Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
THE SECRET
QUEST
By
Margaret Sutton
________________________________________________________
Contents
CHAPTER
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII
XIII
XIV
XV
XVI
XVII
XVIII
XIX
XX
XXI
XXII
XXIII
XXIV
XXV
PAGE
Honeys Arrival
The Wrong Suitcase
In Borrowed Clothes
The Turreted Museum
A Fearful Exhibit
Solar Power
Other Powers
Promises
Homeward Bound
After the Fire
Horaces Clue
Headlines and Headaches
Warned Away!
Poltergeists!
A Time for Prayer
A House of Flying Objects
A Difficult Question
A Terrifying Answer
A Strange Likeness
A Web of Thread
A Secret Departure
A Dampened Spirit
A Promise Is Kept
Another Promise
The Real Quest
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9
18
26
33
40
48
54
61
70
77
85
93
102
110
118
125
132
138
146
153
161
167
175
183
To my teenage daughter
LINDA SUSETTE SUTTON
Just because . . .
CHAPTER I
Honeys Arrival
decorations.
Let me help you unpack, Judy suggested as
Peter brought in Honeys suitcase and put it down.
Honey opened it with her key and threw back the
lid.
Is that your diary or the book of poems? asked
Judy, observing a worn brown book on top of a pile
of folded clothing.
It isnt either one! Honey exclaimed. She
snatched up the book and opened it. Its a diary all
right, but its dated 1847! And look! This is what
made the suitcase so heavy. I never brought along an
old coffee mill.
CHAPTER II
12
Ive been.
You dont understand.
Honey was right about that. Judy didnt
understand, but she meant to find out.
What dont I understand? she asked.
Why I ought to go home, Honey answered. I
told you things have been disappearing from the
studio, didnt I? And that artist I told you about has
been working overtime even though Mr. Dean let
me out because he says work is slow. If I return to
Farringdon unexpectedly I may find out whats
going on behind my back.
17
CHAPTER III
In Borrowed Clothes
22
25
CHAPTER IV
to know.
An institution can be a place of learning. This
one is, declared Peter. Its famous for its
contribution to scientific knowledge. The head
offices of such organizations as the Bureau of
American Ethnology
In plain English, American Indians, Judy put
in, seeing the dazed look on Honeys face.
Peter laughed. As I was saying, the Institution
houses ten or twelve bureaus, among them the
Astro-physical Observatory. I believe its the only
organization in the world devoted exclusively to the
study of the sun.
On a day like this? Judy teased.
Well, the suns still there, Peter reminded her.
I know. Behind the clouds the suns still shining.
Unquote. Think of that, Honey, whenever you feel
blue about losing your clothes, advised Judy.
It wasnt just my clothes, Honey protested. I
wanted to surprise you
I was surprised.
Oh, Judy! I dont mean like that. There was
something in my suitcase I wanted to give you.
There was my diary, too, and that beautiful book of
poems Horace gave me. How am I going to tell him
I lost it?
Easy, Peter said reassuringly. Being a
newspaper man, Judys brother likes a good story.
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32
CHAPTER V
A Fearful Exhibit
hungry.
I could use some real food, she declared.
Honey, look! Judy was standing on tiptoe to see
what was on a high shelf in the old-fashioned
kitchen. Isnt that a coffee mill? It doesnt look as
old as the one we found in the suitcase.
You dont suppose those two old ladies were
bringing it here for this display, do you? asked
Honey.
They certainly werent going to grind coffee
with it, unless
Judy stopped speaking as she noticed something
else inside the cubicle Honey had called a home of
the past. The Queen Esther range in the antique
kitchen was a real curiosity. A wall calendar
advertised horse blankets. January, February, March,
and April had been torn off. The month that
appeared was May, 1847, the same date as that on
the diary. Judy could hardly wait to tell Peter about
it. Could there possibly be some connection?
Unless what? Honey was asking. You started
to say something, but you didnt finish.
I was about to say they might be living in some
room where they are allowed to do their own
cooking. Maybe they dont like instant coffee and
want to grind their own from fresh coffee beans.
Judy waved a hand toward the display. Ill bet they
still five like this.
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39
CHAPTER VI
Solar Power
exclaimed.
Peter shook his head. Not so fast. I didnt find
them, but I did find out who they are. Theres a
young solar scientist here who says hes their greatnephew. As a matter of fact, his father sent them
their plane tickets
And you told him about the suitcases being
mixed up? Honey prompted him.
Yes, replied Peter, but he says the coffee mill
and the old diary they promised to bring cant be
exhibited until they sign a release.
I hope you found out their names and where they
live, Judy said.
I did. Peters blue eyes twinkled. You can
trust me to find out the facts. He called them Aunt
Dorcas and Aunt Violetta, although actually theyre
his great-aunts. They live in Ulysses, a little town
somewhere to the northeast of Farringdon.
I know where it is. Peter, I think I will drive
home with Honey if you can spare the car, Judy
decided. Ill be free after Tuesday, wont I?
Peter hesitated. Yes, but I thought you wanted to
show Honey the sights
We could start early Wednesday morning. Judy
continued making plans. That will give me time to
testify. And it will give those two old ladies time to
return Honeys suitcase or take it home if they
intend to keep it. I dont think they do. Theyre
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47
CHAPTER VII
Other Powers
CHAPTER VIII
Promises
60
CHAPTER IX
Homeward Bound
68
69
CHAPTER X
71
CHAPTER XI
Horaces Clue
and just now I poked around where this fire was and
picked up this piece of glass under the west
window.
He fished a small, circular object out of his
pocket and handed it to Judy.
It probably doesnt amount to much, he said,
but it was the only clue I could find. What would
you say it was?
A magnifying glass?
It could be a reducing glass, Honey said.
Artists draw things big sometimes and then reduce
them to fit in small spaces. Its just the opposite of a
magnifying glass, she explained, holding the glass
over Horaces hand to demonstrate. Its concave
like those mirrors on the solar heater we saw in the
Smithsonian Institution. When you turn it over, it
magnifies. See how big the pores in your skin are
now?
Judy saw much more than that. The glass,
whatever it was, could have started the fire.
Honey, dont you see how important this is?
Horace has found a real clue, declared Judy. If
someone left that glass on the window sill where the
sun hit it
Aldin Launt, for instance?
Yes, anyone.
It was the west window! Horace exclaimed.
I see. Right where the sun was shining. Its just
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CHAPTER XII
he is an impostor
He cant be! Honey broke in with what
sounded almost like a sob. You believed him when
he was telling us all that about the sun. You know
you did.
Yes, I guess I did, Judy admitted. Why dont
you find out the truth for yourself, Horace?
How, may I ask?
By coming with us tomorrow when we return
this suitcase. There may be a story in it, Judy
finished.
Mixed-up suitcases arent much of a story. It
happens all the time. I have a better story to cover
here at home, declared Horace. They cant beat
me up for reporting this fire, and if I headline the
story Solar Heat Starts Blaze, its sure to arouse the
curiosity of whoever left that round piece of glass on
the window sill. You see how one thing leads to
another?
One thing certainly did lead to another, and it all
added up to a forewarning of trouble. Judy knew it,
but her independent spirit made her set out boldly
the following morning.
We arent going to let Horaces remarks stop us,
are we, Honey? she asked when they were in the
car.
He gives me a headache, declared Honey. If
he wants to propose, why does he wait until Im mad
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CHAPTER XIII
Warned Away!
finished.
Itll be slippery on the hills and muddy in the
low places. The road may be under water like I said.
Flash floods, you know. But thats not the worst.
Youll hear noises like nothing human.
Judy laughed. The next thing, youll be telling
us the house is haunted.
Ive heard it is. From reliable sources, mind you.
Theres something over there that keeps folks
away.
Well find out what it is, wont we, Judy? asked
Honey.
That isnt all well find out, Judy replied.
She was confident that the noises, whatever they
were, wouldnt frighten her. Both girls were
laughing as they drove away.
The mans directions were easy to follow now
that the rain had let up enough so that Judy could
see. There was the church and the movie theater just
as he had said. It was a little town on its way to
becoming still smaller. Most of the houses they
passed looked deserted. The cemetery, when they
came to it, appeared larger than the town. Judy
gazed at the flat tombstones wet with rain.
Everything here is old, she said. Old houses.
Old tombstones.
There are a few new ones, Honey pointed out.
See that one. Oh, Judy!
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98
99
101
CHAPTER XIV
Poltergeists!
109
CHAPTER XV
117
CHAPTER XVI
124
CHAPTER XVII
A Difficult Question
help.
What if everything isnt there? asked Dorcas
and Judy remembered, with a feeling bordering on
panic, that Henry Jewells notes were missing from
the drawer of the coffee mill. An alarming thought
occurred to her. What if she and Honey were wrong
and the Jewell sisters were right? Had Peter given
those notes to the wrong Henry Jewell?
You dont want us to leave now, do you?
Honey was asking. We arent afraid of those
those poltergeists. I mean if theyre just tricks, we
can find out whos doing it.
She had addressed this remark to Dorcas. Judy
wondered if Honey suspected Dorcas herself of
playing ghost. Was she doing it to keep Violetta in a
state of terror so that she could dominate her as
then-mother had done? This possibility occurred to
Judy as the older sister hesitated, the suitcase in her
hand.
He bought this suitcase for us, she said with an
upward glance. He did all our shopping. Before the
bridge was washed out, we used to go out now and
then. But not any more. We used to have visitors,
but not since he came. Hes managed to keep
everyone except his own friends from setting foot on
the place. That artist friend of his
Aldin Launt? Honey questioned. Was he the
one who brought you home from Washington?
127
131
CHAPTER XVIII
A Terrifying Answer
CHAPTER XIX
A Strange Likeness
144
CHAPTER XX
A Web of Thread
152
CHAPTER XXI
A Secret Departure
bolted.
Is that safe? Judy whispered. I bolted both
doors so he couldnt come down either stairway.
Hed come down if he wanted to, Dorcas
whispered back. His bedroom window opens out
on the porch roof.
Apparently Dorcas had decided not to warn him
of their approach, after all. It would be best to
surprise him, Judy agreed, just in case he was
armed.
Come along. I must admit I feel a lot safer with
you behind me, Dorcas added in a low voice as,
carrying a glass of orange juice, she started up the
front stairs. Usually she went up the back stairs, and
the creaking boards warned him. But this time
neither she nor Judy made a sound.
They reached the top of the stairs and tiptoed
through a room with shadowy furnishings. This was
the room over the downstairs bedroom, but no one
appeared to be in it. A big double bed occupied most
of the floor space.
Wait! Judy whispered.
She lifted the bed ruffles and directed the beam of
her flashlight under the bed. Nothing was there.
Suddenly, without more than a seconds warning,
Dorcas tapped on the door of the next room and
said, Were coming in with your orange juice.
They entered noisily. This room also appeared to
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160
CHAPTER XXII
A Dampened Spirit
166
CHAPTER XXIII
A Promise Is Kept
174
CHAPTER XXIV
Another Promise
182
CHAPTER XXV
investigation of that. The letters he sent his greataunts and his grandfather were taken out of the mail
box and destroyed. The plane tickets were sent by
registered mail or they would never have received
them. He understands the whole evil business,
including the false face Joe Mott carved for himself
from Launts description of him. It didnt take long
to convince his aunts. We drove up from
Washington in his car and he helped me pull the
Beetle out of the mud. And who do you think I
found in the back seat waiting for a ride home?
Blackberry? Judy questioned. She knew
someone had brought the cat back. Horaces parrot
had been screeching all kinds of names at him.
If we put your parrot up in the cupola, she told
Horace later, the Jewell sisters really would have a
haunted house.
Peter hadnt been told about the voices from the
cupola. There was a great deal he hadnt been told,
Judy discovered, when they returned with Honey
and Horace to the old house on Sunday, and Judy
pointed out its many secrets.
This is the way we like to receive visitors,
Dorcas greeted the four young people at the door.
You noticed that all those KEEP OUT signs have
been removed, didnt you? But wheres your father,
Judy? And why have you brought this G-man along?
I answered his questions before.
189