The Witch Tree Symbol Part 25

"They are across the hall," the girl replied. "Mr. Hoelt said they were the most valuable and put the tables by themselves."

She unlocked the other storage room and the girls went inside. There were four George Washington tables! Nancy surmised that two were genuine, while the other two were the copies Mr. Zinn had made. So Roger Hoelt had found the valuable matching cherry table!

Nancy asked Manda if she knew where it had come from. "Mr. Hoelt said he bought it in a New York antique shop."

"Well," she said, smiling, "our search is ended."

"I'm glad," Bess sighed. "You deserve a lot of credit, Nance, but it will be a relief to wind up this case."

"And I vote for that too," said George, "although it has been a lot of fun. Congratulations, Nancy."

"I never could have done it alone," the young detective spoke up quickly.

Manda thought it was marvelous that Nancy had traced the stolen pieces. "And to think also that you fixed everything for me with Papa and Mama so I can go home. It would be wonderful to go now, ain't?"

"We'll start right away," said Nancy. "And we'll stop at the nearest farm with a telephone and call the police. They should be here to greet Mr. and Mrs. Hoelt when they arrive."

The girls were so absorbed in their discussion that no one but Nancy, out of the corner of her eye, saw the shadow that suddenly fell across the doorway. Whirling around, she caught a fleeting glimpse of a man who thundered, "You will never do that! You will die first!"

With this, he slammed the door and locked it!

"Mr. Hoelt!" Manda cried. "Let us out!" The reply was a mocking laugh from the other side of the barrier.

The girls leaped toward the door, pounding on it and trying to batter it down. At the top of her voice Manda yelled that Mr. Hoelt had no right to lock her in. He must release all of them at once!

Her plea went unheeded. Then the girls heard Roger Hoelt hurrying down the stairway.

"We must get out and capture that thief!" Nancy cried with determination.

Together, the girls threw their weight against the door time after time, trying to break it down. Their efforts were futile.

"We're prisoners!" Bess wailed. "He's going to leave us here to die!"

CHAPTER XX.

SOS.

FRANTIC that they would suffocate in the hot, stuffy attic, the four girls continued their efforts to break down the locked door. But finally, their shoulders bruised and sore, they were forced to give up.

Bess was on the verge of tears. In the darkness the others could hear her moan softly. "n.o.body will ever find us here."

Nancy felt far from cheerful, but she tried to encourage her friends by saying that perhaps Mrs. Glick and Henner would bring help.

"Oh no they won't!" Bess wailed. "That awful man has probably captured them too by this time!"

Manda had not uttered a word and Nancy asked her how she felt. "I am all right," the Amish girl said. "But it is my fault that all of us are trapped here. I should have known Mr. Hoelt might return earlier, even though he told me evening. He rarely went anywhere in the daytime. He was always out at night."

Nancy persuaded the girl that she was not to blame. But the young detective also felt bad because she had been so close to capturing the thief, and then had lost her chance.

George, practical as usual, pushed one of the tables to the wall directly under the ventilator. She climbed up to breathe in some fresh air and to investigate the ventilator as a means of escape. The bars were tightly built into the wall with three-inch s.p.a.ces between them.

"No chance to get out this way," she said, "but if anybody feels faint, I suggest that you come up here for a little air."

"Maybe we can use the ventilator for another purpose," said Nancy. "We can signal for help."

"With what?" Bess asked forlornly.

Manda remembered having seen a kerosene lantern in the room. "Is that what you had in mind, Nancy, using a light to signal with?"

"Yes, Manda. You're becoming a good detective."

The Amish girl found the lantern, then asked if anyone had a match. Nancy produced a packet from her dress pocket. Matches and a flashlight were part of her detective equipment, but this time the flashlight was in her stolen car. She lighted a match and Manda tested the lamp.

"It's all right and there's enough oil in it," the Amish girl stated.

"It won't do any good to signal until it's dark " Bess spoke up. "And by that time there's no telling what may happen to us."

To pa.s.s the time, Nancy decided to try locating the secret drawers in the Washington tables. As she worked, Nancy told Manda the story. But after a half hour's search Nancy had not found the drawers.

"They're certainly well concealed," she said. Bess and George took turns but had no better luck. Suddenly Nancy had a new idea. If the secret drawers were so hard to find, it was possible that the gypsy woman had not known about them. If she had secreted a note in one of the tables, it might well be in some other part of it.

Nancy examined every inch of the two tables. Finally it occurred to her that one of the legs looked just a trifle different in length. When she measured it against the other three, using her skirt as a ruler, she found the leg to be about one-sixteenth of an inch longer than the others.

Standing the table on its side, she began to wiggle the leg. After several tries she felt it loosen slightly. Excited, Nancy twisted the leg and found that it actually unscrewed. In a moment she had it off.

Wedged inside was a small piece of paper!

By this time, the other girls had jumped to her side. As they watched in astonishment Nancy removed the note and read it. George held the lantern.

Emil, My Beloved,

Someday our paths will cross again, but now I must flee. Wherever I am, my love and thoughts will always be for you.

Before I leave, I want to warn you. Yesterday I learned the secret of your farm. I nearly stumbled into a deep hole located near a stand of oak trees-you know the place, for we have often met there. Had I been alone, I would have vanished like members of your family.

But my brother Gato rescued me. We wondered about the hole. He went down on a rope with a lantern and found a crystal cave. It is large and beautiful and someday will bring you riches.

I have planted bushes of wild flowers from the forest over the hole, so you will never fall in. This will prove my love for you. I beg you to leave your papa and find me.

Your loving gypsy,

Amaya

Speechless, the girls read and reread the note. At last they knew the secret of the Hoelt farm!