The Message In The Hollow Oak Part 24

"Gone," Art answered.

"Good. As long as I'm here," Nancy said, treading water, "I'm going to investigate the bottom and see if by any chance there's a tree or part of one here." She swam around, diving now and then, but finally came to the side.

"There's nothing important down here," she reported.

Ned was at the edge of the water to a.s.sist her. She was a strange sight, dripping from head to foot with whitish water.

At once Ned pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. "Let me wipe off your eyes." He daubed at them, then the rest of her face, and pulled her up the embankment.

Julie Anne had noticed a little stream of clear water a short distance from the quarry and had hastened there to wet her own handkerchief. She ran back and applied it to Nancy's eyes, nose, and mouth. Then she burst out, "That dog ought to be tied up and never let loose!"

Nancy agreed but said, "We're probably trespa.s.sing on some farmer's property and the dog was only protecting it for his master."

Ned suggested that they go home. "Nancy, you should get out of those clothes and wash your hair as soon as possible."

Dripping with whitish water, Nancy was a strange sight

She agreed. Her sopping wet attire was not only uncomfortable but gave her a strange whitish appearance.

"But we'll come back here tomorrow and continue our search for Bob," she told the others.

Meanwhile, Art had been walking around the edge of the quarry. Suddenly his foot kicked something. Leaning down, he picked up a metal object.

"Look!" he exclaimed. "Here's one of Pere Franois's lead plates!"

The group concluded it probably had fallen off a tree, then had been picked up and later dropped at this point. But who had dropped it and when? There was no way of finding out the direction in which the arrow had once pointed.

"We'll have to search in all directions at once," Nancy said ruefully.

Art put it into his pocket and they all trekked back to the truck. On the way to the dig, Nancy reflected upon the friendliness and cooperation of Julie Anne, Art, and Ned. Outside of Nancy's accident, everything had been most cordial and pleasant.

"Now I won't have to worry any more about jealousy and tense moments," she told herself, smiling in relief.

As the group stepped from the truck at the farmhouse, some of the girls were just coming in from the dig. They stared at Nancy with her white hair and clothing.

"What in the world happened to you?" asked one of them.

Nancy laughed. "Believe it or not, I fell into a quarry pit. And now I'm going in for a good bath and a shampoo, then wash these clothes."

Bess, who had come from the kitchen, stared at her friend in disbelief. She at once offered to take care of Nancy's clothes.

An hour later Nancy emerged from the farmhouse in a clean pants outfit, with her hair back to its natural reddish-blond color. Meeting Theresa, she told her about the sign and her suspicion that the kidnappers' hideout might be near the quarry.

They were interrupted by George who was just coming from the excavation. She was obviously excited.

"See what I dug up!" she exclaimed, exhibiting a tray of sand in which there was a circle of tiny river pearls. "These were probably once a necklace," she explained.

Theresa examined them. "This is an important find."

Bess had come out of the house in time to hear George's remark.

"You mean," she said, "that there was once a neck inside of those pearls?"

Nancy and George laughed. George could not resist teasing her cousin. "That's right. The lady's head and neck were dug up first."

"Ugh! How can you enjoy such gruesome things?" Bess remarked, and returned to the kitchen.

That evening after dinner the young people gathered in the living room. It had grown chilly outside and the logs in the fireplace were lighted. The farmhouse did not have a television set, but there was a good radio.

"Let's see if we can get some news," Theresa said. "I've been so engrossed here it's high time I caught up with what's going on in the outside world."

She turned on the set. The newscaster was telling about an earthquake in Peru and the resignation of a college president. A commercial followed.

When it was finished, the announcer said, "This station has just received a message from a ham radio operator. It may be a hoax. We cannot guarantee its authenticity but we give it to you in case you may know the person involved. The ham picked up the following broadcast:

"'I'm Bob Snell. Repeat. I'm Bob Snell. I'm well but a prisoner at-'

"That was all the ham heard," the announcer concluded.

There was another short commercial, then the regular newscast was continued. The young people in the farmhouse were electrified by what they had heard.

"Oh, I hope they tell more!" Nancy said excitedly.

To the dismay of the group the announcer did not mention the ham's message again. They a.s.sumed the police had picked it up and would investigate.

Theresa spoke up. "This is both good news and bad news. It confirms our fears that Bob was kidnapped, but it's a good lead for the authorities to work on."

"And for us too," Nancy told her with determination.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Well-House Clue

THE farmhouse radio was kept on. The group hoped for further word of Bob Snell which the ham operator might have sent. Over an hour pa.s.sed and there was no mention of him.

"This is nerve-racking," Bess murmured.

"s.h.!.+" George warned.

Just then another news flash came on about the missing young man. The ham operator had reported he thought the prisoner must be a ham himself and had managed to rig up a sending set.

"But no doubt he was interrupted and his gear taken away from him," the announcer said.

This was the end of the news flash.