Norton, Andre - Novel 32 (21 page)

Christie sat beside Mother, nervously
folding
and unfolding her hands. They felt sticky even
though the big studio was so cool. Mr. Simmons
had told them earlier what
questions he was
going
to ask, and they had practiced their answers several times. But she still
wished the
program
was all over. She was so afraid she
would say something wrong, or forget
:.
She and
Libby were
to hold up Lady Maude and then
open the little trunks and boxes before the TV cameras. Then the cameras
would switch over
to
Toliver
and Neal, who would talk about the strongbox and
the shotgun. Shan should really
have been here, too, since he had found the
cave, but they were sure he would
have been
too
frightened.
After
they did that, their part in the program
would be over. Then the postmaster was going
to talk about the mail bag and Mr. Simmons
about Ten Mile Station. Last of all, Sheriff
Wylie would describe the coach they had found
near
Darringer
three
days before. Tonight they
were to stay
at a motel here in town so they
could
see themselves on TV—which would be
exciting—once
this was safely over.

Father was to have been here too, but he had
to drive to the airport to pick
up Mr. Colby.
Christie
looked at Libby, who was also sober-
faced. Maybe inside she was just as uncertain
as Christie. They must forget about the camera,
Mr. Simmons had told them—just make believe
they
were talking only to him as they had been
when
they had practiced.

"Ready—"
Mr. Simmons beckoned from the
table, where
the bright lights were centered.

Christie
got up. At first she felt her legs were
shaking
far too much for her to walk at all.
Libby's
hand caught hers in a very tight hold. They reached the chairs they had sat in
during
the rehearsal. Christie put out
a finger to touch
Lady Maude where the doll stood, with a stand to hold
her securely upright. What did she think
about
all this? Christie wondered.

She swallowed the lump that
reemed
to fill
her throat
as she heard Mr. Simmons begin the
familiar story of how they found the cave.
Then, altogether too quickly, he
began his questions. Libby's was first and she answered

TEN
  
MILE
 
TREASURE

it—
her
name and where she lived. Then Chris
tie
said the same. She kept watching Lady
Maude,
and somehow, with her eyes on the
doll,
she was not so frightened. She opened the
jewel case and her share of the bags, while
Libby spread out the other parts of Lady
Maude's wardrobe.

The lights winked out and Mr. Simmons
waited for them to pack away the
lady and her things. Then Neal and
Toliver
took the
girls'
places to
talk about their part of the finds.
Christie was glad to be back again beside
Mother.

When
the program was over, they met Father
in
front of the broadcasting station. He had Mr.
Colby with him, and also a tall man who
thanked Father for the lift as he climbed out of
the car.

"This is my wife and family, and their
friends, Libby and
Toliver
Wildhorse
," Father
said. "Patricia, children, this is Congressman
Cranford. He is interested in
Jemez
Park
. I've
been telling him about the station
and the
finds."

Mr. Cranford had gray hair and Christie
thought him stern-looking until he
smiled. "I
am
most pleased to have the chance to meet
you, Mrs. Kimball. Now, let me see." He
turned to the children. "Here
are the heroines
and
heroes of the treasure hunt—but aren't there more of you?"

"Perks and
Parky
are with
Mrs.
Wildhorse
,"
Neal told him. "They went to see the Indian
exhibit in the bank lobby."

"Perks and
Parky
, and you
must be Neal
Kimball.
Then—ladies—" He held out his hand
first to Libby and then to Christie. "Miss Libby
and Miss Christie—and this
is
Toliver
—am I
right?"

"And," he continued, glancing at the pre
cious box that Libby and Christie
carried be
tween
them, "can this be part of the treasure
in question?"

"It's Lady Maude and her things," Christie
answered shyly.

"Lady Maude! I understand she is to appear
on a special TV program tonight.
Do you sup
pose I may
have a private interview with the
lady later on?"

"We have to take her back to Sheriff Wylie's
office," Christie explained.
"He's keeping her
until he finds out who really owns her."

"I see. Well, perhaps the sheriff will let us
get together. Such a famous and
far-traveled
lady
should not have to spend most of her time
shut up in a box. It has been a great pleasure,
and I trust that this will not be
the last time we meet." He smiled at them again and raised his
hat.

When they got into the car and Mr. Cranford
had gone into the broadcasting
studio, Christie
heard
Mr. Colby say to Father, "Wonder what
brought him out here at this time. Oh, I know
he's on the park committee, but usually an east
ern congressman is not going to travel to see
a national park clear out here. As far as I know
no
one was expecting to see him. He's traveling
alone,
not on official business."

"I only know what you heard him say."
Father did not appear too
interested. "How did
the program go, Pat?"

"They were all a little nervous, understandably,
but once it started they did very well, as you shall for yourself this evening.
Here's the
sheriff's
office—we'll take Lady Maude in and
be
right back. Christie and Libby can go—you
boys
stay in the car."

Only the young man who used the typewriter was there. He
took Lady Maude's box and gave
them a
receipt. Then they went on to the motel.
Christie
was unhappy. If only Lady Maude
could
have come with them!

"I wish she could have a real home," she told
Libby, who seemed to understand. "It
must be very dull for her to be shut in that box
day after day."

"Dull for a doll?" Neal had overheard her,
much to Christie's instant
annoyance. "A doll
isn't alive, doesn't know what is going on.
You're crazy."

"Lady Maude isn't just a doll." Christie tried
to put her feelings into words.
"She's—she's
like
a real person." Neal only laughed at her
again and she was sorry she had said
that. He
would never understand the
way she was sure Libby did.

Mother insisted on an afternoon rest time for
the twins so they could sit up
and watch the
program
in the evening. Neal and
Toliver
went
off on their own to see the Indian
exhibit at the
bank. Christie and Libby
had books to read and
the motel room was cool
and comfortable, but
Christie felt
restless.

If they could only be sure things would come
out all right! She had what some
people con
sidered a bad habit of always
looking at the last few pages of a new book before she read
it,
just
to be sure that it had a happy ending.
She never
enjoyed the other sort. Now
there was no way
of turning to the
final page in their own story
to make
sure it finished well. They would just
have
to wait for the end. She was afraid that
was
not
going to go right. It could so well be
a hurting one, with them moving away from the
station—never able to see Libby and
Toliver
again—and
perhaps even watching Lady Maude
being
given to Marlene!

Libby moved across the sofa and put her
hand lightly on Christie's arm,
shaking her out of her gloomy thoughts for a moment or two.
"Did you see Marlene? She
was across the
street
when we came out of the studio. When
she watches the program tonight, she's going
to be really mad."

"Why?"

"Because we're in it and she isn't. She prob
ably thinks if she could have
taken Lady Maude
she
would have been in our place there today."

Christie counted days on her fingers. It had been a whole
week since she had mailed the letter to
Maine
. How much longer would she
have to wait before she knew if anyone
would
answer it?

"Christie, where will your
family go if you
have
to move away from the station?"
Libby's
question cut through her thoughts.

"I don't know."

"If Mr. Colby decides to build up the ghost
town, perhaps you could go
there."

Darringer
?
Christie shook her head. She did
not want to live
there even if the old houses
could be
rebuilt. Anyway, there was no longer any way in since the landslide. There was
only
the back trail they had come out on
after
Libby's father had brought men
from the Trad
ing Post to help the
station wagon over the
wash. That was too bad for any tourists to want
to travel.

"I hope you stay somewhere around here,"
Libby went on. "We could go
to school to
gether
in the fall. I'm in the sixth grade now."

"
So'm
I. Or I was going to be. We left school
early to drive out. But Mother has our books and
once we settle in we're to do some work
each day this summer so we can start where
we're supposed to. Neal would go to junior
high. And the twins start in second."

How far "back home" seemed now. Would
they return? Christie found herself wishing they
would not. She did not like waiting to decide
things—she never had. She wanted to read the
last page and right
now!

They had supper in a restaurant and went
back to the motel to wait for the
TV program.
In the
lobby they met Mr. Cranford again. He
was talking to Lucas
Wildhorse
and looked around at them with one of his face-warming
smiles when they came in.

"This is a big night for you, isn't it?" he
asked the children. "Mr.
Wildhorse
has taken
pity on a stranger and has very kindly asked
me to join you to watch the
program. I hope
you
don't mind?"

Why
did he want to? Christie wondered. But
she
did not have time to think about that very
long, for he had come directly to her to say,
"I have spoken to Sheriff Wylie and he says
that
if you are willing we can go to his office tomorrow and you can unpack Lady
Maude for
me. I have a daughter at
home—she's some
years older than you
and Libby, but not too old to enjoy hearing about Lady Maude, who, I am
sure, is not an ordinary doll at all."

For some reason Christie did not feel at all
shy with Mr. Cranford.
"No," she answered
promptly. "Lady Maude is extra special. I
don't think there
is another doll like her in the
whole
world now!"

"You are probably very right, Christie," he
agreed.

"
Harvey
," Lucas said to her father,
"you
might be
interested in a couple of things Con
gressman Cranford has to say about Jemez."

"I trust you will." Mr. Cranford turned back
to the older people, while
Christie and Libby
sat
down on a settee in the lobby.

Mr.
Charvez
, the owner of the
motel, had
pulled the
big TV set out a little, and the boys
were helping him bring in extra chairs. Some
of the guests had gathered to wait
for the pro
gram.
Why, Christie realized, they were going
to have a regular audience when the time came
to watch. Then Mr.
Charvez
turned out all the
lights except the one behind the desk so they
could see
better
.

Christie grasped Mother's hand tightly. Had
they really done their speeches
all right? Or
would
people laugh?

There was the announcer talking about Mr.
Simmons, and then Mr. Simmons
himself talk
ing to
the postmaster, showing off the old let
ters and the mailbag. Christie squirmed. She
was eager, yet a little
frightened, to see Libby
and herself on the screen.

Now Mr. Simmons again.

"The two young ladies who had a part in the
discovery of this
unique find—Miss Christie
Kimball and
Miss Libby
Wildhorse
—"-

There they were. It was very queer to see
yourself sitting talking when you
knew you
were here
watching,
But
she had been all right.
None of the shakiness she had felt showed. She
was answering Mr. Simmons's questions in a
voice you could hear clearly, showing off the
parts of Lady Maude's wardrobe as he asked
her to. And Libby was as good.