CHAPTER XXIII--THE SECRET PASSAGE
Christmas Day dawned clear and mild, a green Christmas if ever there wasone. And yet, in spite of the absence of such traditional accompanimentsas snow and ice, the spirit of the season was there in abundance. Nedand Laurie, wakening early to the sound of church bells, felt Christmasyright from the first conscious moment. When they hastened down the hallfor their baths, they could hear George and Hal Goring on the floorbelow uniting in what they fondly believed was song. Later, atbreakfast, beside a perfectly wonderful repast in which chicken andlittle crisp sausages and hot, crisp waffles played leading roles, theDoctor and Miss Tabitha had placed at each plate a Christmas card tiedby a tiny blue ribbon to a diminutive painter's brush! Later on therewas to be a tree in the Doctor's living-room. In fact, the tree wasalready there, and the boys had spent much of the preceding eveningtrimming it and placing around its base inexpensive gifts of a jokingnature for one another and the Doctor and Miss Tabitha and the twoinstructors who were there.
Laurie and Ned had exchanged presents with each other and had receivedseveral from home, not the least welcome of which was a check from theirfather. And they had bought small gifts for George and Bob. Also, thoughyou needn't tell it around school, Laurie had purchased a mostodoriferous and ornate bottle of perfume for Polly! So when, shortlyafter breakfast, Ned suggested that Laurie take Bob's present over tohim, Laurie evinced entire willingness to perform the errand. That hecarried not one gift but two in his pockets was, however, beyond Ned'sknowledge. A cheerful whistling from the back of the house drew Lauriepast the front entrance, and he found Bob, attired in any but festalgarments, swinging open the bulkhead doors. A pair of old gray trousersand a disreputable brown sweater formed most of his costume. At sight ofLaurie he gave a joyful whoop.
"Merry Christmas!" he called. "I was going over to see you in a minute.Thomas is in bed with a cold or something, and I'm furnace-man andgeneral factotle--"
"Factotum, you mean," laughed Laurie.
"All right! As you fellows say, what do I care? I don't own it. Nowyou're here, you can just give me a hand with this load of junk. Dadsays it doesn't look shipshape for Christmas." Bob indicated more than adozen paint-cans, empty, partly empty, or unopened, and a mess ofbrushes, paddles, and rags that they had set there last evening. "Isuppose a lot of these might as well be thrown away, but we'll dump thewhole caboodle down in the cellar for now."
"All right," agreed Laurie. "First, though, here's something that Nedand I thought you might like. It isn't anything much, you know, Bob;just a--a trinket."
"For me?" Bob took the little packet, and removed the paper and then thelid, disclosing a pair of silver cuff-links lying in a nest ofcotton-wool. As Laurie said, they weren't much, but they were neat andthe jeweler had made a very good job of the three plain block letters,R. D. S., that he had engraved on them. "Gee, they're corking!"exclaimed Bob, with unmistakable sincerity. "I needed them, too, Nod. Ilost one of a pair just the other day, and--"
"I know you did. That's why we got those."
"Well, I'm awfully much obliged. They're great. I've got a couple oflittle things upstairs for you chaps. They aren't nearly so nice asthese, but I'll get 'em--"
"Wait till we finish this job," said Laurie. "Grab a handful and comeon. Is Thomas very sick?"
"I guess not," replied Bob, as he followed the other down the steps. "Heate some breakfast, but aunt thought he'd better stay in bed. I had agreat time with the furnace this morning. Got up at half-past six andshoveled coal to beat the band!"
"Where do you want to put these?" asked Laurie.
"Anywhere, I guess. Hold on; let's dump 'em on the shelves in the closetthere. Then they'll be out of the way. Some day we'll clean the cans allout, and maybe we'll get enough to paint that arbor we're going tobuild. Here you are."
Bob led the way to a small room built against the rear wall of the bigcellar. Designed for a preserve closet, its shelves had probably longbeen empty of aught save dust, and the door, wide open, hung from onehinge. It was some six feet broad and perhaps five feet deep, built ofmatched boards. Before Bob entered the cobwebby doorway with his load ofcans, its only contents were an accumulation of empty preserve-jars in awooden box set on the cement floor beneath a lower shelf at the back.There were eight shelves across the rear wall, divided in the center bya vertical board into two tiers. Bob placed his load on a lower shelfand Laurie put his on the shelf above. As he drew away he noticed thatthe shelf appeared to have worked out from the boards at the back, andhe gave it a blow on the edge with the flat of one hand. It slipped backinto place, but, to his surprise, it came forward again an inch or two,and all the other shelves in that tier came with it!
"Hey!" said Laurie, startled.
Bob, at the doorway, turned. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"Nothing, only--" Laurie took hold of the shelf above the loosened oneand pulled. It yielded a little, and so did the other shelves and therear wall of the cubicle, but it was only a matter of less than an inch.Bob, at his side, looked on interestedly.
"That's funny," he said. "Push on it."
Laurie pushed, and the tier went back a couple of inches. "Looks likethis side was separate from the rest," said Laurie. "What's the idea ofhaving it come out like that?"
"Search me!" answered Bob. "Pull it toward you again and let me have alook." A second later he exclaimed: "The whole side is loose, Nod, butit can't come out because the ends of the shelves strike this partitionboard! Try it again!" Laurie obeyed, moving the tier back and forththree or four times as far as it would go. Bob shook his head inpuzzlement, his gaze roving around the dim interior. Then, "Look here,"he said. "The shelves on the side aren't on a level with the back ones,Nod."
"What of it?"
"Nothing, maybe; only, if the back swung out the side shelves wouldn'tstop it! See what I mean?"
"Not exactly. Anyhow, it doesn't swing out, so what's the--"
"Hold on!" Bob sprang forward and seized the edge of a shelf in theright-hand tier close to the partition board, and pulled. It readilyyielded an inch, but no more.
"Wait!" Laurie bent and pulled aside the box of jars. "Now!"
Then, as Bob tugged, to their amazement the right-hand tier swung towardthem, its lower edge scraping on the cement floor, and the left-handtier swung with it, the whole back wall of the closet, shelves and all,opening toward them like a pair of double doors!
"Gee!" whispered Laurie. "What do you suppose--"
"Pull them wide open and let's find out," said Bob recklessly.
When the two sides were open as far as they would go, there was anaperture between them some three feet wide. Beyond it was darkness,though, as they gazed, the stones of the cellar wall took shape dimly.Then Laurie seized Bob's arm.
"Look!" he whispered excitedly. Behind, where the left-hand tier ofshelves had stood, was a blacker patch about three feet high by two feetwide, which, as they stared in fascination, evolved itself into anopening in the wall.
"Know what I think?" asked Bob, in low tones. "I think we've found themiser's hiding-place, Nod!"
"Honest? Maybe it's just a--a drain or something. Got a match?"
"There are some over by the furnace. Hold your horses!" Bob hurried out,and was back in a moment and was standing at the opening between thedoors with a lighted match held toward the opening in the wall. As thelittle light grew they saw that the stones of the wall had been removedfrom a space of a foot above the floor and three feet high and some twofeet wide. Around the opening so made cement had been applied in theform of a smooth casing.
The match flickered and went out, and in the succeeding gloom the twoboys stared at each other with wide eyes.
"Would you dare go in there?" asked Laurie.
"Sure! Why not? It can't be anything but a sort of cave underground.Wait till I get a candle."
"A lantern would be better," suggested Laurie, viewing the holedubiously.
"That's so, and there's one here somewhere. I not
iced it the other day."Bob's voice came from the cellar beyond, and Laurie heard him walkingaround out there. Then, "I've got it!" Bob called. "There's oil in it,too! Now we'll have a look!"
Laurie heard the chimney of the lantern squeak as it was forced up andthen drop into place again. Then a wan light came toward the closet, andBob appeared, triumphant and excited. "Wait till I turn it up a bit.There we are! Come on!"
They passed through between the doors, Bob leading, and stooped beforethe hole in the wall. Bob held the lantern inside, and Laurie peeredover his shoulder. "Gee, it's high," whispered the latter.
"Yes, and it isn't a cave at all; it's a tunnel!" said Bob, in awedtones. "What do you say?"
"I'll go, if you will," replied Laurie, stoutly; and without muchenthusiasm Bob ducked his head and crawled through. Past the two-footwall was a passage, more than head-high and about a yard in width, stonewalled and arched, that led straight ahead farther than the light of thelantern penetrated. The walls were dry, but the earthen floor was dampto the touch. There was a musty odor, though the air in there seemedfresh.
"Where do you suppose it goes to?" asked Bob, in a hushed voice.
"I can't imagine. But it runs straight back from the cellar, and so itmust pass under the garden. Let's--let's go on, Bob."
"Sure! Only I thought we were going to find old Coventry's treasure!"
"How do you know we aren't?" asked Laurie.
"That's so! Maybe he buried it under the garden." Their footfallssounded clearly on the hard-packed earth floor as they went ahead.Suddenly Bob, in the lead, uttered an exclamation, and Laurie jumped afoot and then hurried forward to where the other was standing. Besidehim, its point buried in the floor of the tunnel, was the lost crowbar!
"What do you know?" gasped Bob. "We're under the farther end of thearbor. That bar came through between those stones up here." He touch thecrevice in the arched roof with a finger. "See the dirt it brought downwith it? Well, that explains that mystery!"
"Yes, but--where does this thing go to, Bob?"
"Let's find out. It can't go much farther, because the arbor was onlyabout forty feet from the back fence."
But they went that forty feet and perhaps forty more before the waveringlight of the lantern showed them a stout wooden door across their path.Formed of two-inch planking and strengthened with three broad cleats, itwas hinged to a frame of concrete. It wasn't a big door, but it lookedvery formidable to the two boys who stood there and viewed it dubiouslyin the yellow glare of the lantern; for a big square iron lock held itfirmly in place.
"Guess we don't go any farther," said Bob, dryly.
"Maybe the key's here somewhere," Laurie suggested; and, although Bobscoffed at the suggestion, they searched thoroughly but without success.
"We could bust it," Bob said; "only maybe we haven't any right to."
"I don't see why not, Bob. We discovered it. Let's!"
"We-ell, but one of us'll have to go for a hammer or something."
"Sure; I'll go."
"And leave me here in the dark? I guess not!"
"We'll both go, then. Hold on! What's the matter with the crowbar?"
"Of course! I never thought of that! I'll fetch it!" The light recededdown the tunnel until it was small and dim, and Laurie, left alone infront of the mysterious portal, felt none too happy. Of course there wasnothing to be afraid of, but he was awfully glad when the light drewnearer again and Bob returned. "You hold this," directed Bob, "and I'llgive it a couple of whacks."
Laurie took the lantern, and Bob brought the bar down smartly on thelock. Probably it was old and rusty, for it broke into pieces under theblow, and in another instant they had thrust the heavy bolt back. ThenBob took a long breath and pulled the door toward them. The hingessqueaked loudly, startlingly, in the silence. Before them lay darkness,and Laurie, leaning past the doorway, raised the lantern high.
CHAPTER XXIV--A MERRY CHRISTMAS
"Guess Laurie got lost," grumbled Ned, kicking one foot against the stepand looking across the yard.
George laughed. "Guess you could find him if you went as far as theWidow's, Nid."
"Well, he ought to be back. It's nearly time for the tree, isn't it?"Characteristically, Ned saved himself the trouble of determining thematter for himself, and it was George who looked at his watch.
"There's 'most an hour yet. Let's go and have a look for him. He and Bobare probably at Polly's."
But they didn't get as far as Polly's just then, for when they reachedthe corner they descried Laurie tearing along the side yard of theCoventry place. At sight of them he moderated his speed slightly andbegan to shout, waving both hands in a quite demented manner.
"What's he saying?" asked George. "What's wrong?"
"Wants us to hurry," grumbled Ned. "We are hurrying, you idiot!" hecontinued, raising his voice. But he hurried faster, George at hisheels, and met Laurie at the front gate.
"What's your trouble?" he demanded. "House on fire? Bob got the croup?What is it? Can't you talk?"
"Can't tell you," panted Laurie. "You've got to see--for yourself! Comeon!"
He seized Ned by one arm, and pulled him away and around the house anddown the bulkhead steps, George loping after them. In the cellar stoodBob, disreputable in his old clothes and adorned with dust and cobwebs,a lighted lantern in one hand.
"Has he told you?" he cried, as the others piled down the stairs.
"Told me? He hasn't told anything," gasped Ned, shaking himself free atlast. "What is it?"
Bob laughed loudly and gleefully. "Then come on!" he shouted. He dashedinto the preserve closet, Ned, George, and Laurie at his heels, passedfrom sight for an instant, and was seen again crawling through a hole inthe wall. Ned and George showered questions as they pattered along thetunnel, but all they received in reply was insane laughter and ameaningless, breathless jumble of words. And then they were at thefarther portal, and Bob led the way through, and they followed.
They found themselves in a small cellar-like compartment scarcely fourpaces square. It was windowless, although, close to the raftered ceilingin the rear wall, two oblongs of brick set in the stone showed where atsome time small windows had been. The floor was paved with flat stones.In one corner, the only objects there, were a small iron chest, its lidswung open and back, and a crowbar. The newcomers stared in amazement,the truth slowly dawning on them. It was Laurie who spoke first.
"Go and look!" he said excitedly.
Ned and George obeyed. Within the chest lay four fat, heavy brownishenvelopes, bound and tied with pink tape.
"Take one out and open it," said Bob over Ned's shoulder.
Ned picked up one. Across one end was written in scrawly characters theinscription "Gov't."
"'Government,'" explained Laurie, softly. "It's full of United Statesbonds. Nearly a dozen of them. Have a look."
"Geewhillikins!" breathed Ned, in awe, as he drew the folded contentsinto the light. "Old Coventry's, do you mean?"
"Of course! Whose else? And there are three more lots. We haven'tfigured them up yet, but there must be fifty thousand dollars' worth!"
"Maybe they're no good," offered George.
"How do you mean, no good?" asked Ned indignantly. "United States bondsare always good!"
"Well, the others--"
"They're railroad bonds, all of them, three different lots," said Bob."I guess they're all right, too, don't you, Ned?"
"Right as rain! Why, the old codger--What's that?" he asked suddenly,looking ceiling-ward. Laurie laughed.
"That's what we wondered," he answered. "We jumped when we heard itfirst. Don't you know where you are?"
Ned looked around him and shook his head.
"Under the Widow Deane's house!"
"Wha-at! But Polly said there wasn't any cellar!"
"She doesn't know any better. Look above you. See where the stairwaywent? The old chap must have torn it away and boarded the hole up; andbricked up the windows, too. It must have cost him a pretty penny to doall
this!"
"What--what are you going to do with it?" asked George, pointing to thechest.
"Why, hand it over to the lawyers, whoever they are, I suppose,"answered Bob. "But first of all we're going to take those bonds and dumpthem into the Widow's lap. I always said I'd hand it all over to her,when I found it. I never thought I would find it, but I have--or Lauriehas, because if he hadn't noticed that the shelves were loose we neverwould--"
"Besides," interrupted George, "she comes in for a share of the money.Come on, fellows! Let's do it now! Gee, it will be some Christmaspresent!"
"Won't it? Let's each one take a package," said Laurie. "We'll leaveeverything just as it is for the lawyer folks. Come on!"
"Say, fellows, there's an awfully funny smell down here," observedGeorge. "Sort of--sort of sweet, like--like violets or something. Noticeit?"
"Yes, I noticed it before I got in here, though," said Ned. "Wonder whatit is."
"Oh, places like this get to smelling funny after they've been shut upfor a while," said Bob. "And I guess this place hasn't been opened fortwo years, eh?"
"Of course not; not since old Coventry died. Just the same, it's amighty funny odor." And George sniffed again perplexedly. Laurie, whohad withdrawn to the door, unconsciously placed a hand in one jacketpocket, where, within a crushed cardboard box, some fragments of glasswere all that remained of Polly's present! In prying open the lid of thechest he had brought the end of the crowbar against that pocket, and nowthe purchase was only a memory, albeit a fragrant one.
Some three minutes later four flushed-faced and very joyous youths burstinto the Widow Deane's shop. To the jangling of the little bell in theback room Polly appeared, a very pretty, bright-eyed Polly this morningin a new Christmas dress.
"Merry Christmas!" she cried. "Merry Christmas, Nid! Merry Christmas,Bob! Merry Christmas, George! Merry Christmas, Nod!"
Perhaps Laurie should have felt hurt that his own greeting had comelast; but he wasn't, for a glance went with it that hadn't accompaniedthe others. But, although the boys answered the greetings in chorus, itwas apparent to Polly that they were there for another purpose than towish her a Merry Christmas.
"Where's your mother!" demanded Bob.
"In there." Polly pointed to the back room, and without ceremony thefour filed past and into the little living-room. Mrs. Deane was seatedin a rocker, her spectacles pushed down on her nose, a paper across herknees, and her eyes fixed in smiling inquiry on the doorway.
Bob led the way. On the outspread paper he laid a brown envelop. "Wishyou a Merry Christmas, ma'am," he said.
Laurie followed, deposited his envelop beside Bob's, repeated thegreeting, and drew aside to make way for Nod and George. The Widowlooked inquiringly from the stout envelops to the boys, smilingtolerantly the while. Boys were always up to pranks, and she liked them,boys and pranks both!
"What are these?" she asked, finally, when the fourth envelop lay in herlap.
Polly, looking over her shoulder, gasped as she read the writing on oneof the packets, and her eyes, as round as round, looked across atLaurie.
"_Nod! They aren't--You haven't--_"
"Yes, they are!" cried Laurie. "Look and see for yourself! Open them,Mrs. Deane!"
* * * * *
Ten minutes later, when the first excitement had somewhat subsided,Polly clapped her hands.
"Why," she cried, "now we know what those sounds were we used to hear,Mama! They were Uncle Peter down there in the cellar! They were hisfootsteps! And only a little while ago I thought I heard sounds sort oflike them! And that must have been you boys!"
"Of course," agreed Bob. "And we could hear you folks up here quiteplainly. There goes my last hope of catching a ghost!"
"How many are there to share in the money, Mrs. Deane?" asked George.
"Dear me, I'm not quite sure." She looked inquiringly over herspectacles at Polly. "Weren't there seven, dear?"
"Eight, Mama."
"Well, even then it isn't so bad" said George. "One eighth ofsixty-two-thousand--"
"Seven thousand seven hundred and fifty," announced Laurie, promptly."And the bonds may be worth more than we figured, ma'am!"
"Well, I'm sure," answered Mrs. Deane, "seven thousand dollars is seventimes more money than I ever expected to see! I shan't know what to dowith it." She looked quite alarmed and helpless for a moment, but Pollypatted her shoulder reassuringly.
"You must invest it, dearest, and then you won't have to keep this placeany longer, because when I go to work--"
But, instead of vanishing, the Widow Deane's alarm increased. "Oh, Icouldn't give up the store, Polly!" she gasped. "Why--why, what would Ido with myself all day?"
"Yes'm that's so!" declared Ned, heartily. "Gee, you couldn't do that!Why, we wouldn't have any place to buy cream-puffs!"
"I guess I would keep on with the store," Mrs. Deane concluded, when thelaughter had subsided. "I'm afraid I'd never be very happy if I didn'thave you boys around. Well, it's certainly very wonderful, isn't it,Polly?"
"It's--it's heavenly!" declared Polly. "This is just the most beautifulChristmas there ever was or ever will be! And I don't see how we canever thank you all for finding--"
"Gosh!" exclaimed Laurie. "The Doctor's tree, fellows! We'll have tobeat it! We'll leave the bonds here until to-morrow--eh?"
"But I want to see the tunnel and--and everything!" cried Polly.
"That's so! We'll come over after dinner. Come on, fellows! Neddie, comeaway from those tarts!"
"I was only looking," sighed Ned.
Mrs. Deane and Polly went with them to the door. Down the street thedeep-toned bell in the Congregational church was ringing, and, fartheraway, other bells were joining in a chorus of glad triumph. Mrs. Deane,listening, held a very happy look in her face. On the sidewalk, Ned andLaurie dropped behind their companions, paused, and faced the doorway.There was a quick exchange of glances between them, and then, bowing,Ned began and Laurie finished:
"A Merry Christmas and well-filled bins," "Is the hearty wish of the Turner Twins!"
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