The Secret of the Sundial Page 3

  CHAPTER III The Swenster Mansion

  The Swenster mansion was a large, rambling affair, set back some distancefrom the other modern dwellings on Summit Street. A high, untrimmed hedgeat the front and large evergreen trees hid the grounds from view. Thewindows had been boarded up for years and most persons could not recallwhen the house had been occupied. It had fast fallen into decay. Shuttersdangled loosely on rusty hinges, weeds choked the lawn, everything neededpaint. Yet, with the passing years, the old mansion had retainedsomething of its former elegance.

  Madge and Cara paused briefly to survey the place from the front, thenwalked swiftly around to the rear.

  "We may get into trouble if we're caught trespassing," Cara venturedtimidly.

  "No danger of that when the owner hasn't been heard from in years," Madgereturned, undisturbed. She rattled the back gate and was surprised tofind it locked. "That's queer. It was unfastened yesterday afternoon whenI stopped."

  "It wasn't locked last night," Cara added with growing uneasiness. "Let'snot try to get in."

  Madge was not to be so easily discouraged.

  "We can climb over easy as scat!" she declared.

  "But if someone should see us?"

  "Let them. At the worst, we can only be run out. Come on."

  She swung over the fence with an ease which her friend could not hope toduplicate. Still protesting, Cara permitted herself to be helped over.

  Madge looked about the grounds with keen interest. A winding walk led toa tangled, overgrown rose garden. She saw a tiny cement pool, cloggedwith old dead leaves and sticks. Beyond, a sundial of peculiar design andconstruction, attracted her attention.

  "Isn't it quaint!" she exclaimed admiringly. "Let's see if we can tellwhat time it is."

  "I know I can't," Cara insisted. "I never could make head nor tail ofthem."

  The dial rested upon a concrete pedestal which reached waist high whenthe girls stood beside it. Upon the brass face appeared slightly raisedRoman numerals and the triangular gnomon cast its shadow across the four.

  "It's just a little after four o'clock," Madge announced.

  "That's a safe guess," Cara laughed. "You know school lets out at tentill."

  "You don't need to guess with a sundial such as this. Half of them won'ttell time accurately. That's because they're turned out at the factoryand sent all over the country. To be accurate a sundial must be madeespecially for the section where it is used."

  "This one does look home made," Cara acknowledged. "It's nice workthough."

  Madge would have enjoyed wandering about in the garden but she could tellthat her friend was eager to get away. Reluctantly, she gave herattention to the matter which had drawn her to the mansion.

  "Tell me where it was that you saw your ghost," she commanded.

  "It wasn't a dozen paces from where we're standing. Someone was digginghere in the garden."

  For the first time Madge carefully studied the ground. She paused a shortdistance from the sundial.

  "There's loose earth here," she announced, stirring it with the toe ofher shoe. "I guess you were right about seeing someone."

  "Certainly I was right. I hope you don't think I'm afraid of my shadow."

  "Of course not, Cara. I wonder who could have been digging here and forwhat purpose?"

  "Maybe someone was burying a dead cat."

  Madge shook her head and smiled.

  "Folks don't go to other people's yards to bury their pets. Think of abetter reason."

  "Gold!" Cara cried promptly. "Perhaps there's a treasure hidden here."

  "I'd like to think so, but I'm afraid that only happens in story books.Cara, what did your ghost do when he saw you?"

  "I don't think he saw me at all. Anyway, I didn't wait long enough tofind out."

  Madge examined the loose earth but as she had no implement with which todig, was unable to tell whether or not anything had been buried. Caradisplayed slight interest and moved away. Madge completely forgot heruntil she came back dragging a spade.

  "Here, if you must dig around in the dirt, use this."

  Madge seized upon the tool, demanding to know where it had beendiscovered.

  Cara indicated a large lilac bush only a few feet away. "I found itbeneath the branches."

  "This must be the shovel your ghost was using last night! See, there's alittle dirt still on it. If it had been lying there long, it would berusty. Cara, I'll wager a cent--a good Indian cent--that you frightenedsomeone away from here last evening."

  "Then it was mutual."

  "Perhaps the person who hid this shovel intends to come back again,"Madge went on reflectively. "Now what I can't understand is why anyonewould come to a boarded-up mansion at midnight to dig up the garden."

  Cara, who was not particularly imaginative, could not suggest a possibleexplanation. She watched with hopeful interest as her friend began toturn up the loose earth. After Madge had dug for fifteen minutes shedecided it was not worth the effort.

  "Shucks! I'm convinced there's nothing hidden here. And if anyone shouldfind us digging up the yard it might be hard to explain."

  She carefully repacked the soil in the hole, and then to Cara'swonderment, returned the spade to the place where it had been found underthe lilac.

  "Why take such pains?" she asked.

  "Because I don't want your 'ghost' to know we've used his spade," Madgeexplained. "I'm curious to learn what there is worth digging for in thisyard. I mean to find out too!"

  "Just how do you propose to go about it?" Cara questioned skeptically.

  "Oh, by keeping my eyes and ears open. You can tell that whoever was herelast night didn't care to be observed. It's my opinion he'll come back todo some more digging."

  "Well, if he does, the occasion will be conspicuous for my absence," Caradeclared feelingly.

  She glanced at her wrist watch and flashed it before her friend's eyes.

  "Do you see what time it is? I must be getting home."

  Madge gazed regretfully toward the boarded-up house and wished that shemight at least peep inside to see what secrets it guarded. It would berelatively simple to pry loose a board, but of course she had nointention of ever doing that. As it was, she felt somewhat guilty becauseshe had trespassed.

  She followed Cara to the gate and after looking about to see that thealley was deserted, climbed over. They walked thoughtfully toward theirhomes, parting at the Wayne residence.

  "Better keep this little affair under your hat," Madge advised. "If youdo, we may be able to have some fun out of it."

  "Trust me," Cara promised. "But if you're planning any midnight visits tothe mansion or anything of the kind, count me out."

  Madge laughed and turned away. Already she was planning another trip tothe old mansion, but she thought it wise not to mention it just yet.

  "It behooves me to learn a few facts about the Swensters before I jump tohasty conclusions," she told herself, as she continued home. "Between nowand my next visit, I must unearth the family history."