of the cottage?” Judy demanded excitedly. “Remember, all those strange
sounds which seemed to come from the basement! They might have been
cave noises! And we noticed a gust of cool air coming through a crack
in the mortar.”
“Aye,” the captain nodded. “Bart and I discussed it many a time. Those
strange sounds that have scared the living daylights out of cottage
tenants come from the cave right enough.”
“Then there must be a passageway close to the foundation wall!” Judy
cried.
“I tried to convince Krumm he should build on a new foundation, but he
wouldn’t take advice.”
“If that old foundation could be torn down, maybe an opening down into
the cave could be found!” Judy went on. “What do you think, Captain
Hager?”
“It’s our only chance to ever learn what became of Bart.”
“Then why are we waiting?” Miss Meadows demanded. “We must put men to
work at once!”
“Krumm will have to give his permission,” Captain Hager said, deeply
troubled. “It will mean wrecking the foundation of the cottage.”
“But a young man’s life is at stake!”
“Aye,” the captain agreed, “Krumm should consent, if there’s a mite o’
humanity in him. We’ll go now and put it up to him.”
Word had spread through the village of Bart Ranieau’s plight and
everyone, it seemed, was discussing the young man’s fate. Even before
the little party arrived at Mr. Krumm’s real estate office, groups of
curious began to congregate at the cave entranceway.
Forest rangers and state highwaymen roped off the private road leading
to the cavern, and set up guards to prevent persons from trying to
explore. Miss Ward, bringing her girls to Calico Cottage, learned
belatedly of the disaster and what was being done to try to find Bart.
Meanwhile, Captain Hager was using all his powers of persuasion upon
Mr. Krumm. The real estate man, reluctant to have his property damaged,
argued that it would be a useless expenditure to tear down the old
foundation wall.
“Like as not we wouldn’t find the cave exit,” he protested. “Even if we
did, there’s not much chance of finding that foolhardy young man alive
and you know it! He went the way his father did before him, drowned in
the siphon!”
“We don’t know it,” Captain Hager retorted. “There’s air somewhere
close by to that siphon.”
“How do you know?”
“Because time and again Bart found tadpoles.”
“What have they got to do with it?” Mr. Krumm demanded.
“Tadpoles are a sure sign of open air being near. They’re creatures
that never venture far into underground waters.”
“So?”
“I figure there must be a brook somewhere close where the underground
river empties.”
“There’s no brook around the cottage, and no water under it either.”
“I’m not concerned where the river empties,” Captain Hager said. “I do
think the cottage wall connects in some way with a passage down into
the cave. Where it would lead, if we get into it, no man knows.”
“You want me to tear down the foundation on a wild chance like that?”
“You’ve got to do it,” Captain Hager said grimly. He moved in close.
“Either you do it like a gentleman and get credit for being a hero, or
I’ll have the law on you! You can’t abandon that boy to save a dollar!”
Mr. Krumm’s eyes snapped angrily. Judy and Kathleen were certain he
would order them all out of the real estate office.
But suddenly, his opposition dissolved.
“Okay, tear down the foundation!” he consented. “Get on with it!”
Once Mr. Krumm had waived his objection, men from the village, directed
by forest rangers, immediately went to work.
Judy, Kathleen and the other Scouts milled about the cottage, watching
as a small section of the foundation was torn apart. As the throng
increased, only Miss Meadows, Miss Ward and the Scouts were permitted
in the building.
Dust from the bricks and mortar kept the girls out of the cellar much
of the time. But as the day wore on, a shout from below, brought them
scrambling down the stairway.
By this time, one section of wall had been torn away, though the main
supports of the cottage remained. The musty odor which had annoyed
occupants of Calico Cottage now was very strong and definitely came
from the jagged opening. A group of workmen clustered about the hole,
blocking Judy’s view.
“Have you found the cave opening?” she cried. “Have you?”
“Aye,” Captain Hager informed her jovially. “But where the passage
leads, we don’t know.”
“What causes the odor?” Kathleen asked, sniffing.
“Imprisoned air. It’s gradually clearing out. Like as not it comes from
decaying vegetation--”
“Listen!” cried Judy tensely.
“The boy with the flute!” exclaimed Kathleen in awe.
Those in the room had frozen to attention. From the great gaping hole
there issued forth a musical note, for all the world like the music of
a flute.
Then there came a series of taps as if someone might be thumping a
stick on hard rock.
“That’s a man-made sound!” cried Captain Hager. “Bart’s down there!
He’s trying to signal us!”
“We’ll get him out!” shouted a forest ranger. “Any volunteers to go
down into the hole?”
Arthur Wentz stepped forward. Rope was tied about his waist, and
carefully he was lowered until his feet touched solid flooring.
For awhile those above could see the descending light, then it
vanished. They paid out more and more rope until the coil was nearly
exhausted.
Finally, a signal came--two short tugs. Gently, the men began to pull
on the rope.
“Wentz is coming up!” one of the workmen shouted. “It’s hard pulling!”
“Then he must have found Bart!” Judy cried, hugging Kathleen in her
excitement.
Minutes passed as the men kept at the rope. Then from the hole
staggered Wentz and the young man he supported.
Bart was barefoot and his bare back had been covered by the ranger’s
shirt. His lips were blue with cold, but he grinned with the spirit of
a conqueror.
“Captain Hager!” he mumbled, embracing the old man. “I did it!”
“You sure did, son,” the captain answered, tears streaming down his
grimy cheeks. “You almost did for yourself too.”
“I thought you’d get me out,” Bart said. “I never gave up, never for a
minute.”
“You can thank these Scouts,” Captain Hager said, smiling at Judy and
Kathleen. “They pestered me to go down into the cave with ’em. If they
hadn’t, we’d never have learned that you went through the siphon.”
“It was a wonderful but terrifying experience,” Bart mumbled. “My
father--”
“That can wait,” Captain Hager said gruffly. “You can tell us all about
it later. Get yourself to a warm bed now, before you die of pneumonia.
Get along with ye!”
Nearly exhausted, and shaking with cold, Bart was lifted bodily and
carried to a waiting ambulance.
_Chapter 25_
COURT OF HONOR
Two days had elapsed since Bart Ranieau had been brought out of Calico
Cave suffering from shock, but otherwise unharmed by his thrilling
explorations.
Long hours of sleep and plenty of food had restored him to his former
peak of health. But as his strength returned, he became restless and
pestered hospital officials until at last they dismissed him.
Almost immediately, Bart sought Judy and Kathleen at Pine Cone Camp to
thank them for saving his life.
Word spread like wildfire that the young explorer had arrived and soon
the daring young man was surrounded by Girl Scouts who teased him to
tell the story of his adventure.
“Start at the very beginning,” Judy urged. “Don’t leave out anything.”
“That’s a large order, but I’ll try,” grinned Bart. “Well, I’d made up
my mind to try the siphon. I didn’t tell anyone, because I knew if I
did, the authorities would try to stop me.”
“I left my shoes and shirt on the ledge because I couldn’t be burdened
with them in swimming. I reasoned too, that if I got through, wet
clothes wouldn’t help keep me warm. So I stripped to my trunks.”
“How long was the siphon?” inquired Betty Bache, who had joined the
group of intent listeners.
“Long enough,” Bart said grimly. “The first one wasn’t so bad.”
“Then there was more than one?” inquired Ardeth Packett.
“Two of them. I waded at first. The water finally came up to my neck
and then over my nose. When I couldn’t walk, I dived.”
“Weren’t you scared to death?” Virginia Cunningham asked with a shiver.
“I sure was,” Bart admitted. “I knew I might find water to the ceiling
for an indefinite distance ahead. Anyway, I decided to chance it. I
took a great deep breath and plunged through.”
“What happened?” questioned Beverly Chester breathlessly.
“The first barrier was astonishingly easy. I was through it in less
than a minute and was able to wade again. My only light was a container
of matches carried in the top of my bathing cap. Ahead I could see
another siphon.”
“You were reckless to go on,” Kathleen chided.
“Maybe,” Bart acknowledged, “but it would have been very nearly as hard
to have gone back. I hoped I’d find where the cave came out.”
“Tell us about the second siphon,” Judy urged.
“It was a tricky one, I’m here to report. I don’t know how long I was
underwater, but it seemed a minute and a half. My lungs were bursting
when finally I emerged. But it was worth it!”
“What did you find?” demanded Beverly.
“A hall filled with the most beautiful formations I’ve ever seen.”
“Better than the White Witch and those chambers before one gets to the
siphon?” Judy asked.
“Oh, a thousand times better! I stood there speechless and in awe,
dazzled by the glitter of so much crystal. For a little while, I lost
all count of time. It seemed unreal.”
“Go on,” Kathleen urged, as Bart became lost in his own memories.
“Those stalactites and stalagmites were fantastic beyond description,”
Bart told the Scouts. “There were animal shapes, and statue-like
figures--one a woman with a bridal veil. Why, if steps can be built
down from Calico Cottage, everyone can see the chamber! Krumm will
make more money opening up the cave than he ever could do renting the
cottage.”
“While you were down there, you didn’t solve the mystery of Calico
Cave’s ghost, did you?” Judy asked. “You didn’t meet our little boy
with the flute?”
“I certainly did,” Bart replied. “The explanation for those flute
noises is simplicity itself. One of the roof formations takes the shape
of a long hollow tube. Each time water drops through the tube onto the
floor, it produces the musical note.”
“Did you realize how close you were to the basement of Calico Cottage?”
Judy next asked the young explorer.
“I thought I might be somewhere near, but I couldn’t be sure. One loses
all sense of direction under ground. I tried to climb, but the rocks
were straight up, and I couldn’t get a grip.”
“When you first came out of the cave, you spoke of your father,”
Kathleen said, rather reluctant to remind Bart of a painful subject.
“Yes, I know now what became of him,” he answered. “My father didn’t
drown as we thought. He made both of the siphons just as I did.”
“Then he was trapped in the chamber and unable to signal anyone.”
“I’m not sure if he tried or had the strength to signal,” Bart
responded. “I found the skeleton and a note, only part of which I’ve
been able to read. My dad had a heart attack. He wasn’t too expert
as a swimmer, and the exertion together with the excitement of his
discovery, may have brought on a sudden attack. It must have taken him
fast.”
“But there was no escape from the chamber?” Virginia probed. “No way
back?”
“Of that I’m not sure either,” Bart returned. “It would take a hardy
swimmer to swim against the current. I think I might have made it. I
was turning the thought over, trying to decide what to do. I’d about
made up my mind that if no help came, I’d attempt it before my strength
left me.”
“Does the cave have no exit except through the cottage foundation?”
Ardeth next interposed a question. “What becomes of the underground
river?”
“It empties into the brook which flows into the river,” Bart explained.
“But no one can follow the course of the underground stream farther
than I went. The way beyond is barred by solid rock.”
The young explorer spent more than an hour at camp, telling the Scouts
many interesting facts about caves in general.
All the girls were envious of Judy and Kathleen because they had viewed
so many of the beautiful formations.
“The most breath-taking sights are in the chamber directly under Calico
Cave,” Bart said. “There’s no reason why a ladder or steps can’t be
built down there, so everyone can view them. I am to talk to Mr. Krumm
today and see what can be done. It’s a cinch he can’t rent his cottage
without extensive repairs, and it would pay him to open up the cave
instead.”
Since the tearing down of the cottage foundation wall, Miss Meadows
had not been able to stay in the dwelling. She had taken a room at the
hotel for one night, and after that Mr. Krumm had transferred her to
another one of his cottages, directly on Morning Glory Lake.
Surprisingly, the real estate man had announced that Miss Meadows
might have the place rent free.
“You’ve had a rugged time of it at the other cottage,” he acknowledged.
“You deserve a couple of peaceful weeks.”
The girls correctly surmised that Mr. Krumm’s generosity was occasioned
by a belated realization that Calico Cave had great commercial
possibilities.
They were entirely right. In the week that followed, the real estate
man bolstered up the cottage foundation again, converting the building
into an office where admission tickets could be sold.
He then had carpenters construct a stairway down to the fairyland
chamber, one which would serve temporarily until a more permanent
installation could be made.
Sometime prior to the day on which the public was to given its first
view of the cave, Mr. Krumm visited Pine Cone Camp to present a check
to Judy.
“Why, what is this?” she asked in astonishment. “Is it a contribution
for the Girl Scouts?”
“You may consider it as such as you want to,” he said. “It’s your bonus
for solving the mystery of the Calico Cottage ghost.”
“That was easy because I had scientific helpers,” Judy laughed. “I
think Bart and Captain Hager deserve the money even more than do the
Scouts.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Mr. Krumm said a bit grimly. “They’ll have
a share of the profits from the cave operation. Bart saw to that. He
convinced me that I couldn’t manage the place without them around to
look after things.”
“In that case, I’ll accept the check,” Judy decided. “Not for myself
though. I’ll give it to Pine Cone Camp. Perhaps the money can be used
to bring some girl to camp who otherwise couldn’t afford to come.”
Before departing, Mr. Krumm invited all the Scouts to a preview of the
cave chamber.
“Oh, wouldn’t it be fun if we could have our Court of Awards ceremony
there!” Judy exclaimed. “Could we, Mr. Krumm?”
“It’s all right with me,” he said. “The electric lights will be in by
the end of the week.”
Judy spoke at once to the camp director about her plan. At first, Miss
Lubell was somewhat hesitant, but after personally inspecting the cave
room and the facilities which had been provided for the public, she
became as enthusiastic as Judy over the prospect of holding a ceremony
in the fairyland chamber.
The night set for the affair finally arrived. The Scouts enjoyed
a picnic supper at the cottage grounds, after hiking to the site.
Afterwards, with Bart and Captain Hager acting as guides, they
descended to the underground chamber.
Electric lights, skillfully placed, gave the colorful formations
ethereal effects which were quite breathtaking. The Scouts named many
of the figures, giving them such titles as the Indian Oven, Woman with
a Hood, the Cathedral, and Phantom Hands.
The spell of enchantment was still upon the girls as they took
formation for the Court of Awards ceremony.
Miss Lubell personally presented special achievement badges to all
the Scouts who had earned them. Judy, Kathleen, Ardeth, Virginia, and
the other members of Beaver Patrol won honors in many fields, for
dramatics, in swimming, health and for safety achievements.
Then Miss Lubell announced that for Judy and Kathleen, there was to be
a special award. An expectant hush fell upon the group.
Amazed and rather embarrassed to be singled out for particular
attention, the two Beaver Patrol girls stepped forward to receive the
badges.
As Miss Lubell held them up, everyone burst into laughter. As a joke,
the Scouts of Lone Tree had fashioned two huge medals of tin. On their
face, in large letters, they had painted: “Explorer.”
“Just a little memento of your exciting summer, Judy,” Ardeth assured
her. “You know, wherever you go, you seem to stir up fun and adventure.”
“All of the Scouts do,” Judy corrected. “Kathleen certainly did as much
as I to earn her tin medal!”
“I just followed in your footsteps,” Kathleen laughed. “Anyway, we
shouldn’t get the credit for producing forest fires or hi-jackers.
Caves are our specialty.”
“Here’s hoping you find more and better ones,” Ardeth chuckled,
fastening the huge tin medal to Judy’s Scout uniform. “Or is that
possible?”
“We never could discover a more thrilling cave than Calico,” Judy
replied earnestly.
“But you’ll try!” Ardeth teased.
Judy shook her head. Her eyes twinkled as she answered, “No, I promise
you I’ve had enough of stalagmites and stalactites for one summer. From
this hour forward, I’m spending all my idle hours at Pine Cone Camp!”
Transcriber’s Note:
Perceived typographical errors have been corrected.