He signaled to them to keep back. Lanky was watching Jed Marmette as he made his way toward the farmhouse.
Frank took no chance on his going to the boys. Instead, he called to them, in a stage whisper, and told three of the boys to watch the man while Lanky was to come over to him.
“He took a metal box out, Lanky, and it’s got something inside that sounds like a whole lot of things; for instance, the way that a lot of buttons or nails or something of the kind might sound inside a metal box. The box is wrapped in paper. He got it up in the loft.”
“Let’s follow and see what he does with it.”
“All right. Get him located, and we’ll follow.”
By this time the man was almost to the farmhouse, but they saw him turn to the right and stride over toward an old-fashioned grape arbor.
Along the weedy pathway the two boys ran as quickly as stealth permitted, now and then peering up to see where the man was and what he was doing. He had gone, by the time they approached within safe distance, into the grape arbor.
“You stay right here and I’ll sneak as near as I can. If I need any help, come quickly.”
With this admonition, Frank stole through the weeds, circling toward the grape arbor, hoping to find some point where he might see through. But no such point appeared, and Frank, determined to get whatever information he could, took the long chance of creeping through the weeds straight up the arbor.
Here he saw plainly! Jed Marmette had dug a hole under the arbor. Into that hole he was now placing the box. He then covered it carefully with the earth, tamped it down, smoothed everything off and then replaced, so it appeared, a large flagstone which was turned up to one side. This flag fitted over the new-made hole and did away with all newness!