Ten Mile Treasure by Andre Norton

Author:Andre Norton [Norton, Andre]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781497656871
Publisher: Open Road Media Young Readers
Published: 2014-06-30T21:00:00+00:00

7

Danger for Lady Maude

Just as it had been so noisy yesterday morning at the station, now it was very quiet. The workmen had left. Father had driven into town as soon as Mother had come back the day before to see someone at the bank. He was away a very long time. When Christie had gone to bed he had not yet returned, though when she awoke early in the morning the car was again standing in the untidy yard among the supplies to restore the station.

Was what Marlene Toner had said true? Did Mr. Toner really own the station and would the Kimballs have to move? Where were they going to go—back east again?

“Chris,” Perks pattered over barefooted, her rumpled pajamas twisted about her legs, Raggedy Ann under her arm. Shan sat in the door of their room yawning, and Baron was outside barking, announcing it was time to feed a hungry dog.

“Chris,” Perks repeated, tugging now at her sister's sleeve, “do we have to move?”

“I don't know. Anyway—not today.”

“I don't want to go. Parky and Neal—they're going to open the treasure box. Chris, if there's money inside that—can't we give it to Daddy and help him keep the station?”

All the money in the world, Christie thought, might not make Mr. Toner let go of land he wanted. She knew that Father had been greatly worried yesterday—nearly as worried as he had been when he lost that job back in Mayfield.

“I know one thing,” she said suddenly, “Marlene isn't going to get lady Maude!”

“But—how could she?” Perks wanted to know. “We found her—Marlene didn't.”

“But if it's true her father owns the land where the cave is, maybe he can claim anything we found there belongs to him.”

“We can hide her! Then if we have to go away we can take her along and that old Marlene won't even know about her.”

That was an idea that had already occurred to Christie. She nodded. “We'll try that, Perks, if we have to.”

It seemed that this was a day of troubles. First both Mother and Father had to go back into town. The children were given orders to stay with the Wildhorses. In fact, Mother and Father were in such a hurry to leave they said very little, except about what must be done and that Christie and Neal should take care of the twins and do what Mrs. Wildhorse told them.

Even Pinto was going with them. Perhaps, Neal and Christie decided, because he had lived at the station so long he knew more than anyone about who it really belonged to. He did not look like himself wearing a white shirt and a checked coat, with his hat on straight instead of pushed to the back of his head. And he was not happy-eyed anymore.

“We can clean up some.” Christie tried to think of what might be done to help out as the car pulled away.

“You can,” Neal told her shortly, “if you want to. I'm going to hunt in Pinto's place for a big hammer and a chisel.

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