By the time Nancy had finished checking the living room, the rest of the searchers had straggled back. They reported no success.
Baffled, Nancy suggested that they go to bed. She felt sore and weary. “Maybe I’ll be able to think more clearly after I get some sleep.” She gave Valentine’s letter to Aunt Bet for safekeeping.
At breakfast Uncle Ed was gray-faced and grim. None of the men had been to bed the night before.
“Six palominos are missing and two are wire-cut,” the rancher reported.
Tex snorted, “The meadow fence was wrecked! Some no-good varmint cut it in at least thirty places. We’ve been workin’ on repairs all night. Dave is still out there finishin’.”
Uncle Ed announced that he was driving into Tumbleweed to inform the sheriff of what had happened. “Maybe he can spare me a man or I could get some volunteers to help me round up the horses. We’ll have to go up in the mountain and look for them. I’ll also have the telephone company send a man to fix the wire.”
“What about water?” Mrs. Thurmond asked.
The rancher replied that the pump and the lights, too, would be working in a couple of hours. “The generator was damaged,” he said, “but not seriously.”
“The big mischief was the attack on the horses,” Nancy remarked. “Whoever planned that wanted to be sure things would be dark and confused and you could not get help in a hurry.”
The rancher quickly finished eating and was rising to go when Dave came in. The cowboy asked if he could see the Rawleys alone for a few minutes, and added, “You come, too, Nancy.”
Uncle Ed led the way into the living room and closed the door. “Now what is it?” he asked.
Swiftly Dave told the couple about his search for the bandit’s fortune. “If I do find the treasure,” he added earnestly, “I certainly intend to turn over a share to you both.”
Mr. Rawley smiled. “Thank you, Dave. But we wouldn’t hear of it. I wish you luck.”
Aunt Bet now told the men about Nancy’s discovery of Valentine’s letter.
Nancy pointed out that surely the treasure was linked to the trouble on the ranch. “Until it’s found, I’m afraid the phantom horse will continue to appear.”
Uncle Ed agreed. “You’re a remarkable sleuth, young lady. Keep up the good work!”
Dave said that with Nancy on the case he thought they had a good chance to find the treasure. “But I won’t be able to do much today. We have those palominos to look for.”
Nancy admitted that she did not know exactly where to search next for the hidden treasure.
Aunt Bet patted her shoulder. “You need a holiday from all this trouble. Why don’t you girls drive into Phoenix for some fun?”
“That’s a wonderful idea!” Nancy said.
As she had thought, her friends were delighted at the prospect. Nancy hurried to get the ranch wagon. When she pulled up in front of the patio, George was waiting with two Thermos bottles and a jug of water.
As she put them into the back of the ranch wagon, Dave came hurrying past. He grinned. “I’m glad to see that you tenderfoot gals have turned into water-conscious Westerners.”
Alice and Bess were approaching the car and heard him. When he was out of earshot, Alice said, “As for you, Nancy, he’s really flipped!”
“And what’ll poor Ned do?” George teased.
Nancy grinned. “We’ll be home by the time he gets back from Europe.”
“Just wait until the square dance tomorrow night,” said Bess. “I’ll bet Dave’s a marvelous dancer.”
“I wish,” said Alice, “that there was somebody to take me.”
There was a gleam in Bess’s eye as she said, “Don’t give up hope, Alice. You might meet somebody at the rodeo or barbecue.”
George looked at her cousin quizzically and Nancy smiled. Both knew Bess loved playing the role of matchmaker!
“What have you got up your sleeve?” George demanded.
“Just my arm,” replied Bess, but she grinned.
Nancy spoke up. “Let’s do some shopping in Phoenix. I’d like to find something special to wear tomorrow.”
“I know,” exclaimed Bess. “Let’s all buy Indian costumes!”
When they reached the city, George directed Nancy to a shop which sold a variety of Indian apparel and souvenirs. The sight of the colorful squaw dresses drove all thoughts of the ranch trouble from the girls’ minds. Happily they tried them on and helped one another make selections. Alice was delighted and pirouetted in front of the long mirror to watch the wide skirts swing out.
Finally Nancy chose a turquoise-blue model with silver rickrack trimming. George’s choice was a bold red which set off her short dark hair, and Bess selected one with a yellow skirt and black bodice. Alice picked out a pumpkin-colored costume trimmed in black.
With their purchases in boxes the girls strolled down the street to a Spanish restaurant. Here they ate a delicious lunch of tacos and spicy chili. For dessert they had iced fresh fruit.
Bess sighed. “Umm, that was super.”
Afterward, they walked to a wide street beside a park where an outdoor painting exhibition was being held. The group stopped now and then to admire and compliment the artists who sat beside their work.
As the other girls lingered over a painting, Nancy wandered ahead, then stopped before a lone picture. After a casual glance she suddenly realized that it was a pastel drawing of the old hotel in the ghost town on Shadow Mountain. Quickly she called her friends.
“That’s the same hotel, all right,” George declared. “The one where we hitched our horses and found that crushed crayon.”
Alice was pale. “My father did that pastell I know it!”
The artist’s chair beside the picture was vacant.
“I must find him!” Alice cried out.
CHAPTER XIV
The Nettle Trick
NEAR the empty artist’s chair a man sat sketching. Nancy walked toward him. “Pardon me, but do you know where the person is who drew that pastel?”
The man looked up from his work and pointed with his pencil. “There’s the one.”
Nancy turned and saw a stout woman in a blue dress coming toward them. “Want to buy that pastel girls? It’s the last one. The rest sold like hot cakes.”
Alice’s face showed keen disappointment. “This isn’t your work.”
The woman chuckled and sat down heavily. “That’s right, dearie. I can’t even draw a cow. I’m a dealer. I buy from the artists and sell their work.”
“Where is the man who did this picture?” Nancy pressed.
“That I don’t know. He told me he was a stranger—just visiting Phoenix. Seemed kind of close-mouthed—didn’ t say where he came from and where he was staying.”
Alice asked, “Was he a slender gray-haired man?”
“Yes. Said his name was Bursey. Do you know him?”
“We think so,” Nancy replied.
Alice looked longingly at the picture. “How much is it?” she asked the woman. When Alice heard the price, her face clouded. “I haven’t enough money to buy it.”
Exchanging quick glances, the other girls reached an agreement. “That’s all right, Alice,” said Nancy. “We’ll make up the difference.”
When the picture was paid for, Alice took it gratefully. She thanked the girls as they walked away from the dealer, then added, “Oh, Nancy, you’ve been so wonderful to me!”
Alice’s eyes were misty with emotion. “I feel that we must be getting closer to my father.” She thought that he might have returned to the mountain cabin and begged Nancy to go back there with her.
“I wish I could,” said Nancy, “but it would be too late to make the trip today after we reach the ranch. Tell you what, though. I’ll take you in the morning.”
George had another idea. “There’s just a chance our Uncle Ross Regor might be around this exhibition someplace. He might have come to see how his pictures are selling.”
The others agreed th
at George had a point. And for a while the four girls strolled through the park, keeping their eyes open for the slender gray-haired man. They did not see him.
Near midafternoon Nancy treated everyone to cool sodas from a passing vendor and they sat on a bench to drink them. Bess glanced at her watch and suggested they start for home. George drove.
They crossed the desert without trouble and arrived at the ranch in time for supper. At the table they learned that the telephone, lights, and water had been restored, but four of the palominos were still missing.
“The critters are up on Shadow Mountain somewhere,” Bud remarked gloomily as he passed the biscuits to Nancy. “We have our work cut out to track ’em.”
“And we might as well face it,” said Uncle Ed, “they might be badly hurt.”
To lighten the conversation, Aunt Bet reminded everyone of the barbecue next day. “It’s customary for us ranch folks to take a dessert. Any suggestions?”
Tex grinned. “I sure do cotton to chocolate cake.”
“Nancy makes scrumptious ones,” said Bess.
“Then I guess she’s elected,” Mrs. Rawley said with a smile.
Nancy laughed. “Thank you for the job, my friends! Now, who’s going to help?”
“I will!” chorused Dave, Tex, and Bud.
“Good,” said Nancy. “You boys can shell the walnuts for topping the icing—that is, if you have any, Mrs. Thurmond.”
“We have plenty of everything,” the cook declared. “Just step right up and take hold!”
“We’ll all help,” Bess said happily. “Let’s make it an extra big cake.”
After supper the girls dried the dishes for Mrs. Thurmond. Then Nancy put all the cake ingredients on the big kitchen table. The cook gave her several large bowls.
Tex grinned as he picked up a nutcracker. “Boys, we hired out to punch cows and here we are peelin’ nuts!”
While Nancy and her assistants worked, they talked about the phantom. Mrs. Thurmond listened intently.
“Where do you think the ghost horse is kept?” Alice asked.
“Folks say Valentine had a hideout on Shadow Mountain,” Mrs. Thurmond spoke up, “and I figure that’s where the critter stays now—same as it did in life.”
The girls tried to convince the cook that the apparition was a mere trick, but they could not do it.
Nancy changed the subject. “If Valentine did have a hideout in this area, very likely he kept his horse in a corral there. It’s possible that the persons who are attacking the ranch have discovered the place and are using it for their trick horse.”
Mrs. Thurmond shook her head gloomily. “If it was real folks doin’ the damage, I’d face right up to ‘em,” she declared. “But I’ve seen that spook with my own eyes. I tell you it’s too much for my nerves!”
By the time the baking was finished, Mrs. Thurmond had excused herself and gone to bed.
“Now for the icing,” said Nancy.
When the cake was cool enough, she covered it with thick creamy swirls of dark chocolate and studded the top with whole walnuts.
Bess sighed. “It’s too bad we can’t have just a teeny piece now, isn’t it?”
“I sure could go for a slab,” Tex agreed hungrily.
“Come on, cookie,” Dave coaxed Nancy.
“Think how good that would taste to us poor riders out on the midnight watch,” Bud said in his soft drawl. “Saddlesore, weary—”
“You’re breaking our hearts,” George said cheerfully.
“Graham crackers and milk tonight,” Nancy announced with a chuckle. “You’ll get your cake tomorrow.”
In the morning Alice could hardly contain her excitement over the trip to the cabin. Not wanting their destination known, Nancy had warned Alice to say nothing of her hopes at the breakfast table. When Aunt Bet asked the girls about their plans, Nancy said, “Alice and I would like to go for a ride in the mountains.”
George had letters to write and Bess said she wanted to wash and set her hair.
“I’ll saddle up for you,” Shorty volunteered. Nancy was surprised at his friendly gesture. She and Alice thanked him, then hurried to change into riding clothes.
When they were dressed and waiting on the portico, Tex walked up, leading Nancy’s bay. Just behind him came Shorty with a sorrel for Alice. Nancy stepped into the yard and mounted easily. With a shrill whinny, the horse reared.
“Hang on!” Tex shouted.
Nancy gripped the pommel tight and hung onto the reins. The horse pitched high and landed stiff-legged on all fours!
Tex seized the bridle and held the bay down, giving Nancy time to fling herself from the saddle.
“Hey, boy! Easy now!” Tex said as he tried to calm the excited animal.
“Nancy, are you hurt?” Alice asked worriedly.
“I’m all right,” Nancy replied breathlessly. “But what’s the matter with the horse?”
Shorty had hurried to Tex’s assistance, and now the snorting steed was standing still. The red-haired cowboy’s eyes narrowed with suspicion as he loosened the saddle girth and reached up under the blanket.
“I thought so!” He brought out his hand and held it open for the others to see. In his palm lay a nettle.
Shorty’s eyes grew wide. “Well, what do you know about that!” he drawled.
Tex looked at him levelly. “What do you know about this?”
“Me!” exclaimed Shorty. “Some mean coyote pulled that trick, not me!”
“You saddled the animals,” Tex retorted and turned to Nancy. “I was passin’ the stable when Shorty came out with these mounts. He asked me to bring this one over to you.”
“Now hold on thar a minute,” Shorty put in. “When I went to the stable after breakfast I found this bay already saddled. I throwed the saddle on the other one and brung ’em out. That’s all I know about it. You got no call to accuse me. No sir! Not me!”
Tex’s face flushed with anger. “If you’re tellin’ the truth, Shorty Steele, I apologize.”
Before the stocky cowboy could answer, Nancy suggested that Tex check Alice’s saddle blanket. He did and reported that it was all right. The girls mounted and rode toward the meadow.
“Hang on, Nancy!” Tex shouted
“I don’t believe Shorty was telling the truth,” said Alice.
Nancy said nothing, but she was inclined to agree. Aloud she said, “Someone has not given up trying to get me out of the picture.”
When they finally sighted the cabin, Nancy reined up behind the clump of big boulders. She swung from the saddle and ground-hitched her horse, but was not so quick as Alice. The younger girl dashed to the cabin and knocked on the door. As Nancy ran up, it was opened by a slender gray-haired man.
With a shock Nancy recognized him. He was the one who had put the snake’s rattle into her knitting bag and dropped the warning note into the car!
CHAPTER XV
A Perilous Ride
ALICE was on the verge of tears. The man in the cabin doorway was not her father!
He scowled at the two girls. “What do you want?”
Nancy was sure the man must have recognized her, but he gave no sign of it, so she pretended not to know him. Quickly she thought of an excuse for coming. “Are you Mr. Bursey?” she asked.
“Yes. Why?”
“We’d like to buy one of your pastels,” Nancy replied.
“My what?”
“Pastels—your pictures,” Nancy said.
“Oh.” The man paused. “I haven’t any more. How did you know I was here?”
Nancy explained casually that Mary Deer had told them the artist lived on the mountain. “Several days ago we happened to see this cabin and we thought perhaps it might be where you live.”
He gave Nancy a long, hard look. “My paintings are all gone,” he said. “No use coming back.”
Nancy apologized for bothering him, and as the girls turned to walk back to their horses, he closed the door.
Alice was deepl
y upset. “I just can’t believe that man drew those pictures.”
“I’m sure he didn’t,” Nancy replied as the girls mounted. “He’s no artist. He didn’t know what I meant by pastels and he called the pictures paintings. He should have known they’re drawings made with special crayons.”
She told Alice how she, Bess, and George had encountered the man before.
Alice was excited. “Maybe he’s holding my father prisoner somewhere!”
Nancy agreed that was possible. But where? she wondered. There had been no one else in the one-room cabin. Recalling how Chief had appeared mysteriously from behind it, Nancy surmised there was a hiding place nearby.
“What shall we do, Nancy?” Alice asked.
“Report to the sheriff as fast as we can.”
Nancy added that if Alice’s father was a prisoner of Bursey, the gray-haired man and his pals might very well be the Chicago bank robbers. “And since Bursey is also mixed up with the ranch trouble, his gang is probably responsible for the phantom horse.”
As the girls rode down the trail, Nancy’s thoughts dwelt uneasily on the man who said his name was Bursey. Could he possibly believe that she had not known him? “I’m afraid my trumped-up story didn’t fool him,” she decided. “He must know I’ll report him to Sheriff Curtis. But why didn’t he try to stop me?”
The answer was plain. The man believed that people knew the girls’ destination. “He doesn’t want us to disappear at his cabin,” Nancy told herself, “so he’ll arrange an ’accident’ for us on the way down the mountain.”
She turned in her saddle and warned Alice to keep alert for signs of pursuit. A little farther along they came to a fork in the trail.
“Let’s follow this other path,” Nancy suggested.
They soon found the new route a hazardous one, however, and were forced to slow down. The horses were picking their footing on the narrow trail which wound back and forth across a sheer cliff.
Alice glanced up. “Uncle Ed says that Westerners call this kind of path an ‘eyebrow trail.’ I can see why.”
A few minutes later the girls rode under a rock overhang, which prevented them from seeing the turn of the path above them. Suddenly pebbles and dust started falling from above. Someone was following them!