The Witch Tree Symbol Part 12

"That's fine," Nancy said. Then she told Mrs. Glick how they had mistaken Melinda Kreutz for Manda. "Do you know where the schnitz is?" she asked.

Mrs. Glick had never heard of it. "We ask Papa when we get home," she said. "I'll be ready to leave in about half an hour."

Nancy turned to her friends and suggested they walk around town again and keep an eye open for Roger Hoelt. "Evidently he does come into town. I presume he relies on his disguise to avoid being identified."

The girls were about ready to rejoin Mrs. Click when Bess suddenly spied a black horse and carriage in front of a bakery.

"Look!" she cried. At the same moment a slender middle-aged Amish woman came from the shop and got into the carriage.

"Do you suppose that could be Mrs. Hoelt?" Bess asked eagerly.

"There's one way to find out," Nancy replied, and she dashed into the bakery to ask the woman's ident.i.ty.

"That was Mrs. Esch," the girl behind the counter told Nancy.

"Has she lived here a long time?" Nancy inquired.

"Oh, yes," the clerk said.

Returning to her friends, Nancy sighed and said, "Another false lead."

As the three girls walked back to the market, Bess again cried out, "Look down the road! There's another black horse and Amish carriage."

Nancy, Bess, and George rushed toward it. But just as they were almost near enough to see the driver, he started up. The man looked fleetingly in their direction, then slapped his horse, and it galloped off down the road.

"That was the same man who pa.s.sed us the other day!" George cried. "He's Roger Hoelt! Come on! We must catch him!"

Nancy's first thought was to run to Mrs. Glick's car and give chase. But she did not have the ignition key. By the time she could get it, Hoelt would be out of sight.

"I'll report this to the policeman over there," she said, and hurried up to him. Nancy gave the officer the details of the mystery quickly.

"I have orders not to leave my beat," the officer said reluctantly. "I'm sorry, miss. Why don't you go to police headquarters and report your suspicion to them?"

He gave her directions, and the three girls hurried off. Suddenly Nancy stopped. Headquarters was five blocks away and by the time they reached it Roger Hoelt would have pulled off the road and hidden somewhere.

"Let's not report anything," she suggested. "Next time we see Hoelt we'll have more to go on. I hate making a nuisance of ourselves to the police."

Nancy, Bess, and George returned to Mrs. Glick, who was sorry to learn they had missed catching the thief. The group drove home, and Nancy at once asked Mr. Glick if he had ever heard of the schnitz.

The cobbler scratched his head and thought for nearly a minute. Then finally he said, "At one time there was a farm somewhere around here that had an apple-drying business. Maybe it was called the schnitz, although I never heard any name for it."

Mr. Glick did not know its exact location but would inquire of his neighbors. Nancy drove with him to several farms in the area. No one they asked had ever heard of the schnitz.

At each place Nancy also showed the drawing of the witch tree symbol. Since none of these people had ever seen it, she came to the conclusion it was a hex sign used only by Hoelt. He had probably designed it himself.

"Well," she told herself philosophically, "if I ever do come across it on a barn or house I'll expect to find Hoelt there!"

During the evening Mr. and Mrs. Glick entertained the girls with stories of their younger days.

The three girls slept well and were up early the next morning to continue their sleuthing. It was a beautiful day and they walked outside with Mr. Glick for some fresh air before breakfast.

Suddenly the farmer cried out, Ach, ya! Waasgayt aw?"

At the same instant, the girls saw what he was looking at-the witch tree symbol had been painted on the side of the barn!

Underneath it was a picture of a witch riding a broom. No wonder the farmer had said, "What goes here?" The face of the witch bore a strong resemblance to that of Nancy Drew!

CHAPTER X.

A Disastrous Race

COMPLETELY dumfounded, Nancy, Bess, and George continued to stare at the crudely made markings on the Glick barn. They were sure that Roger Hoelt or some friend of his had painted the witch symbol on the building, probably by flashlight during the night.

The startling likeness of the witch's face to Nancy's made Bess fearful. "We just can't stay here!" she murmured. "Nancy, please give up this case. That awful man is going to harm you!"

"Shh," Nancy warned her. "Look at Becky and Henner!"

The two children were standing in the doorway of the farmhouse, whispering to each other. They scooted back into the kitchen.

Immediately Mrs. Glick appeared outside. Seeing the marks on the barn, she hurried toward her husband and the girls. None of them had made a comment since Bess's outburst, but now Mr. Glick said firmly, "Your enemy is a very bad and dangerous man, Nancy. He must be made to stop frightening people. There is no room in Amish country for such a person."

Nancy heartily agreed and said that instead of leaving she would double her efforts to locate Roger Hoelt.

"That is good," the cobbler said. "But take care."

Mrs. Glick called her children outside and scolded them for being afraid. "How many times have I told you there are no witches?" she said sternly. "Come now. Shake hands with Nancy Drew and say you are sorry for running away from her."

Becky and Henner moved forward obediently, but their approach was timid. Nancy held out her arms to them, suggesting that they help her paint out the silly figures on the barn. Pleased by the suggestion, the two children laughed and ran toward Nancy.

"Can we work right now?" Henner asked. "I want to paint away the witch."

Mr. Glick nodded, saying the sooner the figures were removed, the better. "No breakfast for the three of you until the picture is all over painted," he said.

Henner went to the barn and returned with a can of red paint and three brushes. Mrs. Glick provided a ladder for Nancy to use. The girl detective and the children started to work.

Bess and George returned to the house to help Mrs. Glick prepare breakfast. Soon Nancy and the children had finished painting, and everyone sat down to eat.

A few minutes later the telephone rang. Mrs. Glick answered it and called Nancy. "It's your father," she announced.

Nancy had sent her father the Glicks' address. She hurried to the phone, worried that something was wrong.

"h.e.l.lo, Nancy dear, I have to go out of town for a couple of days and I wanted to let you know," her father said. "Hannah will visit her sister, unless you are coming right home."

"Dad, I'm sorry to tell you that I'm not getting along very fast on this mystery," Nancy advised. "I won't be home for several days." She brought her father up to date.