CHAPTER X. Boxes ofTreasure

CHAPTER X

Boxes ofTreasure

“WHAT is it? ” Mrs. Gruen asked, hurrying from the kitchen.

“Look at this paper! ” Nancy cried, thrusting it into the housekeeper’s hand. “The story about the fire. ”

By this time Carson Drew had come downstairs. “What’s this about a fire? ”

“Oh, Dad, Mrs. Allison’s house burned down last night! ”

“And a good thing in my opinion, ” Mrs. Gruen declared firmly, offering the newspaper to the lawyer. “That place was full of danger. ”

“Speaking of fires, I think I smell something burning now, ” Mr. Drew said, sniffing the air.

“Oh, my! The bacon! ” Mrs. Gruen turned and fled to the kitchen.

Carson Drew quickly scanned the newspaper account. According to the story, the blaze had started during the night and was of unknown origin. A passing motorist had called the fire department, but before the firemen could reach the scene the building had been destroyed.

“It’s too bad Jasper Batt didn’t discover the fire in time to save the house, ” Nancy commented.

“From what you’ve told me of him, Nancy, he couldn’t have been a very reliable watchman. Possibly the fire started from a match he carelessly dropped himself. ”

Nancy nodded soberly. “Or it may have been a case of arson. Perhaps someone wished to conceal forever the secrets of that strange house. ”

“Do you think Mrs. Allison would set fire to her own house? ” Mr. Drew questioned his daughter.

“No, I hardly think she would do such a thing. I really have no theory about the fire. But I should like to drive out this morning and look at the ruins. ”

“Apparently you’ve forgotten that this is the day for the wild-animal show, ” Nancy’s father reminded her.

“No, I haven’t. We can go to Mrs. Allison’s property first, then come back for Rishi. He has lessons now. I’ll phone Bess and George and see if they’ll be able to start early. ”

“The plan suits me, ” Mr. Drew agreed. “I’ve arranged to be away from the office all day. ”

Directly after breakfast Nancy talked with the cousins, saying she would pick them up at ten o’clock. Bess and George were waiting at the Fayne house when the Drews drove up. A short ride brought them within view of the Allison property.

Disregarding Steve Roach’s recent warning not to trespass, the four walked rapidly through the woods to the clearing where the old house had stood. Now it was only a smoking ruin. Nancy’s eyes roamed from the pile of debris to a lone figure working among the wreckage.

“Why, it’s Mrs. Allison! ” she exclaimed.

They hurried forward to find the woman trying vainly to move several half-burned timbers that blocked the stone stairway leading down into the secret tunnel. As Mrs. Allison turned to face the newcomers, her eyes filled with tears.

“You shouldn’t be doing work like this! ” Mr. Drew said. “If the timbers must be moved now, let me do it. ”

“I’ve been trying for an hour to get into the tunnel, ” Mrs. Allison half sobbed. “I am completely worn out. ”

“Why not wait until some of the debris has been cleared away? ” Nancy suggested.

“Oh, you don’t understand. I am afraid to wait even a day. Someone may steal my precious treasures. ”

“Treasures? ” Nancy asked.

“They are hidden in the tunnel—many boxes of priceless articles. I must remove them before anyone comes. Oh, Miss Drew, if you and your father will only help me, I’ll be so grateful. ”

“Of course we’ll help, ” Mr. Drew said quickly. “If these timbers are cool enough to handle I think we can get into the tunnel. ”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to enter the passageway through the door in the rock? ” Nancy questioned, hoping the woman might divulge the secret of its mechanism.

Mrs. Allison glanced sharply at the girl. If it occurred to her to wonder how Nancy was so well informed about the tunnel, she refrained from saying so.

Instead, she murmured impatiently, “No, no. We cannot enter that way. ”

Fortunately, the portion of the basement in which the stone stairway stood had not entirely burned, so it was fairly clear of debris. In a short while Mr. Drew had dragged away the timbers blocking the passage.

“It isn’t very safe to go in yet, ” he cautioned Mrs. Allison. “You might be overcome by fumes or heat. ”

“The air in the tunnel will be cool and clear, ” she insisted. “I must save my treasures! I have a big flashlight. ” She took it from her handbag.

“Then I’ll go with you, ” the lawyer told her. “But I feel that the undertaking may be dangerous. You girls remain here. ”

Bess and George looked relieved, for they had been eyeing the great charred hole with misgivings. Nancy, on the other hand, could not bear to remain behind.

“You’ll need me to help you, ” she said to her father. “And I have a flashlight, too. ”

“Oh, well, come along, ” he agreed.

Leaving Bess and George behind, the other three swiftly descended into the tunnel. The fumes were even more unpleasant than they had anticipated. Both Mrs. Allison and Nancy were choking and coughing before they reached the cooler interior of the underground passage.

The woman went directly to a secret corridor that branched off the main passageway. Using her flashlight, she located a rectangular stone set high in the wall. Her hand moved deftly over it to touch a hidden spring.

Nancy and her father heard a faint click. Then the woman tugged at the block and it slipped out of its place in the wall. In the cavity were several small boxes.

“Your treasures seem to be safe where they are, ” Mr. Drew commented. “I doubt that anyone would ever suspect there was such a clever hiding place. ”

“I can’t leave the boxes here, ” Mrs. Allison declared. “They must be taken to a bank vault. ”

“That is the best thing to do, ” the lawyer agreed. “It shouldn’t take us long to remove the boxes. ”

He pulled several boxes out and put them on the floor of the passageway, noticing their weight. He and Nancy wondered what the contents might be, but Mrs. Allison offered no information and they tactfully refrained from asking her.

Nancy bent down to pick up a small package, only to have Mrs. Allison say quickly, “No, I’ll take that one. ”

As Nancy selected another box, her father lifted one of the heavy cartons. With Mrs. Allison bringing up the rear, the three started to carry their burdens along the tunnel.

Carson Drew, who was in the lead, suddenly halted. A loud, rumbling noise thundered through the tunnel, and a few loose stones overhead clattered down dangerously near their heads.

The lawyer pushed his daughter and Mrs. Allison back against the wall, saying sharply, “Don’t move! ”

The three huddled there for several minutes until the stones stopped falling. A thick cloud of dust filled the passageway.

“There’s been a cave-in somewhere ahead, ” Mr. Drew said tensely. “Let’s get out of here before we’re buried alive. ”

“We can’t leave my treasures behind! ” Mrs. Allison cried in distress as she saw that Mr. Drew intended to abandon the boxes. “They represent a fortune! ”

Considering the emergency, Nancy and her father thought that the woman was selfish to place her own interests above their lives. They knew, however, that it would take less time to carry out the boxes than to make Mrs. Allison understand the need to hurry. They picked up the boxes and rushed down the tunnel.

They were able to go only a short distance. Rounding a slight turn in the passageway they were dismayed to find it blocked by a pile of dirt, rock, and overhead beams that had given way.

“I was afraid of this! ” Mr. Drew exclaimed. “We’re trapped! ”

“We’re trapped! ” Mr. Drew exclaimed.

“Oh, what shall we do? What shall we do? ” Mrs. Allison wailed. “We’ll never get out of here alive. ”

Sinking down on one of the boxes of treasure, she sobbed hysterically.

“The situation probably isn’t as serious as it appears, ” Mr. Drew said with forced cheerfulness. “If we’re unable to dig our way out, Bess and George may soon realize that something is wrong and send help. ”

Meanwhile, Nancy had been pulling and tugging at one of the half-buried timbers. “The cave-in doesn’t extend far! ” she cried. “We’re near the main tunnel entrance. I can see a faint streak of light. ”

“You’re right, Nancy, ” Carson Drew agreed jubilantly. “We may get out of here by our own efforts yet! ”

The two started to work through the debris, succeeding after some backbreaking labor in enlarging the aperture slightly. But beyond that point they could not budge the heavy beams.

“If I only had a few tools, ” the lawyer said dejectedly as he sank down on the floor of the tunnel to rest. “I fear we’re trapped. We must wait for a rescue. ”

Nancy measured the opening with her eye. “I believe I could crawl through, Dad. If you’ll help a little, I’m sure I can make it. Let me try, anyway. ”

Before her father could protest, Nancy thrust her head and shoulders into the yawning hole. Midway through she became wedged fast. The young sleuth squirmed and twisted, unable to move either forward or backward. Then, by sheer strength, Mr. Drew pushed her through to the other side.

“I’ll go for help, ” Nancy offered.

She ran to the main tunnel and was relieved to find it clear. She raced up the stone steps, where Bess and George were waiting.

“Come quickly and help! ” Nancy pleaded. “Mrs. Allison and my father are trapped in the tunnel. ”

“Trapped! ” Bess gasped.

“Yes, in the branch-off. There was a bad cave-in. ”

Thoroughly alarmed, Bess and George followed Nancy down into the tunnel. For half an hour they worked hard to dislodge rocks and timbers. Without tools, it was difficult. Finally, however, the blocking beam was pushed aside. Mrs. Allison, pale and shaken, was lifted through, then Carson Drew followed.

“We must take the boxes, ” the woman murmured weakly. “I won’t leave here without them! ”

To quiet her Mr. Drew climbed back into the hole. One by one, he handed out the heavy cartons. The girls carried them from the tunnel.

George realized that a small box was slipping from under her arm. Just as she reached the end of the passageway, the box dropped to the ground and split open.

The contents, a collection of precious gems, flowed in a tiny river of sparkling color over the ground and down among the ruins!

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