Later that afternoon, Violet stopped. “Look!” she said.
Through the trees, they saw an old cabin.
“That’s it,” Maris said. “We’re here.” She turned off the narrow, almost invisible path she’d been following and marking, and pushed her way through the bushes.
“Too bad old Chuck didn’t know about this cabin when he broke his ankle,” she said as she led the way to the cabin. “He was just down the trail. He was in his tent and snug enough. But he’d have been much more comfortable in the old cabin.”
The cabin sat on a small patch of level ground, its back almost against the side of the mountain. Wooden shutters were closed tightly against the one window, but the door sagged a little and piles of leaves, branches, and straw seemed to be about to crash down on them from the roof as they got closer.
“It looks like a haunted cabin,” said Benny.
“Not haunted. Just not used in a while. Bobcat and I did a few repairs a while back, but we haven’t been here in a long time.”
She pushed open the door of the cabin and led the way inside. Clouds of dust rose around her feet.
She sneezed. “Whew!” she said. “I don’t remember it being this dirty when I left. It’s almost like someone dumped a bucket of dirt in here.”
“We can clean it up,” Violet said. “Don’t worry.”
They dropped their packs on the rough bunk beds built along one wall. Maris put hers on the floor near the old woodstove.
Benny found a rusty basin with a bucket next to it on a shelf beneath one of the two shuttered windows. “Is this for water?” he asked.
“For washing dishes and your face,” said Maris. “It’s the cabin sink.”
A rickety table and some stools stood near the stove. On the wall above the rusty basin was a small white metal cabinet. Beneath it, a row of tin cups hung from hooks.
“Let’s get some wood for the stove,” Henry said.
“Good idea,” agreed Maris. “Then we can have a nice fire going to cook our food when Bobcat gets here in a little while.”
But although they kept the fire hot, the sun went down and no Bobcat showed up.
“Maybe he’s lost,” said Benny, looking worried.
“Not Bobcat,” said Maris. “He’s too good a woodsman for that. He probably didn’t make it down the trail in time to come back up tonight. I bet he’s camped at the lean-to. He’ll be here tomorrow.”
No one said anything. Everyone wanted to believe that Bobcat was on his way but none of the Aldens could be sure of that.
At last Violet said in a small voice, “What do we do about dinner?”
“Well, we’ve got some oatmeal, don’t forget,” said Maris cheerfully “And I’ve got a few things in my tin cabinet over there.”
She walked over to the cabinet. She peered inside. “We have a big metal canister of dried beans,” she reported. “And some rice in this metal box. And I think ... yes. Two packages of macaroni and cheese in this metal box. And a can of tomatoes! I’d forgotten about that!”
“Why is everything in metal boxes?” Benny wanted to know.
“This is my pest-proof food cabinet,” Maris explained. “I lugged it all the way up here when I first laid out the trail this summer. It’s metal to keep out mice, raccoons, chipmunks, and rodents. Everything inside is in metal, too, to help keep the smells inside the cabinet. That keeps any hungry bears away. If a bear can’t smell anything inside, it’s not going to bother.”
“Wow,” said Benny.
“We can make stew for dinner,” Violet said. “Bean and tomato stew. With rice.”
“Good idea,” said Henry. He was hungry.
“Let’s get to work,” said Jessie.
When they had finished dinner, they settled into the bunk beds. The cabin was rough, but they were glad to be indoors. After their long hike, they had no trouble falling asleep.
They had leftover stew at lunch the next day. “And we’ll have stew again tonight, too, if Bobcat doesn’t get here soon,” said Maris. She sounded worried.
“If Bobcat doesn’t come, will we have to leave?” asked Violet.
“No,” said Maris slowly. “We’ll do fine on beans for another couple of days, which is how long I’d planned to be here. It’s just that we’re going to get mighty tired of beans.”
Benny didn’t say anything. He liked most food, but he was already getting tired of beans for every meal!
After lunch, they walked farther up the mountain, helping Maris clear a section of trail. They cut back bushes and cleared away fallen trees. It was hard work.
Late in the afternoon, they returned to the cabin.
They saw no sign of Bobcat.
Maris shook her head. “If he doesn’t come tomorrow, maybe I’ll hike back down the trail to make sure he hasn’t fallen or gotten hurt on his way up here,” she said.
“What if he has?” Violet said, sounding more worried than Maris.
“Bobcat can take care of himself,” Maris said. “Don’t worry. He’s trained in wilderness emergency rescue, just like all the park rangers are.”
“Oh,” said Violet.
“I’m hot,” Benny announced.
“Me, too,” said Jessie in surprise. “I can’t believe how hot I am. Especially since it snowed the night before last.”
“Hard work and sunshine,” said Maris with a smile. “Why don’t we head down to that stream over there and stick our feet in the water? That should cool us off.”
At once the Aldens jumped up and headed for the stream. They lined their boots behind a log at the top of the little bank above the stream, then slipped and scrambled down to the water.
“It’s freezing!” Violet squealed.
“It’s so cold it makes my teeth hurt,” said Benny dipping one toe in and then the other.
They stood on the rocks in the warm sun and played in the water, being careful not to get anything more than their toes wet. Maris sat nearby laughing. She splashed cold water on her face and lifted it to the sun. “This is one of the reasons I like working in this park,” she said.
“I’m going to be a park ranger when I grow up,” Benny said. “And a detective.”
“Oh, Benny,” said Violet.
They skipped stones on the water and made boats out of leaves that they sent swirling downstream. Violet gathered a collection of pretty colored rocks from the stream.
“Look!” said Benny suddenly. “Gold!” He held out a sparkling rock. They all came to peer at it.
“I’m afraid not, Benny,” said Maris. “Those sparkling chips are mica, not gold.”
“It’s pretty anyway,” said Violet.
“Here. You can have it for your rock collection,” said Benny generously.
“That’s nice of you,” Maris said. “And I have something you can add to your collection.”
“What collection?” Benny asked, puzzled.
“Your collection of knowledge,” Maris said teasingly She bent over and showed the Aldens a small plant with waxy round leaves. It grew close to the earth. Maris broke off a leaf and rubbed it between her fingers. “Smell,” she said.
Violet took a cautious sniff. “Peppermint?” she asked.
“Nooo,” said Jessie.
“Gum. It smells like chewing gum,” Benny said.
“It does, sort of,” Henry agreed.
“You’re all close. It’s wintergreen,” said Maris. “Just like in wintergreen gum. You can chew on it or use it to make tea out here in the woods.”
“Wow,” said Benny. He stuffed a leaf in his mouth and blinked in surprise at how strong the flavor was.
Maris looked at the sky. “It’s getting dark. Time to get back,” she said.
One by one, the Aldens scrambled up the side of the stream bank to where their hiking boots waited by the log.
And then Henry said, “Oh, no!”
“What is it, Henry?” asked Violet.
“My hiking boots!” said Henry. “They’re gone!”
“Gone?” Jessie looked around. “Are you sure?”
“They were right here with everybody else’s,” Henry said. He pointed. “Now they’re not.”
“Uh-oh,” said Benny. His eyes widened. “It’s Stagecoach George. He’s been here.”
“No ghost did this,” said Maris.
“Maybe it was an animal,” suggested Violet.
“I guess it could be,” Maris said. “But it doesn’t make sense. Why would an animal take a pair of boots? One boot, maybe. Animals might make a meal on the leather. But a pair of boots?”
Henry said, “My feet are cold.”
“Of course they are,” said Maris. “Come on, Henry. Let’s get back up to the cabin. You can put on a pair of wool socks. You do have extra socks, don’t you?”
“I do,” said Henry, looking a little more cheerful.
“We’ll stay here and look around for the boots,” said Jessie.
After Henry and Maris had gone, Benny, Violet, and Jessie scouted for Henry’s missing boots. But they didn’t find the boots, or even a clue about what had happened to them.
“I don’t understand,” Violet said as they walked back up to the cabin. “Do you think it’s the same person who took our food?”
“It could be,” Jessie said. She looked around. “Or maybe it is an animal.”
“A raccoon wearing Henry’s boots,” said Benny. He laughed at the idea.
Jessie smiled. But she knew that a raccoon hadn’t stolen Henry’s boots.
Henry stayed in the cabin the rest of the afternoon. “I’ll cook dinner, since I can’t hike,” he said.
“I’ll help,” said Benny loyally.
“We’ll do a little more work outside,” said Maris. “And keep an eye out for Bobcat.”
But once again, by suppertime no Bobcat had appeared.
No boots, either.
And their troubles were just beginning.
In the middle of the night, Violet sat up. “What was that?” she whispered.
No one answered. Everyone else was asleep.
Violet heard it again. A faint tap-tap-tapping.
Her fingers tightened on her sleeping bag. “Who’s there?” she said in a louder voice.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
It was coming from outside the cabin.
Someone was tapping on the cabin wall!
Quietly, carefully, Violet leaned over and poked Jessie in the next bunk.
“Umpf,” mumbled Jessie.
Violet poked her again.
“What?” said Jessie hoarsely.
“Shhh,” Violet warned. “Listen.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Now the sound was coming from across the cabin.
“Do you hear that?” Violet whispered.
“I hear it,” Jessie said in a low voice.
Tap.
Tap.
Whatever it was sounded as if it was walking around the cabin.
Suddenly Benny said, “Violet?”
“Shhh,” warned Violet.
Tap. Taptaptap.
The sound grew louder.
“It’s the ghost!” cried Benny. “It’s the ghost of Stagecoach George!”
He tumbled out of his bed and hurled himself toward the cabin door. It was very dark, but Violet could just see Benny’s shape in the dim light from the glowing stove.
“Benny, wait,” hissed Jessie.
“W-what?” said Henry, waking from a deep sleep.
“What is it?” Now Maris was awake, too.
Benny didn’t answer. He had his flashlight out. He threw the door open and raced into the night.
“Benny!” shouted Violet. Grabbing her own flashlight, she raced after him. Jessie was close behind.
“What’s going on?” Maris said.
Violet stumbled out into the night. She saw the beam of Benny’s flashlight disappear around the corner of the cabin.
She switched her own flashlight on and followed.
“Violet? Benny?” Jessie called behind her.
“This way!” Violet called back.
She rounded the side of the cabin.
“Benny!” she gasped.
But Benny had disappeared.
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