The Slipper Point Mystery

by Augusta Huiell Seaman

  CHAPTER XIV

  THE REAL BURIED TREASURE

  It had been a very dull day indeed for Genevieve. Had she been able tocommunicate her feelings adequately, she would have said she washeartily sick and tired of the program she had been obliged to follow.As she sat solitary on the porch of Miss Camilla's tiny abode, thumb inmouth and tugging at the lock of hair with her other hand, she thoughtit all over resentfully.

  Why should she be commanded to sit here all by herself, in a spot thatoffered no attractions whatever, told, nay, _commanded_ not to move fromthe location, when she was bored beyond expression by the entireproceeding? True, they had left her eatables in generous quantities, butshe had already disposed of these, and as for the picture-books of manyattractive descriptions, given her to while away the weary hours, theywere an old story now, and the afternoon was growing late. She longed togo down to the shore and play in the rowboat, and dabble her bare toesin the water, and indulge in the eternally fascinating experiment ofcatching crabs with a piece of meat tied to a string and her father'sold crab-net. What was the use of living when one was doomed to drag outa wonderful afternoon on a tiny, hopelessly uninteresting porch out inthe backwoods? Existence was nothing but a burden.

  True, the morning had not been without its pleasant moments. They hadrowed up the river to their usual landing-place, a trip she alwaysenjoyed, though it had been somewhat marred by the fear that she mightbe again compelled to burrow into the earth like a mole, forsaking theglory of sunshine and sparkling water for the dismal dampness of thatunspeakable hole in the ground. But, to her immense relief, thissacrifice was not required of her. Instead, they had made at oncethrough the woods and across the fields to Miss Camilla's, albeitburdened with many strange and, to her mind, useless tools and otherimpedimenta.

  Miss Camilla's house offered attractions not a few, chiefly in the wayof unlimited cookies and other eatables. But her enjoyment of thecookies was tempered by the fact that the whole party suddenly took itinto their heads to proceed to the cellar and, what was even worse, toattempt again the loathsome undertaking of scrambling through the narrowplace in the wall and the journey beyond. She herself accompanied themas far as the cellar, but further than that she refused to budge. Sothey left her in the cellar with a candle and a seat conveniently near abarrel of apples.

  It amazed her, moreover, that a person of Miss Camilla's years and senseshould engage in this foolish escapade. She had learned to expectnothing better of Sally and "Dowis," but that Miss Camilla herselfshould descend enthusiastically to so senseless a performance, causedher somewhat of a shock. She had not expected it of Miss Camilla.

  It transpired, however, that they did not proceed far into the tunnel.She could hear them talking and exclaiming excitedly, and discussingwhether "this was really twenty-seven," and "hadn't we better countagain," and "shall we saw it out," and other equally pointless remarksof a similar nature. Wearying of listening to such idle chatter, andreplete with cookies and russet apples, she had finally put her headdown on the edge of the barrel and had fallen fast asleep.

  When she had awakened, it was to find them all back in the cellar, andMiss Camilla making the pleasant announcement that "they would haveluncheon now and get to work in earnest afterward." A soul-satisfyinginterval followed, the only really bright spot in the day for Genevieve.But gloom had settled down upon her once more when they had risen fromthe table. Solemnly they had taken her on their laps (at least MissCamilla had!) and ominously Sally had warned her:

  "Now, Genevieve, we've got something awfully important to do thisafternoon. You don't like to go down in that dark place, so we'vedecided not to take you with us. You'd rather stay up here in thesunshine, wouldn't you?" And she had nodded vigorously an unqualifiedassent to that proposition. "Well, then," Sally had continued, "you stayright on this porch or in the sitting-room, and don't you dare venture afoot away from it. Will you promise?" Again Genevieve had nodded."Nothing will hurt you if you mind what we say, and by and by we'll comeback and show you something awfully nice." Genevieve had seriouslydoubted the possibility of this latter statement, but she was helplessin their hands.

  "And here's plenty of cookies and a glass of jam," Miss Camilla hadsupplemented, "and we'll come back to you soon, you blessed baby!" Thenthey had all hugged and kissed her and departed.

  Well, they had not kept their word. She had heard the little clock inthe room within, strike and strike and strike, sometimes just onebell-like tone, sometimes two and three and four. She could not yet"tell the time" but she knew enough about a clock to realize that thisindicated the passing of the moments. And still there had been no signof return on the part of the exploring three.

  Genevieve whimpered a little and wiped her eyes, sad to say, on hersleeve. Then she thrust her hand, for the fortieth time into thecooky-jar. But it was empty. And then, in sheer boredom and despair, sheput her head down on the arm of her chair, tucked her thumb into hermouth and closed her eyes to shut out the tiresome scene before her. Inthis position she had remained what seemed a long, long time, and theclock had sounded another bell-like stroke, when she was suddenlyaroused by a sound quite different.

  At first she did not give it much thought, but it came again louder thistime, and she sat up with a jerk. Was some one calling her? It was astrange, muffled sound, and it seemed as if it were like a voice tryingto pronounce her name.

  "Genev--! Genev--!" That was all she could distinguish. Did they wanther, possibly to go down into the horrible cellar and hole? She went tothe door giving on the cellar steps and listened. But, though she stoodthere fully five minutes, she heard not so much as a breath. No, itcould not be that. She would go out doors again.

  But, no sooner had she stepped onto the porch than she heard it again,fainter this time, but undeniable. Where _could_ it come from? They hadcommanded her not to venture a step from the porch but surely, if theywere calling her she ought to try and find them. So she stepped downfrom the veranda and ran around to the back of the house. This time shewas rewarded. The sound came clearer and more forcefully:

  "Genevieve!--Genev--ieve!" But where, still, could it come from? Therewas not a soul in sight. The garden (for it was Miss Camilla's vegetablegarden) was absolutely deserted of human occupation. But Genevievewisely decided to follow the sound, so she began to pick her waygingerly between the rows of beans, climbing on quite a forest of tallpoles. It was when she had passed these that she came upon somethingthat caused her a veritable shock.

  The ground in Miss Camilla's cucumber patch, for the space of ten ortwelve feet square, had sunk down into a strange hole, as if in a suddenearthquake. What did it all mean? And, as Genevieve hesitated on itsbrink, she was startled almost out of her little shoes to hear her namecalled faintly and in a muffled voice from its depths.

  "Genev--ieve!" It was the voice of Doris, though she could see not theslightest vestige of her.

  "Here I am!" answered Genevieve quaveringly. "What do you want, Dowis?"

  "Oh, thank God!" came the reply. "Go get--some one. Quick. We're--buriedalive! It--caved in. Hurry--baby!"

  "Who s'all I get?" demanded Genevieve. And well she might ask, for asfar as any one knew, there was not a soul within a mile of them.

  "Oh--I don't--know!" came the answering voice. "Go find--someone.Anyone. We'll die--here--if you--don't!" Genevieve was not sure she knewjust what that last remark meant, but it evidently indicated somethingserious.

  "All right!" she responded. "I will twy!" And she trotted off to thefront of the house.

  Here, however, she stopped to consider. Where _was_ she to go to findany one? She could not go back home,--she did not know the way. Shecould not go back to the river,--the way was full of pitfalls in theshape of thorny vines that scratched her face and tripped her feet, andbesides, Sally had particularly warned her not to venture in thatdirection--ever. After all, the most likely place to find any one wassurely along the road, for she had, very rarely when sitting on MissCamilla's porch, observed a wagon driv
en past. She would walk along theroad and see if she could find anybody.

  Had Genevieve been older and with a little more understanding, she wouldhave comprehended the desperate plight that had befallen her sister andDoris and Miss Camilla. And she would have lent wings to her feet andscurried to the nearest dwelling as fast as those feet would carry her.But she was scarcely more than a baby. The situation, though peculiar,did not strike her as so much a matter for haste as for patient waitingtill the person required should happen along. As she didn't see any oneapproaching in either direction, she decided to return to the house andkeep a strict eye on the road.

  And so she returned, seated herself on the porch steps, tucked her thumbin her mouth--and waited. There was no further calling from the curioushole in the back garden and nothing happened for a long, long time.Genevieve had just about decided to go back and inquire of Doris whatelse to do, when suddenly the afternoon stillness was broken by the"chug-chug" of a motor car and the honking of its horn. And beforeGenevieve could jump to her feet, a big automobile had come plowing downthe sandy road and stopped right in front of the gate.

  "Here's the place!" called out the chauffeur, and jumping down, walkedaround to open the door at the side for its occupants to get out. Apleasant-looking man descended and gave his hand to the lady beside him.And, to Genevieve's great astonishment, the lady proved to be none otherthan the mother of "Dowis."

  "Well, where's every one?" inquired the gentleman. "I don't see a soulbut this wee tot sitting on the steps."

  "Why, there's Genevieve!" cried Mrs. Craig, who had seen the baby manytimes before. "How are you, dear? Where are the others? Inside?"

  "No," answered Genevieve. "In de garden. Dowis she said come. Find someone."

  "Oh, they're in the garden, are they? Well, we'll go around there andgive them a surprise, Henry. Doris will simply be bowled over to see her'daddy' here so unexpectedly! And I'm very anxious to meet this MissCamilla she has talked so much about. Come and show us the way,Genevieve."

  The baby obediently took her hand and led her around to the back of thehouse, the gentleman following.

  "But I don't see any one here!" he exclaimed when they had reached theback. "Aren't you mistaken, honey?" This to Genevieve.

  "No, they in big hole," she announced gravely. The remark arousedconsiderable surprise and amused curiosity.

  "Well, lead us to the 'big hole,'" commanded Mrs. Craig laughingly. "Bighole, indeed! I've been wondering what in the world Doris was up tolately, but I never dreamed she was excavating!"

  Genevieve still gravely led the way through the forest of bean-poles tothe edge of the newly sunk depression.

  "What's all this?" suddenly demanded Mr. Craig. "It looks as if therehad been a landslide here. Where are the others, little girl? They'veprobably forsaken this and gone elsewhere."

  But Genevieve was not to be moved from her original statement. "They indere!" she insisted, pointing downward. "Dowis called. She say 'Go findsome one.'" The baby's persistence was not to be questioned.

  Mr. Craig looked grave and his wife grew pale and frightened. "Oh,Henry, what do you suppose can be the matter?" she quavered. "I dobelieve Genevieve is telling the truth."

  "There's something mighty queer about it," he answered hastily. "I can'tunderstand how in the world it has come about, but if that child isright, there's been a landslide or a cave-in of some sort here and Dorisand the rest are caught in it. Good heavens! If that's so, we can't acttoo quickly!" and he ran round to the front of the house shouting to thechauffeur, who had remained in the car:

  "There's been an accident. Drive like mad to the nearest house and getmen and ropes and spades,--anything to help dig out some people from acave-in!" The car had shot down the road almost before he had ceasedspeaking, and he hurried back to the garden.

  The next hour was a period of indescribable suspense and terror to allconcerned,--all, at least, save Genevieve, who sat placidly on Mrs.Craig's lap (Mr. Craig had brought out a chair from Miss Camilla'skitchen) and, thumb in mouth, watched the men furiously hurling the soilin great shovelfuls from the curious "hole." She could not understandwhy Mrs. Craig should sob softly, at intervals, under her breath, norwhy the strange gentleman should pace back and forth so restlessly andgive such sharp, hurried orders. And when he jumped into the hole, witha startled exclamation, and seized the end of a heavy plank, shewondered at the unnecessary excitement.

  It took the united efforts of every man present to move that plank, andwhen they had forced it aside, Mr. Craig stooped down with a smotheredcry.

  And the next thing Genevieve knew, they had lifted out some one and laidher on the ground, inert, lifeless and so covered with dirt and sand asto be scarcely recognizable. But from the light, golden hair, Genevieveknew it to be Doris. Before she knew where she was, Genevieve foundherself cascaded from Mrs. Craig's lap, and that lady bendingdistractedly over the prostrate form.

  Again the men emerged from the pit, carrying between them another formwhich they laid beside Doris. And, with a howl of anguish, Genevieverecognized the red-bronze pig-tail of her sister, Sally.

  By the time Miss Camilla had been extricated from the debris as lifelessand inert as the other two, the chauffeur had returned at mad speed fromthe village, bringing with him a doctor and many strange appliances forresuscitation. A pulmotor was put into immediate action, and anotherperiod of heartbreaking suspense ensued.

  It was Doris who first moaned her way back to life and at thephysician's orders was carried back into the house for furtherministrations. Sally was the next to show signs of recovery, but overpoor Miss Camilla they had to work hard and long, for, in addition tohaving been almost smothered, her foot had been caught by the fallingplank and badly injured. But she came back to consciousness at last,and her first words on opening her eyes were:

  "Do you think we can get that Spode dinner-set out all right?" A remarkwhich greatly bewildered Mr. Craig, who happened to be the only one tohear it!

  * * * * *

  "But how on earth did you and Mother happen to be there, Father, just inthe nick of time?" marveled Doris from the depths of several pillowswith which she was propped up in bed.

  She had been detailing to her parents, at great length, the whole storyof Sally and the cave and the tunnel and Miss Camilla and the hazardoustreasure-hunt that had ended her adventure. And now it was her turn tobe enlightened.

  "Well," returned her father, smiling whimsically, "it was a good deallike what they call 'the long arm of coincidence' in story-books, andyet it was very simple, after all! I'd been disappointed so many timesin my plans to get down here to see you and your mother, and at lastthe chance came, the other day, when I could make at least a flyingtrip, but I hadn't even time to let you know I was coming. I arrived atthe hotel about lunch-time and gave your mother the surprise of her lifeby walking in on her unexpectedly. But I was quite disgusted not to findyou anywhere about. Your mother told me how you had gone off for the daywith your bosom pal, Sally, to visit a mysterious Miss Camilla, and Isuggested that we take the car and go to hunt you up. As she wasagreeable to the excursion we started forth, inquiring our way as wewent. It was a merciful providence that got us there not a moment toosoon, and if it hadn't been for that little cherubic Genevieve we wouldhave been many minutes too late. If it hadn't been that two or three oldplanks had been bent over you and protected you from the worst of theearth and debris on top, and also gave you a slight space for air, Idon't believe any of you would have been alive now to tell the tale! Sothe next time you go treasure-hunting, young lady, kindly allow youruseless and insignificant dad to accompany you!" And he gave her ear aplayful tweak.

  "Daddy, it was awful,--simply awful when that old plank gave way and theearth came sliding down on us!" she confided to him, snuggling down inthe arm he had placed around her. "At first we didn't think it wouldamount to much. But more and more earth came pouring down and thenanother plank loosened and Miss Camilla lost her footing and
fell, andwe couldn't make our way out past it, either direction, and still thedirt poured in all around us, and Sally and I tried to struggle upthrough the top, but we couldn't make any progress. And at last thatthird plank bent over and shut us in so we couldn't budge, and Sally andMiss Camilla didn't answer when I spoke to them, and I knew they'dfainted, and I felt as if I was going to faint too. But I called andcalled Genevieve and at last she answered me. And after that I didn'tremember anything more!" She shuddered and hid her face in her father'ssleeve. It had been a very horrible experience.

  "Don't think of it any more, honey. It turned out all right, in the end.Do you know that Sally is around as well as ever, now, and came up tothe hotel to inquire for you this morning? She's as strong as a littleox, that child!"

  "But where is Miss Camilla?" suddenly inquired Doris. "She hurt herfoot, didn't she?"

  "She certainly did, but she insisted on remaining in her own home, andSally begged her mother to be allowed to stay also with theun-detachable Genevieve, of course, and take care of her and wait onher. So there they are, and there you will proceed in the automobile,this afternoon, if you feel well enough to make the visit."

  "But what about the treasure?" demanded Doris, her eyes beginning tosparkle.

  "If you refer to the trunks and chests full of articles that MissCamilla insisted that we continue to excavate from that interesting holein her garden, you do well to speak of it as 'treasure'!" answered herfather laughingly. "For beside some valuable old family silver andquite rare articles of antique jewelry, she had there a collection ofchina and porcelain that would send a specialist on that subject into anabsolute spasm of joy. I really would not care to predict what it wouldbe worth to any one interested in the subject.

  "And you can tell your friend, Sally, of the adventurous spirit, thatshe's got 'Treasure Island' licked a mile (to use a very inelegantexpression) and right here on her own native territory, too. I take offmy hat to you both. You've done better than a couple of boys who havebeen playing at and hunting for pirates all their youthful days.Henceforth, when I yearn for blood-curdling adventures and hair-breadthescapes, I'll come to you two to lead the way!"

  But, under all his banter, Doris knew that her father was serious in thedeep interest he entertained in her strange adventure and all that ithad led to.