The Wishing Well Part 21

To Penny's discomfort, the two men paused by the wishing well.

"Want a drink?" she heard one ask.

The voices seemed faintly familiar to Penny and suddenly it dawned upon her that the two men were Mr. Coaten and his Texas friend. However, she could think of no reason why they should call upon Mrs. Marborough. Her reflection came to an abrupt end, as the well bucket splashed into the water beside her.

Suppressing a giggle, she groped for the old boot which floated nearby.

Dropping it into the bucket, she watched as it was raised to the surface.

A moment later she heard an exclamation of wrath from above.

"See what I've drawn up!" one of the men muttered. "These old wells must be filled with filth!"

Penny hoped that the strangers would immediately depart, but instead they loitered by the well, talking.

"We've been wasting entirely too much time in this," remarked the man whom she took to be Mr. Coaten. "Suppose we were to offer Ted a hundred dollars to sign the paper. Would he do it?"

"I think he might, but the girl is the one who'll make trouble. She's shrewd."

"We'll get around her somehow," the other said gruffly. "This thing can't drag on forever. I have work waiting for me in Texas."

The voices gradually died away and Penny heard no more. However, from the s.n.a.t.c.h of conversation, she was convinced that Rhoda's suspicions regarding the Texas strangers had been well founded. But what had brought the two men to Riverview?

"If Rhoda or Ted own property, I could understand why it would be desirable to adopt them," she thought. "As it is, the thing doesn't make sense."

To keep from freezing, Penny gingerly waded around and around in the well. It seemed ages before Louise thrust her head over the ledge and called softly:

"Are you still there, pet?"

"I'm frozen into one big icicle!" Penny retorted. "Get me out of here."

Instructing her chum to lower the bucket, Penny fastened the silken ladder to the handle. Louise hauled it up, and again hooked the irons to the ledge of the well.

Stiffly, Penny climbed toward the surface. She had nearly reached the top when the beam of light chanced to play across a section of brick which hitherto had escaped her notice. Halting, she traced with her finger a rectangular pattern on the wall.

"That's not an ordinary crack!" she thought. "It might be an old opening which has been bricked up!"

"Are you coming?" Louise called impatiently.

"I am," said Penny, emerging from the well. "And don't you dare say that this night has been a failure. I've just made a most astounding discovery!"

CHAPTER 15 _OLD BOTTLES_

Penny's startling appearance rather than her words made the deepest impression upon Louise. The girl's shoes and stockings were wet, her clothing was smeared with green slime, and strings of moss clung to her hair.

"You look like Father Neptune emerging from the briny deep," she chuckled.

"I'm freezing to death," Penny chattered. "Come on, we're going home!"

Louise hauled up the silken ladder from the well. Squeezing out the water, she compressed it into the carrying case.

"What were you saying about a discovery?" she inquired belatedly.

"Oh, nothing of consequence," Penny answered, pounding her hands together to restore circulation. "Merely an opening in the side of the well. It probably leads into a tunnel."

"Penny! Are you sure?"

"I'm not sure of anything except that I'm going home!" Penny replied crossly.

She started across the lawn with her chum hurrying after her.

"Oh, Penny, I'm terribly sorry," Louise said contritely. "I know you had an awful time down in the well. But it wasn't my fault those two men arrived just when they did."

"Who were they?" Penny asked, mollified by the apology. "From their voices I took them to be Mr. Coaten and his friend."

"That's who they were. But, I can't imagine why they came to see Mrs.

Marborough. Anyway, they didn't get into the house."

"Lou, I heard those men talking while I was down in the well," Penny revealed. "I'm sure they're dishonest. They want Ted and Rhoda to sign something over to them."

"But Rhoda said she and her brother have no property."

"I know," Penny frowned. "I can't make head nor tail of the situation.

I'm too miserable to think about anything now."

Pausing beside a tree, she removed one of her shoes. After pouring a little water from it, she replaced it and went through a similar procedure with the other shoe.

"Please tell me what else you learned while in the well," Louise pleaded.

"Haven't I been punished enough?"

Her good humor restored, Penny grinned amiably. "To tell you the truth, Lou, I'm not sure whether I found anything or not."

"But you said--"

"I know. Just as I reached the top of the well I noticed a section of brick wall which seemed to be cracked in the exact shape of a rectangle."

"Was that all?" Louise asked in disappointment.

"I didn't even take time to examine the place. I felt so disgusted,"

Penny resumed. "However, I believe that if one were able to remove those loose bricks, an opening might be found behind them."

"Where something may be hidden?"

"It's possible."

"How could one remove the bricks without hiring a workman?" Louise asked after a moment.