The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene Page A

door. I've hurt myself and can't walk."
    Nancy hesitated an instant before pushing open the door. As she stepped into the dreary living room, she saw a frail figure on the couch. Abby Rowen lay huddled under an old shawl, her withered face drawn with pain.
    "I am Nancy Drew and I've come to help you, Mrs. Rowen."
    The old lady turned her head and regarded Nancy with a stare of wonder.
    "You've come to help me?" she repeated unbelievingly. "I didn't think anyone would ever bother about old Abby again."
    "Here, let me arrange the pillows for you." Gently Nancy moved the old woman into a more comfortable position.
    "Yesterday I fell down the cellar stairs," Mrs. Rowen explained. "I hurt my hip and sprained my ankle."
    "Haven't you had a doctor?" Nancy asked in astonishment.
    "No." Abby Rowen sighed. "Not a soul has been here and I couldn't get in touch with anybody. I have no telephone."
    "Can you walk at all?" Nancy asked.
    "A little."
    "Then your hip isn't broken," Nancy said in relief. "Let me see your ankle. Oh my, it is swollen! I'll bandage it for you."
    "There's a clean cloth in the closet in the kitchen," Abby told her. "I haven't any regular bandage."
    "You really should have a doctor," Nancy remarked. "Let me drive you to one."
    "I can't afford it," the old woman murmured. "My pension check hasn't come, and it's too small, anyway."
    "Let me pay the doctor," Nancy offered.
    Abby Rowen shook her head stubbornly. "I'll not take charity. I'd rather die first."
    "Well, if you insist upon not having a doctor, I'm going to the nearest drugstore and get some bandaging and a few other things," Nancy told her. "But before I go, I'll make you a cup of tea."
    "There's no tea in the house."
    "Then I'll get a box. What else do you need?"
    "I need 'most everything, but I can't afford anything right now. You might get me some tea and a loaf of bread. That's enough. You'll find the money in a jar in the cupboard. It's not very much, but it's all I have."
    "I'll be back in a few minutes," Nancy promised.
    She stopped in the kitchen long enough to examine the cupboards. With the exception of a little flour and sugar and a can of soup, there appeared to be nothing in the house to eat. Nancy found that the money jar contained less than five dollars.
    "I'll not take any of it," she decided.
    Quietly the young sleuth slipped out the back door. She drove quickly to the nearest store and ordered a stock of groceries. Then she stopped at a drugstore and purchased bandages and liniment.
    Reaching the cottage, she carried the supplies inside and adeptly set about making Abby Rowen more comfortable. She bathed the swollen ankle and bound it neatly with the antiseptic bandage.
    "It feels better already," Mrs. Rowen told her gratefully. "I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't come."
    "Oh, someone would have dropped in," said Nancy cheerfully. She went to the kitchen and in a short while prepared tea and a light lunch for the elderly woman.
    As Abby Rowen ate the nourishing meal, Nancy was gratified to observe that almost immediately her patient became more cheerful and seemed to gain strength. She sat up on the couch and appeared eager to talk with Nancy.
    "There aren't many folks willing to come in and help an old lady. If Josiah Crowley had lived, things would have been different," she declared. "I could have paid someone to look after me."
    "It's strange that he didn't provide for you in his will," Nancy replied quietly.
    She did not wish to excite the woman by telling her real mission. Yet Nancy hoped that she might lead her tactfully into a discussion of Josiah Crowley's affairs without raising hopes which might never be realized.
    "It's my opinion that Josiah did provide for me," Mrs. Rowen returned emphatically. "Many a time he said to me, 'Abby, you'll never need to worry. When I'm gone you'll be well taken care of by my will.' "
    "And then everything was left to the Tophams," Nancy encouraged her to proceed.
    "That was