“Bart?” Judy repeated, startled. The excitement of the morning had washed all thought of the young milkman from her mind.
“I took it upon myself to telephone his landlady,” Miss Meadows went on. “Bart left his room early yesterday morning, and he’s not been seen since!”
“That might not mean anything serious, Aunt Mattie.”
“I talked with the other milkman this morning while you were in town,” Miss Meadows continued. “He thinks as I do, that Bart went into the cave.”
“Maybe he went down into the cavern before those hi-jackers parked themselves in the entranceway,” Kathleen speculated. “Perhaps he didn’t dare come out until they left. He may be waiting somewhere in the dark passageway even now.”
“That is a possibility,” agreed Miss Meadows, instantly becoming more cheerful. She reached for her hat and jacket. “I’ll go down there now, and let him know that it’s safe to come out.”
Chapter 22
DESCENT INTO THE CAVE
JUDY and Kathleen would not allow Miss Meadows to go alone to Calico Cave.
Insisting upon accompanying her, they made cheerful talk as they tramped down the now familiar forest road.