“Ruddy is all right, and the dog catchers haven’t been around,” answered Rick. “That was a false alarm of Tom’s.”
“Then as to this ‘message,’ as Rick calls it,” went on Mr. Dalton, turning over the piece of rock, “we have here a bit of copper ore.”
“Is that what it is?” asked Rick.
“That’s what it is—copper ore. It didn’t come from around here unless it came on a railroad train as part of a shipment, and I don’t believe that could have happened for there are no smelters in this locality. So much for that.”
“The cabbage leaf doesn’t tell much,” said Mazie. “But it’s awfully interesting—quite hectic, I should say.”
“Hectic! Where do you get that word?” laughed Rick.
“All the girls at school say it,” answered Mazie with just the least up-tilting of her nose, for Mazie was growing fast.
“If you mean ‘hot’ why don’t you say so?” demanded her brother.
“Hectic is a much nicer word than hot,” declared Mazie, “and our teacher said we should try to increase our vo—vo—vocabulary.”
“Well, you’re doing it all right!” chuckled Rick. “Anyhow the cabbage leaf doesn’t mean anything; does it, Dad?”