Chapter 12 The Secret at Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene
Lights Out!
“What wonderful luck!” Nancy exclaimed softly. “To think of finding this bottle after all these years!”
“Let’s see what’s inside it,” Bess urged.
Nancy put her little finger into the bottle and slid out a curled-up paper. Carefully she unrolled it, then glanced at the signature at the bottom—a bold “V” and a heart.
“It’s a letter from Valentine to Frances,” Nancy said.
The girls crowded dose and peered at the faded handwriting. The long-dead romance came alive for them as Nancy read aloud:
“ ‘My dear girl, I am writing this in haste to tell you that I truly love you. Would that we could marry! But the law pursues me and I doubt that I will live much longer. Too late I am sorry for my misspent life.’ ”·
“How sad!” murmured Bess.
“ ‘I want you to have my fortune,’ ” the note continued, “ ‘but many people are seeking it. I know my mail is seized. I have hidden instructions in this bottle. A little of my booty has been converted to gold and melted down into special pieces, dear Frances, made just for you.’ ”
“I wonder what he meant,” said George.
As Nancy was about to read on, the ceiling light went out. George gave an exclamation of annoyance. “What a time for the bulb to got Wait here. I’ll get one from the kitchen.”
As George felt her way out of the room, a suspicion flashed across Nancy’s mind. Slipping the letter into her shirt pocket, she said, “Come on, Bess!” and went down the hall with her friend at her heels asking what was the matter.
In the living room Nancy saw the shadowy figure of Aunt Bet standing by a table lamp. “The lights don’t work,” she said.
At the same moment Alice’s voice came up the hall. “Did someone blow a fuse?”
Her fears growing, Nancy groped her way to the telephone and picked it up. The line was dead! She ran her hand down the wire. It had been cut!
Nancy returned to the living room as George hastened in from the kitchen.
“No lights there, either,” she reported.
“And probably no water,” Nancy added grimly.
“The pump runs by electricity.” She went on to say someone had probably damaged the generator or cut all the wires.
There was a moment of shocked silence.
“But why?” Alice asked in a frightened voice.
“I’m afraid our enemies are about to make more trouble. They figure we’re helpless without lights or a phone.”
“What do you think they’ll do?” Aunt Bet asked anxiously.
Nancy said she could not be sure, of course, but she expressed fears about the new palominos.
“We must report this to the men on patrol,” said Mrs. Rawley. “They may not yet know anything about the power failure.”
Nancy agreed. “But we must be very quiet about it. If the gang doesn’t suspect we’ve guessed their plan, we may be able to catch them in the act.”
Nancy suggested that Aunt Bet and Alice keep watch in the house while she and the cousins looked for the guards.
The three hastened to their room to get their flashlights. “Don’t turn them on,” Nancy warned, “unless you absolutely have to.”
The girls walked out and paused at the edge of the portico. Somewhere in the darkness men were ready to work more mischief.
“You two go to the east meadow and report to Dave,” she said. “I’ll locate the palomino guard.”
“Be careful,” Bess warned. “You may find the troublemakers instead. They struck at the pump house before. Remember? That’s close to the big meadow.”
“That’s why I think they won’t do it again,” Nancy replied. “Probably they’ll pick on a different place. Good luck! If you run into trouble, yell!”
George and Bess melted into the darkness and Nancy hurried in the opposite direction. As she gazed over the fence of the big meadow, she could see most of the palominos standing quietly together near the far end. One or two were browsing in the middle, but there was no sign of a mounted guard.
Quickly Nancy circled the stable and the adjoining tack room, but found no one. Puzzled, she looked across the yard to the corral. It was empty. Where was the guard?
“I must find someone,” Nancy thought, but before she could move, there came a loud whinnying from the stable.
Nancy wheeled and hurried to the door, then paused, well aware that it might be dangerous to go inside. She opened the door quietly and stood listening. Except for the nickering of a restless animal, all was quiet.
Nancy stepped in and walked cautiously between the two rows of stalls. When she reached the one where her horse stood, it occurred to her that someone might have unsaddled him to prevent her from being first to go after the phantom. But she found the saddle still in place.
As Nancy walked quietly along the left side of the horse, he whinnied nervously. She murmured reassuringly to him and stroked his head. Then she felt the girth to be sure it had not been loosened and ran her hands over the bridle. All was in order.
She was about to leave the stall when there came a loud whinny from the other end of the stable and the sound of a hoof hitting a bucket.
Nancy froze. She heard a footstep!
Suppose it was one of the gang? “If he finds me,” she thought, “I’ll be trapped in this stall-unable to sound the alarm.”
Nancy knew she must try to get out of the stable. The footstep had seemed to be near the excited horse. But exactly where was the intruder now? Nancy slipped out of the stall, and hugging the wall, moved toward the door.
The next moment she was seized from behind and a hard hand stifled her outcry. As Nancy struggled, there came a sharp exclamation and she was suddenly released.
“Nancy!” said a familiar voice. It was Tex’s! “Great jumpin’ steers! I’m sorry! Are you all right?” the cowboy asked anxiously. “Shucks, girl, I thought you were one of the phantom gang!”
Nancy took a deep breath. “I thought you were, too,” she said, and quickly told him her news.
The cowboy gave a low whistle. “Trouble’s comin’, that’s for sure!”
“Where are all the guards?” asked Nancy.
“Mr. Rawley and Walt Sanders have gone down the valley toward Tumbleweed to watch the road. Mr. Rawley figured if outsiders are helpin’ to do the damage they might come part way by car, park it, and sneak into the ranch on foot.
“If that’s how it’s done, maybe he and Sanders can nab ’em. Shorty took early watch, so he’s probably sacked out in the bunkhouse.
“I’m set to guard the stable area,” Tex went on, “but I figured I’d sure be less conspicuous on foot. A while ago I heard a noise from here and came in to check. It was nothin’—just Daisy thumpin’ around. She’s restless tonight.”
“Who’s watching the palominos?” Nancy asked.
“Bud.”
“He wasn’t a few minutes ago.”
“Oh—oh!” said Tex. “Something’s wrong there! He’d never leave his post. Come on!”
The two hastened outside. As they turned toward the meadow, from the far end, came a high weird whistle.
The signal for the phantom horse!
Tex stopped short, then raced toward the house, shouting the alarm. Moments later, the clanging of the iron triangle outside the kitchen filled the night.
Nancy, meanwhile, had sprinted into the stable and led out her horse. As she sprang into the saddle, she could see the mysterious glowing steed galloping from the trees into the meadow. It hardly seemed to touch the ground and it wavered in the wind.
“I’m going to catch it!” Nancy vowed, and spurred her horse to racing speed.
Straight ahead lay the meadow gate, but it was closed. Taking a deep breath, Nancy gathered her mount and cleared it.
As before, the phantom was heading straight across the meadow. Nancy rode hard to cut the animal off. She intended to seize the phantom’s bridle should it have one on.
In a moment the apparition turned and raced down the meadow, straight toward the palominos. Shrilly whinnying, it plunged into their midst. Some palominos shied and reared, others ran wild.
Nancy’s horse, trying to overtake the fleeing phantom, pounded through the scattered group. Suddenly one of the frightened palominos thundered across her path. Frantically Nancy tried to pull her own mount aside.
Too late! The two horses collided. Nancy flew from the saddle and hit the ground so hard she blacked out!