taken the spare key to the command post.”
Nancy drove past Madison Junction toward the Emerson campsite. “We need to find out where everyone was this morning around ten.
That’s when I was forced off the road.”
“I’ll do my best,” Bess promised.
As Nancy got out of the car, she heard hammering. Squinting against the afternoon sun, she spotted Richard and Piker about fifty yards away. “Come on,” she said to Bess in a low voice. They approached the workers, who were lining up long, smooth planks of wood and nailing them to stout crosspieces.
“Hi!” Bess called gaily. “Building a new walkway?”
The two men raised their heads. Piker’s face was expressionless, but Richard gave Bess a slight grin. “Yeah,” he answered.
“Why here?” Bess asked. “There aren’t any geysers around, are there?”
“Princess Geyser is about a half mile north,” Richard explained.
“This looks like a big job,” Nancy com-
mented. “How long have you been at it?”
“Since first thing this morning,” he said.
“Why?”
Nancy acted puzzled. “No reason, except that I thought I saw you in Gardiner this morning.”
Richard chuckled. “Must have been my double, because I’ve been here all day.”
Nancy and Bess headed through the woods to the campsite. Jack was beside the command post, checking out the assignment sheet. When he saw them, he smiled and yelled, “Well, hello there.”
His gaze moved warmly from Nancy to Bess and back again. Bess moved close to him and said, “Hello yourself. It seems like ages since I saw you. Have you been having an exciting day?”
Nancy smothered a laugh. Bess might be falling in love, but as promised, she was trying to help out with the case.
“Oh, very exciting,” Jack replied, his smile broadening. “This morning Ned and I started packing up station four. Then came the high point-I repaired a park service slide projec-
tor. I tell you, the life of a park ranger is full of thrills!”
Bess giggled.
“Is Ned still around?” Nancy asked.
“He was up at feeding station one a while back,” Jack told her.
“I think I’ll hike up there,” Nancy told Bess.
“Go ahead,” she replied. “I’ll stay here.”
Nancy was about halfway up the hill when she heard a shrill whistling sound. Startled, she stopped and looked around. It came again from a clump of bushes about sixty feet to the left of the path. She made her way there and cautiously parted the scraggly branches, then let out a cry.
Under the bushes was a wire trap just like the one Ned had showed her the day before.
Inside was a little marmot. One of its hind legs was caught in the door and was badly swollen.
Nancy’s first impulse was to run for help, but she couldn’t bear to leave the suffering creature. She knew that handling an injured animal could be dangerous, so she took the scarf from around her neck and wrapped it around her hand. Even if the marmot tried to bite her, the scarf would keep its teeth from breaking her skin. She knelt down and opened the door, gingerly freeing the marmot’s leg.
“There, there,” she crooned as she slowly withdrew her hand. “You’ll be all right now.”
Just then she heard Bess’s voice shouting.
“Nancy, where are you?”
“Over here,” Nancy yelled. She shut the cage door and stood up as Bess and Jack came hurrying up the path.
Bess was huffing when she reached Nancy’s side. “What happened? We heard a terrible noise.”
Jack came to a stop behind Bess. “I told her it was a marmot,” he said.
“You’re right, it is a marmot. See? Its leg was caught in the trap.”
“Oh, no!” Bess gasped. “Is it badly hurt?”
Jack bent down and carefully examined the animal, then stood up, his face angry. “His leg’s not broken, but he’s definitely hurt,” he told them. “Let’s take him back to camp. We’ll clean the cut and bandage it.”
“Can I help. Jack?” Bess asked, her eyes fixed on the injured animal.
“Of
Nancy drove past Madison Junction toward the Emerson campsite. “We need to find out where everyone was this morning around ten.
That’s when I was forced off the road.”
“I’ll do my best,” Bess promised.
As Nancy got out of the car, she heard hammering. Squinting against the afternoon sun, she spotted Richard and Piker about fifty yards away. “Come on,” she said to Bess in a low voice. They approached the workers, who were lining up long, smooth planks of wood and nailing them to stout crosspieces.
“Hi!” Bess called gaily. “Building a new walkway?”
The two men raised their heads. Piker’s face was expressionless, but Richard gave Bess a slight grin. “Yeah,” he answered.
“Why here?” Bess asked. “There aren’t any geysers around, are there?”
“Princess Geyser is about a half mile north,” Richard explained.
“This looks like a big job,” Nancy com-
mented. “How long have you been at it?”
“Since first thing this morning,” he said.
“Why?”
Nancy acted puzzled. “No reason, except that I thought I saw you in Gardiner this morning.”
Richard chuckled. “Must have been my double, because I’ve been here all day.”
Nancy and Bess headed through the woods to the campsite. Jack was beside the command post, checking out the assignment sheet. When he saw them, he smiled and yelled, “Well, hello there.”
His gaze moved warmly from Nancy to Bess and back again. Bess moved close to him and said, “Hello yourself. It seems like ages since I saw you. Have you been having an exciting day?”
Nancy smothered a laugh. Bess might be falling in love, but as promised, she was trying to help out with the case.
“Oh, very exciting,” Jack replied, his smile broadening. “This morning Ned and I started packing up station four. Then came the high point-I repaired a park service slide projec-
tor. I tell you, the life of a park ranger is full of thrills!”
Bess giggled.
“Is Ned still around?” Nancy asked.
“He was up at feeding station one a while back,” Jack told her.
“I think I’ll hike up there,” Nancy told Bess.
“Go ahead,” she replied. “I’ll stay here.”
Nancy was about halfway up the hill when she heard a shrill whistling sound. Startled, she stopped and looked around. It came again from a clump of bushes about sixty feet to the left of the path. She made her way there and cautiously parted the scraggly branches, then let out a cry.
Under the bushes was a wire trap just like the one Ned had showed her the day before.
Inside was a little marmot. One of its hind legs was caught in the door and was badly swollen.
Nancy’s first impulse was to run for help, but she couldn’t bear to leave the suffering creature. She knew that handling an injured animal could be dangerous, so she took the scarf from around her neck and wrapped it around her hand. Even if the marmot tried to bite her, the scarf would keep its teeth from breaking her skin. She knelt down and opened the door, gingerly freeing the marmot’s leg.
“There, there,” she crooned as she slowly withdrew her hand. “You’ll be all right now.”
Just then she heard Bess’s voice shouting.
“Nancy, where are you?”
“Over here,” Nancy yelled. She shut the cage door and stood up as Bess and Jack came hurrying up the path.
Bess was huffing when she reached Nancy’s side. “What happened? We heard a terrible noise.”
Jack came to a stop behind Bess. “I told her it was a marmot,” he said.
“You’re right, it is a marmot. See? Its leg was caught in the trap.”
“Oh, no!” Bess gasped. “Is it badly hurt?”
Jack bent down and carefully examined the animal, then stood up, his face angry. “His leg’s not broken, but he’s definitely hurt,” he told them. “Let’s take him back to camp. We’ll clean the cut and bandage it.”
“Can I help. Jack?” Bess asked, her eyes fixed on the injured animal.
“Of
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