The Automobile Girls at Chicago Part 28

No one stopped to question the probability of Barbara's deductions. Bob summoned a man who worked for him, sent a boy to get two more from Treasureholme, and, taking picks, shovels, and a coil of rope, drove off with the girls in Mr. A. Bubble as fast as they could go to the Indian burying ground. It was nearly dark when they reached there and sprang from the car, neither Bab nor Bob waiting for it to come to a full stop.

"William, bring me something I can drive in here for a marker," Bob called to his man who was hurrying toward them from the direction of the woods.

"There's a fellow over there in the woods," announced William. "He was kind of hiding."

"Never mind that. Let's get to work here."

The two hands from Treasureholme arrived, and, the measurements having been taken, the men set to digging. Lanterns had been brought and when dark fell these were lighted and held by the girls.

In an hour's time the men had opened a hole six feet deep, as broad at the top, narrowing toward the bottom.

"It begins to look dubious," said Bob. "Say, Barbara, we'll try another way!"

Following Bob's directions, Bab placed one end of the steel tape in the middle of the big mound and again the exact distance was measured. Bob took the stake that William had brought up to measure with and drove it with the back of his shovel little by little down in the exact center of the hole he had dug. He had forced the stake down about three feet when he uttered an exclamation.

"What is it?" cried the girls in chorus.

"Maybe a stone. I hardly think it is," and he began to dig frantically.

In a few moments came the shout: "I've struck metal! There is something here!"

The girls danced with impatience, but a half hour went by before the men unearthed an iron box with bands of the same material about it and the cover soldered to the box to make it air tight.

Bab put her arms about Ruth and whispered:

"It will be all right now, Ruth. Oh, I'm so glad!" while the other girls laughed and shouted in their excitement.

It was the work of another half hour before the four men got a rope around the heavy box and, by the aid of the automobile, drew it out of the deep hole, after which, with great labor, it was got into the car.

Once at the house, it was left to Mrs. Presby, as the representative of the family, to say what should be done with the chest.

"Open it," was the command.

This was not easily done, but when the work was finally accomplished, what a sight met their eyes!

There was at least a bushel of gold coins. There was valuable family plate. In a sealed receptacle they found a quant.i.ty of jewels and a bundle of papers. The papers Mrs. Presby put away until her husband should have an opportunity to go over them.

"There's a fortune here. I think Treasureholme need not be lost now,"

said Stevens.

"It comes too late," said Mrs. Presby bitterly. "Mr. Presby telephoned me after the close of the market that to-morrow would end all, as he and Robert could not meet their obligations when it opened in the morning."

"To-morrow morning!" exclaimed Bab. "Then we must get this treasure to them to-night! We must do it some way!"

"Impossible," said Olive.

"No, it's not!" declared Ruth. "I'll take the chest to Chicago in the car."

"But it's nearly midnight, Ruth. You can't do it," protested Mrs.

Presby.

There was little time for discussion and objection, and in the end the chest was again loaded into the car and the four "Automobile Girls" and Bob Stevens set off for Chicago, Miss Sallie promising to telephone to Mr. Stuart that the girls were on their way.

It was a wild midnight ride into Chicago. The girls became convinced that they were being followed, but by turning off her lights and driving into a private lane until the following car had flashed by and then taking a longer but little-used road into the city, Ruth evaded the pursuers, if such they were. Nor did they see the car again until they drew up in front of the Stuart house in the brilliantly light street and with a policeman in plain sight.

Mr. Stuart and Mr. Presby spent the night in making an inventory and the morning before the opening of the market in calling up their bankers and lawyers. They were tired and worn when the opening hour came, but the day was saved, and while neither made the fortune he had antic.i.p.ated, each had added materially to his wealth. For this they gave credit to Barbara Thurston, but she steadfastly refused the reward they offered her. The money reward she refused, but she could not refuse the admiration and love they gave her.

They learned later that Nathan Bonner had had a private detective on the grounds of Treasureholme, and it was he who had followed Mr. A. Bubble into the city. Bonner lost heavily in the crash, but still retained enough of his fortune to be a financial power.

A week of pleasure followed the finding of the treasure. On the evening before the departure of Bab and Mollie and Grace for Kingsbridge, Ruth gave a large reception in honor of her guests.

On the evening of the affair the four girls, when they repaired to their rooms in the Stuart home to dress for the reception, found four exquisite frocks, the gifts of Mr. Stuart and Mr. Presby, who would not be denied this method of showing their appreciation. The gowns were white filmy chiffon over soft white silk. White shoes, white silk chiffon hose, everything needed to complete their toilet that night lay ready at hand. None of the three girls from Kingsbridge had dreamed that they would ever possess such beautiful and exquisitely designed dresses.

But this was not their only surprise. A great box of roses was delivered to the house while the girls were dressing. It was addressed to Miss Barbara Thurston. With it there was a note reading:

"I always did love a fighter. What a trader you would make! It was a fair fight, and you won.

NATHAN BONNER."

"No, it wasn't a fair fight. It was distinctly an unfair one," declared Barbara. "I think I shall send these flowers back."

"I don't believe I would do that," advised Miss Sallie. "The flowers are plainly intended as a tribute to you as a fighter, Bab, and the acceptance of flowers is unlike the acceptance of any other gift."

So Barbara kept the roses.

The next day the "Automobile Girls'" party was broken up. The time for Grace, Bab, and Mollie to return to Kingsbridge had arrived, to the keen regret of both the young people and their elders. Mr. Stuart, with a twinkle in his eyes, kept talking vaguely about "Easter," but what his plans were, he would not say.

The wonderful Easter vacation that these plans developed into may be read about in a following volume ent.i.tled, "THE AUTOMOBILE GIRLS AT PALM BEACH; or, Proving Their Mettle Under Southern Skies," a vacation never to be forgotten by the "Automobile Girls."

THE END