The Mystery of the Man in the Tall Black Hat (3 page)

“Maybe a week from the time they were laid.”

“You ought to give a prize to the one of us who first discovers one with legs,” suggested Donna, as the four watched the little creatures dart about.

“Hey, neat!” exclaimed Barney.

Tod winked at Barney. “Barney and I know a secret. If you girls find a polliwog with legs before we do; we’ll let you in on it. You have to find it in this pond, though.”

“I don’t think that’s such a great prize,” commented Tricia.

“Boys’ secrets aren’t any good anyhow,” added Donna, shaking her long brown hair.

“OK,” answered Tod. “If you don’t want to know about it we might as well call the whole thing off.”

“If that’s the best you can do, then we’ll be the first ones to find a tadpole with legs, won’t we, Donna?” Tricia smiled, and the bridge of her nose creased into a thousand wrinkles.

“But you’ve got to make one promise,” Donna said to the boys. “Before anyone can win, both boys or both girls have to see the polliwog legs at the same time. That way, Tod, you can’t just run out every morning to check. Barney has to be with you.”

“It’s a deal,” agreed Tod and Barney.

“If we find a tadpole with legs before the girls do,” commented Tod after the girls had gone, “we can keep the secret to ourselves. If they find one first they won’t believe us when we tell them about the man in the stovepipe hat, anyway.”

The boys stretched out on the grass, too lazy to move.

“I don’t think I want to just hang around until the legs grow on the polliwogs,” Tod said, yawning. “What shall we do, Barn?”

When Barney didn’t offer any suggestions, Tod asked, “Want to go up to the gravel pit?”

“Why not?”

Mrs. Mitchell was sweeping the kitchen floor as the boys entered the house, slamming the screen door behind them.

“Mom, is it OK if we go up to the gravel pit?”

“It’s nearly lunchtime. Why not wait a little while?”

“Could we take our lunch with us—sandwiches or something?”

“Yes, I guess so.”

“Barn, go home and pack a lunch and meet me here as soon as you can,” ordered Tod.

Barney was out the door before Mrs. Mitchell could stop him. As the screen door slammed she put her hands over her ears and turned to Tod. “I could have made sandwiches for both of you.”

“I keep trying to tell you, Mom. Barney is a food hog. You couldn’t make enough lunch to suit him, and then he’d complain about being hungry right after he ate. This way, if he doesn’t have enough to eat, it will be his own fault.”

Mrs. Mitchell laughed. “Maybe you’ve got a point there. But be nice to poor Barney. He doesn’t have things too pleasant at home, and he worships you, Tod.”

She opened the refrigerator, reached for the butter, and began making sandwiches. “Have you ever been inside Barney’s house, Tod?”

“Once. I sure felt funny. It was almost like Mrs. Sebastian was afraid I’d get her house dirty just by my standing there.”

“I don’t think the Sebastians wanted any children,” Mrs. Mitchell said thoughtfully, wrinkling her forehead.

“You know, Mother, Mrs. Sebastian is so fussy she makes Barney take off his shoes before he goes into the living room. She has a mat just inside the door for him to put them on. He’d a lot rather be over at our house than at home.”

“I’m glad he likes us well enough to spend his time here. He could be spending it in a lot worse place.”

“Barney does such crazy things,” Tod went on. “You know, like carrying a strainer all the way up the hill to catch polliwogs.” He laughed. “Funny thing is, it came in handy.”

Mrs. Mitchell acted like she hadn’t heard him. “Just remember, Tod. How you treat Barney is going to make a big difference in how he feels about Chirst. Your life is the only Bible Barney has ever read.”

Tricia and Donna clattered down the stairs and into the kitchen. “Is lunch ready?”

“I’m just fixing a lunch for Tod. He and Barney are going for a walk.”

“That sounds like fun. Could we go, Mom, please?” Tricia begged.

“I think that would be nice. It will only take a minute to make more sandwiches.”

“I’d better call my mom.” Donna dashed for the phone.

The whole thing was decided before Tod could protest. He hoped that Barney would get back before Mrs. Mitchell could finish the lunches for the girls, but when he arrived a few minutes later the lunches were ready and lined up in new brown paper sacks on the counter.

Barney held his sack of lunch in one hand, and in the other he carried a strange wire cage.

“A squirrel cage!” Tod clapped his hand to his forehead. “What’s that for, Barney?”

“Didn’t you ever hear of squirrels?” Barney acted insulted.

“You really don’t expect to catch one, do you?”

Everyone laughed, including Mrs. Mitchell, but when she caught Tod’s eye a minute later he knew she was reminding him of their conversation.

“By the way, I’m going into town after a bit so I may not be home when you get back,” she called after them.

“How about bringing me a book about frogs from the library?” Tod yelled back over his shoulder.

“Come on, Barney,” urged Tod, as he looked back at his friend.

Barney, with the squirrel cage clasped tightly in one hand and his lunch sack in the other, puffed alongside, running every few steps to keep up with Tod’s long strides.

“How come you’re always in such a hurry?” he asked, coming up beside him.

Tod looked at the squirrel cage. “It’s all that stuff you have to bring with you that slows you up,” he said in disgust as he slowed his stride to keep step with Barney.

They reached an intersection and chose to cut diagonally across the field between the roads. Tod noticed that Tricia and Donna were lagging behind, talking and giggling. He hoped they would forget about the gravel pit and go someplace else.

Crossing an area of low-growing bushes which skirted the woods, they located the path they often used when cutting through the woods to the grocery store. They followed the gradual slope along a winding trail through the quiet grove of fir trees, and then they crossed a small clearing and entered the woods on the far side.

Leaving the trail, they began the steep climb through dense undergrowth. Tod stopped often to wait for Barney who was struggling with the squirrel cage.

“It keeps getting tangled up in the brush,” he gasped.

“Put your lunch inside. At least you’ll have one hand free that way,” suggested Tod unsympathetically.

Ten minutes later the boys stood breathless near the edge of the yawning pit and looked over the rim. Far below and to their left, the recent rains had left a large puddle of water. Tod walked along the edge of the pit until the pool was directly below him. He dropped his lunch sack to the ground, picked up a handful of stones, and tossed one toward the water below. It was further than he had thought, and the boys listened as it clattered down the side of the pit. He threw the next stone far out from the edge, and as they watched they detected a faint ripple where the rock had entered the water.

“Let’s see if I can do it,” said Barney as he awkwardly swung his arm.

“How far do you think it is across, Barn?” Tod asked as he threw a rock toward the far side of the pit.

“Not as far as it is to the bottom.”

“Well, I guess it’s too far to throw across,” stated Tod, as he watched the rock disappear into the pit. He leaned over and picked up his lunch.

“I’m hungry.” Barney unlatched the door of the squirrel cage and pulled out his lunch sack.

“We just got started. Can’t you wait a little while? Besides, what did you bring that dumb squirrel cage for? We haven’t even seen a squirrel.”

“You thought I was stupid to take a strainer to Mud Lake, too. But we used it, didn’t we?” Barney defended himself as he unwrapped a peanut butter and lettuce sandwich. Tod watched as he pulled the sandwich apart, removed the lettuce, and tossed it back into the sack.

“That was different. What possible use could we have for a squirrel cage?”

“How should I know?” Barney stuffed his mouth with sandwich.

They moved slowly along the rim of the pit to the far side. Here the machinery which had been used to haul away the tons of gravel had made the building of a road necessary. As the pit had deepened from the removal of gravel, the road had dropped sharply downward. Though it was unusually steep and had been long in disuse, it was the easiest and safest way to reach the bottom.

As the boys descended they made a game of kicking rocks with the toes of their tennis shoes.

From the bottom, the pit looked even larger than it had from above.

“Hal-low!” called Tod.

“Hal-low! Hal-low! Hal-low! Hal-low.” The echo bounced back and forth from the sides of the pit.

“Hey, neat!” exclaimed Barney.

“Hey, neat! Hey, neat! Hey, neat,” came back the echo.

A moment later the pit echoed and reechoed with every imaginable thing the boys could think to try, including a great deal of laughter.

At the deepest end of the pit they reached the water they had seen from the rim above.

“You’d think we could hit this big lake with a rock!” exclaimed Barney, as he sat down by the water’s edge and pulled off his shoes and socks. “I’ve got sand in my shoes,” he added.

Tod gathered a few smooth stones and began skipping them out onto the surface of the water. “Hey, that one skipped three times before it went under. Did you see that, Barney?” When he turned around, Barney sat contentedly wiggling his bare toes and eating his lunch.

“OK, so we might as well eat lunch. At least when I’m finished I won’t have anything to carry.” Tod glanced at the squirrel cage as he seated himself beside his friend.

“Aren’t you even going to thank God for your lunch, Barney?”

“What for? My mom fixed it.”

“Well, quit eating for a minute and I’ll do it.” Tod bowed his head and thanked the Lord aloud for the good food he was about to eat. “And dear Lord, protect us and keep us this day.” When he lifted his head he asked, “Don’t you ever say grace at home?”

“Nope!” Barney continued to eat. Tod wondered if Barney knew anything about God at all. He knew he had never really told Barney about his own experience with Christ.

“Barney, I sure wish you would come to church with me—or to our kids’ club. It’s really neat.”

Barney kept eating, so Tod decided not to push the issue. If he kept praying, someday he was sure Barney would want to be a Christian too. He finished his sandwich and went back to skipping stones while he ate his cookies. When he turned to look at Barney, he was finishing a sandwich and was unwrapping a gigantic slice of chocolate cake.

Tod made a face. He waited until Barney had finished and then watched him wad up his lunch sack and put it back inside the squirrel cage.

“You’d better pick up those scraps of lettuce,” he suggested.

Barney gathered up the lettuce he had discarded and tossed it into the cage. “Mom always puts lettuce in my sandwiches. I keep telling her I don’t like it, but she puts it in anyway,” he explained, reaching for his shoes and socks. “She thinks it’s good for me.”

The boys were lost in their private thoughts as they skirted the lake.

“Let’s try getting out this end,” suggested Tod, looking up when they reached the end of the gravel pit.

“It looks awful steep. I don’t know if I can make it.” Barney shifted the squirrel cage into his other hand.

“Sure you can. Just be careful, and when you get tired, stop and rest.” He glanced at the cage. “It would probably help if you didn’t drag that thing along.”

Tod almost wished he hadn’t suggested climbing out when he began to look for the easiest way up. “I’ll try first. You watch for any rocks that come down.”

Barney clutched his squirrel cage tightly and started the climb a dozen feet away. Every few seconds he had to stop and rest. Tod was several feet above him and to his right.

Tod discovered that climbing was more difficult than he had thought it would be. He began to worry about Barney lugging all his weight up the cliff. He stopped to rest and looked down.

Barney had stopped and was shifting the squirrel cage to his other hand. He swayed a little, and Tod held his breath. He noticed that Barney had closed his eyes. He wished he had taken the squirrel cage. Barney began to climb again, and as Tod watched, it seemed as though for every step he took he slid back the same amount. The squirrel cage kept banging against the rocks.
What a dumb thing to bring
, thought Tod.

“Barney! I’ll wait here. Come over toward me and hand me the squirrel cage,” he called.

Barney didn’t answer but began to climb slowly toward Tod. When he reached him, he held out the squirrel cage. “Thanks,” he puffed.

“Think you can make it?”

“I’m not—going to—stay—here,” Barney panted. “I’m not going—back down there.” He paused to catch his breath. He shut his eyes tight as he started to look down. “I’ve
got
to make it!”

“Well, we’re over halfway to the top. Come on.” Tod continued upward while Barney rested. The next few minutes they were both too busy and too exhausted to talk. Stones and sand continued to give way beneath their feet at every step. The pit was filled with the deafening noise and echo of rocks clattering down the bank behind them.

Tod turned and looked down when he neared the top. Barney was climbing very slowly. Suddenly he began to slide. “Dig your heels in!” Tod yelled.

It happened so fast Tod didn’t have time to pray, but Barney had already stopped sliding. He braced himself firmly against the side of the cliff before he continued to climb. Tod was thankful that he was carrying the squirrel cage. He remembered a verse he had heard in Sunday school. “Before they call, I will answer.” Tod was sure the Lord was watching over them.

When they finally reached the top, Tod stooped down and grabbed Barney’s hand. He pulled and both boys flopped down at the top to rest.

“Man, I’m really beat,” panted Tod. His legs felt like jelly and his heart pounded loudly. Barney lay puffing alongside him.