“I’ll heave some in,” he offered.

While Brad poked at the coals, Dan went to the bin.

The shovel had disappeared. But after hunting a while, he found it behind the bin door.

Selecting smaller lumps, Dan fed the furnace two large shovelfuls. The coals leaped into fiery flame.

“Better give ’er a couple more for good measure,” Brad advised.

Dan trotted back to the bin. As his shovel bit deep into the coal pile, it struck an object which gave off a metallic sound.

Curious as to what it might be, the boy dug deeper. His shovel brought to view a square metal box approximately a foot square.

“Jeepers creepers!” he whispered in awe. “How’d this get here?”

CHAPTER 2
The Metal Box

Stooping low, Dan lifted the metal box from the shovel. It was surprisingly heavy.