"I guess I've found some gold in my hole!" went on Laddie. "Come and look! It shines like anything!"
Russ and George leaped out of the holes they were digging and ran toward Laddie. Mrs. Bunker got up and hurried down the beach. Mun Bun and Margy followed. Rose and Violet went too.
"Where is it?" asked Russ, stooping over the edge of his brother's hole. "Where's the treasure?"
"There," answered Laddie, pointing to something shining in the sand. It did glitter brightly and it was not buried very deeply, being near the top of the hole, but on the far edge, where Laddie had not done much digging.
"It is gold!" cried George. "Whoop! Maybe that boy you knew was right, and there is pirate's treasure here!"
Mrs. Bunker bent down and looked at what Laddie had uncovered. Then she took a stick and began carefully to dig around it.
"Here, take my shovel," offered Laddie.
"No, I don't want to scratch it, if it is what I think," said his mother. "I had better dig with the stick."
She went on scratching away the sand. As she did so the piece of shiny thing became larger. It sparkled more brightly in the sun.
"Is it treasure?" asked Laddie eagerly. "Did I find some gold treasure?"