He wanted to get hold of that record secretly and be sure whether the great vein of gas which the Deacon knew existed was on the property now owned by the Bartletts or that of the Landsdownes, and then he was going to buy that property before the owners knew about the gas, as the land would be worth a fortune if that fact ever became known. He was pretty sure, after discovering that sub-cellar, that the Deacon had left his papers down there when he went to California. By pounding on the walls he had discovered one place which he was sure was hollow. If the stone that covered the place could be removed by any trick he failed to discover it and had to resort to digging it out with a pick. This, as we already know, produced the dull thudding sound underground which had frightened the household almost out of their wits. The reason he could prowl around in the yard at night after they had set the dog to watch was that Pointer knew him and made no disturbance upon seeing him.
Abner Smalley was marched off triumphantly by Dave Beeman, and was held on such a complicated charge of house-breaking, arson, assault and battery, and intimidating peaceful citizens, that it took the combined efforts of the village to draw it up. Thus ended the great mystery which had kept Onoway House in more or less of an uproar all summer.
“I never saw anything like the way we Winnebagos have of falling into things,” said Sahwah. “Here Mr. Smalley made such elaborate efforts to find that record, using up more energy and ingenuity than it would take to dig up the whole farm and hunt for the gas well; and he didn’t find it in the end; and all I did was drop in on top of it without even suspecting its existence.”
“There must be a special destiny that guides us,” said Migwan. “Perhaps we possess an enchanted goblet, like the ‘Luck of Edenhall,’ only it’s ‘The Luck of the Winnebagos.’”
“Cheer for the ‘Luck of the Winnebagos,’” said Sahwah, who never lost an occasion to raise a cheer on any pretext. And at that Sahwah never dreamed of the extent of the good fortune she had brought the Bartletts by her lucky tumble. The vein of gas which was struck when they subsequently drilled proved a sensation even in that notable gas region and made millionaires of its owners. And the reward which Sahwah received for finding the record, and that which the others received “just for living,” as Migwan expressed it—for though they had not found the sub-cellar themselves it was due to their game that Sahwah had found it—drove the memory of their fright from their heads. But we are getting a little ahead of our story. There is one more chapter yet to the Luck of the Winnebagos before that remarkable summer came to an end.
After the departure of Abner Smalley things grew so quiet at Onoway House that Migwan, who had declared before that she would be a wreck if the excitement did not cease soon, was now complaining that things seemed flat and she wished the mystery hadn’t been cleared up because it robbed them of their chief topic of conversation.
“Well, I’m going to take advantage of the quiet atmosphere and straighten out my bureau drawers,” said Nyoda. “I haven’t been able to put my mind to it with all this excitement going on. And they’re a sight since you girls went rummaging for things for the Thieves’ Market.” In doing this she came upon that strange creation of Uncle Peter’s brain, the plan for the “Wasted Minute Saving Machine.” She showed it to the girls and they examined it wonderingly.
“What is this on the other side?” asked Migwan. “It’s a will!” she cried, reading it through. “It says, ‘I, Adam Smalley, give and bequeathe my farm on the Centerville Road to my son Jim, as Abner has already had his share in cash.’”
“Let me see!” cried Calvin. “It’s the latest one!” he shouted, reading the date. “It’s dated 1902 and the one Uncle Abner found was 1900. The farm is mine after all! Uncle Peter had this will in his possession and didn’t know it! How can I thank you girls for what you’ve done for me?”
“It was all Migwan’s fault,” said Hinpoha. “She insisted upon going to see whether the old man was all right after the storm.”