The Phantom of Pine Hill (3 page)

“Wow! Guess what I’ve found!”

As Mrs. Holman, Bess, and Nancy hurried across the library, George held out an open book. In it was a sizable heap of bills.

“My goodness!” the housekeeper exclaimed. “Did you find all that money in the book?”

George nodded. “I noticed the volume was standing upside down. When I took it out to turn it around, this is what I found.”

Quickly Mrs. Holman counted. “A hundred and fifty dollars!” she exclaimed.

Nancy, her eyes on the open page, noticed that the number was 150. She brought this to the attention of the others. As the money was returned and the book closed, they all read the title. It was
The Roaring Twenties.

Nancy chuckled. “I’ll bet Uncle John hides his money this way. The word
roar
—or
roaring
—may help him recall the book because of his name Rorick.”

The housekeeper suggested that they check on Nancy’s theory and everyone began searching. They noticed a number of books with
roar
in the title on the shelves to the left of the fireplace. “Uncle John keeps them all in this section, I’ll bet,” said Nancy.

“Look here!” said Bess, holding out a volume.

The title of it was
The Roaring River,
and on page 200 were ten crisp twenty-dollar bills! In a moment George came upon The Roar of the Wilderness. On page 50 lay a fifty-dollar bill.

There was no question now in anyone’s mind but that Uncle John used this method to hide money. Had the phantom somehow found this out? And had he been removing bills?

“But,” Mrs. Holman said, “that still doesn’t explain how he gets into this room. Well,” she added, “I’ll leave that to you girls and go back to my chores.”

After she left, they continued their investigation and found several more books with the word roar in the title. The total amount of money they had uncovered was over a thousand dollars!

Bess sighed. “This is the most unique bank I’ve ever been in—not that I’ve been in many. I’m afraid my allowance and the money I’ve earned don’t find their way to a bank account!”

“Shame on you, Cousin Bess” said George with mock severity.

A clock on Mr. Rorick’s desk chimed the hour of eleven. “We’d better go and dress,” said Bess. “We’re due at the Omega House at twelve.”

“That’s right,” Nancy agreed. “And the crew race won’t wait for us.”

During the afternoon there was to be the final race of the season. Emerson would be pitted against Wellbart. Ned Nickerson was stroke for Emerson. Since each crew had already won six races, the competition was high.

Nancy padlocked the library door, returned the key, and the girls went to dress. They put on simple but attractive sports clothes, then set off in Nancy’s car for the fraternity house. They found it filled with an excited crowd. Everyone was rooting for Emerson to win and the din was deafening.

Ned said to Nancy, “If I don’t get out of this noise, I won’t have any energy left for the race. Let’s go out under the trees to eat. I’ll get a couple of plates of food from the kitchen.”

He led Nancy outside to a large oak some distance from the fraternity house, then went back. A few minutes later he returned with two paper plates heaped with food. Grinning, he said, “I won’t dare eat much of this or I’ll sink the shell! ”

Nancy laughed and Ned asked, “Have you caught the spook yet?”

“I almost did,” Nancy answered, and told him about the episode of the previous night.

She was about to mention the hunt in the library when a wasp landed in the midst of her food. As she jumped up to flick it away, she caught sight of Fred Jenkins standing behind the oak tree.

Ned, too, saw him. “What are you doing here?” Ned demanded.

Fred’s face turned red and he stammered, “I—I was just coming to see if I could bring you anything else.”

“If we want more food we’ll get it,” Ned told him. “You’re supposed to be serving in the house. Hadn’t you better get back on the job?”

After Fred had gone, Nancy remarked, “He certainly acted guilty of eavesdropping. Since he works for Mr. Rorick, do you suppose he knows something about the mystery?”

Ned grinned. “If he didn’t, he does now. Probably he heard every word you said. I only hope he won’t go telling it all over town.”

Glancing at his wrist watch, Ned said that it was time for him to dress for the race. Then he escorted Nancy back to the fraternity house. “Remember, your seats are in the front row. I’ll be listening for your cheering!”

Shortly before two o’clock the five young people found their places on the shore front below the college buildings. A band was playing a lively tune. Emerson and Wellbart banners were being waved.

Bess was chalk-white. “I’m so nervous,” she said, then explained to Dave, “I always get nervous at races.”

“To tell you the truth, I don’t feel so calm myself,” said Dave. “The Wellbart crew is mighty good.”

Minutes later, the announcement of the race was made. Nancy could feel herself tensing up and held on tightly to the sides of her chair. A pistol sounded. The contestants were off!

Everyone stood up to watch the two crews. They were neck and neck as they sped across the river. Then one shell shot in front.

“Oh dear, Wellbart’s ahead!” Bess said dolefully.

The words were hardly out of her mouth when the Emerson crew pulled forward. “Emerson’s going to win!” cried George.

As the two shells entered the cove, the Wellbart crew caught up and rowed nearly half a boat length beyond their opponent.

“Ned! Ned! Come on!” shouted Nancy.

Emerson did catch up, and with the coxswain working his men hard, his crew pulled ahead ever so slightly. Nancy and her friends felt encouraged and screamed at the top of their voices.

Wellbart backers were equally excited. “Don’t let ‘em win!” cried one youth, waving a banner wildly. “Show ’em what you’ve got!”

The next moment the two shells were exactly even. The screaming and rooting increased.

“Oh, Ned!” Nancy cried out. “Get ahead! Get ahead!”

Both shells were nearing the finish line now. Still they looked as if they were even. The two coxswains, moving forward and backward in a frantically fast rhythm, were shouting snappy orders.

Nancy’s heart was thumping madly. The excited girl was almost too choked to breathe and cry out any more. She dug her nails into the palms of her hands and never took her eyes off Ned. To herself she said, “Stroke! Stroke! You’ve got to win!”

Suddenly both shells slid across the finish line. Instantly people began to call out, “Who won?”

“It’s a photo finish!” Dave cried out. “We won’t know for a few minutes.”

A sudden hush had come over the crowd as everyone waited for the result. The heaving men in the shells sat quiet and tense, their paddles raised.

Presently the head judge stepped to the microphone. He smiled. “I know you are all eagerly awaiting the results so I will not prolong my speech except to say that personally I have never seen a better race. I congratulate every man on his good sportsmanship and fine performance. The result according to the high-speed camera shows that the winner—is Emerson University!”

“Yea! Yea!” a shout went up, then the Emerson rooters gave the college yell. The Wellbart men gave theirs, ending it with, “Emerson! EMERSON! EMERSON!”

The crew saluted with their paddles, then rowed to their boathouse.

“I’ve never seen anything so exciting in my life!” said Bess. “I’m exhausted!”

After a round of hugs and enthusiastic chatter, the five young people sat down to await Ned. He came in about half an hour and received excited congratulations from his friends.

“Thanks,” he said. “That race sure was a tough one. To tell you the truth, I thought we had lost.” He grinned. “I’m all in favor of high-speed cameras!”

After the excitement had died down, he asked Nancy if she would go out with him in a canoe. “Oh, I’d love to,” she replied. “Let’s visit the area where the
Lucy Belle
is supposed to have sunk.”

They said good-by to the other two couples and went to the boathouse. Nancy offered to paddle, but Ned only laughed, saying this would be an easy task after the grueling race. He started across the large cove and then hugged the shore line on the opposite side.

“After talking with you about the
Lucy
Belle last night, Nancy, I recalled something that happened in our college library a couple of weeks ago. I noticed two men standing behind one of the stacks of books. I’m sure they didn’t belong to the university. At first I paid no attention to them, but when one of them, who had a deep, hoarse voice, mentioned ‘the Rorick treasure,’ I listened. Then they left.”

Nancy was interested at once. “I wonder who they were. Did you see them?”

“Sorry. I didn’t. But I did notice a book on the table which I’m sure they were looking at. It was a history of early Ohio River boats.”

“They must have been looking up the
Lucy Belle,”
said Nancy. “Ned, if you ever happen to see those men again, try to find out who they are.”

Ned smiled. “At your service, Miss Detective.”

She now told him about Abigail Rorick’s wedding chest. “Maybe those men believe it is not lost! They might even think it was buried, and be hunting for it in the woods back of Uncle John’s house! That would explain the phantom’s light.”

“Could be,” Ned replied.

“I wish I knew more about the sinking of the
Lucy
Belle,” Nancy said.

“I don’t know anything about the boat, but I can tell you a few stories about the history of this area that might give you a clue. Would you like Professor Nickerson to lecture?” he asked, a twinkle in his eye.

“Please do,” Nancy begged.

“‘Way back in 1807 the inhabitants of the Ohio Valley found it difficult to get cash. Silver dollars were scarce and the practice grew of dividing them into eight equal wedge-shaped pieces. These fractions got the nickname of bits and from this came the phrase ‘two bits,’ meaning one-quarter or two-eighths of a dollar!”

Nancy smiled. “I’ve always wondered when I hear people mention ‘two bits’ where the name came from. Tell me another bit of history.”

Ned said that Ohio River ports were stations for prospectors on their way to California during the Gold Rush of 1849. This was where they stocked up with provisions, including salt.

“Did you know that the first mineral product of the Ohio Valley was salt?” Ned asked. When Nancy shook her head, he went on, “As you know, salt has been an essential food for man and animal since the beginning of time. In prehistoric days salt attracted not only human inhabitants to this area, but also animals like the giant sloth, the mammoth elk, deer, and buffalo.”

“That’s fascinating,” said Nancy. “Don’t stop.”

“Professor will relate one more story and that’s the end of his knowledge.” Nancy giggled and Ned went on, “The Indians here were fearful that the white men would take away all their territory, so they raided and burned settlements. It was not until the American Army took over that the raids were stopped, around 1794.”

By this time Ned was nearing Pine Hill. Nancy happened to look up the high embankment at the woods which ran to the Rorick garden. Suddenly she caught a flash of sunlight on glass.

“Ned,” she said, “somebody is watching us with binoculars! See him up there among the trees?”

Ned turned to look, resting his paddle. “You think that’s your phantom?” he asked.

Nancy shrugged as they squinted into the afternoon sun, trying to see what the man looked like.

Both she and Ned had heard the sound of a motorboat but had paid no attention. Suddenly they realized it was very close to them. The two turned and were horrified to see the craft bearing down on them.

Ned dug his paddle into the water and tried to get out of the way as Nancy shouted and waved her arms to the pilot of the motorboat. But the man, crouched low behind the wheel so that his face could not be seen, paid no attention.

A moment later he sideswiped the canoe. It shot out of the water and capsized, tossing Nancy and Ned overboard!

SMACK! Nancy and Ned hit the water and disappeared beneath the surface for a few seconds. Then both clawed their way to the top.

“You okay?” they asked in unison.

Each nodded Yes, but declared that they certainly had had a fright.

They swam toward the overturned canoe which was badly scraped on one side. The paddle Ned had been using was smashed and the extra one that had been in the bottom of the canoe had floated away.

“What a mess!” Ned said in disgust.

Treading water, the couple talked over what to do. Since they were close to shore, they decided to swim in and tow the canoe. Then they would climb the embankment and trek through the woods to the Rorick home for dry clothes.

“Do you think that pilot hit us on purpose?” Ned asked as he beached the canoe on the gravelly shore. “You were facing him. What did he look like?”

Nancy said she had been unable to see his face. “Maybe he was just a bad pilot,” she added.

Ned shook his head doubtfully as he and Nancy began to climb the bluff. Upon reaching the woods, both looked left and right for a sign of the man who had been spying on them. No one was in sight.

“That guy with the binoculars certainly took my mind off my job,” Ned said ruefully. “When I first heard that motorboat I should have paddled out of the way.”

Nancy said thoughtfully, “I can’t figure out why that pilot didn’t see us.”

“Meaning that you think he meant to run us down,” said Ned. “You’re coming around to my point of view.” He grinned.

Nancy made a wry face but did not answer. It was cool in the woods and she began to feel cold and clammy in her soaking wet clothes.