1. Great-great-grandfather didn’t murder Mr. Jacob Williams the way people think.
2. This Mr. Williams was the one who was stealing the glassware and money, not Great-great-grandfather. Williams tried to pin it on Great-great-grandfather.
3. Great-great-grandfather, just before he wrote in this ledger, had found the glassware and money (and Jacob Williams’ body, too) somewhere “down below.”
4. I guess Williams’ son knew about the stealing, and Great-great-grandfather was afraid he’d destroy the ledger if he found it so he could protect his father’s name.
5. Just before he died, Great-great-grandfather hid the ledger in the fireplace because he couldn’t get to the house.
When Ronnie had finished, he stretched out on his back with his knees up in the air and the paper resting against them. He read over what he had written. Most of the ideas were interesting because they proved Great-great-grandfather’s innocence. But only Number Three seemed to be any help at all in finding the hidden glassware and money. And this one was so vague, Ronnie couldn’t see that it would be much help either. “Down there” could be anywhere on the face of the earth! Well, maybe not that large an area, but anyway it could mean the whole deserted village. And Ronnie couldn’t see Bill and himself digging up the whole village to find the lost glassware and money.
Ronnie rested his head back against the bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking. Surely Great-great-grandfather must have wanted his heirs to find the lost articles, and if he did, he certainly would have given adequate directions for finding them. “Why, ‘down there’ must mean underneath the old office building,” Ronnie thought, “because that’s where Great-great-grandfather was when he wrote this!”
It was a startling discovery, and its possibilities set the boy’s heart racing. Wouldn’t Grandfather be surprised when Ronnie placed the diary before him and announced, “There, Gramps, there’s the proof you wanted about Great-great-grandfather Ezra!” Wouldn’t Gramps smile then!
But maybe it would be better to wait until he had the glassware and the money. Then Gramps’ eyes would really open wide. Yes, that’s what he’d do—throw the whole thing at Gramps all at one time!
Ronnie wanted to run from the house and down through the orchard to the village and then tear every board loose from the floor of the old, padlocked building until he knew for sure that he had figured correctly. He got up from the bed and went to the window. The sun was sinking fast. In another hour or two it would be dark, too late in the day to start his search. Besides, he wanted Bill with him when he found the glassware and money. He decided to make a trip to the kitchen to see how Mrs. Butler was getting on with supper.
“Lands sake!” she exclaimed when he asked her how long it would be before he could eat. “Land sakes, you’re getting as bad as your brother—always thinking of filling your stomach.”
“Well, it’s the right time of the day to be thinking of that,” he told her. “Say, where’s Phil, anyway?”
“I suppose he’s in the living room with your grandfather and that Mr. Caldwell who came to see the candlesticks a while ago.”
“He is!” Now wasn’t that a fine kettle of fish, he thought. Here he was missing out on a very important event while he dawdled around in the kitchen talking with Mrs. Butler.