lamps, don’t you think we’d have left long before this?”
The girls walked to the convertible and drove off without a backward glance.
All three were deeply disturbed. Roger Hoelt had played a clever trick in accusing Nancy of being a thief. She was becoming more unpopular by the moment in the Amish community. Soon no one would be willing to trust the young detective.
Bess was afraid that if Mr. Zinn spread the story of the lamps, the girls might even be asked to leave the county. “By the time we return to the Glicks’, they may freeze up too, and turn us out,” she prophesied dolefully.
It was with some apprehension that the girls drove up to the Glick farmhouse. Becky and Henner rushed out to meet them. Henner called out, “You be witches, ain’t?”
Nancy got out of the car and put her arms around the little boy. Quietly but firmly, she told him that she and her friends were not witches, “Pinch me and see,” she suggested.
“But Mama, she went to a schnitzing,” Henner told her. “The women say you all be witches.”
At this moment Mrs. Glick ran from the house. Having overheard her son’s remark, she scolded him. “I told you that witches are only make-believe. You are a bad boy for repeating what I told your papa those silly women said. Go help him now!”
Mrs. Glick turned to the girls as her children ran off. “Some of my friends are superstitious,” she said. “They forget that witches are nothing but old wives’ tales!”
They all went into the house and Nancy excused herself to freshen up for supper. Alone, she reviewed her problem. Roger Hoelt and his wife were undoubtedly the source of the vicious rumors. But how to cope with them was the big question.
Just then she heard a car coming up the lane. Peering from the window, Nancy saw a state trooper.
A few moments later Mrs. Glick called to her, “Nancy, will you come downstairs, please?”
Nancy fairly flew to the first floor, hoping that the trooper had some news of Roger Hoelt and his wife. Mrs. Glick introduced her to the officer, a freckle-faced outdoor-type man.
“How do you do?” the officer acknowledged the introduction. “Well, you certainly don’t look much like a witch!”
Nancy was thunderstruck. Was he joking, or did the police believe the foolish rumors, too?
The trooper grinned and explained that earlier in the day a call had been received at police headquarters. An unidentified woman had said that three out-of-state girls were trouble-makers —and witches! She said one in particular, Nancy Drew, had claimed she had supernatural powers, enabling her to locate missing persons and solve mysteries.
The trooper smiled. “We know it’s nonsense. But our practice is to investigate anonymous calls whenever possible. I traced you here. Can you clear this up, Miss Drew?”
Nancy told the officer everything that had happened, and for the first time Mrs. Glick heard the story of the hex sign. Nancy admitted she had solved several mysteries, but said that she did not claim to be an expert. She added that she had not tried to cause trouble.
The officer was satisfied and departed, wishing the young detective good luck.
Mrs. Glick came to Nancy’s side and laid a motherly hand on her shoulder. “Tomorrow you are going to forget the mystery and have a good time. It is market day. Would you girls like to help me stand market?”
“Oh, we’d love to!” Nancy cried, her face brightening. “What can we do for you?”
The farm woman said that the vegetables had to be picked after sundown, washed, and arranged attractively. “Early tomorrow we will bake bread and make pies and cakes to sell.”
The family and their visitors had an early supper. Then Mrs. Glick and all the girls went into the garden and began picking plump carrots and beets. When their baskets were full, they carried them to the sluiceway and washed the vegetables, which were then sorted according to size, cleaned, and tied into bunches.
At last
The girls walked to the convertible and drove off without a backward glance.
All three were deeply disturbed. Roger Hoelt had played a clever trick in accusing Nancy of being a thief. She was becoming more unpopular by the moment in the Amish community. Soon no one would be willing to trust the young detective.
Bess was afraid that if Mr. Zinn spread the story of the lamps, the girls might even be asked to leave the county. “By the time we return to the Glicks’, they may freeze up too, and turn us out,” she prophesied dolefully.
It was with some apprehension that the girls drove up to the Glick farmhouse. Becky and Henner rushed out to meet them. Henner called out, “You be witches, ain’t?”
Nancy got out of the car and put her arms around the little boy. Quietly but firmly, she told him that she and her friends were not witches, “Pinch me and see,” she suggested.
“But Mama, she went to a schnitzing,” Henner told her. “The women say you all be witches.”
At this moment Mrs. Glick ran from the house. Having overheard her son’s remark, she scolded him. “I told you that witches are only make-believe. You are a bad boy for repeating what I told your papa those silly women said. Go help him now!”
Mrs. Glick turned to the girls as her children ran off. “Some of my friends are superstitious,” she said. “They forget that witches are nothing but old wives’ tales!”
They all went into the house and Nancy excused herself to freshen up for supper. Alone, she reviewed her problem. Roger Hoelt and his wife were undoubtedly the source of the vicious rumors. But how to cope with them was the big question.
Just then she heard a car coming up the lane. Peering from the window, Nancy saw a state trooper.
A few moments later Mrs. Glick called to her, “Nancy, will you come downstairs, please?”
Nancy fairly flew to the first floor, hoping that the trooper had some news of Roger Hoelt and his wife. Mrs. Glick introduced her to the officer, a freckle-faced outdoor-type man.
“How do you do?” the officer acknowledged the introduction. “Well, you certainly don’t look much like a witch!”
Nancy was thunderstruck. Was he joking, or did the police believe the foolish rumors, too?
The trooper grinned and explained that earlier in the day a call had been received at police headquarters. An unidentified woman had said that three out-of-state girls were trouble-makers —and witches! She said one in particular, Nancy Drew, had claimed she had supernatural powers, enabling her to locate missing persons and solve mysteries.
The trooper smiled. “We know it’s nonsense. But our practice is to investigate anonymous calls whenever possible. I traced you here. Can you clear this up, Miss Drew?”
Nancy told the officer everything that had happened, and for the first time Mrs. Glick heard the story of the hex sign. Nancy admitted she had solved several mysteries, but said that she did not claim to be an expert. She added that she had not tried to cause trouble.
The officer was satisfied and departed, wishing the young detective good luck.
Mrs. Glick came to Nancy’s side and laid a motherly hand on her shoulder. “Tomorrow you are going to forget the mystery and have a good time. It is market day. Would you girls like to help me stand market?”
“Oh, we’d love to!” Nancy cried, her face brightening. “What can we do for you?”
The farm woman said that the vegetables had to be picked after sundown, washed, and arranged attractively. “Early tomorrow we will bake bread and make pies and cakes to sell.”
The family and their visitors had an early supper. Then Mrs. Glick and all the girls went into the garden and began picking plump carrots and beets. When their baskets were full, they carried them to the sluiceway and washed the vegetables, which were then sorted according to size, cleaned, and tied into bunches.
At last
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