but it could have been Bob. His face was scarred on one side and he didn't speak."
"Go on."
"We think he knew someone here ... someone who sold a ring to Amelia Earhart."
"Blimey," Ken said. "I thought that was just old Ron taking the mick."
"You've heard the story?"
"My own dad told it! Right before the war, he took a trip up to Darwin with some loose opals and some jewelry.
He told me the story about how Earhart bought a ring off him. Typical of my dad-- he'd tell you some whopping tall tale, and you couldn't prove it didn't happen."
"Well, it did," Dan s aid. "We know that for sure."
"Too bad he's not around to rub it in." The old man laughed."What about the scarred man?" Amy asked."Sounds like Fossie," Ken said. "My dad called him that because he got lucky fossicking."
Amy and Dan looked blank."Same as noodling," Jeff explained.
"Searching for opals on the heaps of sand that get dug out for a mine. It takes some patience, let me tell you."
"Fossie made more money fossicking than mining. He was a strange one. Didn't talk, just stared right past you. A few kangaroos loose in the top paddock, for certain."
"Has anyone else besides us ever asked about him?" Dan asked. He was hoping for news of their parents. "Eh?"Dan repeated the question, louder this time.
"Not a one," Ken said. "Not many left in Coober Pedy who remember him, and we keep things to ourselves.
Besides, Fossie didn't socialize at the pub. He died before Coober Pedy really took off."Nellie's face changed, and Amy knew she was trying not to smile at the notion that dusty Coober Pedy had taken off. She looked as if she'd just inhaled pepper and was trying not to sneeze."Did you ever meet him?" Dan asked."Once.
He didn't welcome visitors, I'll tell you that. But when he was dying, he called my dad over, and I went with him. I was ju st a lad then. He left my dad his mine. Nothing much to it, we never did get a stone out of it. After that, he went on a walkabout and never came back. Died out there, alone, just as he wanted."
"Do you know where he lived?"
"Too right I do! Lived right in the mine. Dug a room next to it. Many did in those days. He was the first to figure out a ventilation system, get the whole system working right."Amy and Dan exchanged a glance. Ekat."Can we see it?"
"Sure, it's just down the hall."
"Wait a second," Amy said. "Are you telling us that Bob -- I mean, Fossie -- lived here?"
"Well, not here here," Ken said, gesturing around the room. "My dad dug out more of the hill and made the house.
Fossie just carved out a tunnel and mined straight back into the hill. He dug out a room for himself."
"Is the room still here?"
Amy asked.
He nodded. "Sure. We just slapped up a wall to block the mine.
But Fossie's room is still there.
Shazzer made it up as one of the guest rooms. She was my third wife."
"Your fourth, I think," Jeff said. "And my mum, if you'll recall. You were my stepdad for about two years."
"That's right!" Ken laughed. "How are you, sonny? Sure, have a look," he said to
Amy and Dan.
"It's been fifty years at least, so I don't think you'll find a thing . But you're welcome to try."
CHAPTER 16
A short while later, Amy sat back on her heels. "Ken's right. There's nothing here. It was all too long ago."
They'd searched the simply furnished room thoroughly, including the small closet. Nothing remained from the home that Bob Troppo had made there.
"I hate dead ends," Dan muttered. "I thought for sure we'd lucked out."They got up wearily and went back out into the crazily patterned hallway.
Amy turned back for a last look and stopped dead. She pointed to the wall on top of the doorway.
"Dan, look!"Amid old postcards from all over the world, crazy drawings, and loopy scrawled messages there was a silly drawing.HA!
[drawing of a heart-shaped head with two eyes, a smiling hair and frizzy hair]
Be MINE
"Mom drew this," Amy said breathlessly, pointing to the heart.
"I know it. It's drawn with a purple pen! And
"Go on."
"We think he knew someone here ... someone who sold a ring to Amelia Earhart."
"Blimey," Ken said. "I thought that was just old Ron taking the mick."
"You've heard the story?"
"My own dad told it! Right before the war, he took a trip up to Darwin with some loose opals and some jewelry.
He told me the story about how Earhart bought a ring off him. Typical of my dad-- he'd tell you some whopping tall tale, and you couldn't prove it didn't happen."
"Well, it did," Dan s aid. "We know that for sure."
"Too bad he's not around to rub it in." The old man laughed."What about the scarred man?" Amy asked."Sounds like Fossie," Ken said. "My dad called him that because he got lucky fossicking."
Amy and Dan looked blank."Same as noodling," Jeff explained.
"Searching for opals on the heaps of sand that get dug out for a mine. It takes some patience, let me tell you."
"Fossie made more money fossicking than mining. He was a strange one. Didn't talk, just stared right past you. A few kangaroos loose in the top paddock, for certain."
"Has anyone else besides us ever asked about him?" Dan asked. He was hoping for news of their parents. "Eh?"Dan repeated the question, louder this time.
"Not a one," Ken said. "Not many left in Coober Pedy who remember him, and we keep things to ourselves.
Besides, Fossie didn't socialize at the pub. He died before Coober Pedy really took off."Nellie's face changed, and Amy knew she was trying not to smile at the notion that dusty Coober Pedy had taken off. She looked as if she'd just inhaled pepper and was trying not to sneeze."Did you ever meet him?" Dan asked."Once.
He didn't welcome visitors, I'll tell you that. But when he was dying, he called my dad over, and I went with him. I was ju st a lad then. He left my dad his mine. Nothing much to it, we never did get a stone out of it. After that, he went on a walkabout and never came back. Died out there, alone, just as he wanted."
"Do you know where he lived?"
"Too right I do! Lived right in the mine. Dug a room next to it. Many did in those days. He was the first to figure out a ventilation system, get the whole system working right."Amy and Dan exchanged a glance. Ekat."Can we see it?"
"Sure, it's just down the hall."
"Wait a second," Amy said. "Are you telling us that Bob -- I mean, Fossie -- lived here?"
"Well, not here here," Ken said, gesturing around the room. "My dad dug out more of the hill and made the house.
Fossie just carved out a tunnel and mined straight back into the hill. He dug out a room for himself."
"Is the room still here?"
Amy asked.
He nodded. "Sure. We just slapped up a wall to block the mine.
But Fossie's room is still there.
Shazzer made it up as one of the guest rooms. She was my third wife."
"Your fourth, I think," Jeff said. "And my mum, if you'll recall. You were my stepdad for about two years."
"That's right!" Ken laughed. "How are you, sonny? Sure, have a look," he said to
Amy and Dan.
"It's been fifty years at least, so I don't think you'll find a thing . But you're welcome to try."
CHAPTER 16
A short while later, Amy sat back on her heels. "Ken's right. There's nothing here. It was all too long ago."
They'd searched the simply furnished room thoroughly, including the small closet. Nothing remained from the home that Bob Troppo had made there.
"I hate dead ends," Dan muttered. "I thought for sure we'd lucked out."They got up wearily and went back out into the crazily patterned hallway.
Amy turned back for a last look and stopped dead. She pointed to the wall on top of the doorway.
"Dan, look!"Amid old postcards from all over the world, crazy drawings, and loopy scrawled messages there was a silly drawing.HA!
[drawing of a heart-shaped head with two eyes, a smiling hair and frizzy hair]
Be MINE
"Mom drew this," Amy said breathlessly, pointing to the heart.
"I know it. It's drawn with a purple pen! And
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