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Ruth turned away, and said nothing more regarding the album; but Agnes was more and more puzzled about the whole affair. The two girls were not confiding in each other. Nothing, of course, could have shaken Agnes belief in Neales honesty. While, on the other hand, Ruth feared that the ex-circus-boy had fallen before temptation.
Believing, as she did, that the banknotes found in the album were all good, the oldest Corner House girl considered that the bonds might be of great value, too. Altogether, as Neale had figured up, there was over a hundred thousand dollars in the album.
This fortune was somewhere so Ruth believed in the possession of a thoughtless, if not really dishonest, boy. A thousand things might happen to the treasure trove Neale ONeil had borne away from the old Corner House.
No matter whether it were Neale himself or another who made wrong use of the money or the bonds, if they were lost it would be a catastrophe. Neither the Corner House girls, nor whoever properly owned the book, would ever be benefitted by the odd find in the garret of the Stower homestead.
Who the actual owner or owners of the treasure was, Ruth could not imagine. But that she was the proper custodian of the album until Mr. Howbridge returned, the girl was quite sure.
She dared take nobody into her confidence until their guardian came home. Least of all could she talk about it to Agnes. And on her part, Agnes was quite as loath to speak of the matter, in earnest, to Ruth.
What Joe Eldred had said about Neale and his heavy satchel really alarmed Agnes. A hundred thousand dollars! A fortune, indeed.
Goodness me! Agnes thought. Neale is never silly enough to believe that the money is real, is he? Impossible! Yet why did he carry the old thing off with him?
It bothers Ruth I can see that. I dont know what idea shes got in her head; but surely both of them cant be mad about that money and those bonds. Goodness! am I the only sensible one in the family? the flyaway asked herself, quite seriously.
For I know very well that stuff in the old album is nothing but green goods. Maybe somebody, years ago, used it dishonestly used it to fool other people. And suppose Neale is fooling himself with it?
For it never entered the loyal Agnes mind that her boy chum was other than the soul of honesty.
CHAPTER XIII AGNES IN THE WOODS
Yet she was the most cherished of all the smallest Corner House girls large and growing family of doll-babies. Dot lived with the Alice-doll in a world of make-believe, and where
of Ralph Avenue where Agnes purposed to take the car. This was not far down Main Street from the Parade Ground, and the children could easily find their way home again.
As the three sisters passed the drug store they saw coming out a woman in long, black garments, a veil, and a huge collar and a sort of hood of starched white linen.
Dots eyes grew big and round as she watched this figure, and finally she whispered: Oh, Aggie; who is that?
That is a sister of charity, replied Agnes.
Dot pondered deeply for a moment and then returned to the charge with: Say, Aggie, which sister is she Faith or Hope?
Hear that child! sighed Tess. I never heard of such a ridiculous question, did you, Aggie? she asked the laughing, older sister.
Just then the car Agnes must take came along and the older girl ran to climb aboard, after kissing the little ones good-bye. And there was Tom Jonah, bounding right behind her.
No, no! You must not! You cant, Tom Jonah, Agnes cried, stopping at the car step. Go back, Tom Jonah!
The dogs ears and tail drooped. He turned slowly away, disappointed.
You know I cant take you in the car, Agnes said. Go home with Tess and Dottie.
She stepped aboard. The conductor just then rang the bell for starting. Agnes pitched into a seat as the car jumped forward and failed to see whether the dog returned to her sisters or not.
It was a long ride in rather a round-about way to the Buckham farm. Mr. Bob Buckham raised strawberries for market and was a good friend of the Corner House girls. Agnes particularly was a favorite of the farmer and his invalid wife.
Although the interurban car passed one end of the Buckham farm, there was another point where Agnes could leave the car to cut across lots and through the woods to reach the house. She had been this way once with Neale, and she thought it a much pleasanter, if somewhat longer, walk.
So, when the car came to the road in the woods which the Corner House girl was sure was the right one, she signaled the conductor to stop and she stepped down into the snow beside the track.
Agnes was to learn, however, that the woods look different under a blanket of snow, from what they do when the ground is bare.
The road into which she ventured was merely a track leading into a place where cordwood had been cut. Wagons had gone back and forth, but not for several days. The path led in a direction quite different from the Buckham house and every minute she walked this way took her farther and farther from the road to Strawberry Farm.