CHAPTER 7
THE MAP
Marjorie and Judy entered the Lodge by the back door and found Mr. Taggart in the kitchen with a big bundle of clean laundry.
“Hello, girls,” he said pleasantly. “Find any buried treasure yet?”
“No,” Judy replied, “but down on the beach we—”
Marjorie nudged her and said quickly, “We found a lot of absolutely worthless shells.” She grinned at Ann Mary who came into the kitchen then with a bag of soiled linen. “You and your rare specimens! I’ll bet you sent us off on that wild goose chase just to get us out of your hair.”
Ann Mary laughed. “Maybe I did.” She turned to Mr. Taggart. “I really sent them down to the lake to keep them from digging up the whole place. Pat and Mal worked hard on the vegetable garden behind the cabin, and I’m not going to have the kids ruin it in their search for something which they know perfectly well isn’t there.”
“That’s right,” the laundry man said with a grin. “A carrot in the hand is worth a diamond in the bush.” He picked up the bag and started for the door.
“Wait a minute, please,” Ann Mary said. “There’s more upstairs. Sit down and make yourself comfortable while I gather up the bed linen.”
“Do you want me to do it for you, Ann Mary?” Marjorie asked, hoping the answer would be no.