“This is a discovery!” Madge assured herself as she made successive thrusts into the old log, tumbling out knives, forks and spoons. “Wait until Anne sees what I’ve found!”
Making certain that she had removed everything from the cache, she gathered up the silverware and hurried back to the beach. This time she made no mistake in selecting the path and a few minutes later saw the welcoming gleam of a light through the trees. She rapped on the door and after a brief wait, Anne flung it open.
“Oh, here you are! I was afraid you weren’t coming. Why, what do you have?”
“Your silver,” Madge laughed and thumped it down on the table. “See if it’s all here.”
“Where did you find it?” Anne was fairly dancing with excitement. “Oh, I’m so glad to get it back. Tell me, did the rangers capture the thief?”
“One question at a time,” Madge protested. “I’ll tell you everything while we check over the pieces. How many were there?”
“Twelve of everything.”
Already Madge had started to sort the forks. Anne began on the spoons and while they counted, she learned of the strange hiding place.
“I’ve gone by that log a dozen times,” she declared, “but it never occurred to me to look inside. Who could have hidden the silver there?”
“I wish you’d tell me. Why was it hidden there at all? If the thief broke into the house to steal it why didn’t he take it away with him?”