Dan Carter And The Money Box Part 3

"That's an idea," nodded Brad. "But let's not count any chickens-or rather, cas.h.!.+ I have a hunch whoever planted this money here won't forget about it!"

Excited over their discovery, the two boys hastily tossed another shovelful of coal on the fire.

Then, carrying the precious metal box, they took the stairway two steps at a time.

As they burst into the Cub meeting, Mr. Hatfield was explaining the different types of armor used by knights in early days.

"One type was made of steel mesh"-the Cub leader said, and his voice trailed off.

"Excuse us, sir," Brad apologized. "Dan found this box in the bas.e.m.e.nt.

It's full of money!"

The Cubs would have suspected the two boys of playing a practical joke.

However, Brad floored them by plumping the box itself on the table.

He jerked back the lid, revealing the packages of money.

"Ye gads!" shrieked Red. "Is it real?"

"Where'd you find it?" demanded Midge, fingering one of the fat packages.

"Inside the furnace?"

"Would that be likely with a fire going?" Brad demanded. "Dan dug it out of the coal pile. Must be a couple thousand dollars here at least."

"Let's count it," proposed Fred Hatfield.

Sam, who was Fred's father, had not spoken. However, very soberly he had been examining not only the metal box, but many of the packages of money.

"Do you think it's genuine, sir?" Dan asked eagerly.

"I'm not an expert on money," the Cub leader replied. "But this looks like straight goods to me."

"How do you suppose the box came to be here in the church?" Brad asked.

"I haven't the slightest idea. It bothers me though. I must notify the pastor and the church trustees at once. Also, the discovery should be reported to the police."

The Cubs wanted to see the exact spot where Dan had found the money box.

For that matter, so did Mr. Hatfield.

They all trooped down into the bas.e.m.e.nt to re-examine the coal bin. The Cub leader could find no clue as to the person who might have hidden the box.

True, he pointed out several large-size shoeprints visible on the dusty bas.e.m.e.nt floor. But he agreed with Dan and Brad that they likely had been made by workmen who had repaired the furnace.

"Say, maybe one of the workmen hid the box!" Red exclaimed.

Mr. Hatfield said he considered the possibility an unlikely one. However, he would not venture even a guess as to who might have left the box in the coal bin.

"For all we know, it might even be stolen money," he commented.

Dan, who had stood near the foot of the bas.e.m.e.nt stairs, had heard an unusual sound overhead.

"Listen!" he commanded.

The Cubs became quiet. Distinctly, they could hear a rattling noise.

"Sounds like someone trying to raise a window," Brad said. "That box of money on the table-"

Mr. Hatfield started up the stairs, but without undue haste.

"Take it easy, boys," he said. "It's only the wind rattling a window. The money's safe enough."

Despite rea.s.surance, the Cubs were uneasy as they followed their leader up the creaking stairs.

If the box were gone-

Mr. Hatfield opened the door of the study. Every eye focused upon the table.

The box of money was exactly where it had been left.

"Well, that's a relief," Mr. Hatfield admitted, chuckling at his own uneasiness. "I'll acknowledge that hearing the window rattle gave me a most uncomfortable feeling."

"How much do you suppose is here?" Dan speculated, fingering one of the packages. "Shall we count it?"

"Well-" the Cub leader hesitated. "I'm not too eager to stay here in an empty church with so much money. But then, go ahead. The job shouldn't take long."

The Cubs seated themselves at the table. Mr. Hatfield began to count, while the Cubs checked his work.

Since the onset of colder weather, Den 2 had made use of the church as a meeting place for both Den and Pack gatherings.

In warmer weather they usually a.s.sembled at The Cave, overlooking the river. As its name implied, the chamber had been carved by water action, and was reached by a flight of stairs built by the Cubs and their fathers.

During the previous summer, the boys had enjoyed many an adventure along the waterfront. The story of their difficulties with river pirates has been told in the Cub book ent.i.tled: "Dan Carter and the River Camp."

In the first Cub Scout book, "Dan Carter, Cub Scout," the boys tried a little back yard camping. Even so, they found themselves battling a flood at a pheasant farm, and incidentally, meeting several unpleasant persons.

Now, as the Cubs watched Mr. Hatfield count the money found in the tin box, they sensed that once again they were on the verge of adventure.

The Cub leader tallied eight hundred and forty dollars in twenty dollar denominations. Brad carefully set this amount down.

Next the Cub leader started to count the ten dollar bills. He was well into the third package, when Dan, a little weary of watching, raised his eyes to the window.

What he saw nearly caused him to rise off his chair.

A face was pressed against the windowpane.

In the fleeting instant that he saw it, Dan gained only a vague impression of a flattened nose and intent eyes.

Too startled to cry out, he kicked Brad's foot under the table.