reached him. He tried to ward her off with his free hand, but she managed to get hold of it and rip off the glove he was wearing.
The girl’s movement had been quick, but it gave the thief a chance to fend her off. With a great shove he sent her reeling across the hallway. As she was regaining her balance, the man opened the door and rushed out, carrying the precious parchment with him!
“Leave that alone!” Nancy commanded.
Just as Nancy recovered her wits, the house was flooded with lights. Mr. and Mrs. Flockhart and Junie hurried down the stairs, each asking what had happened. Nancy quickly explained. At once Junie’s father set off an earsplitting alarm. He explained that it would awaken the workers in their cottages so they would be on the lookout for the burglar.
Mrs. Flockhart said, “Shouldn’t we alert the police, also?”
Her husband agreed, so Junie hurried to the phone and called. Meanwhile, Mrs. Flockhart took Nancy into the living room and made her sit down on the couch.
“This was a dreadful experience for you,” she said. “Now I want you to take it easy.”
The girl detective was much too excited to take it easy. Besides, she felt all right and tried to reassure Junie’s mother.
“I’m furious at myself for letting the thief get away!” she said. “That was bad enough, but to think he took the parchment with him!”
Nancy was on the verge of tears. Apparently Mrs. Flockhart realized this. Giving the girl a hug, she said, “I think we should be thankful that you weren’t hurt!”
Nancy appreciated the concern and tried to smile, but she said, “I came here at Junie’s invitation to solve the mystery of the paintings on that parchment. I didn’t do it and now the parchment is gone! I may as well go home,” she finished with a sigh.
“Oh, no, no!” Junie’s mother said, holding Nancy tighter. “I’m sure my husband and daughter wouldn’t hear of such a thing. As a matter of fact, Nancy, now you have a double mystery to solve. You must first find the parchment and then tell us its meaning.”
CHAPTER X
Running Footprints
FOR a while Nancy and Mrs. Flockhart wondered who the parchment thief might have been.
“Have you any ideas at all?” the woman asked the girl detective when they came to no conclusion.
“No, not really,” she replied. “Of course I think our first idea would be Mr. Rocco, but the man who was here was too tall.”
“Anyway,” said Mrs. Flockhart, “why should Mr. Rocco feel he had to steal the parchment? All he had to do was come and ask Mr. Flockhart to sell it back to him.”
“That’s true,” Nancy agreed. “But I think Mr. Rocco became worried after I quizzed him about the pictures. Buying back the parchment might make it too obvious that he wanted it, so he had someone take it.”
“That’s good reasoning,” Mrs. Flockhart said. “On the other hand, a person who knows the true story of the parchment may have stolen it, and will do some blackmailing.”
At this moment Mr. Flockhart and Junie walked in with a State Policeman. They all sat down together in the living room.
“Any luck?” Mrs. Flockhart asked her husband.
He shook his head, then introduced the State Policeman, Officer Browning. Mr. Flockhart said that his chase and that of the police and the many workers on Triple Creek Farm had yielded no sign of the fugitive.
“It is unfortunate,” the officer said. “We’ll have to hunt for clues.”
Nancy produced the glove she had torn from the thief’s hand and gave it to the officer. “I grabbed this from the burglar’s left hand,” she explained.
“This is an excellent clue,” Browning said. When he was told by Junie that Nancy was an amateur detective, he asked her, “What is your guess as to the kind of glove it is?”
The young sleuth was flattered and not a bit dismayed. She replied, “It’s not a workman’s glove. Therefore, I doubt that it belongs either to a sheepherder or to a farmer of
The girl’s movement had been quick, but it gave the thief a chance to fend her off. With a great shove he sent her reeling across the hallway. As she was regaining her balance, the man opened the door and rushed out, carrying the precious parchment with him!
“Leave that alone!” Nancy commanded.
Just as Nancy recovered her wits, the house was flooded with lights. Mr. and Mrs. Flockhart and Junie hurried down the stairs, each asking what had happened. Nancy quickly explained. At once Junie’s father set off an earsplitting alarm. He explained that it would awaken the workers in their cottages so they would be on the lookout for the burglar.
Mrs. Flockhart said, “Shouldn’t we alert the police, also?”
Her husband agreed, so Junie hurried to the phone and called. Meanwhile, Mrs. Flockhart took Nancy into the living room and made her sit down on the couch.
“This was a dreadful experience for you,” she said. “Now I want you to take it easy.”
The girl detective was much too excited to take it easy. Besides, she felt all right and tried to reassure Junie’s mother.
“I’m furious at myself for letting the thief get away!” she said. “That was bad enough, but to think he took the parchment with him!”
Nancy was on the verge of tears. Apparently Mrs. Flockhart realized this. Giving the girl a hug, she said, “I think we should be thankful that you weren’t hurt!”
Nancy appreciated the concern and tried to smile, but she said, “I came here at Junie’s invitation to solve the mystery of the paintings on that parchment. I didn’t do it and now the parchment is gone! I may as well go home,” she finished with a sigh.
“Oh, no, no!” Junie’s mother said, holding Nancy tighter. “I’m sure my husband and daughter wouldn’t hear of such a thing. As a matter of fact, Nancy, now you have a double mystery to solve. You must first find the parchment and then tell us its meaning.”
CHAPTER X
Running Footprints
FOR a while Nancy and Mrs. Flockhart wondered who the parchment thief might have been.
“Have you any ideas at all?” the woman asked the girl detective when they came to no conclusion.
“No, not really,” she replied. “Of course I think our first idea would be Mr. Rocco, but the man who was here was too tall.”
“Anyway,” said Mrs. Flockhart, “why should Mr. Rocco feel he had to steal the parchment? All he had to do was come and ask Mr. Flockhart to sell it back to him.”
“That’s true,” Nancy agreed. “But I think Mr. Rocco became worried after I quizzed him about the pictures. Buying back the parchment might make it too obvious that he wanted it, so he had someone take it.”
“That’s good reasoning,” Mrs. Flockhart said. “On the other hand, a person who knows the true story of the parchment may have stolen it, and will do some blackmailing.”
At this moment Mr. Flockhart and Junie walked in with a State Policeman. They all sat down together in the living room.
“Any luck?” Mrs. Flockhart asked her husband.
He shook his head, then introduced the State Policeman, Officer Browning. Mr. Flockhart said that his chase and that of the police and the many workers on Triple Creek Farm had yielded no sign of the fugitive.
“It is unfortunate,” the officer said. “We’ll have to hunt for clues.”
Nancy produced the glove she had torn from the thief’s hand and gave it to the officer. “I grabbed this from the burglar’s left hand,” she explained.
“This is an excellent clue,” Browning said. When he was told by Junie that Nancy was an amateur detective, he asked her, “What is your guess as to the kind of glove it is?”
The young sleuth was flattered and not a bit dismayed. She replied, “It’s not a workman’s glove. Therefore, I doubt that it belongs either to a sheepherder or to a farmer of
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