“Girls! Girls! Call Winston. The cover moved ever so slightly.”
“I never in all my life dreamed that such exciting adventures ever really happened,” Betsy was saying, when Eleanor cried: “Girls! Girls! Call Winston. The cover moved ever so slightly. I believe if he has found a stout stick, he could pry it off.”
The lad came bounding back when he heard a chorus of excited voices shouting his name. Wedging his sharp pointed stick under the cover of the box, he soon pried it lose. Together he and Eleanor lifted it. There were two leather bags in the box and they were so heavy that it was with difficulty that the lad lifted them.
On the inside of the copper lid was inscribed the name of the one who had buried the treasure. The girls were sure that they knew what they were to hear before Winston could decipher it.
“It’s your grandfather Burgess’ buried fortune,” Betsy told Eleanor, but before that maiden could reply, an exclamation of amazement from the lad caused them all to turn in his direction. “Eleanor,” he cried, “is your name Burgess? Why didn’t you tell me before? My mother’s maiden name was Dorinda Burgess.”
And then, as though that were not enough excitement for one hour, there arose below them on the beach, a loud hallooing. Winston leaped to a spot where he could look down. “Girls,” he cried, but there was no need to call, for they were closely following him. “There is a launch anchored just beyond the shoal and three boys have come ashore in a dory.”
“It’s Benjy and two of the boys from Drexel Academy!” Barbara whirled to hug Margaret. “Oh, girls, aren’t you glad we were shipwrecked, now that we are to be rescued?”
CHAPTER XXVIII
IN WHICH MANY THINGS HAPPEN
Although Winston was indeed glad that he and his small sister were being rescued, his heart was too full of anxiety concerning his mother’s fate to really share in the hilarious rejoicing of his companions. Not wishing to depress them by reminding them of his possible loss, he smiled as cheerfully as he could, whenever he was addressed, but Virginia noticed that he held little Peggy close to him during the sail to the mainland.
Luckily the wind was back of them and they did not need to delay for frequent tacks. While the other girls were telling the story of their unexpected voyage to their three rescuers, Eleanor managed to find a seat near Winston. She lifted shining eyes to her new-found cousin, but in them tears slowly gathered. Then quietly she told him the story of her mother’s long search for her sister Dorinda, “I cannot understand,” the lad seemed perplexed. “I know that my mother repeatedly sent letters to a sister in America, but the name on the envelope was never Burgess.”