Spiders on the Case by Kathryn Lasky

Author:Kathryn Lasky
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2011-03-03T16:00:00+00:00

Two days later, the library reopened after a long holiday weekend. As was Tom’s habit since the Deadlies had arrived in the Rare Books Department, he came over to the display case to greet them and check up on their catch.

“I hope you enjoyed the Fourth of July, kids!” Tom said, leaning over the display case. “Oh! My goodness, you had a busy weekend. Look at those silverfish.”

If only he spoke spider, Jo Bell thought for the hundredth time.

“And goodness, that web looks rather festive with all those silvery critters dangling.”

Tom understands so much. What other human being would appreciate us the way Tom does! Jo Beth thought. It was all very frustrating.

The phone at the main desk began to ring, and Tom walked away to answer it.

“Yes, this is Tom Parker, conservator of rare books. Indeed we do have the Wurmach Encyclopedia of Hieroglyphs…. Yes…. It’s one of three existing first editions from 1825. As you know, Wurmach was a cryptologist — an expert in code breaking.”

Codes! Cryptology! Egyptians! Hieroglyphs! Of course! thought Jo Bell. That’s how we have to do it!

Tom turned to his assistant, Rosemary. “Tomorrow someone’s coming in early for the Wurmach Encyclopedia. It’s call number 932.W4.”

“Right-o, Tom,” Rosemary answered.

Jo Bell skittled over to Buster’s favorite bookshelf in the Rare Books Department.

“BUSTER!” she screeched.

“Whoa! Are you trying to start an earthquake here?” Buster said.

“Listen, Buster, I just had a brainstorm. Guess how we can get Tom’s attention.”

“How?” He crawled out of the folio.

“Forget spider speak.” Jo Bell waved four of her legs wildly about in all directions. “We need to write him a message. One that only Tom can understand. Not Smoot or Montague. Don’t you see the answer, Buster?”

“What? What are you saying?”

“Codes, cryptology, and Tom’s favorite — hieroglyphics!”

Buster staggered slightly. “Jo Bell, you’re a genius!” He paused, then added in a rather tentative voice, “But how do we do it? How do we write the code?”

“In silk and silverfish. Think of it as a kind of dragnet — because it is, in a sense.”

“Yes, of course!”

She told him how Tom had admired the silverfish strung up in the family web. “He said it was festive, Buster. I mean he really appreciated the design.”

“But we don’t know hieroglyphics.”

“We can learn enough. Julep has been hanging out in that pop-up pyramid book for the last three days. We’ll ask her.”

“But you didn’t want to tell your family.”

“The time has come,” Jo Bell answered solemnly. “We need all the help we can get.”

The nineteenth-century pop-up books were on a mezzanine of the Rare Books Department of the library. The quickest way to get to them was through air-conditioning vents. So Jo Bell and Buster let themselves get sucked up in a cool draft.

“I’m not sure where the pop-up books are, actually,” Jo Bell said.

“I know. You have to go past the sacred texts, then take a left.”

“Sacred texts — we might run into Mom. She’s got a thing about prayer books.”

When they arrived a few minutes later, Jo Bell exclaimed, “Good grief! There are a lot of pop-up books.

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