Norton, Andre - Novel 32 by Ten Mile Treasure (v1.0) Page A

things to the station as quick as we can."
    The
mailbag was light enough for Perks and Parky to carry between them. But Lady Maude's box needed both Christie's and Libby's full strength to transport it.
Neal, with frequent pauses to rest
cramped fingers, carried the strongbox.
The meadow seemed to have dou bled in
length when they crossed it so bur dened.
    " Yoooohooo !" Toliver ran to meet them from the van. "What's the matter? Why are you bringing that stuff here?"
    Neal
and Libby between them told him what had
happened at the cave, while Perks and Parky dropped down beside Christie where she sat in
the grass, one arm laid protectingly over Lady Maude's box.
    "Christie, can—can she put me in jail?" Parky's face was not red with anger
anymore. He did not look at his sister but stared at the ground. Perks squeezed up against him, putting an arm around his shoulders.
    "No, I don't think so. But you shouldn't have done it—you know that."
    "There was no other way I could stop her— she pulled so hard," he said
miserably, and smeared
one hand across his eyes.
    "What made you go to the cave in the first place? If Marlene hadn't seen you
there she wouldn't
have known anything about it!"
    "We wanted to get Lady Maude—for Daddy," Parky said.
    "I'm going for Mother." Toliver broke away from Neal
and his sister. "If old G.T. comes riding in here
he won't listen to any bunch of kids. And Dad's gone off prospecting with Grey Eagle." The Navajo boy
started to run and Libby went into the van, coming out with a thermos jug and two paper cups.
    "Here, Parky , Perks, drink
some of this lem onade.
You're all hot—it'll make you feel bet ter."
    Perks had cried so much she had hiccups and Parky's face was streaked with dust and
tears. They drank
what she had poured for them slowly. Christie stood up and drew a little away to whisper to Libby.
    "Can Marlene really make a lot of trouble? About the bite
and the things from the cave?"
    "She can try." Libby did not give her any comfort. "Let's get these
boxes and the mail- bag
into the van. Toliver will tell Mother all about it on the way back and
she'll know better what to do. It'll take Marlene some time to ride home, and maybe her father won't
be there. We can
hope they won't come here until your folks are back, too. I wish Dad were here,
but he won't be back
until late tomorrow."
    Christie shivered. It sounded as if they were in real trouble. Mostly it was
her fault. If she had
watched the twins more carefully, as Mother had expected her to, they would never have gone to the cave. Then
Marlene would never have known about it. Parky was
only a little boy.
Surely they could not do anything to him really. But she was not sure of that.
    She was still feeling cold inside when Mrs. Wildhorse came back with Toliver . The Navajo woman did not seem upset—only surprised at their
finds. She agreed that they should leave those in the van for safekeeping—all except the mailbag.
    "That
should be delivered to the post office."
    "They're dead letters." Parky had regained some of
his usual assertiveness. "Neal said let ters can't be delivered when they are dead."
    "Perhaps they can't be delivered to the right people," Mrs. Wildhorse agreed, "but they are mail, in an official pouch, and
must be taken to the
office in town. I wonder how long they have been in that cave."
    "The papers packed around Lady Maude have the date eighteen
seventy-five on them," Christie said. "They were from London . Please, can Marlene just take Lady Maude
and the rest of the
things?"
    "Not right away, and maybe
not at all. We shall
tell the sheriff about this and he will take charge. Perhaps even the court will have to decide about the true ownership. There's some thing even more important to think about now."
    "You mean who's going to have the station?"
Neal asked.
    "Yes."
    "Please, can you tell us more about that?" Christie wanted to know.
"Mother and Father were so busy and they went to town so early.
    All we really know is