Saw woodcutter Kraft of Badheim 26
Saw farmer Vogel of Meinz 14
Saw tanner Schwartz of Koenigsberg 34
Saw woodcutter Zimmermann of Feldheim 22
Saw brewer Helmuth Hauff of Weibund 11
Lucy and Michelle managed to decipher every word, but when they had finished they could only reread the scribbled page, at a loss to understand its meaning. What had these various trades of common interest? Or common mystery?
“'Saw woodcutter Kraft’—that’s Franz,” murmured Lucy, frowning. “'Saw farmer Vogel’—But for what, Michelle? 26—14—Oh, can’t you think what he means?”
Michelle shook her head. “Let us look carefully around,” she proposed, “in case he let fall another piece.”
But this was quite in vain. They gave up the search in a quarter of an hour and began the journey back to the hospital, suddenly aware that they had been absent nearly two hours, and that it must be almost three o’clock in the morning.
The moon was setting when, after more than once losing the path, they reached Franz’ clearing and familiar ground. Franz’ cart was already harnessed beside the shed for his early start, and his dim figure moved beside it. Too tired to talk over the night’s strange events, Lucy and Michelle hurried on to the hospital, crept into the cottage and regained their beds.