The Witch Tree Symbol Part 23

The youngsters sprawled flat on the ground just as the beam crashed to the earth behind them. Bewildered, they scrambled up and looked around. Suddenly Henner realized that Nancy had saved their lives.

"Oh, Nancy," he cried out, "you kept us from being dead already yet!"

"Thank you! Thank you!" Michael exclaimed.

By this time, several of the workers had left their posts and rushed toward the three. In both English and Pennsylvania Dutch, they commended Nancy for her quick action.

One man separated himself from the group and stepped forward. "I am Mr. Beiler," he said. "I told my son not to come near the building. I thank you for saving him."

Mr. Beiler added that Nancy was no doubt a stranger in the neighborhood and asked her name. She gave it, then stated her reason for coming to the farm. Mr. Beiler replied that he would be very glad to lend her his carriage.

He promised that he and his sons would repair the broken carriage after the barn-raising was over, and return it to the Glicks the following day.

"You're very kind," said Nancy gratefully. "I don't want to interrupt the work here. Could Henner and Michael hitch up the horse?"

As they talked, Nancy noticed a woman coming toward them from the house. When she walked up, Mr. Beiler introduced his wife.

Tears came to the woman's eyes when she learned that Nancy had saved the lives of her youngest boy and of Henner Glick. Smiling at Nancy, she said, "You are a brave girl. Please let me show my appreciation. In the kitchen we are getting ready a big dinner to serve to the men. I want you and Henner to eat some of it."

Nancy thanked her and said she must hurry back to Mrs. Glick and the friends she had left on the road. But she did walk to the kitchen with Mrs. Beiler while the boys got the carriage.

Nancy had never seen so much food in one house! It seemed to her that there was enough to feed a small army. On the table were dishes piled high with the traditional "seven sweets and seven sours," which the Pennsylvania Dutch housewife serves at meals. At least fifty moon pies were on trays at one side of the kitchen, waiting to be baked. On the floor stood crocks of fasnachts, fried chicken, and pickle relish.

After casting her eye about and introducing several friends who were helping her, Mrs. Beiler picked up a large angel-food cake with whipped-cream frosting.

"Please take this," Mrs. Beiler requested. "I will wrap it for you."

She also insisted upon giving Nancy several pieces of fried chicken, a dozen doughnuts, and a jug of lemonade. At this moment Henner drove up to the door and the food was lifted into the carriage. Nancy thanked Mrs. Beiler once more, then climbed into the wagon, and the young driver turned toward the field over which they had come.

When he and Nancy reached the others, who were beginning to worry, Henner immediately told them about the falling beam. His mother's eyes opened wide and she put an arm around Nancy's shoulders. With a catch in her voice, she said, "I must admit that I never thought any women were so brave as the Amish. But you have made me see that a girl does not have to be brought up like a pioneer to be courageous and helpful to others."

Nancy flushed at the compliment. Then she showed the food Mrs. Beiler had sent and everyone stared in astonishment at the huge quant.i.ties. Bess insisted that they take time out to eat, and no one else had to be persuaded. All of it was as delicious as it looked, especially the cake, which Mrs. Glick declared must contain two dozen eggs!

"And the beating of them surely took an hour," she added.

As soon as they finished eating, they started off once more. This time Mrs. Glick, an experienced driver, took the reins. They kept to the field, crossing several narrow roads. Finally Nancy said that according to GroeszdawdiEsch's directions, they were nearing the old Hoelt farm where the schnitz was.

"Do you think we should leave the horse and buggy and walk the rest of the way?" Mrs. Glick asked Nancy.

After a moment's thought Nancy said that if Roger Hoelt were on the property he probably had it guarded and already knew they were coming. "I doubt that it would do any good to try hiding the horse and carriage," she said. "And if he isn't there, it will be better to have them with us. We may as well drive right up to the place."

They went on. Skirting a small woods, the searchers suddenly came upon a long, low, dilapidated wooden building. Mrs. Glick reined in the horse and stopped.

"This must be the old apple storehouse," she commented.

The others gazed at it. There was no sign of activity around the building, but they had an uneasy feeling that someone might be hiding inside. They all wondered if this was the place where the stolen furniture was stored.

"We'll start our search," Nancy announced. "I suggest that we divide forces. Bess and George, suppose you go in one direction and the Glicks and I will take another."

Bess did not like to see the group split up, but finally agreed that it was the most practical plan.

"But not until we all go into that storehouse together and look around," she said firmly.

Nancy led the way. She pushed open a creaky door and the group entered the lower floor of the two-story building. Through the cracks between the wide boards enough sunlight filtered in so that they could plainly see the interior. There was one large room-completely empty!

Cautiously, Nancy and her friends climbed to the second floor. The situation here was the same. To convince herself that there were no secret closets or other hiding places, the young detective made a thorough search but she found nothing,

"There must be a house and barns on the property," she said. "Let's find them."

Outside, the group separated. Bess and George cautiously made their way along the edge of the woods, planning to skirt it completely. Nancy, Mrs. Glick, and Henner decided to drive the carriage across the clearing and along a lane that ran through the woods.

At the far end of the woods they came to the dooryard of the farmhouse. As the three alighted from the carriage, Henner suddenly cried out with fright and pointed.

Ahead of them was a witch tree! And painted on it was half of the now-familiar hex sign!

"Look!" Henner shrieked.

A hand holding a paintbrush was just reaching around the tree. No other part of a human body was visible. The watchers stared in astonishment at the weird sight.

Henner dung to his mother's skirts. Mrs. Glick looked grim, and Nancy's spine tingled. For a brief second she felt as if she were seeing a ghostly apparition. Then she brushed this thought aside and dashed forward to see who was behind the tree.

Fully expecting the person to be Roger Hoelt, she was amazed to find a stout, dull-looking boy, about sixteen years old. He stared at the girl stupidly.

"Look!" Henner shrieked.

"What are you doing?" she cried. "And who lives here?"

The youth continued to gawk at her and did not answer. Mrs. Glick, who had run up, began to question him in Pennsylvania Dutch. But he did not utter a word and looked as if he failed to comprehend what she was saying.

Suddenly Nancy had an idea. Perhaps the boy was a deaf mute! She decided to test him.

While Mrs. Glick was trying to get the boy to talk, Nancy quickly kicked a large stone toward the tree. It made a loud noise when it hit the trunk, but the boy paid no attention. Now she was sure he could not hear and apparently could not speak.

"I wonder if he works for Roger Hoelt," Nancy mused aloud.

"He probably does," Mrs. Glick said. "Do you think we ought to tie him up in the carriage until our search is over? If we don't, I'm afraid he may run off and warn the man."

Nancy wondered about this. She said that her chief concern now was to find MandaKreutz and induce her to leave the Hoelts' before Nancy notified the police.

"Then we won't worry about this boy," said Mrs. Glick. "Where do we go next?"

Before Nancy could make up her mind, she heard Bess calling her. "Come quickly!" the girl urged.

"Where are you?" Nancy called back.

"In the woods near the house," Bess replied.

Nancy dashed in the direction of Bess's voice, requesting that the Glicks watch the strange boy. When Nancy reached her friends she could hardly believe her eyes. Talking to George and Bess was a sweet-faced Amish girl-MandaKreutz!