Chicken Little Jane Part 8

"I could reach those over there if you'd hold me up, Alice," said Chicken Little.

"Pooh, I can get some by myself," said Katy rea.s.sured by Alice's words.

"Well, let's fill this old ap.r.o.n anyhow, it won't hurt it." Alice had worn an old ap.r.o.n to protect herself against the muss of the lunch and had forgotten to take it off.

They all set to work, but the ap.r.o.n proved capacious and before it was half loaded, they heard a shrill whistle below them and Carol's voice calling:

"h.e.l.lo there--where have you got to?"

An answering call soon brought him to the tree.

"Whew, aren't they beauties?" he gloated, surprised.

"How'd you find us?" inquired Katy.

"Trailed you by your tracks--woke up and found everybody vamoosed and I knew it was no good going after the boys and----" he was not allowed to finish.

"Oh, Carol, we've found the cave!" Chicken Little's voice was shrill with importance.

"Honest to goodness?" Carol looked incredulous.

"Cross my heart," affirmed Katy promptly though she hadn't so much as had a glimpse of the mysterious hole.

"Where?"

"Under there--I'll show you," Jane made a dive for the vines but Alice caught her arm.

"You are not going in there again."

"Show me--I'll go." Carol was eager with excitement.

"Got any matches, Carol?"

"No, but Ern has a pocket full."

"I tell you--the boys must be coming back by this time. You go meet them while we finish picking these grapes and when they come we'll explore the thing. Cut some big sticks and bring them along, Carol." Alice had hardly finished speaking before Carol was off.

Fifteen minutes later the boys were heard hallooing below them. They came swarming through the thicket excited and breathless.

"Bully for Chicken Little Jane!" cheered Sherm when they got the facts.

"Here, Carol, give me your knife and I'll hack away some of these vines."

The boys cleared a way in a jiffy, letting in a stream of light at the same time so they could see more of the hole.

"I bet you 'tis!"

"Geewhillikens, I wonder how big it is!"

"Alice says somebody has been in there--they have too--see there!"

"Here boys, go slow. Light a match and throw it in and see how much you can see," Alice counselled.

The match illuminated only a little way and a lone chipmunk darted out.

It was certainly a cave but apparently empty as they heard no further movement.

The boys tied a half dozen matches on the end of a stick and thrust it in. This improvised torch worked beautifully. The cave was only a small affair about three feet one way and five the other--not high enough for Carol to stand upright. It was so hung with cobwebs they could not see into the corners clearly. The floor was partly covered with dead leaves that had drifted in and were fast decaying into mold.

As their eyes penetrated the dimness, three of the children gave a yell in unison.

"There's something over in that corner!"

The something proved to be a market basket covered with an old gunny-sack.

Ernest insisted on going after it. Satisfied that the cave contained nothing else they rushed their trophy out to the light and examined its contents. It yielded a regular pirate treasure.

"What under the sun?" Alice opened eyes and mouth in blank amazement.

"Children, sure as you're born, we've found that stolen silver!"

The basket was speedily emptied. One silver sugar bowl, four dozen spoons, two silver goblets, a watch and some small pieces of jewelry were revealed, besides a package of official looking papers.

"There's Mrs. Jones' pin. I remember they advertised one big pearl set round with ten little ones. But what do you suppose these papers are?"

Carol and Alice were busy untying them.

"Well, 'pon my soul!--do you suppose we are bewitched?--they've got my father's name on them. Pinch me and see if I'm dreaming." Alice looked at the papers in a daze, Ernest and Carol staring over her shoulder.

"They're some sort of legal papers 'cause they've got those big red seals on them."

"It is your father's name--Donald Fletcher. We'll take them home to Father--he'll know what they are," said Ernest.

"Yes, that would be best and we must be getting back. Frank will be waiting for us."

CHAPTER IV

CHICKEN LITTLE JANE AND HER MOTHER

Family prayers were hardly decently over the morning after the picnic before Jane Morton climbed into her father's lap armed with a fine tooth comb and a stiff hair brush.

"I'm going to comb your hair," she announced ingratiatingly.

Dr. Morton dearly loved to have his s.h.a.ggy curly head brushed, and scratched with the fine comb, and it was Jane's office to be comber-in-chief--a duty she was p.r.o.ne to shirk if she could.

"What are you after, Humbug--a new doll?"

"No," she replied in an injured tone. "I just wanted to know what a cestificut is."