Part 4 (1/2)

Within, the place was dank and s where the s had been Much broken glass and a couple of sash weights fastened to ends of rotten sash cord lay upon the floor In the corner was a e, damp and unwholesome The place was in possession of spiders Whole boards of the flooring had rotted, yielding like mud under the feet of the scouts

”Some place,” said Connie Bennett

”Oh, here's a di under an open space in the flooring ”I can get a soda with that”

”Here's another,” said Westy

It seemed likely that some of the heroes who had uiled their tilory

Suddenly Pee-wee shouted, ”Oh look at this! I bet it has so to do with a spy! I bet it has secret papers in it! _Look what I found!_”

Fro hero had pulled out an oilskin wallet There were not many such places as this old ruin that did not yield up their treasures to Pee-wee The veriest ash heap beca hand and inquisitive eye This find was just one of those ordinary oilskin wallets which had held and protected many letters froh and through in the trenches in France Black spots of mildeere upon it and it had an oily, unpleasant odor

”_I found it! I found it!_” Pee-wee vociferated, as the scouts all clustered about hireatest discoverer next to Christopher Columbus,” Roy said

”Let's see what's inside it”

”Didn't I say to stop here?” Pee-wee deht you'd find an ice cream soda here,” Roy said

”You never knohere you'll find one,” Pee-wee said in high excitement

”Didn't I find a dime in a sewer-pipe?”

”That's a nice place to find a soda,” Roy laughed ”Open the wallet and let's see what's in it”

[Footnote 1: A W O L--Absent without leave]

CHAPTER VI

SUNDAY THE FOURTEENTH

Pressing about Pee-wee, the scouts read eagerly the contents of that old musty oilskinco spiders lurked in their webs; the repulsive little slugs,of a damp, rotten board, hurried frantically about on the floor; a single ray of sunlight penetrated through a crevice, a slanting, dusty line, and lit up a little area of the dim, musty place But there was no sound, not even from the scouts, save only the voice of Westy Martin as he read that old, creased, damp, all but undecipherable letter:

_Dear Old Mother:_

I was hoping I uess I can't They don't tell us much here but it see pretty disappointed because I wanted to see you again and say good-bye and have just one good home-cooked meal I'm sick of beans and black coffee Don't worry, you'll hear froet the end of the porch fixed up, but try to get theput in before winter I meant to do that myself Put a pail under the drain so the water won't flood under the woodshed Tell Don to be a good watch dog and be sure to tie hiht

I don't suppose you'll hear froet across

Don't worry, pretty soon it will all be over and I'll co people it was ood squint at my old N C