023-The Melted Coins by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon [Dixon, Franklin W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-08-07T14:27:03+00:00

"Never in all my life have I seen anything like it!" declared Mr. Morton wrathfully. "I thought there was something suspicious. I A Valuable Letter 111

never knew you to work like that before. But why in the world, when I give you a simple little task to do, you can't just go and do it without making such an infernal mess, is more than I can understand."

"Well, I kind of got working on something else," murmured Chet apologetically.

'' I should say you did. What were you trying to do-dig a canal ?''

Mr. Morton looked up at that moment and saw the Hardys grinning gleefully at their chum's discomfiture.

"Come on in, boys," he said cheerfully. Then he appealed to them. "Did you see what this son of mine has done to that field? I ask him to dig a ditch. Just an ordinary, simple little ditch that shouldn't have taken more than two or three hours.

"And what happens while I'm out of town? He works morning and night. He even camps down there. He sleeps there and takes his meals there. I came home last night and this morning I went down to see what he had done. And what do I find!" Mr. Morton's voice rose plaintively. "What do I find? I discover that he's gone and dug up half my field. It's in a terrible mess."

"I guess maybe we were to blame for some of that, Mr. Morton," said Frank.

Mr. Morton was not inclined to believe this. "Don't try to share the blame. You boys have good sense. You wouldn't go digging holes all 112 The Melted Coins over the place if you were asked merely to dig a ditch. But this son >f mine-I give him a simple job to do and he goes clean crazy. He makes an excavation job out of it." He turned to Chet again. ''What were you up to, anyway?"

Chet gulped miserably.

"Better tell your father about it, Chet," suggested Frank.

"Do you mean to say there is an explanation? That it wasn't just plain nonsense?"

demanded Mr. Morton.

Chet gulped again.

"I-I was digging for buried treasure," he faltered at last.

'' Buried treasure!'' cried Mr. Morton. '' Now I've heard everything. What on earth possessed you to dig for buried treasure down there?"

"Because I found some," muttered Chet.

He fished out the old coins from his pocket and handed them to his father.

"That's true, Mr. Morton," spoke up Joe. "We've been helping Chet. We were keeping the hunt a secret.''

Mr. Morton examined the coins. His manner suddenly changed.

"This is odd," he said quietly. "Very odd. Buried treasure, eh? Do you mean to tell ma you found these when you were digging the ditch?"

"Both of them," said Chet.

A Valuable Letter 113

The fat boy's father looked up. "Well," he said, "that's different. Why didn't you tell me about this before? Because now I can tell you a secret. I've done a little treasure-hunting on this property myself, but I kept quiet about it because I thought the whole thing probably was a hoax.

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