckle. “Then we’ll steal back afoot and see what we can see!”
Louise offered no serious objection to Penny’s proposal, for she too was curious to learn who might be prowling about the Marborough yard. Driving on down the road for a considerable distance, they parked the car just off the pavement and walked back to the estate. A high hedge bounded the front side of the Marborough property, but they were able to peer through the scanty foliage into the yard.
“It will be just our luck that the light has disappeared,” Penny muttered. “I don’t see it anywhere.”
“I do!” Louise whispered excitedly. “Look over there by the wishing well.”
In the darkness, both girls could see the faint glow of a covered lantern which had been deposited on the ground. A shadowy figure was bending over, examining some object on the ground.
“Can you tell who it is?” Penny murmured.
“Not from here. Dare we move closer?”
“Let’s risk it,” Penny said, and led the way through the open gateway.
Taking the precaution to keep tall bushes between themselves and the wishing well, the girls quietly stole closer. Soon they were near enough to distinguish that someone in dark clothing was kneeling on the ground, face turned away from them. Apparently the person was trying to lift one of the flagstones which formed a circular base about the covered well.
“Who can he be?” Penny whispered, pausing. “And what is he doing?”
At that moment the figure straightened, and the lantern was lifted from the ground.
“It’s ashe, not a he!” Louise observed in an undertone.
“Mrs. Marborough!”
“It looks like her from here,” Louise nodded. “But what can she be doing at the well?”
Completely mystified, the girls remained motionless, watching. Mrs. Marborough raised one of the flagstones and peered beneath it.
“She’s searching for something,” Penny whispered. “Probably she works after dark so she won’t be observed.”
It was evident to both girls that the moving light which had attracted their attention the previous night had, undoubtedly, been Mrs. Marborough’s lantern.
Although they now could understand the old lady’s irritation at their intrusion, her actions mystified them. As they continued to watch, she pried up one stone after another, frequently resting from her labors.
“We might offer to help her,” Louise proposed half-seriously.
“If we show ourselves now she’ll order us never to return,” Penny replied. “We want to find out what this is all about.”
During the next ten minutes the girls huddled behind the friendly bush. At the end of that period, Mrs. Marborough gathered together her tools, and went wearily into the house.
“Obviously she didn’t find what she was after,” Penny said, coming from behind the shelter. “What do you suppose it can be?”
“Buried treasure, perhaps.”
“Or possibly the family silverware hidden during the Civil War,” Penny chuckled. “I’m afraid not. Mrs. Marborough lived at Rose Acres all her early years. If there had been anything valuable buried, wouldn’t she have done her searching long ago?”
“If that’s a question, I can’t answer it,” sighed Louise. “What’s our next move? Home?”
“I should say not! Let’s inspect the wishing well.”
Penny started forward, taking pains to avoid a patch of light which came from the lower windows of the Marborough house. Even in the semi-darkness the girls were able to see that many flagstones about the well had been removed and fitted again into place.
“Just for luck I shall make a wish!” Penny announced unexpectedly, lowering the bucket into the pit.
“What will it be this time?” Louise inquired, slightly amused.
Penny drank deeply of the cool, sweet water, and tossed a token into the well.
“I wish that Rose Acres would give us a whopping big mystery!” she said gaily. “Lou, why did Mrs. Marborough return to Riverview after being away so many years?”
“This is her ancestral home.”
“True, but didn’t she tell us that whether or not she remains here depends upon certain conditions? Lou, she must have had a very special reason for coming, and it may be connected with this wishing well! We ought to find out about it!”
“Why?”
“Why?” Penny fairly wailed. “Oh, Lou, at times you’re the most exasperating person. Here we are face to face with something baffling, and you wonder why we should interest ourselves in it!”
“I like mystery as well as you, but you know Mrs. Marborough won’t care to have us interfere in her private affairs.”
“Probably not,” Penny conceded. “Oh, well, we can forget all about it if that’s the way you feel.”
“How could we learn anything without provoking Mrs. Marborough?”
“I know of no way,” Penny admitted. “In fact, she’ll probably be irritated when I rap on her door again.”
Louise followed her chum down the path toward the house.
“Ought we bother Mrs. Marborough now?” she asked in mild protest. “She may think we have been spying on her.”
“Which of course we never would consider doing,” Penny chuckled.
Paying no heed to Louise, she boldly clomped across the veranda and knocked on the door. The girls did not have long to wait. In a moment Mrs. Marborough appeared, looking decidedly flustered and nervous.
“Who is it?” she asked sharply, and then recognized the girls. “Oh, I see!”
“Mrs. Marborough, do excuse us,” Penny began hastily. “I’ve learned something which I feel sure you’ll wish to hear.”
“You’ve seen another light in the yard perhaps?” the old lady inquired, her voice slightly mocking.
Penny glanced at Louise, uncertain what to say in reply.
“There has been no one in my yard either last night or this evening,” Mrs. Marborough resumed tartly. “I appreciate your interest in my welfare, but I can only repeat that I am quite capable of looking after myself.”
“We came to tell you about that big rock which we discovered on the hillside,” Penny interposed. “Do you care to hear what Jay Franklin did?”
Despite herself, Mrs. Marborough was interested. She hesitated, and then came outside, carefully closing the door behind her. The peculiar action was not lost upon the girls.
“It’s quite chilly out tonight,” Penny said significantly. “Perhaps it would be better to step inside.”
“I don’t mind a little fresh air,” Mrs. Marborough replied. “Now what is it that you wish to tell me?”
Feeling far from comfortable, Penny explained how Jay Franklin had kept the big rock as his own property and was endeavoring to sell it to the museum at a handsome profit.
“But he told me he would give the stone to the institution!” Mrs. Marborough exclaimed indignantly. “Will you see Mr. Franklin tomorrow?”
“I can,” Penny nodded.
“Then if you do, ask him to come here and see me.”
As if the matter were completely settled, Mrs. Marborough started to reënter the house. She did not invite the girls to accompany her. However, sensing that they were puzzled by her lack of hospitality she said apologetically:
“I would invite you in only the house isn’t fixed up yet. After everything is cleaned and straightened, you both must come to tea.”
Without giving the girls an opportunity to say that they shouldn’t mind a disorderly house, she gently closed the door.
“Well, at least Mrs. Marborough didn’t slam it in our faces this time,” Penny remarked cheerfully. “Lou, we’re making progress!”
“Progress toward what?” Louise demanded.
“I’m not sure yet,” Penny laughed as they started for their car. “All the same, I have a feeling that we’re on our way!”
“Morning, Dad,” Penny greeted her father as she slid into a vacant chair at the breakfast table. “What’s news and why?”
“No news.” Mr. Parker lowered his paper, and folding it, devoted himself to a plate of bacon and eggs.
“Just fourteen pages of well-set type, I suppose. Isn’t there anything about that big stone Lou and I found at the Marborough place?”
“Not a line. I told you theStarwould play that yarn down.”
“Why are you so convinced it’s all a hoax?” Penny demanded, reaching across the table for the coffee percolator.
“Must I give you a diagram?” the publisher asked wearily. “After you’ve been in the newspaper business as long as I have, you don’t need reasons. You sense things.”
“Just like a bloodhound!” Penny teased. “How about the other papers? Aren’t they carrying the story either?”
“They are,” Mr. Parker admitted a bit grimly. “TheNewsused a half page of pictures today and went for the story in a big way.”
“I may subscribe to a rival paper just to keep posted on the latest developments,” Penny teased.
“Nothing really new has come out. Jay Franklin is trying to sell the Marborough stone to the museum at a fancy price, and the institution officials are seriously considering his proposition.”
“Then, in their opinion the stone is an authentic one?”
“Experts have been known to be wrong,” Mr. Parker insisted. “I claim no knowledge of ancient writing, but I do have common sense. For the time being, at least, I shall continue to play down the story.”
Penny finished breakfast, and before starting to school, telephoned Jay Franklin. Relaying Mrs. Marborough’s message, she requested him to visit the old lady as soon as it was convenient. Somewhat to her surprise he promised that he would call at Rose Acres that afternoon.
During school, Penny kept thinking about the Marborough stone and her father’s theory that the writing and symbols it bore were fakes. It occurred to her that Truman Crocker’s opinion might be interesting for the old man had worked with rocks his entire life.
“Let’s hike out to his shack this afternoon,” she impulsively proposed to Louise Sidell.
“All right,” her chum agreed. “Why not invite Rhoda too? She might enjoy accompanying us.”
Upon being approached, the trailer camp girl immediately accepted the invitation. Since the last meeting of the Palette Club nearly all of the students had been very kind to her, but she seemed rather indifferent to everyone save Louise and Penny.
As the three girls trudged along the dusty road en-route to the river shack, Rhoda spoke of Mr. Coaten and his friend who still remained in Riverview.
“They’ve taken a room at the Riverview Hotel,” she told Penny and Louise. “Perhaps I am too suspicious, but I don’t trust them. Mr. Coaten never would seem like a father to me.”
“Is he married?” Louise questioned curiously.
“His wife remained in Dallas. The Coatens have two children of their own. I can’t understand why they should be so eager to adopt two more—penniless at that.”
“What will you do?” Louise inquired.
“I don’t know. Ted and I are deadlocked. He favors the adoption, but I am against it.”
“I think you are wise to be cautious—and my advice is ‘stand firm,’” Penny declared promptly. “The Breens were kind enough to take you in when you had no friends, so why not stay on with them?”
“That’s the trouble,” Rhoda confessed. “They haven’t much money, you know, and Mr. Coaten has offered to give them a hundred dollars if they make no objection to the adoption.”
“Buying them off?” Penny commented.
“In a way, yes. But why should Mr. Coaten be so interested in adopting Ted and me? We’ll certainly be a financial liability.”
The problem was such a perplexing one that neither Penny nor Louise could offer any convincing answer. Considering everything Rhoda had told them it appeared that Mr. Coaten must be motivated entirely by generosity. Yet, it seemed odd that if he were an old family friend he had not interested himself in their case at the time of Mr. Wiegand’s death.
Choosing a trail which led along the river, the girls soon came to Truman Crocker’s shack. It was a long, one-story frame building which served the dual purpose of dwelling and shop. The door of the workroom stood ajar, and the stonecutter could be seen grinding a granite block.
“Good afternoon,” Penny said in a loud voice to make herself heard.
The stonecutter jumped from surprise and switched off a running motor.
“You scared me out of a year’s growth,” he grinned. “Well, what can I do for you?”
“Not much of anything,” Penny responded, glancing with interest about the cluttered workshop. “We were just out for a walk and thought we would stop in for a few minutes.”
Her attention drawn to a large rock which had been covered with wet sacking, she crossed the room to examine it. Iron filings had been sprinkled on the covering, and she knew that they must have a special purpose.
“What is this for?” she inquired curiously.
“Oh, I’m removing discoloration from a stone,” Mr. Crocker answered. “Don’t touch the sacking. Leave it alone.”
“What do you do with the rock after you finish working on it?” Louise asked, crossing the room to stand beside Penny.
“I sell it,” Mr. Crocker returned briefly. “I have work to do, and I’m waiting to get at it.”
“Oh, we didn’t mean to interrupt you,” Penny apologized. “The truth is, we came here to ask you about that stone you hauled for Jay Franklin. Do you think the writing on it is genuine?”
“Sure it is. Anyone who knows anything about stones could tell it had been lying in the ground for years.”
“The aging couldn’t have been faked?”
“Say, what is this?” Crocker demanded, scowling. “What are you trying to get at?”
“My father, who publishes theStar, believes that someone may be perpetrating a hoax.”
“A what?” Crocker asked, puzzled by the word.
“A joke. He thinks that somecleverperson may have faked the writing on the two stones.”
“Well, I didn’t have nothing to do with it,” Truman Crocker declared, his tone unpleasant. “I hauled the rock for Jay Franklin and that’s all I know about it. Now go away and don’t pester me.”
“We’re the same as absent right now,” Penny laughed, retreating to the doorway. “Thanks for your splendid cooperation.”
“What’s that?”
“Never mind, you wouldn’t understand,” Penny replied. “Goodbye.”
A safe distance from the shack, the three girls expressed their opinion of the old stonecutter’s manners.
“He acted as if we were suspicious of him,” Louise declared. “Such a simple fellow!”
“It never once entered my head that Crocker could have any connection with the hoax, assuming that the writing isn’t genuine,” Penny said. “But now that I think of it, why wouldn’t he be a logical person to do such a trick?”
“He’s far too stupid,” Louise maintained. “Why, I doubt that he ever went through eighth grade in school. Likely he never even heard of Elizabethan writing.”