Snowbound Mystery (4 page)

The Aldens put the four bags into the stump and dragged up old branches of evergreen to cover it.

Jessie said, “There! No squirrels can get in now, Henry.”

Henry said, “No, I don’t think they can. We’ll soon be back anyway. Let’s go.”

“Well, hello, Aldens!” said Tom Nelson when they pushed the door of the store open.

“Hello,” said Jessie, smiling. “It is such a beautiful day after the rain that we went nutting. We picked up four bags of hickory nuts.”

“Good,” said Tom Nelson. “I know what you can do. Chop up the nutmeats and mix them with chopped apples to make a salad. It’s delicious.”

Just then Mrs. Nelson and Puggsy came down the stairs. “I heard what you said about the weather,” said Barbara, “but I don’t think it’s going to last. I feel a real storm coming.”

“Well,” said Benny, “we’ve seen storms before. Once we were on a trip, and we had a rainstorm and we had to live on potatoes. Nothing but potatoes.”

“That makes me think,” said Jessie. “We could buy some baking potatoes and roast them in the fireplace.”

She picked out a dozen potatoes. She bought more buns, currant jelly, sugar, and some eggs. Then they started for home.

Henry looked at his watch and said, “It’s almost noon.”

“It took a long time to pick up all those nuts,” said Benny. “I hope they are still in the stump.”

The nuts were there, but two squirrels ran away from the pile of branches as the four Aldens came in sight.

When the family reached the cabin, Jessie said, “Now everyone find a flat stone to pound on and another stone to pound with.”

“Just like Indians,” said Violet. “Nut cracking stones.”

They found stones and brushed off the dirt and leaves from them.

Jessie said, “Let’s crack the shells now, and later we can pick out the nutmeats.”

“No,” said Benny. “Let’s have lunch first. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and milk won’t take long.”

After lunch they all sat down on the floor, each one before a flat stone. As soon as the nuts were cracked they threw them, shells and all, into the saucepan.

They worked for about an hour, and then Jessie said, “Now let’s sweep up this floor. It’s just covered with nutshells.” She got to her feet and looked around for a broom.

“I looked yesterday for a broom,” said Violet. “We haven’t got one.”

Jessie said, “It seems as if there must be a broom here someplace. But there’s not one in sight.”

“It seems odd,” said Benny. “There ought to be a broom closet right at the end of the fireplace. I remember seeing a cabin built that way.”

“Well, there isn’t, Benny,” said his older sister. “So just let it go.”

But Benny began to look for a broom closet. He put the two shovels and the ax in another corner. The fireplace stood out into the room about a foot. Benny looked at this wall. It was made of narrow boards with a line like a crack between each board.

“Here’s where the doorknob ought to be,” said Benny. “But there’s only a little hole.” Then he thought what he had said. “A hole! A hole!”

He pulled his knife out of his pocket and opened the biggest blade.

The others came over to watch Benny. In great excitement Benny began to pry at the boards to see if he could find one that would open. And he did! First the top opened, and then he could pull the rest of the door with his fingers.

“Well!” said Henry. “Good for you, Ben! That’s a real broom closet!”

Jessie exclaimed, “It goes way down to the floor!”

“And there’s a broom in it,” said Violet.

There was a broom, a brush, a dustpan, and a shelf with cleaning cloths and two bars of soap. Also on the shelf was a little white doorknob with the point broken off.

Henry looked at the closet and the shelf. “This wood is old,” he said. “Tom Nelson’s grandfather must have built it a long time ago.”

“How can you tell it’s so old, Henry?”

“Well, put your hand under that shelf,” said Henry. “You can feel the marks of the hatchet used to cut the wood. It would be smooth if it were modern.”

Benny felt under the shelf. He could feel the chip marks of the hatchet. “That’s a neat way to tell,” he said. Then Benny ran his hand over the door.

“That’s different,” said Henry. “The door is planed on both sides, so it is smoother. But it is old, too.”

“It’s marked, too!” shouted Benny. “Look, Henry! It’s not very plain, but I can read it!”

This is what he read:

They all looked at each other. “And what in the world does that mean?” said Jessie. “Copy it, Henry, on a paper, and we can study it.”

Henry began to copy the letters, but he said, “It doesn’t mean a thing to me. It won’t do me any good to study it.”

“Me, either,” said Benny. “What do you suppose that code means?”

Jessie sat down at the table. “Let’s think about it,” she said. “We know one thing. And that is that the Nelsons are hunting for something in this cabin.”

Benny said quickly, “And it’s something they don’t want us to know.”

Henry looked at his brother. “Right, Ben. They turn red when Puggsy tells us anything. They seem to be ashamed of something.”

Violet added, “And they are so nice!”

Jessie nodded. “That’s the trouble. But I suppose Tom could have done something wrong a long time ago.”

“But what is he looking for?” asked Benny. “Maybe he has been looking for those funny letters. Maybe they tell him how to find some money or something important.”

Violet said, “Well, it’s strange the Nelsons didn’t find them. They must know there should be a broom closet there to keep a broom in.”

Henry nodded. “I know what Benny means. I’m sure Tom’s father or grandfather cut those letters. They weren’t cut for nothing. But the Nelsons don’t want to tell us. So let’s not say anything about the letters until they do.”

“Right,” said Benny. “The next time we go down to the store we’ll see what they say.”

“The afternoons are short in the fall,” Henry said. “It’s too late to go up on the roof. Put on your radio, Ben, and let’s hear what the weather will be.”

They waited until the half hour for the weather report.

The announcer said, “A storm is coming from the south and west, but it is not supposed to hit this area. It will go further north and miss us entirely. The northern New England states should prepare for a storm.”

“No need to worry then,” said Benny. He turned off the radio.

At suppertime it was almost too dark to see.

“What are we going to do tomorrow?” asked Benny as he finished his hamburger.

“Fix the roof,” said Henry. “You can help me, Ben. We’ll find the hole the squirrels use for a door and nail a board over it.”

But Henry didn’t know that his plans would be changed for him.

As Benny went to bed, he said, “Maybe that code we found is a secret way to get rid of squirrels.” And he laughed.

CHAPTER
6

Snow!

T
he next day the weather had changed. The sky was very gray. There was no sun. But the Aldens started out for the store.

“It’s much colder today,” Violet said. She put up her hood and tied it under her chin.

Jessie said, “No blue sky today. Maybe yesterday was a weather breeder, after all. You remember Barbara said she thought a storm was coming.”

“Well, never mind,” said Benny. “After all, it’s too early for snow. And the radio report said the storm would not hit us.”

Benny trotted along with Watch. They walked faster this time. They did not stop to look at anything on the path.

“Two and a half miles is a long way on a chilly day,” said Jessie, “but it’s just a nice walk in good weather. We’d better not stay very long at the store, Henry.”

“Right,” agreed Henry. He looked up at the sky again. “The clouds seem to be getting heavier,” he said. “I hope we can fix that roof before it rains again.”

At last the four Aldens reached the Nelsons’ store. This time there were a few other customers in the store. They were getting big bags of groceries.

A woman smiled at Jessie. She said, “We think we’ll have rain soon, so I’m buying a lot of things. Maybe you folks ought to do the same. Sometimes it rains here for days.”

“Thank you,” said Jessie gratefully. “We’re getting supplies, too. We have to walk over two miles to get here. Henry, pick up some canned meat and bacon while you are on that side, and some spaghetti and tomato sauce. I’ll get more chocolate and hot dogs and hamburgers and dry milk.”

“I’ve got more dog food,” called Benny.

The other people went out with their bags. Tom said to Henry, “You see we don’t get many customers now. The summer people have gone, and many people have moved away for good. I think I’ll have to move if I want to make a living.”

“Don’t move before we do!” Benny said.

As he spoke, Mrs. Nelson came downstairs. She said, “I think it is going to snow. It feels just like it to me.” She frowned. She looked worried.

“Snow!” Benny said. “It’s too early for snow.”

“Yes, it’s too early, but just the same you had better go right back. You don’t want to get caught on the trail if snow comes. If you wait here you may.”

“That’s right, Mrs. Nelson,” said Henry. “Put up your hoods, everybody, and tie your scarves on tight.”

Mrs. Nelson took a quick step toward the girls. She said, “Oh, Jessie, you know I want you to stay, don’t you? I don’t want you to hurry away!”

“Oh, Barbara, we do,” answered Jessie. “Of course we know it. But we mustn’t get caught in the storm. Now here we go. Got everything?”

Watch was on his way as soon as the door was opened. The Aldens wasted no time. They walked along the path as fast as they could. Soon they were out of sight of the store.

“Not too fast, Ben,” called Henry. “Save your fast walking for the end, like a race.”

Benny slowed down. He began to think of the secret code and of Tom Nelson moving away. “Is Tom Nelson running away?” he wondered. Then suddenly he turned around. “What do you know, Henry. It’s snowing!” he said.

“It is!” Jessie said. “Maybe it will stop as suddenly as it began.”

But it did not. It snowed harder. The snowflakes were small and fine. Even through the thick trees the snow fell faster and faster.

“I wouldn’t like to be stuck in the snow!” exclaimed Benny. “Nobody would know where we are!”

“We won’t get stuck, Ben,” Henry told him. “Don’t worry about that. You couldn’t really get stuck in the deep snow because we can walk two miles before the snow can get that deep. Just keep going.”

Watch was the one who trotted along steadily, without hurrying. He never looked to the right or to the left, just straight ahead.

“Good boy,” said Benny. Watch didn’t even turn his ears.

“I’d never believe this,” said Henry, “if I didn’t see it. The snow is already an inch deep.”

Jessie added, “Remember, Henry, this is in the woods, too. It must be deeper than this where there are no trees. Oh, I’m just about frozen. Isn’t it cold?”

“Well, we have enough stuff to eat when we get to the cabin,” said Benny. “If we ever get there. We can make our food last a long time if we get snowed in.”

Uphill and downhill they went, bowing their heads in the driving snow. The flakes were bigger and bigger. The children could hardly see the path. They slipped a few times, but nobody fell.