“There he goes,” she exclaimed. “And he’s that little Italian boy. The one whose father is in prison. Do you suppose he saw us?”
“Yes, that’s Nicky,” added Barbara, for she too was at the door and she could see little Nicky scampering along the sandy beach in full sight. “We don’t need to worry about him. He’s perfectly honest.”
“Land sakes, I hope so,” sighed Miss Davis. “For if anything happened to the Santa Maria I might as well never go back home. I couldn’t live a day under the roof with Tillie. She’s so fond of it. Perhaps, after all, I did wrong to fetch it,” she appeared to relent.
“If you feel that way about it you can come and get it again tomorrow,” suggested Babs, quite weary of the whole affair. “But I’m sure it would be lovely to have it in the exhibit. You know, the idea is to get materials that may be used in a little museum here eventually,” she explained.
“That’s just what I thought. And the Santa Maria belongs in a museum,” declared Miss Davis. “It’s perfectly foolish to have it locked up in our old cabinet. Yes, I’ll leave it and talk it over with Tillie. She’s as changeable as the wind, and perhaps I can talk her around. There’s that boy stopping at the fisherman’s place,” she interrupted herself. “He must know him.”
“Very likely, for Nicky knows the lighthouse keeper and others around here. He’s a busy little fellow and runs errands, you know,” concluded Barbara. “Well, here’s Dad. I just have to lock this door—everything else is locked. Won’t you ride out with us, Miss Davis?” she invited the small woman who was really very agreeable, and eager to help Barbara with the locking up or anything else left to be done.
“I’d be glad to, for I am tired,” admitted Miss Davis. “You see, I had to wait so late to get rid of Tillie. She was going in town all afternoon but I thought she’d never get started.”
Dr. Hale was waiting now, and it took but a few minutes for Babs and Miss Davis to climb into the car.
“Everything all right, daughter?” he asked solicitously, after greeting the guest.
“Oh, yes, Dads, all right,” Barbara replied a little wearily. “Miss Davis and I have a secret, something really wonderful to exhibit and we had quite a time hiding it,” she told her father briefly.