The Secret of the Sundial
Page 12
CHAPTER XII Uncle Ross' Hint
Cara and Madge questioned Uncle Ross further, trying ineffectually tobring out additional information. The old Negro had scraped his memorybare and could recall nothing more concerning the pearls. The girlspresently thanked him and in turning to leave, Madge handed him a dollarbill.
"Thank you, Miss, thank you," he beamed and bowed.
The girls walked back to the parked car, only moderately pleased at theoutcome of the interview.
"Do you think there really is a connection between the pearls and thesundial?" Cara asked somewhat skeptically as they drove away.
"Yes I do," Madge returned. "Unless Uncle Ross' memory played him false.It's a pretty vague hint, but perhaps we can make something of it."
"Perhaps you can," Cara corrected. "I'm no good at puzzles and this onetakes the prize."
Madge soon reached the edge of darktown, taking a main street which ledto the better section of Claymore. She drove like an expert automaton,her eyes glued on the road but her thoughts many miles away. She came tolife with a start as the car wheels struck a hole in the pavement.
"Cara, I was just thinking--"
"Please don't or we may end up in a ditch," Cara laughed. "What were yousaying?"
Madge scarcely knew how to tell what was in her mind. It seemedreasonable to her that the Swenster pearls might have been hidden in thegarden near the sundial. In digging about, the girls had not paidparticular attention to the old sundial, but had confined themselves tothe general locality disturbed by the prowler. Madge was convinced toothat the man they had seen was after the same thing--the Swenster pearls.How he had learned of them she could not imagine.
"Of course, we did do some of our digging near the sundial," she said toCara, "but at the time we never dreamed there was any connection. Now myidea is to go back there and look over the situation again. It may bethat at a certain hour the gnomon casts a shadow at the designated place.I've read of such things in story books."
"But this isn't a story book," Cara protested in a matter-of-fact tone."It's my personal opinion that the pearls are gone. If they were everhidden in the garden, that prowler has them by this time! Otherwise, whyhasn't he been back?"
"Perhaps he's been afraid. And he did return one night, for Miss Swensterheard him. I wish we could catch him at it and turn him over to thepolice for questioning."
Although Cara was reluctant to resume excavation activities, she agreedto make one more attempt when Madge promised to do most of the digging.It was too late to go to the Swenster mansion that evening but thefollowing afternoon they went there directly after school.
They set to work with high hopes and soon had excavated a complete circlearound the sundial. Dusk found them still digging. Finally, with anexclamation of disgust, Madge threw down her spade.
"I've had enough. As far as I'm concerned, the pearls may stay hiddenuntil the end of time!"
"Amen," Cara added fervently. "Just look at the blisters on my hands. Andmy shoulder muscles are sore already. What will they be like tomorrow?"
"If the way I feel is any indication, we'll both be in the hospital. Thenext time I get one of my so-called brilliant ideas, I hope you chokeme."
"I will," Cara promised gravely.
They filled in the earth they had disturbed and went home in a very illtemper. A hot bath and a warm supper cheered Madge considerably, causingher to forget her resolution to think no more of the pearls. That veryevening she settled herself in an easy chair, determined to rereadFlorence Swenster's diary.
It was a tiresome ordeal now that the material was no longer novel.Several times Madge yawned wearily and was tempted to switch to a popularmagazine.
"This is absolutely our last hope," she told herself, gazing thoughtfullyat the little leather book in her hand. "Miss Swenster's auction salewill be held in a few days now, and after the place is sold, it will betoo late to help her. I suppose I'm crazy to keep kidding myself we mayfind the pearls--especially, after our experience today. Just the same Ican't help feeling that I've overlooked some important clue."
She yawned again and went back to her reading.
"This will never do!" she chided herself. "My mind isn't on it at all."
She turned another page, read a few paragraphs which she rememberedperfectly. Then, unexpectedly, her eye fastened upon a notation which sheand Cara had skipped during the first reading of the diary. It was notparticularly startling, merely reading:
"Uncle George is to mix cement for the new sundial tomorrow."
Madge stared at it long and thoughtfully. She felt it must have moresignificance than was apparent. She began to recall scraps ofinformation, previously gleaned. Why had Florence Swenster taken UncleGeorge into her confidence in regard to the hiding of the pearls? It wasunlikely that she would trust such knowledge to him unless she had needof his help.
She looked at the date of the notation to compare it with the dayFlorence had recorded that she had hidden the pearls.
"According to this diary, Uncle George must have been making the sundialon the very day that the pearls were disposed of!" she thought, withgrowing excitement. "And Uncle Ross said his father mentioned thesundial. Oh, there's a very significant connection!"
Madge knew that she was on the verge of making an important deduction,but try as she would she could not solve the enigma. For fifteen minutesshe sat staring thoughtfully into space, trying to work her way throughthe maze.
Then like a flash, the answer came. She sprang to her feet, her facejubilant.
"How stupid of me not to think of it before! We've had the clue all thetime and didn't know it! Tomorrow, if I can convince Miss Swenster to myway of reasoning, I'll lead her to the pearls!"