Mountain Top Mystery

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  As the Aldens left Lovan's cottage they felt a cool wind. Clouds were

  beginning to sweep across the sky. The day that had been so sunny was

  suddenly very dark. A storm was brewing.

  Mr. Alden said, "We will go to the motel first and then go and talk to

  the rangers."

  "I'll stay at the motel," said Violet. "I'll put the flowers in water

  before supper. There must be some vases someplace."

  Everyone knew that Violet was perfectly happy arranging flowers. The

  rest of the family went back to the store. There was only one man there.

  He was not a ranger.

  "Where is everybody?" asked Mr. Alden.

  "They've all gone off in their jeeps to find an Indian boy. I'm keeping

  the store."

  Grandfather nodded. "They don't waste much time, I see. The rainstorm

  will soon be here. I only wish we could have gone with them."

  "Listen!" said Jessie. "Dr. Osgood's storm!"

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  The rain blew a few small spatters in at the open door. Then it came

  down like a sheet of water. It simply poured.

  "Too bad the rangers started out," said Benny. "They'll get soaking

  wet."

  The man said, "They knew it was going to rain. They all wore raincoats.

  I think they thought the Indian boy would be easier to find in the

  rain."

  "How?" asked Benny.

  The man shrugged. "I don't know. They know more about finding people

  than I do. They do it all the time."

  Then in the pouring rain Dr. Osgood and his workman came in the door.

  "Oh, everything is happening at once!" cried Benny. "Here come the

  jeeps!"

  Dr. Osgood came in at exactly the same time as a ranger jumped down from

  a jeep. Then another ranger jumped out. Then another person jumped down.

  He had no raincoat and no hat. Water streamed down over his face. He

  kept his eyes down.

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  CHAPTER 10

  David Explains

  When the rangers led the Indian boy into the store, Jessie was near the

  door. Quickly she put her hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't be afraid,"

  she said. "We want to help you."

  The boy did not look up, but he pushed back his wet hair.

  A ranger said, "This boy belongs in Maine. When he heard about Flat Top

  on a radio program he begged rides and got here in no time. He's

  interested in the cave, but so far I don't know why."

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  They all sat down. The boy was on a wooden chair. His clothes dripped on

  the floor.

  The chief ranger took off his raincoat and sat down at a desk. He said

  to the boy, "This is a very small village, son. We always notice any

  strangers. We want to know why you came here, what you expect to find,

  and also why you ran away. You will save time if you tell the exact

  truth. If you tell a lie, we will find it out. First, what is your

  name?"

  The boy waited a minute. "David Walker," he said.

  "That's not an Indian name," said the ranger.

  "No, my Indian name is David Walking-byNight."

  "A nice name," whispered Jessie to Henry. "But Lovan's last name is

  Dixon."

  The ranger went on, "Why were you interested in Flat Top?"

  David Walking-by-Night drew a long breath. He seemed very tired, but he

  seemed to be telling the truth.

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  "I was born in Maine," he said. "But I don't belong in Maine. My mother

  came from another tribe down here. She told me stories about Flat Top."

  "What stories?" shouted Benny.

  David looked at Benny. He did not smile. He said, "The stories may not

  be true. But one story is about

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  some treasure that belongs to my tribe. I thought I might get it

  sometime."

  The ranger said, "That treasure would belong to your mother's people

  first, wouldn't it?"

  "Yes, but they are all dead long ago. I'm the only one left in that

  tribe. My mother is dead, too."

  Nobody spoke for a minute. It was not hard to guess that this boy

  without a family had no one to care about him.

  The ranger said, "Did you ever go to school, son?"

  "A little, not much. I went for a few weeks and then I'd go hunting.

  Then I'd go to school for awhile."

  "How did you live? Did you have a job?"

  "Yes," said David. "I had a lot of jobs. I didn't like any of them. I

  chopped wood and shoveled snow and worked in a garden. I liked that the

  best."

  "How did you plan to live down here?" asked the ranger. "Have you any

  money?"

  "No. I thought I could carry things up the mountain. I'm a good mountain

  climber. But everyone kept looking at me, so I was afraid and ran."

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  Mr. Alden spoke for the first time. He said, "Now, David, I am beginning

  to make some guesses. If I am right, I think a new life is open to you

  if you want to take it. Right now I know you are tired. We have heard

  enough for tonight."

  David looked at Mr. Alden and no one needed to tell the boy that he had

  found a friend. He said, "Thank you, sir."

  Benny said, "I can guess as well as Grandfather. Can't we take David to

  the motel and get him some food and dry clothes?"

  "There is an extra bed in my room," Mr. Carter said. "David can sleep

  there. How about it, David?"

  The boy nodded, but Grandfather said, "Let's be sure our plan checks

  with the ranger." Then he said, "Is this plan all right with you, sir?

  I'll take this boy with me and take good care of him. I'll see that he

  comes to no harm."

  "Perfectly all right," said the ranger. He had learned that John Carter

  was an ex-F.B.I. man. "The boy hasn't done anything wrong."

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  "We'd better go right along," said Jessie. "David needs something to

  eat."

  Mr. Carter said, "I'll take Dave and Benny and Jessie in my car. Henry,

  you take Mr. Alden and Dr. Osgood."

  The two cars soon arrived at the motel. Benny had chattered most of the

  way. Jessie and Mr. Carter had talked pleasantly. But the Indian boy had

  not said a word.

  Henry said, "The first thing we'll do is find dry clothes for you while

  you're taking a shower."

  Henry went at once to his clothes drawer. He got out dry clothes for

  David. They were all too big, but they had to do. Benny's shoes were

  just right for him.

  When everyone was washed and dressed they met in the dining room.

  "He's a good looking boy," thought Violet when she met him.

  "Let's all have hot soup," said Mr. Alden. "I'm just as tired as David

  is."

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  John Carter thought to himself, "That boy has not eaten anything for a

  good many hours. I hope he doesn't faint."

  David looked first to see how Henry ate his soup, and then he did the

  same.

  "He cares," thought John Carter. "He wants to do things right." He had a

  question to ask, but he waited until the soup was gone and a tiny bit of

  color came into the boy's face.

  Then he said, "You know, David, we hear there is a big leather bag in

  some cave, with treasures in it. It belonged to an Indian who died long

  ago. Have you heard this story?"


  "Yes, sir!" said David eagerly. "I heard more than that. I heard that a

  foreign man had it first. He gave it to an Indian who was afraid

  somebody would follow him, so he got a big bundle of corn, and hid the

  bag under the corn."

  All this time Dr. Osgood had been eating soup and smiling to himself. He

  waited until the roast chicken dinner came. Then he cleared his throat

  and said,

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  "Ahem!" just to be sure that everyone was looking at him.

  "I just want to say," he began, "that all this is very important and

  interesting. But nobody has said a single word about Old Flat Top!"

  "Tell us! "they all shouted.

  "Well, the staging is all done," said Dr. Osgood. "And I crawled inside

  for twenty-five feet."

  "Any bag?" yelled Benny.

  "Well, no," said Dr. Osgood, smiling. "There are some things right on

  the floor of the cave that are very interesting to me. The walls seem to

  be just big smooth rocks."

  Benny said, "Oh, Dr. Osgood, there must be some place where something

  could be hidden."

  "You'll have to see for yourself," Dr. Osgood said. "Maybe your sharp

  young eyes will see something my old ones missed."

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  CHAPTER 11

  Benny Finds the Way

  Dr. Osgood promised the family that they could all explore the cave in

  the morning. They went to bed feeling very much excited.

  Mr. Carter and David talked awhile before they went to sleep.

  "David, what's on your mind? What are you afraid of?" Mr. Carter asked.

  There was a long silence. At last David said, "I climbed Flat Top the

  night before you did. I heard about the rockslide and the hole on a news

  program, so I came down from Maine fast. I thought I was the

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  last Indian to know about the treasure and it could be mine. I was going

  to take it, and no fuss."

  "Now supposing this treasure was yours and somebody else found it.

  Didn't you think they would give it to you?"

  "No, I didn't think they would."

  "Well, I don't really blame you," said Mr. Carter. "Were you afraid of

  the rangers after you climbed Flat Top? Did you think they knew your

  secret?"

  "I wasn't sure. But I thought they wouldn't believe anything I said. I

  didn't make a sound, either. I can walk through the woods and up the

  mountain without making any noise. But I thought they found out somehow.

  They looked at me so funny that I hid in the woods."

  "Nothing to eat?"

  "No. I didn't dare take anything with me. I thought later I would find

  out about any treasure, but the rangers found me first."

  "Is that all?" asked John Carter.

  "Yes, sir," said David.

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  "You couldn't get up to the cave? You didn't even look in?"

  "No, I couldn't. There wasn't any way to get close. I just saw the hole.

  Then I had to come down."

  "Dave, I want you to understand the Aldens are your friends," said John

  Carter. "They are fine people. They want to help you. You must not let

  them down."

  "No," said David. "I like them. They wouldn't cheat me, I know."

  Everyone was up early next morning. They ate breakfast and then drove to

  the foot of Flat Top.

  Soon everyone was climbing up the old trail again. Benny came right

  after Dr. Osgood. The doctor did not climb so fast today. All of a

  sudden he looked around at Benny.

  "Young man, don't get your hopes up on that treasure. I didn't see a

  single place where it might be. We are going still further into the

  cave, but I don't think I missed it."

  "Oh," said Benny. "Lovan will be disappointed. I was so sure it was

  right here. That's where I would

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  have put it, just as far back as I could. And that would be the front

  now."

  "Well, you're not an Indian, son, and this isn't two hundred years ago.

  Maybe the man had other ideas."

  "I hope not," said Benny. "Just for Lovan's sake."

  David was behind Benny. "Did you say Lovan?" he said. "I have heard that

  name. But she is dead."

  "Our Lovan isn't dead," said Benny. "She is ninety years old, though.

  And she is the one who told us about the treasure."

  "My grandmother told me everyone was dead but me," said David.

  Benny said, "Do you know your grandmother's first name?"

  "Yes, it was Susan."

  Henry was right behind David and he heard the name. He said, "Lovan had

  a sister Susan. It looks to me as if you are Lovan Dixon's grandnephew.

  That would be great, because you could help her. She is getting old now,

  and she lives all alone."

  "What is she like?" asked David.

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  Benny Finds the Way

  "She's swell!" said Benny.

  The family climbed and climbed. It was almost noon when they reached the

  staging. The workmen were there. They had put a strong light inside the

  cave for Dr. Osgood. They were just finishing the wiring.

  "I'll go first," said Dr. Osgood. "And you can all follow me. First you

  have to crawl in, but soon you can stand up. You'll see."

  The cave was bigger than the Aldens had expected. There was plenty of

  room for everyone. Dr. Osgood began at once to chip out another fossil.

  This time it was a fern, an important find. The fern told him how old

  the cave was.

  Benny watched him for a few minutes. Then he went back and crawled to

  the door of the cave. David went, too.

  "Let's see if these stones can possibly be moved," said Benny. He looked

  at one side of the opening. The big rocks came out to make a large

  square.

  "That looks like a chimney," said David.

  "So it does!" cried Benny. "It looks like a closet

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  in a corner of a room." He stuck his head out of the cave and called to

  a workman, "Hey! Please come and look. Do you think anything could be

  hidden there?"

  The man laughed. He said, "We can find out." He got a small crowbar and

  a hammer and went to work. Soon he said, "You're right, Sonny. These

  rocks don't belong here. They were moved here."

  Benny didn't like to be called Sonny, but this was no time to say so.

  Henry came over to watch. Then he called the girls and Mr. Alden and Mr.

  Carter.

  The workman said, "When this stone falls, there will be clouds of dust.

  Better cover your eyes."

  They all did so. The man was right. There was such a crash and so much

  dust that nobody could see or hear what had really happened. When the

  dust cleared they all looked in the "chimney thing." And there it was!

  It was a large black leather bag lying on the ground behind the stone.

  Everyone shouted.

  "Don't touch it," said the workman. "I'll get Dr. Osgood."

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  [PICTURE NOT SHOWN]

  The doctor could hardly believe what he saw. "I did miss it after all,"

  he said. "And now let's see what's in the bag."

  Everyone watched as Dr. Osgood worked carefully and slowly. Even so, the

  leather cracked under his gentle fingers. At last he got it open and

  pulled out an enormous teapot as black as coal

 
102

  "Solid silver," he said quietly.

  "Silver?" cried Benny. "It looks more like iron."

  "It's silver, just the same," said the doctor. "Wait until it is

  polished and you'll see-a real French piece that belonged to royalty."

  Then he drew out a candlestick with six branches. It, too, was black. A

  large black pitcher came next, all covered with the same deep, fancy

  pattern that decorated the other pieces. Then Dr. Osgood pulled out a

  black box. A little black key hung on a black chain.

  Dr. Osgood turned the key very gently. Inside was a necklace of gold,

  set with red and green stones.

  "That's a queen's necklace," said Dr. Osgood. "That thing alone is a

  great treasure."

  Under the necklace were gold coins of France. There was only one more

  thing in the bag. It was a roll of heavy paper.

  "I may not be able to open this," said Dr. Osgood. "I shall stop if it

  begins to tear."

  But he was so slow and gentle that the paper did not tear. He took one

  look. "It's in French," he said. "Of

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  course it would be."

  Both Henry and Jessie could read French. The old faded message was

  short. ,

  "This is for my Indian friend Running Deer who saved my life. Louis Paul

  Deauville."

  "That settles it!" said Benny. "This belongs to Lovan. And now who will

  tell Lovan?"

  Nobody spoke for a minute. They all looked at each other.

  Then Grandfather said with a smile, "David Walking-by-Night will tell

  Lovan."

  104

  CHAPTER 12

  The Treasure

  David looked puzzled when Mr. Alden chose him to tell Lovan.

  "Mr. Alden, why me?" he asked.

  Mr. Alden answered, "You know all about it, David, and you remember your

  grandmother. That will please Lovan. She is a fine person to have for a

  great-aunt."

  Just then they heard the helicopter.

  "Lunch!" cried Benny.

  Henry looked at his watch. "Did you know it was two o'clock? How did you

  ever stand it, Ben?"

  105

  "I was so interested in that chimney thing," said Benny, "and the

  leather bag. I never thought of lunch."

  "Now you know how I feel," said Dr. Osgood. "I forget all about eating."

  Mr. Carter said, "Jessie, give me one sandwich. I'll go right back with

  the helicopter. I have some telephoning to do."

  They all wondered what it was about. But nobody asked a question. They

  just said goodbye. And back went the helicopter down the mountain.

  Mr. Carter carefully held the leather bag. Mr. Alden had given it to