we could buy with that money. Split three ways, of course!”
“Forget it, Josh,” Ruth Rose said. “The money isn’t ours. We have to return it.”
“To who?”
“To whoever lost it,” Dink said.
“And how are we supposed to find the guy?” Josh asked.
The kids sat in the sand and thought.
“I know,” Ruth Rose said. “We can go to Ron’s Bait Shop. Maybe Mr. P knows who was out here.”
“Good idea,” Dink said.
“Boy,” said Josh, getting to his feet. “You guys sure wanna get rid of that money fast.”
“How would
you
feel if you lost a hundred-dollar bill?” Ruth Rose asked Josh.
He grinned. “Trust me, if I ever got one, I’d
never
lose it! Anyway let’s eat the watermelon my mom packed. Those cookies made my mouth dry.”
They walked back to Josh’s pack and slurped on sweet, juicy chunks of watermelon. They spit the seeds at each other as they packed up.
Josh shrugged into his backpack. “Well, if we have to return the money, maybe we’ll get our names in the paper,” he said. He scratched his ankles. “Maybe we’ll get a reward!”
Ruth Rose giggled. “Josh, the only thing you’re going to get is poison ivy!”
The kids waded back into the river. A few minutes later, they were squishing their way up River Road to Ron’s Bait Shop.
Ron Pinkowski lived in an old house next to the river. On the ground floor, he sold bait, boating supplies, and groceries. He also repaired and painted boats and fixed boat motors.
The kids trudged down a dusty driveway to the house. Several smallboats were lined up in Mr. Pinkowski’s big yard along the riverbank. A striped cat slept on the back step. Out the back door trailed a long orange extension cord. The kids followed the cord around the side of the house.
They spotted Mr. Pinkowski under a shady tree, sanding a boat bottom.
“Hi, Mr. P,” Dink said.
Ron Pinkowski switched off the electric sander. He was tall and sandy-haired, and sported a curly beard and droopy mustache.
“Well, hi, kids. What’re you up to today?” he asked, smiling.
Ruth Rose pulled the hundred-dollar bill out of her pocket. “I just found this on Squaw Island,” she said.
“Goodness,” Ron said. “Aren’t you a lucky gal!”
“We saw some marks in the sand from a boat,” Dink said.
“And some footprints, too,” Josh added. “Really big ones!”
“We think whoever was out there might have lost the money,” Ruth Rose said.
“Hmm, wonder who it coulda been.” Ron leaned against the boat and tugged on his beard. “Not many folks goout there. The poison ivy grows somethin’ fierce in all that sand.”
“Yeah, and I think I walked right through some!” Josh said, scratching his leg.
Ron smiled. “All I have to do is
look
at the stuff and I swell up like a balloon,” he said.
“Could we leave a note here about the money?” Ruth Rose asked.
“Good idea, Ruth Rose. I’ll stick it up near my bait tanks.”
The kids followed Ron into his bait shop, where he handed Ruth Rose a pencil and pad.
She thought for a minute, then wrote:
“Shouldn’t you say how much you found?” Josh asked.
Ruth Rose shook her head. “If I write the amount, anyone could call and claim it, even if they didn’t lose it.”
Ron tacked Ruth Rose’s note to a small bulletin board. “Lots of people will see it here,” he said.
“Thanks, Mr. P,” Ruth Rose said. “I hope whoever lost the money sees the note.”
Ron grinned. “Wish it was me!”
The kids laughed. They said goodbye and headed for Duck Walk Way.
“So what’re you gonna do with the money?” Josh asked Ruth Rose. “I’ll be glad to hold on to it for you!”
Ruth Rose shook her head. “Nope. I’m giving it to Officer Fallon. It’ll be safe at the police station.”
Josh scratched his arm. “Let’s stop at Ellie’s on the way. Maybe an icecream cone will help me forget about this lousy poison ivy!”
The kids crossed the elementary school’s wide lawn and hiked down
“Forget it, Josh,” Ruth Rose said. “The money isn’t ours. We have to return it.”
“To who?”
“To whoever lost it,” Dink said.
“And how are we supposed to find the guy?” Josh asked.
The kids sat in the sand and thought.
“I know,” Ruth Rose said. “We can go to Ron’s Bait Shop. Maybe Mr. P knows who was out here.”
“Good idea,” Dink said.
“Boy,” said Josh, getting to his feet. “You guys sure wanna get rid of that money fast.”
“How would
you
feel if you lost a hundred-dollar bill?” Ruth Rose asked Josh.
He grinned. “Trust me, if I ever got one, I’d
never
lose it! Anyway let’s eat the watermelon my mom packed. Those cookies made my mouth dry.”
They walked back to Josh’s pack and slurped on sweet, juicy chunks of watermelon. They spit the seeds at each other as they packed up.
Josh shrugged into his backpack. “Well, if we have to return the money, maybe we’ll get our names in the paper,” he said. He scratched his ankles. “Maybe we’ll get a reward!”
Ruth Rose giggled. “Josh, the only thing you’re going to get is poison ivy!”
The kids waded back into the river. A few minutes later, they were squishing their way up River Road to Ron’s Bait Shop.
Ron Pinkowski lived in an old house next to the river. On the ground floor, he sold bait, boating supplies, and groceries. He also repaired and painted boats and fixed boat motors.
The kids trudged down a dusty driveway to the house. Several smallboats were lined up in Mr. Pinkowski’s big yard along the riverbank. A striped cat slept on the back step. Out the back door trailed a long orange extension cord. The kids followed the cord around the side of the house.
They spotted Mr. Pinkowski under a shady tree, sanding a boat bottom.
“Hi, Mr. P,” Dink said.
Ron Pinkowski switched off the electric sander. He was tall and sandy-haired, and sported a curly beard and droopy mustache.
“Well, hi, kids. What’re you up to today?” he asked, smiling.
Ruth Rose pulled the hundred-dollar bill out of her pocket. “I just found this on Squaw Island,” she said.
“Goodness,” Ron said. “Aren’t you a lucky gal!”
“We saw some marks in the sand from a boat,” Dink said.
“And some footprints, too,” Josh added. “Really big ones!”
“We think whoever was out there might have lost the money,” Ruth Rose said.
“Hmm, wonder who it coulda been.” Ron leaned against the boat and tugged on his beard. “Not many folks goout there. The poison ivy grows somethin’ fierce in all that sand.”
“Yeah, and I think I walked right through some!” Josh said, scratching his leg.
Ron smiled. “All I have to do is
look
at the stuff and I swell up like a balloon,” he said.
“Could we leave a note here about the money?” Ruth Rose asked.
“Good idea, Ruth Rose. I’ll stick it up near my bait tanks.”
The kids followed Ron into his bait shop, where he handed Ruth Rose a pencil and pad.
She thought for a minute, then wrote:
“Shouldn’t you say how much you found?” Josh asked.
Ruth Rose shook her head. “If I write the amount, anyone could call and claim it, even if they didn’t lose it.”
Ron tacked Ruth Rose’s note to a small bulletin board. “Lots of people will see it here,” he said.
“Thanks, Mr. P,” Ruth Rose said. “I hope whoever lost the money sees the note.”
Ron grinned. “Wish it was me!”
The kids laughed. They said goodbye and headed for Duck Walk Way.
“So what’re you gonna do with the money?” Josh asked Ruth Rose. “I’ll be glad to hold on to it for you!”
Ruth Rose shook her head. “Nope. I’m giving it to Officer Fallon. It’ll be safe at the police station.”
Josh scratched his arm. “Let’s stop at Ellie’s on the way. Maybe an icecream cone will help me forget about this lousy poison ivy!”
The kids crossed the elementary school’s wide lawn and hiked down
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