Mountain Top Mystery (4 page)
“A dinosaur track!” shouted Henry. “I’ve seen one at college.”
Grandfather said, “Where did you get this? It is certainly a big piece of red sandstone.”
“Yes,” said Lovan. “It came from the ledge right over there. My grandfather thought it was the track of a big magic bird. They called it a thunderbird track.”
Benny laughed. “That’s a car,” he said.
Mr. Carter said, “They named the car for the magic bird.”
“I suppose you know,” said Jessie, “that a museum would like your step.”
“But I want my doorstep,” said Lovan.
“And you shall keep it,” said Mr. Alden. “The man who buys your woods would want you to have it. And now I think we should go. Thank you for everything.”
“But we’ll be back,” said Benny. He gave Lovan a great smile, the kind only Benny could give.
W
hen the Aldens were in the car, Violet said, “We can see right through you, Grandfather. You are the man who is going to buy the woods, aren’t you?”
“Of course,” said Grandfather, smiling at her. “What better thing could we do for Lovan? She will feel free, and don’t forget, I will have a fine woodlot. John, you attend to that for me, will you?”
Mr. Carter laughed. “I was already planning my first step.”
Henry said, “I don’t see how we can go home and leave this whole thing, Grandfather. What do you think of staying at a motel for a few days?”
“All right,” said Mr. Alden, “that’s a good idea. We can ask the ranger where the nearest motel is.”
Benny said, “Three rooms would be right for us. One for the girls, one for us boys, and one for Grandfather.”
Turning to John Carter, Mr. Alden said, “It’s settled that we’ll stay here. I think you had better drive back to look after business details.”
Everyone waved as Mr. Carter drove off. At the log store, the Aldens found the ranger they knew.
“Did you find Lovan Dixon at home?” he asked.
“Oh, yes,” Jessie said “What a wonderful old woman she is!”
“You will never believe it,” said the ranger, “but that Indian woman, ninety years old, has to walk five miles to the swamp to get the sweet grass and five miles back. Quite a walk for ninety. We sell the baskets just as fast as we get them.”
“I’d like a sewing basket like that,” Jessie said, “and so would Violet.”
“I think Miss Dixon would make you some if you asked,” the ranger said. “But if you ask her first, don’t try to pay for them. It will be a gift, you can be sure. She gave one to my wife, so I know. I tried to pay her and she was very much hurt.”
Now Grandfather spoke, “Do you happen to know if Dr. Percy Osgood and his men are working somewhere in this neighborhood? I have an idea Percy would be interested in the cave Benny found by accident.”
“Yes, we saw the cave from the helicopter. The rocks were huge that fell away to leave it open,” one of the rangers said. “Look out of the door and you can see the pile that rolled down the mountain.”
Indeed there was a pile of rocks of all sizes, perhaps ten feet high. “And I am glad it did not turn into a bigger rockslide,” the ranger said. “I know Dr. Osgood is not too far off. Let me make some calls and I will get his telephone number for you.”
“Good,” said Mr. Alden. “Let’s find that motel. Where is the nearest one?”
“Go back to the main road, turn to the right, and then go about half a mile. That’s the nearest motel, and the best one, too.”
“How lucky we are!” said Benny. “Things seem to happen just right for us.”
The family went out to the station wagon and Henry started the car. They drove away, waving at the ranger.
“We’ll be back soon,” cried Benny.
“Perhaps not until tomorrow,” called Grandfather with a wink.
“The kids are pretty tired, I guess,” shouted the ranger.
“I wasn’t tired at all until he said that,” said Jessie, “and now I guess I am.”
“I guess I am, too,” said Grandfather. “The first thing I will do will be to take a nap.”
Henry drove just as the ranger had said. He soon came to a motel. It was a long row of log buildings. At one end there was an office and at the other a restaurant.
“Good,” said Jessie. “I shall be glad to have a real dinner. It seems as if we’ve been gone much longer than two days.”
Benny said, “I know just what I’m going to eat, too.”
Grandfather said, “Don’t tell, then. Keep it for a surprise.”
The three motel rooms were just alike. Each had two beds and a bathroom.
Benny said, “Oh, I can hardly wait to wash my hands! It has been two days since I’ve really washed them!”
“Funny to hear you say that, Ben,” said Henry. “I’m going to take a shower the first thing I do.”
It did not take long for the Aldens to make themselves at home in their three motel rooms.
“First thing is a shower for me,” said Henry.
“I’m next,” Benny said. “And after that I’m going to try out that bed.”
Violet and Jessie, too, decided to shower and nap. But it was Grandfather who was the first one asleep. There hadn’t been much sleep for anyone for two nights.
An hour or so later Benny saw that Henry was awake. He said, “Guess what I’m going to hare for dinner.”
“You can’t keep that secret, Ben, can you?” said Henry. “But wait. They may not have it.”
“I never thought of that,” said Benny. “I hope they will, because I’ve got my mind all made up.”
At five-thirty nobody could wait any longer. They walked down to the restaurant and found a table for five.
“Too bad Mr. Carter’s missing this,” said Violet. “I’m going to have roast beef and mashed potatoes and peas!”
“And a fine hot summer diet, too!” said Mr. Alden. “I’ll have the same.”
Jessie and Henry could not think of anything better, but Benny said, “Corned beef and cabbage! And lots of chili sauce and turnips and carrots!”
How wonderful that meal did taste! The waiter was amused. He watched Benny cut the tender red corned beef as if he were starving.
After the first few bites, Jessie said, “Grandfather, what is the first step that Mr. Carter is going to take?”
“Try to buy the woodlot is first,” said Mr. Alden. “Then you all heard the name of Dr. Percy Osgood. He is a great man and an explorer. He has written several books on caves and mountains. He is always interested in any new crack or landslide. I used to know him years ago. He can tell right away whether this hole is interesting or not.”
“I bet it is!” cried Benny.
“Well, I won’t bet against you,” said Grandfather, smiling. “I think it is, too, otherwise I should not have asked the ranger to send for Percy Osgood and let him waste his time.”
“Let’s stay in the motel until the whole thing is solved,” said Benny. “Don’t you agree, Grandfather?”
“Yes, my boy,” said Mr. Alden, smiling. “I couldn’t tear myself away now for anything.”
Henry said, “The great question is, is it a cave or is it just a hole?”
Jessie said, “Or is it a cave with something interesting in it or is it a cave with nothing in it?”
Benny was drinking milk now. He said, “I’m going to have bread pudding for dessert.”
“I hope you can hold all that food,” said Grandfather, looking at him.
“Oh, I can!” said Benny. “I have a hollow leg.”
Henry said suddenly, “Grandfather, did you expect an accident on Flat Top?”
“No,” said Mr. Alden, “but I never like a place that has only one way to get in and only one way to get out.”
That night at about twelve o’clock a man came to the office and took the room next to Henry and Benny. At one o’clock another man took the last room next to the restaurant. But nobody woke up and none of the Alden family knew anything about the two men until the next morning at breakfast.
T
he Alden family did not get up very early next morning. But when they walked into the dining room they had a surprise. There sat John Carter at a large round table for seven.
“Oh, I’m glad you found us!” shouted Benny.
“I never lost you,” said John Carter, getting up. He pulled chairs out for Jessie and Violet and soon they were all chattering at once.
“I thought you might like to see this paper,” Mr. Carter said. He unfolded a newspaper to show a headline that read “Rescued by Helicopter.”
“Here we are!” Benny said. “And it tells about the rockslide and the hole in Old Flat Top and everything.”
“That’s right,” Mr. Carter said. “How does it feel to read about yourselves in the paper?”
Jessie was looking around at the table, “Who is the seventh place for?” she asked.
Mr. Alden and Mr. Carter looked at each other.
“Then he got here last night?” Mr. Alden asked, “He is not one to waste time.”
“Who got here?” Benny asked.
“I’ll make a guess,” Henry said. “Dr. Osgood?”
“If it is Dr. Osgood—and I’m not saying it is—how do you think he’ll look?” asked Grandfather.
Jessie answered, “Oh, I guess he is a tall, large man. He must be strong to climb all these high mountains.”
“Yes, that’s right,” said Mr. Carter. “He must be a very strong man.”
Benny said, “If a big tall strong man should come in that door, I should say it would be Dr. Percy Osgood.”
Mr. Alden said, “Better order your breakfast, and not keep the waiter waiting!”
Everyone ordered bacon and eggs and toast and orange juice and milk. Grandfather and Mr. Carter had coffee.
They were all busily eating when the door opened. They looked up. There stood a small man not much taller than Benny or Violet. His hair was pure white and his eyes very sharp and blue. His glasses were pushed up on his forehead. He was surely not young, but he walked quickly over to Grandfather to shake hands.
“Good to see you again,” said Grandfather. “You came soon. My grandchildren can hardly wait.”
“That’s the way I feel,” said Dr. Osgood, looking at each one in turn. “I would start working without eating any breakfast, only I have learned to eat when I can. One doesn’t get so tired.”
He sat down and ordered the same breakfast as the rest.
Benny asked, “Have you made any plans about what you will do first, Dr. Osgood?”
“Oh, yes! I made them on the train as I came here. A cave isn’t usually so high on a mountain as this one. We have to build a staging first. The staging has to be strong to hold the workmen and the machines. It will take three days at least to make that.”
“Three days!” cried Benny.
“You’ll find, young man, that three days will go by just like that!” He snapped his fingers. “Making a staging is interesting. If you feel like climbing the mountain again, you can all sit below and watch the work.”
“Oh, yes, we’d like that,” said Jessie. “I was afraid we wouldn’t see anything.”
“Well,” said Dr. Osgood with a twinkle, “what would be the good of that? The very people who found the cave not watching the workmen! No, sir! Not possible!”
“I’ll drive you over after breakfast,” said Henry. “Whenever you say.”
“Thank you,” said Dr. Osgood. “I accept.”
As they left the table, Grandfather said, “By the way, Percy, I have a story about the hole in Flat Top that I’d like to tell you. Why don’t you stop in my room?”
Dr. Osgood’s eyebrows shot up. But all he said was, “Do I smell a bit of a mystery? Now let me see. Is it pirate gold or an Indian grave?”
“Well, those guesses are good. But I would rather talk where we are alone. This just might be important to someone.”
In about half an hour the Aldens and Dr. Osgood were getting into the station wagon. When they arrived at the loghouse store, there was quite a crowd of men and women and children standing around.
The ranger said to Dr. Osgood, “Two of your men have already gone up the trail. Do you want me to go first and show you the way?”
“Thank you, no,” said Dr. Osgood. “I think I can find my way. I’m sure it will be full of rocks brought down by the landslide. You Aldens follow me!”
The Aldens went up the trail after the spry little man, but they could not see him.
Mr. Alden said, “Now it takes three hours to get to the top. We’d better not hurry. We’re not used to it. I’ll go first, then Violet. That will slow you down, I guess.”
“That’s OK,” said Benny.
But it was not Mr. Alden and Violet who slowed them down. It was the rocks. Many of them had come down with the landslide. As Henry climbed over a rock he cried, “See how different some of these rocks are? Some are sharp, just broken off the day we came down. But look at those huge ones, perfectly smooth! I’m sure those were left here by a glacier.”
“Right,” said Grandfather. “This is a fine place to study rocks.”
As they climbed slowly, Henry turned around and said to Jessie, “Did you notice that crowd at the store?”
“I certainly did,” said Jessie. “I suppose they came to see the excitement.”
Henry asked in a low voice, “Did you see what I saw? An Indian boy?”
“Yes, I did. He didn’t look very happy, did he? And when I looked at him, he turned around and hid behind another man.”
There was a pause while they climbed further. Then Jessie said, “I thought the ranger said Lovan was the only Indian around here.”
