“The last picture is a coffin.”
“Br-r-r-r!” I shimmied. “Let’s hope we don’t have to tackle any graveyard stuff.”
Tom further studied the third picture.
“Maybe the treasure is hid in the big chimney,” says he. “And to get it we’ve got to go in from the top.”
“But what’s the idea of the other pictures?” puzzled Poppy.
“The only thing a moon does,” says I, “is to make light. And light makes shadows. So maybe we’re supposed to dig in the shadow of the chimney, or something like that.”
“Jerry, old pal, that little beezer of yours sure is popping off steam to-night. Coffins always go in the ground. So we’re supposed to dig. And the moon and the chimney tell where to dig.”
We lit out then for the stone house. And up in the sky was the biggest, fattest moon you ever laid eyes on. Uncle Abner and Mrs. O’Mally were waiting up for us, playing the talking machine. Pretty soon the clock struck midnight. And going outside we marked off the shadow of the chimney, as it showed on the ground, and began to dig. It was hard work. But we never let up, even though we were blinded by the sweat that streamed down our faces. For comfort we took off our coats and shirts. We now were working in a hole almost four feet deep. Then, about two o’clock in the morning, we found it!
Getting the iron chest out of the hole, after a whale of a lot of pulling and tugging, we whacked the rusted padlock to pieces with the pick and threw back the cover. Nor were we disappointed! And, to that point, I sometimes wonder if another such peculiar treasure ever was brought to light. Gold cucumbers! Thousands of them—or so it seemed to us at the exciting moment.
To-day Poppy and I each have a snug little nest egg of seven thousand dollars tucked away in Mr. Lorring’s bank. That was our share of the treasure. For the gold, of course, was later sold. And you understand, too, that each of the other three got the same amount. Thirty-five thousand dollars! That was the total amount of the treasure. Not as much as we had expected. But are we kicking? I hope to snicker we aren’t.