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Show uncovered something down there something that's evidently been buried for ages. I thought at first It was a rock ; but it has sharp cor ners like a metal box. Did your people ever bide any valuables that way in time of Indian raids?" The old lady shook her head, and peering into the hole, replied: "Not that I know of. Pry the thing out with your crowbar, Jack, but go gently. It's your sister's property, you know." "So 'tis," affirmed Aurora. "Find-in's "Find-in's keepin's; hut if it turns out to be a human skull don't let me see it. I never could abide the sight of bones, Jack Nelson. Even a good fresh soup bone goes against me." No one paid any attention to this warning, for Jack cried out: "Great Scott 1 It is a box of some sort ! Hold on there, Nance, I'll " Rut his sister was already on the ground, reaching far down to where her discovery lay dislodged. She drew it forth: a small iron box, almost al-most disintegrated by rust and time. "Is is it locked?" questioned Aurora, Au-rora, too utterly amazed to speak with her accustomed shrillness. Nance shook -It cautiously, then with small difficulty raised the cover, disclosing what proved to be a maltese cross of solid brass suspended sus-pended from a crucifix carved from some dark stone. The old lady reached out, touching touch-ing the crucifix with reverent fingers. "It may have lain here more than a century. Oh perhaps It was captured cap-tured by hostile Indians, buried .'UPTER XII Continued 16 v(ni plannin' to stay to din-.jilt din-.jilt Ada m ?" culled Aurora if so, and you're willin' to p throe trays, you and Miss ;;ie can eat . with Nancy, siy?" , , a well nwnre, dear Cousin wrote Columbine Nelson on ;t of May, "how anxious you ;et your heroic young folks h,t, nevertheless, I am going a favor: Let them stay until iS time to fill out again. He so splendid the morning they ip(f for Prairie ranch that 1 .jar to semi him home to you !as lie is now. A few weeks .'ill feeding will work won his appearance ; and Aurora . ;s itching to 'fat him up,' as jesses it. If I may keep :3iil the Fourth of July they'll ; chance to see so much more ;j wonderful country ; and lil cousin will be far hap- ;:;e from Nancy added her 'I ever think that we're not 10 see you all, but Jack is a !e, and Aurora's marvelous .might to fix that in no time, too, 'Uncle Tom and Aunt at us at Prairie ranch for a ,ys, just to convince us, 1 e, that the plains can be and friendly as well as cold ael. A visit there will be :n; to remember ; and any-sck any-sck refuses to go home until iy enough to handle a pick i!iel and can straighten up posts at Cousin Colum-iriveway. Colum-iriveway. They trouble him 1 deal more than they do her ' it she does want the house i and couldn't afford to be !; vhe paid our fares out here Mold roe that. I guess Uncle " ' didn't make any great pile Mile; and I shan't accept a ' of the 'salary' she offered as that comical letter. Your 'inj girl will return as poor : - started out ! ' I'm feeling wonderful now. ;jj -t are as good as new. The $ :'i booming ; and I still get 'K of a kick when anyone n es me as 'Miss Aladdin.' I've - ae back on New England, : but 111 miss the library and Mp. open spaces' we east-,(3 east-,(3 Joke about. Tell Phil I'm him some real Indian arrow 5e ' : the family at Edgemere appointed, this plan was ,, 'J best for Jack, and they H ' Protest. The boy's strength v J more rapidly than Cousin anticipated ; and by the " May they ventured to !JIre of the long-promised ex-5 ex-5 c places not far distant 't' 10 tire him. S!ck to death of puttin' up tt iwhes," grumbled Aurora llt Way morning. "And why -nine of the old tales which never Killed to stir her audit ice. 'Who,, we got home," Jack prophase proph-ase d, w,MlU)g Ms s rapt countenance with some amusement amuse-ment "Nance will bore all her friends with stories of pioneer davs In Colorado, and storm the library tor literature on the subject." "Did any of those old, old Spanish Span-ish expeditions come this way'" Nancy asked. "I couldn't say, my dear," responded re-sponded Cousin Columbine. "They may possibly have passed near Pine Iiidge, though that, I believe, has not been proved." And no one dreamed that the girl who sat there, lost to the present in visions of other days, was to discover what looked astonishingly like the missing proof. CHAPTER XIII TT WAS on the Fourth of July when Jack announced at breakfast break-fast that with their departure only two days away, the time had come to tackle the sagging gate posts. "You can't put me off another hour," be insisted (when the old lady said: "Bother those posts, Jack. Don't waste your strength on 'em"), "I'm two pounds heavier than before the blizzard, Cousin Columbine, thanks to these lazy days and Aurora's cooking; and these posts give me the heebie-jeebies. heebie-jeebies. If there were time I'd paint the house for you, too." "You may have that to look forward for-ward to when you come again !" she responded, endeavoring to speak briskly. "I hope your father will consider John Adam's offer of a job for the winter, Jack, and send you back to us. As for Nancy I don't dare think how still the house will seem without her. I felt like a lost soul the days you stayed at Prairie ranch." For the visit to "Uncle Tom's" was over three days that had softened soft-ened the memory of those cruel wind-swept plains, leaving instead a vision of flower-dappled prairie. "If It weren't for this stack of newspapers and letters," Nancy confessed con-fessed the day she stowed them In her trunk, "that whole ghastly experience ex-perience would seem a dream." " 'A nightmare,' I'd call it," corrected cor-rected Aurora. "Victor Tubbs says I lost ten pounds durin' that blizzard; bliz-zard; and as for Miss Columbine, she'll never be the same woman again. It's my opinion that if Eve and John Adam hadn't took thir lives in their hands and drove down here to keep her company, she'd have lost her mmd." "And it's my opinion," retorted Miss Columbine, who had come in unobserved, "that you were in a lot more danger of losing yours! Don't talk nonsense, Aurora Tubbs." Nance laughed at the time, even though something told her that in a measure Aurora was right. One pays toll for hours like those, and Cousin Columbine had not escaped. The old lady was a shade less brisk, less energetic; and Nance hated to think how lonely she would be when left with only Aurora Tubbs for company. The days passed with Cousin Columbine Col-umbine looking a bit grim wdien she thought no one noticed, and Matthew Mat-thew Adam losing his appetite to an extent that alarmed his troubled mother. And now tickets and reservations res-ervations were ordered. Mary Taylor Tay-lor had promised (with Luke's assistance!) as-sistance!) to watch over the Aladdin Alad-din library; and Nancy was conscious con-scious of a new sensation, something some-thing she described to herself as "a sinking feeling down Inside," each time she caught a glimpse of the unasked question hovering mutely, mute-ly, hopelessly, in Matthew's expressive expres-sive eyes. So she was relieved when Jack mentioned the neglected gate posts. The task would occupy both time and thoughts till afternoon, when they were to have a farewell supper sup-per at the Adam ranch. "Don't worry about Jack," she said to Cousin Columbine. "I'll help with the digging. Let's get to work before the sun's too hot." The girl rather enjoyed the novelty nov-elty of the task for a little wdtile, but at last she paused, complaining: "I've struck a rock. Jack." "In this place? More likely it's a bone some dog has buried." Nancy laughed. "It was an energetic dog then, or a prehistoric one! Perhaps there's enough of a hole here now; but 1 want to see what this thing is. She lifted the spade, digging for a moment mo-ment viciously. "It certainly feels like a rock, but " Nance ceased abruptly, and dropping drop-ping Hat onto the ground, reached into the new-made hole while her brother watched, a smile of amusement amuse-ment lighting his eyes. "For t'.ie land's sake what are you doin' flat on your stummick In all that dirt?" cried out Aurora, who had drawn near to superintend the work. "Hunting for buried treasure,'' Jack answered, grinning. "Pieces of eight, you know. She thinks she's fou nil " "I have!" cried Nancy, scrambling up In great excitement. "Give me that crowbar. Jack. I have!" "What's all this commotion?" de-mantled de-mantled Cousin Columbine, who, hearing Nancy's elated voice, had hurried out. "Mercy, child ! have you been digging that hole with your two hands?" Nance laughed, and answered: "It'll all come out in the wash. Cousin Columbine I Yo" b'-o. Pre and If yon feel able to digest 'em, eat throe bananas. They're powerful power-ful fatten! n' as I ought to know If anybody does. Is it true live Adam's takiu' a whole roast chicken? I 1'ope for your sakes her husband had the cookin' of it. Looks like the Adams Is neglectin' everything these days to take you gallivantin'. It's a wonder they stop to milk the cows." Eve Adam laughed when Nancy repeated this caustic comment. "But who cares, my dear? We'll make up the neglected work after you leave us; and it warms my heart to see how Miss Columbine enjoys these triiis. It gives her a new lease of life to visit the old scenes and talk of those times with young folks who are really Interested." Jack thrilled over their trip to Cripple Creek ; but the day they visited vis-ited the scene of Marsh Pemper-ton's Pemper-ton's colossal hoax, stood out, a high light In Nancy's memory. This was during the first week in June, a day with soft, white clouds drifting across the sky, and air like midsummer. mid-summer. Their road led past ranches where men were plowing Immense acres; then on through mile after mile of yellow pines. Seated between be-tween Mark and Matthew In the old truck (the comfort of the new sedan being given over to the older Adams, Cousin Columbine, and Jack), Nance caught her breath at occasional glimpses of distant mountains, moun-tains, some snow-rimmed. "I'm all but speechless over this scenery," she confessed. Rounding a curve, Mark announced an-nounced : "Here's your pioneer cem otery, Nance the one Miss Columbine Colum-bine told about. Shall we view it from here, or are you determined to climb that slope in this hot sun?" "What did we come for?" the girl responded ; and as Matt sprang down she took his steadying hand and followed. "I wouldn't miss seeing see-ing this place for anything. Aren't you all coming?" Mark shook his head. "I'm starving. I'm going to forage for-age in the lunch box. What do you say, folks?" This last was addressed to Luke and Mary, to whom the lunch box seemed more alluring than the cemetery. So it was with Matt alone that Nance explored that tragic spot, looking down soberly on graves protected only by sagging sag-ging fences, the marking on their wooden headboards almost obliterated oblit-erated some wholly lost amid an overgrowth of weeds and bushes. Perhaps it was the history of the place that silenced the young people. peo-ple. Neither spoke for a time; and then Nance stooped, laying a spray of blossoming pink kinnikinnick on one small unmarked resting place. "Somebody's baby," she explained, flushing a bit for fear that Matt would think her sentimental ; but to her relief he added : "And all because of one man's greed. I'd hate to be responsible for such a place, Nancy; yet wdien my time comes I'd rather lie in this wild tangle than in a city cemetery with a neatly mowed lawn above me, and a 'perpetual care' sign over my head." His voice was thoughtful, and with sudden inspiration the girl quoted : Under the wide and starry sky Dig my grave and let me lie. "Is that how you feel, Matt?" His eyes lighted at her intuition; but before he could reply, Mark's laughing voice broke in upon them. "Both poetic and appropriate, young lady; but you two seem to have forgotten that we're on our way. The old folks have caught up with us, but they're too lazy to get out, and Jack's already explored this melancholy scene. There's still ten or twelve miles nhead if we're to eat our lunch on the shore of the Platte, as Miss Columbine has set her heart on doing. Have some cake?" Matthew, who longed to strangle his brother for this intrusion, nevertheless nev-ertheless accepted his portion with good grace; while Nancy exclaimed: "You've saved my life, Mark 1 Tin almost passing out. Isn't the Tlatte the river we read about In history I mean the one the pioneers were always fording?" "The same, lady or one branch of It anyhow ; and after last night's rain the brooks and rivers will be full. You'll lose your mind over the road ahead, Nance." Mark was right They followed a mountain stream bordered by giant firs and quaking aspens. The mountains . were greener here. "More friendly," observed Nance. 'More like New England." And after a camp-fire lunch, with the historic Platte rippling peacefully at their feet Cousin Columbine told "Hunting for Buried Treasure." for safety and then forgotten. If we find an inscription even a date, Nancy, it will shed some light on this strange mystery. Carry box and all Into the house and we'll examine ex-amine them." In this absorbing interest the gate posts were forgotten for an hour; but no clue as to the origin of the sacred relic was discovered, and though Jack dug deeper in the hope that other treasures were buried nearby, his efforts were fruitless. fruit-less. "What stone Is the crucifix carved in?" questioned Nancy, when, the gate posts properly erect at last, the subject was resumed at the dinner din-ner table. "Chalcedony, I think," said Cousin Columbine. "And did you notice the hammer marks and filed edges on the Maltese cross? Hand work, and very, very ancient, If I'm any judge. These things are of real historical value, Nancy. They should be In some museum ; but surely you have the right to keep them for the present. pres-ent. In my own mind there's not a doubt that they came from one of the Spanish expeditions. Dear me ! wdiat a story we shall have to tell to the Adams! Did Mark say wdiat time they would send down for us?" "Not before five. I have some things to do at the library this afternoon aft-ernoon ; and I must finish packing so that tomorrow will be free. It gives me a a terrible feeling, Cousin Columbine, to think how soon we're going to leave you." "And I bet it gives Miss Columbine Colum-bine a worse one," declared Aurora as she thumped an apple pie down on the table. "Pino Ridge won't never be the same again, if you ask me not that it won't be nicer'n before be-fore you came, with the Aladdin library an' everything. You've had an awful good influence on Juanita, Nancy Nelson, even If you have got her so she wants her dresses dark-er'n dark-er'n I like on a young girl, or an old one either, for that matter." That afternoon when all but the last-minute packing was accomplished, accom-plished, Nancy slipped into the white sport silk she was to wear at the Adams', and sought the library. li-brary. Not wishing to be Interrupted, Interrupt-ed, she closed the door. Nance worked slowly, pausing every now and then to look about with that pleasurable sense of accomplishment accomplish-ment the little library always gave her; wondering why, when these months In Pine Ridge had gone so well and she was eager to see the family, this horrid homesickness kept creeping over her. (TO BE CONTINUED. ) y ft ! S,ir'!bine Told Some Old ; ch Never Failed to Stir ; "Jltnce. .1 jVllelr Senses shoul(l g ,i ,t rk when they could "NtSfmiethln' entlre'y be-VJ be-VJ . 0', a tree 1 the whole , Ne'son I Not a grow in' . J':;ium eolmt Mge; and C?fect ho,es a11 over 'ln for all the world iWoV" a cer"etery. And 1 trill"mhi"e as excited : to L lf she'd "ever seen hp lot a'one lived In Kv places for months Wu're to drink everv n thls thermos bottle |