table of contentspdf.allbookshub.com/general/the-haunted-showboat.pdf · 2020-07-04 · george...
TRANSCRIPT
001
TableofContents
TitlePageCopyrightPageCHAPTERI-TheStolenCarCHAPTERII-ABombScareCHAPTERIII-AnUpsettingDelayCHAPTERIV-ANerve-TinglingRideCHAPTERV-TheMysteryatSunnymeadCHAPTERVI-Pirates’AlleyCHAPTERVII-ASwampAccidentCHAPTERVIII-TheVoodooPreacherCHAPTERIX-TheRiverPrincessCHAPTERX-ACuriousAlligatorCHAPTERXI-APuzzlingAttitudeCHAPTERXII-ASlyGetawayCHAPTERXIII-MississippiMishapCHAPTERXIV-GhostonBoardCHAPTERXV-AWeirdSceneCHAPTERXVI-LostintheBayouCHAPTERXVII-TheTowboatCaptainCHAPTERXVIII-TheSimmeringCaldronCHAPTERXIX-AMissingSuspectCHAPTERXX-AMasqueraderUnmaskedMatchWitswithTheHardyBoys®!MatchWitswithSuperSleuthNancyDrew!
Copyright©1981,1957bySimon&Schuster,Inc.Allrightsreserved.PublishedbyGrosset&Dunlap,Inc.,amemberofThePutnam&
GrossetGroup,NewYork.PublishedsimultaneouslyinCanada.S.A.NANCYDREWMYSTERYSTORIES®isaregisteredtrademarkofSimon&Schuster,
Inc.GROSSET&DUNLAPisatrademarkofGrosset&Dunlap,Inc.eISBN:978-1-101-07736-8
2008Printing
http://us.penguingroup.com
‘IthinkthecloakedpirateisAlex,”NancywhisperedtoNed
CHAPTERI
TheStolenCar
“WOULD a trip to theMardi Gras interest you,Nancy, and also amystery to solve?” BessMarvinasked.Nancy Drew’s blue eyes sparkled and her attractive face became animated. She gazed
fondlyathertwobestfriendswhohadjustarrivedandwereseatedintheDrewlivingroom.BessMarvinwasblondandslightlyplump.Hercousin,GeorgeFayne,whohadbeengivenaboy’sname,wasanattractivebrunette.“Doyoumeanyou’reinvitingmetogowithyou?”Nancyasked.“That’sright,”Georgereplied.“OurNewOrleansrelativesareextendingan invitationnot
onlytoBessandme,butalsototheworld’sbestgirldetective!”Nancychuckled.“Thanks.Whatisthemysteryabout?”“I don’t know,”Bess replied. “But they indicated in their letter that itmust be solved by
MardiGrastime,whichisnotfaroff.You’lljustlovetheColonelandAuntStella.”“Theyhaveadaughter,haven’tthey?”Nancyasked.Bessnodded.“DonnaMaeischarmingandprettylikehermother.”“Butabitspoiled,”Georgeadded.Bess explained that Donna Mae had formerly been engaged to a wonderful young man,
named Charles Bartolome, who lived near the Havers outside of New Orleans. “But alongcameAlexUpgrove fromNewYorkandDonnaMae lostherheart tohimcompletely.TheirengagementisgoingtobeannouncedthenightofthebigballtheHaversaregivingatMardiGrastime.”“Itallsoundsmarvelous,”saidNancy.“Iaccepttheinvitation!”“Great!”Besshuggedherfriend.“Beforetheball,theHaverswillputonapageantofThe
SleepingBeauty.TheHaverswillbeking,queen,andprincess.Afterward,theywillgreettheirguestsintheseroyalcostumes.”“AndIsuppose,”saidGeorge,“AlexUpgrovewillbetheprince.”Bess,stillloyaltoDonnaMae’sformerfiancé,saidthatCharlesBartolomehadbeeninvited
totheball,buthadrefusedtoattend.“Youcan’tblamehim,”saidGeorgedryly.“Buthe’sbeingagoodsportandnotleavingajob
hepromisedtodo.Charlesisinchargeofrestoringtheshowboat.”GeorgeexplainedthatinabayouontheHaverpropertywasanold,abandonedshowboat,
theRiverPrincess.“TheColonelisplanningtohaveitbroughttoadockonhisestate.Theballwilltakeplaceinthetheaterontheboat.”“Oh, itwill be suchanexciting trip,” saidNancyenthusiastically. “Shallwedrive toNew
Orleansinmycar?”“We’dloveit,”thecousinssaidinunison.“Whendoyouwanttoleave?”Nancyasked.“Assoonaspossible,”Georgereplied.“TheColonelwrotethathewantstogetthemystery
clearedup‘rightquick.’”“I’lldomybest,”Nancysaideagerly.Justthen,theDrews’pleasanthousekeepercameintotheroom.AtonceNancytoldherof
theintriguinginvitation.HannahGruensmiledatthe,youngdetective.“Soyou’reoffonanothercase,Nancy.Well,I
venturetosayyouwon’treturnuntilyousolvethemystery.”
Middle-agedHannahGruen had livedwith the Drews since the death ofNancy’smothermanyyearsbefore.Shehadactedasmotherandcounselortothegirl.Nancy,inturn,hadadeepaffectionforHannah.“Howdoyouplantotravel?”Mrs.Gruenasked.WhensheheardthelongtripwastobemadeinNancy’sblueconvertible,Hannahlooked
dubious.“Areyougoingtodoallthedriving?”“Oh,BessandIwilltaketurns,”Georgespokeup.Hannahlookedrelieved.Butamomentlater,asshegazedoutthewindow,herfacetookon
aworriedlook.“I’mafraidthere’ssomesnowinstore,”shesaid.“Oh,Idohopeitholdsoffuntilyougirlsreachyourdestination.”“Don’tworry,Hannahdear,”saidNancyreassuringly.“We’reallexperienceddrivers,andmy
faithfullittlecarhasgonethroughpracticallyallkindsofweather.”Mrs. Gruen admitted thiswas true. “Whenwill you girls be leaving?” she asked, amore
cheerfulexpressiononherface.“Let’sstartthedayaftertomorrow,”Georgesuggested.“BessandIarealmostpackednow.
Isthatenoughtimeforyoutogetready,Nancy?”“Oh,yes.”After the cousins had left, Nancy telephoned her father, a prominent attorney in River
Heights.WhenMr.Drewheardabout theHavers’ invitationand themysteryNancywas tosolve,hesaid,“Goaheadbyallmeans.ThisisagoodopportunitytoseeNewOrleansandyougirlsshouldhaveawonderfultimeattheMardiGras.”Thenextday,NancyandHannahwentoverthegirl’swardrobeandchosewhattheythought
wouldbeappropriateforthetrip.Later,Nancydasheddowntowntobuyanewskirt,blouse,andplaysuittowearinNewOrleansincasetheweathershouldturnverywarm.When she returned, Nancy found the housekeeper inspecting a beautiful old black lace
shawl and an intricately carved ivory fan. “I found these in a trunk in the attic,” she said.“Theybelongedtoyourmother,Nancy.Wouldn’tyouliketousethemattheball,dear?”“Oh,yes,”Nancyagreedenthusiastically.“I’llgetacostumetogowiththem.”HannahGruenlefttheroomandNancylaidthelovelyoldshawlonthebed.Asshestood
beforethemirror,practicinghowtousethefan,Togo,herlittleterrier,ranintotheroom.“Hi,fellow!”Nancysaidtothedogassheturnedawayfromthemirror.Thenextmoment
shecriedout,“Togo,bringthatback!Dropit!”Themischievous terrierhadgrabbed the shawl inhis teethandgonedashingup thehall
withit.NancyraninpursuitandmanagedtogetholdofTogoandtheheirloom,butnotbeforehehadmadealongtearinthelace.“Oh,younaughtyboy!”Nancyscolded.The housekeeper came out of her bedroom and investigated the damage. “Don’t worry,
Nancy,IthinkIcanmenditsothetearwon’tshowtoomuch,”shesaidsoothingly.AnhourlaterHannahGruenbroughttheshawltoNancy’sroom.Thegirl’seyessparkled.
“Why,Ican’teventellwheretheripwas!”sheexclaimed,plantingakissonthehousekeeper’scheek.“Thankyousomuch.”ByeveningNancy’ssuitcasewaspackedandsheputitintheluggagecompartmentofher
convertible.WithTcgoatherheels,shelockedthecardoors,butleftthegarageopen,sinceherfatherhadnotyetreturnedwithhiscar.A short time after Nancy and Hannah had gone upstairs again, Togo began to bark
menacingly.“IthinkI’dbettergodownandseewhat’sbotheringhim,”Nancycalledtothehousekeeper.Nancyrandownstairs.Asshereachedthebackdoor,shewasthunderstrucktoseehercar
beingbackedfromthegarage!“Someone’sstealingit!”Nancygasped.Shehurriedlyturnedontheporchlight,openedthedoor,andranouttothedriveway.“Stop!”shecalledtothemanatthewheel.“Stop!”
Thedriver, insteadofslowingdown,putonaburstofspeed,swervingtherearof thecardirectly toward Nancy! The left fender grazed her, knocking her down! Then the driverstraightenedthewheelsandthecarroaredoff!
“Stop!”Nancycalledtothemanatthewheel
CHAPTERII
ABombScare
HANNAH GRUEN had hurried downstairs. From the kitchen doorway she saw Nancy fall.Withacryofalarmsherushedfromthehouse.“Areyouhurt?”thewomanasked.“It—Thecarjustknockedthewindoutofmeforthemoment,”Nancyreplied.As Hannah helped Nancy to her feet, the girl looked mournfully down the street as the
convertibledisappearedaroundthecorner.“I’llcallthepolice!”Hannahdeclared.SheandNancywent into thehouse.ThehousekeeperurgedNancy to liedown fora few
minutes,buttheyoungdetectiveinsistedupongoingtothephoneherself.“I cangive thepoliceadescriptionof thecar thief,” she said. “Hewasdarkand slender,
withsmall,piercingblackeyes.Hehadaverylowforehead,andhishair lookedcoarseandstiff.”“That’sanexcellentdescription,Nancy,”saidthehousekeeper.“Icertainlyhopethepolice
catchhimsoon.”Beforegoingtothephone,Nancylookeduptheserialnumberofhercar.Thenshegot in
touchwithCaptainMcGinnisoftheRiverHeightspolicedepartment.Aftergiving the thief’sdescription, alongwith thecar’s serial and licenseplatenumbers,
Nancyrecalledthatherpackedsuitcasewasinthecar.Shetoldthecaptainaboutthis,thenhungup.“Oh,dear,”shesaidtothehousekeeper,“allmythingsaregone!Icangetnewclothesfor
myself,butI’dcertainlyhatetoloseMother’sshawlandfan.”“Idon’tblameyou,honey,”saidMrs.Gruen.“Buttellmethis.Howintheworldcouldthat
manhavetakenthecar?Youlockedit,didn’tyou?”“Yes,Idid.Itmeansthemanwhostoleitmustbeanexperiencedcarthief.”Just then, they heard Mr. Drew’s coupé come into the driveway. Nancy hurried to the
kitchendoortomeetherfather,atall,distinguished-lookingman.“Whathappened,Nancy?”Mr.Drewcriedout,notinghisdaughter’sdisheveledappearance.QuicklyNancyexplainedandMr.Drewlookedstern.“It’stheworkofanexpert,allright.It
wouldn’tsurprisemeifthethiefhasapolicerecord.”“Thatshouldmakeiteasiertofindhim,”saidNancy.Shewentbacktothephoneandcalled
firstBess,thenGeorgeattheirhomes.Bothgirlswereaghastatthenewsandsaidtheyhopedtheconvertible,aswellasNancy’ssuitcase,wouldsoonberecovered.“I suppose we’ll have to postpone the trip until we canmake other arrangements,” said
Nancy.“I’llhaveDadseeifhecangetusplanereservationsinthemorning.”“Oh,anotherdaywon’tmakeanydifference,”saidGeorge.“Maybebythattimeyou’llhave
yourcarback.”But a phone call to the police department the next day was discouraging. Nancy’s blue
convertiblehadnotbeensightedonanyroadleadingoutofRiverHeights.“We’vemade inquiries around town,” saidCaptainMcGinnis, “but so farmymenhaven’t
turnedupasinglelead.”DuringthemorningNancyshoppedfornewclothestotakeonthetrip.Aboutfiveo’clock
thatafternoonMr.DrewphonedhisdaughtertosaythattraveltoNewOrleansinMardiGrasseasonwasveryheavyandithadbeenimpossibleforhimtogetplanetickets.
“Butyou’regoingjustthesame,”hesaid.“CallBessandGeorgeandtellthemtobereadytomorrowmorning.”“Buthowarewetraveling?”Nancyasked.Therewasnoreply.Herfatherhadhungup.Nancyphonedherfriendsandgavethemherfather’smessage.“Dadhassomethinguphis
sleeve,”shesaid.“Maybeyou’dbettercomeoverhereandfindoutwhat’sgoingon.”The cousins arrived in a short time andwaited forMr. Drew to come home. Presently a
stunningnewyellowconvertibleentered theDrews’driveway.Nancy’s father,at thewheel,honkedthehornloudly.Nancysprintedoutside.BessandGeorge followed,bumping intoeachother toget to the
car.Mr.Drewworeabroadgrin.“Likeit,Nancy?”heasked.“It’sabeauty!Isityournewcarandareyougoingtolendittome,Dad?”Mr.Drewsteppedoutside,madea lowbow,andannounced, “I’mgoing todobetter than
that.Thiscarisyours!”Nancy threw her arms around her father. “Oh, you’re simply wonderful!” she exclaimed.
“Butwhat’sgoingtohappenifthepolicefindmyblueconvertible?”The lawyer said that he had arrangedwith the automobile dealer to take the blue car in
tradeifitshouldberecovered.“I was thinking of turning it in, anyway,” saidMr. Drew. “I was going to wait until your
birthdayandsurpriseyou,butyousortofputoneoveronmebylettingthatthieftakeit!”heteased.Sobering,hewenton,“Thatcarhadalotofmileageonitandwasshowingwear.”“That’sright,”Georgespokeup.“Andtherewasthatbigstainonthebackoftherearseat
whereweupsetaninkbottleandalsoatearinthecarpet.”Nancychuckled.“Maybethatthiefdidmeafavor,”sheremarked,thenaddedwistfully,“But
IcertainlywishIcouldgetmysuitcaseback.”As Bess and George said good-by, assuring Nancy that they would be ready early the
followingmorningtostartthetriptoNewOrleans,Mr.DrewturnedtoNancy.“Howabouttakingthegirlshomeinyournewcar?”hesuggested.“Afteryoudropthemoff,
stop at police headquarters.CaptainMcGinniswants you to look over the pictures in theirrogues’galleryandseeifyoucanidentifythethief.”“Hopin,girls!”Nancyinvited.The three girlswere thrilledwith the smooth-riding quality of the yellow convertible and
Nancydeclaredthatdrivingitwasnoeffortatall.Afterdroppingthetwogirlsattheirhomes,shecontinuedontoheadquarters.Hereshelookedatphotographafterphotographofknowncarthieves.“Notoneofthese,”theyoungdetectivesaidfinally,“lookslikethemanwhostolemycar.”“Hemayneverhavebeenapprehended,” saidCaptainMcGinnis. “Well,we’llkeepupour
search.”Nancy thankedhimandwenthome. Inorder tokeephernewcar frombeing stolen,Mr.
Drewhadpurchaseda specialpadlock foroneof the rearwheels.Thiswasputonand thegaragedoorlocked.Thenight passeduneventfully. In themorning, after breakfast,Mr.Drew carriedNancy’s
suitcase to the convertible. Then he andHannahwished her a happy time on the trip andkissedhergood-by.“Thanksagain,Dad,”Nancysaidasshewavedanddroveoff.AfewminuteslatershestoppedatBess’shome,thenatGeorge’s.Allthreegirlsworesmart
wooldressesandwarmcarcoats.Thetriochattedgailyastheydroveoutoftown,discussingtherecenttriptheyhadtakentoVirginia,whereNancyandherfriendshadhadmanyexcitingadventuressolvingTheHiddenWindowMystery.“Speakingofmysteries,”saidGeorge,“hastherebeenanynewsofthecarthief?”“Notaclue,”Nancyreplied.“It’ssuchabeautifuldayIthinkI’lltakethebackroadthrough
thecountry,insteadofthehighway,asfarasTartanville.”The road led through rolling farm land, where the houses were quite a distance apart.
Nancywasdrivingjustunderthespeedlimitwhenthegirlssuddenlynoticedatickingsoundcomingfromthedashboard.“What’s that?”Bessasked.“Theelectricclock? Inanewcar it shouldn’tmake thatmuch
noise.”InstantlyNancypulledtothesideoftheroadandturnedofftheignition.Sheleaneddown
andlookedupunderthedashboard.Herfaceturnedwhitewithfear.“There’sanalarmclocktapedonhere!”shecried.“Itmaybethetimerforabomb!Girls,
runasfastasyoucan!Stopanyonecomingalong!”BessandGeorgedashedout theright-handdoor,whileNancyreacheddownandshutoff
thealarmswitch,hopingthatwouldpreventthebombfromexploding.Then,forsafety’ssake,shegotoutandracedawayfromthecar.Nancyranintheoppositedirectiontothegirls,inordertowarnanyoncomingmotoristofpossibledanger.Tenminutespassed.NoonedroveupandtherewasnoexplosionfromNancy’scar.Finally
George,makingamegaphoneofherhands,yelledtoNancy:“What’snext?”Nancycalledbackthatshewasgoingtoaskthedriverofthefirstcarwhichappearedtogo
backtothenexttownandhavesomeonesentoutfromthepoliceforcetoremovethebomb.Besscalled,“Howcouldanyonegetintothecartoplantabombwithyourgaragelocked?”“Themanprobablyjimmiedopenthegaragewindow,andthecardoorsweren’tlocked.”As she finished speaking, Nancy became aware of a delivery truck approaching in her
direction.Shesignaledthedrivertostop,andtoldhimherstory.“Golly!”Theyoungmanwhistled.“Sure,I’llnotifyheadquartersinajiffy.”He turned and sped off. Twentyminutes later the girlswere relieved to see a police car
approaching.“Thankgoodness!”Georgeexclaimed.In amatter of seconds, a man wearing amask, chest protector, and steel link gauntlets
jumpedfromthecarandopenedthehoodoftheyellowconvertible.Asthegirlswatchedfromadistance,thepolicemanliftedoutaroundobject.Therewasno
questionbut that itwasabomb!Hedropped it intoabucketofoilbeforebeckoningtothegirlstocomeforward.“What’sbackofthis?”heasked.QuicklyNancyexplainedwhatlittlesheknew.“Looksasifyouhaveaprettydevilishenemy,”theofficerremarked.“Yes,”Nancyagreed.Besssaid,“He’safiendtryingtoblowusup!”“Well,hisschemewasspoiledthistime,”thepolicemansaid,andadded,“Yourcarisokay
now.”Heradioedareportoftheincidenttoheadquarters,thendrovebacktotown.Thethreegirlssteppedintotheconvertibleandoncemorestartedoff.Astheyenteredthe
townofTartanville,Nancysaidshewantedtocallherfatherandtellhimwhathadhappened.Whileshewentintoadrugstoretotelephone,BessandGeorgewaitedinthecar.Just beforeNancy returned, aman in ablack convertible started topass the cousins.He
sloweddownandstaredfirstatBessandGeorge,thenattheyellowcar.Thentheinquisitivemanputonpoweranddisappearedaroundacorner.SuddenlyBessgrabbedhercousin’sarm.“George!”shecried.“ThatwasNancy’sstolencar
hewasdriving.It’sbeenpaintedblack!”
CHAPTERIII
AnUpsettingDelay
ByTHE timeGeorge recovered from the surpriseofhearing that theblackautomobilewasNancy’sstolencar,theyoungdetectiveherselfhadcomefromthedrugstore.
“Quick!Jumpin!”Bessurged.Nancyinstantlygotbehindthewheeloftheyellowconvertible.“What’sup?”sheasked.“Isawyourstolencar!”Besstoldher.“Themandroveitaroundthatcorner.Hurry!”Drivingasfastasshedared,Nancyheadedinthedirectionherfriendhadindicated.“Itwaspaintedblack,”Bessexplained,“butIrecognizedthefunny-shapedinkstainonthe
upholsteryinthebackseat.”“Say,thatfellowcouldfitthedescriptionofthecarthief,”Georgespokeup.“Iwishwehad
noticedthelicensenumber.”Nancyturnedthecornerandasshecontinueddownthestreet,theothertwogirlslookedin
everydrivewayandcrossroad.Buttheirquarrywasnotinsight.Aftertheyhadgonenearlyamile,Nancystopped.“Thethiefhadtoomuchofaheadstart,”
shesaid.“Let’sgobacktopoliceheadquartersandreportthis.”As she was about to turn the car around, the girls saw a black convertible dart from an
intersectingroadsomedistanceaheadandshootdownthehighway.“Thereheis!”Besscriedout.Nancysetoffinpursuit,butatthecrossingwasstoppedbyaredlight.Irkedbythedelay,
sheputonextrapoweras soonas the traffic light turnedgreen.Theothervehiclewas farahead,butNancyspedafterit.
SuddenlyGeorgesaid,“Oh,oh!”asamotorcyclecameroaringupbehindthem.InamomentitwasalongsideandthestatetrooperastrideitmotionedNancytothesideoftheroad.
“Younglady,”hesaidsternly,“don’tyouknowwhatthespeedlimithereis?”“Yes,sir,Ido,”Nancyreplied,“butwe’reafterathiefwhostoleanothercarofmine.”“Anothercarofyours?”Theofficerlookedskeptical.“Whatkindofstoryisthis?”“It’strue!”Bessspokeupearnestly.“Pleasehelpuscatchthemanwhostoleit.”“Well,okay.Followme,”thepoliceofficerdirected.By this time theblack carwas out of sight, but the trooper spedalongwithNancy close
behind.Twomilesofcountryroadwerecoveredwithoutthepursuersgettinganotherglimpseofthesuspect.
Finally, the state trooper stopped. He said that he would radio headquarters to set up aroadblock.Thegirlsgavehimabriefdescriptionoftheblackcaranditsdriver.Then,takingatwo-wayradiofromhispocket,theofficergotintouchwithhischief.
Whenhefinishedtheradioreport,thetrooperturnedtothegirls.“Whereareyoufromandwhereareyougoing?”heasked.
Nancy answered his questions, then added her theory that the same man might haveplantedthebomb.Thatwouldaccountforhisstoppingtolookattheyellowconvertible.
“We’llcertainlytrytofindhim,”thetrooperpromised.Nancyaskedthatthepolicegetintouchwithherfatheriftheylocatedthestolencar.“And thankyou foryourhelp,officer.By theway, is thereashortcut fromhere toRoute
57?”“Yes.”Thetroopergavedirectionsandthethreegirlssetoff.Astheyrodealong,Besswore
aworriedfrown.“Oh, cheerup!”Georgechidedhercousin. “Don’t feelbadbecausenothingcameof your
clue.”“It’snotthat,”Bessanswered.“Nowthatwe’velostthethief,there’snotaghostofachance
of finding the car again. He knew that we were chasing him. And now he’ll paint theconvertiblestillanothercolor.”
GeorgeandNancyagreedthatBesswasprobablyright.“Thatisn’tallthereistoit,either,”saidBess.“Ihaveanawfulfeelingthatthiefdoesn’twantyoutoreachNewOrleans,Nancy.Henotonlystoleyourblueconvertible—heputabombinthiscarandnowhe’sfollowingus!”
“Evenifthatistrue,”Georgeremarked,“whatcanwedo?”“ParkthiscarinthenexttownandgotoNewOrleansbytrain,”Bessdeclared.Therewassilence for several seconds, thenNancysaid reassuringly, “Oh,Bess,wewon’t
havetodothat.Ifthethiefstopstohavethecarrepainted,we’llgettherewayaheadofhim.”Bessthoughtthisover,thenfeltbetter.“Well,allright,”shesaid.“Butlet’ssteponit!”PresentlyNancypulledtothesideoftheroad.“Yourturnatthewheel,”shesaidtoGeorge,
whonoddedandchangedplaceswithherfriend.HalfanhourlatertheycametothebustlinglittletownofWrightsville.“Oh,look!”Besscalledout.“There’sashowroomwiththesamemakecarasthisone.Isn’t
thatgreensedaninthewindowabeauty?”“Itcertainlyis,”Nancyagreed.“ButI’dratherhavethisyellowconvertible.”Georgehadgoneonlyhalfablockfartherwhensuddenlythenewcardevelopedastrange,
grindingnoiseintherear.Bessgroaned.“Nowwhat?”sheasked.Nancywasfrowning.ShesuggestedthatGeorgegoaroundtheblockandcomebacktothe
servicestationconnectedtotheautomobileshowroom.Georgeturnedatthenextcorner,buthadnotgonefarwhenthenoisegrewdefinitelylouder.
“We’dbetterstop,”Nancyadvised.AsGeorgepulledtowardthecurb,itsoundedasiftherearendofthecarhaddroppedto
the street! Quickly the girls jumped out and rushed back to look. Nancy knelt to peerunderneath.
“Oh,no!”sheexclaimedinawoebegonevoice.“Thewholerearhousinghasgivenway!”Nancyroseandforseveralsecondsthethreegirlsstaredquestioninglyatoneanother.Was
thisamechanicalfailure?OrhadNancy’senemytamperedwiththehousing,incasethebombfailedtogooff?
“I’llwalkbacktothatservicestationandhavethecartowedin,”saidNancy.“Youstayhereandguardourbaggage.”
AlthoughNancytriedtosoundnonchalant,BessandGeorgeknewshewasextremelyupset.“Thisisashame!”Georgedeclaredangrily,afterNancyhadleft.“Anddangerous!”Bessadded.“Ifwe’dbeenoutonthehighwaygoingfast,wemighthave
beenkilled!”Inafewminutesatowcararrivedandthedisabledconvertiblewashoistedupandpulledto
theservicestation.Thethreegirlswatchedasthemechanicsexaminedthebrokenhousing.Presentlyoneofthemwalkedofftohisworkbench.
Hesearchedforseveralsecondsamonghistools,thenpickedupasmallleathercase.Fromithetookamagnifyingglass.Holdingthisinonehandandastrongflashlightintheother,hemadeathoroughinvestigationofthemetalsectionwherethebreakhadtakenplace.
Finally he turned to Nancy. “This wasn’t any mechanical defect,” he announced. “I’d saysomeonepouredacidonthehousing!”
The girls were aghast, but there was no question in their minds as to who had beenresponsible.Eitherthemanwhohadstolenhercar,oranaccomplice,haddamagedthenewconvertible.
“I’llgettheboss,”themechanicoffered.“He’llseewhatcanbedone.”
The owner, Dan Compton, was summoned from the showroom. He examined the damageandagreedwiththemechanic.
“Thisiscertainlybadluckforyougirls,”Dansaid.“Wherewasthiscarpurchased?”WhenNancytoldhim,henodded.“Oh,IknowHarrySmith inRiverHeights.He’sagood
friendofmine.”Afteramomentheadded,“I’llphonehim,andwe’llworksomethingout.”WithoutgivingNancyachancetocomment,hehurriedtohisofficeandputinthecall.Five
minuteslaterhereturnedtothegarage,asmileonhisface.“Everything’sarranged,MissDrew,”hesaid.“Harrywantsmetolendyouacar.I’mgoing
onalittlevacationandthecarIordinarilyusefordemonstrationswillbeidle.You’rewelcometotakeitforyourtrip.Bythetimeyoucomebackthisway,yourconvertiblewillhaveanewhousinginit”
Nancy’sfacebrokeintoabroadgrin.“Icer.tainlyappreciateyourhelp,”shesaid.“Of course my demonstration car is not so fancy as yours,” Dan Compton told her. “It’s
black,andtheupholsteryisjustplaindarkgreen.”HeledthemtoacornerofthegaragewherethecarstoodBesssmiled.“Thissuitsmemuch
better.Thecarisdarkandinconspicuous.Nowmaybethatawfulmanwon’tnoticeus.”Before leaving town, the girls ate a belated lunch. Then they started off once more. By
evening Bess was driving and the girls began to discuss how much farther they would gobeforestoppingforthenight.
“There’s an attractive motel, The Cedars, about two miles from here,” George said. “Aneighborofoursstoppedthereonatriprecently.”
“Let’sgothere,”Bessputin.“I’mstarved!”Nancyglancedatherwatch.Itwasnearlyseveno’clockandshe,too,wasgettinghungry.“Ivotewestayatthemoteltonight.”When they reached The Cedars, Bess turned in and parked. After the girls had been
assigned to modern, comfortable rooms, they washed, brushed their hair, then went to acoffeeshopnexttothelobby.
“Mm.I’llhavethisfriedchickenplatter,”Bessdecidedasshestudiedthemenu.“Soundswonderfultome,”Nancysaid,andGeorgechosethesame.ThenNancyaskedthegirlstoorderforher.“IwanttophonehomeandtellDadaboutthe
sabotagedhousing.”Whentheconnectionwasmadewithherhome,HannahGruenanswered.“Hello,Hannah!HowareyouandDad?”“Oh,we’refine,”saidHannah.“Wehavesomenewsforyou.”“Yes?Whatisit?”Nancyaskedeagerly.“Yourstolenlicenseplateswerefound.”The housekeeper said that the River Heights police had had a tip from a disgruntled
hoodlumwhohadbeenpromisedsomemoneybyamanandneverbeenpaid.“Sothisfellowdecidedtotalk,”Mrs.Gruenexplained.“Hetoldthepoliceaboutadeserted
cabin outside of town where some car thieves had dumped stolen license plates. The onesfromyourcar,Nancy,wereamongthem.”
“Oh!”saidNancy.Mrs. Gruen went on, “And—and they found something else, too. Oh, Nancy, youmust be
careful!”
CHAPTERIV
ANerve-TinglingRide
“MAYBEyougirlshadbettergiveupthetrip,”Mrs.Gruensuggestednervously.“Butwhy?”Nancyasked.“Whatelsedidthepolicediscover?”Thehousekeepersaidthatamongthepileofstolenplateswhichhadbeenfoundtherewasa
pistol.Apparentlyithadbeenaccidentallydropped.HannahwassurethatadangerouspersonorpersonswhocarriedweaponsintendedtomaketroubleforNancy,Bess,andGeorgeiftheycontinuedtheirtrip.Nancyherselfwasworried, and toldHannahwhathadhappened to thenewcar.But she
addedquickly:“We’redrivingadifferentcar.It’sblack,andnotsoconspicuousastheyellowone.What’s
more,wesawthethief.Nowthatheknowshe’sbeenrecognized,hewon’tdareappearinthedaytime.Pleasedon’tworry,Hannahdear.”“Well, I suppose it’s all right,” said thehousekeeper. “I dowish your fatherwerehere to
adviseyou.Buthe’sgoneoutoftownforthenight.”Nancysaidgood-byandhungup.WhensherelayedthelatestcluetoBessandGeorge,they
agreedthatthesafestthingforthemtodowouldbetogetaheadofthethiefontheroad.“Solet’sstartatonce,”saidNancy,“anddriveuntildawnatleast.Wecantaketurnsdriving
andsleeping.Supposeweeatsupperhere.Thenwe’llgiveupourroomsandstarton.”The girls found the meal of fried chicken, accompanied by hot corn bread and sweet
potatoes,verytasty.Fordesserttheyhaddelicioushomemadepecanpie.“Icouldgotosleeprightnow,”saidBess,yawningcontentedly.“Iatetoomuch!”“Ifeelfine,”Georgesaid.“I’lltakefirstturnatthewheel.”Afterpickinguptheirbags,thegirlswenttothecar.NancyandBessclimbedintotherear
seatandweresoonsoundasleep.Georgedrovefornearlytwohours,thenstopped.SheawokeBess,whowastotakeherturnatdriving.“Wherearewe?”askedtheplumpgirl,sleepilysurveyingtheblacknessaroundthem.George said they had crossed the state line a half hour ago. “We’re getting into the
mountainsnow,sotakeiteasy,”sheadvised.AsBessstartedoff,shewasveryquiet.Shedidnotrevealherfeelingstohercousin,butshe
wasbeginningtothinkthatthetriphadajinxonit.Thewindwasblowinghard,therewasnomoonandnotonestarinthesky.Bessfeltaslight
chillrunupherspine.“It’sjustplainspooky!”shetoldherself.Bynow,GeorgewassleepingsoundlybesideNancyintherearseat.Bess,agooddriver,put
mileaftermilebehindthem.Fortunately,therewasonlyonemainroad,soshehadnodecisiontomakeaboutwhichdirectiontotake.Butatoneo’clockshecametoanintersectinghighway.“NowwhichwaydoIgo?”Bessaskedherself,stoppingthecar.Turning her spotlight on the sign, she carefully read the names of the towns in each
direction.Notoneofthemwasfamiliartoherandgavehernoclueastowhichroadtotake.Bessopenedtheglovecompartmentandtookoutamap.Shespreaditonherlapandtriedtofigureoutjustwhereshewas.Suddenlyavoiceatherelbowstartledher,“CanIhelpyou?”Alongsideherpartiallyopenwindowstoodasmilingyoungman.Bessgaveaninvoluntary
squeal,thenasked,“Wh-wheredidyoucomefrom?”
Her outcry had awakened the twogirls in the rear seat. They sat up, alert at once.Bothwereamazedtoseethestranger.“Hellothere,”hesaidpleasantlytoNancyandGeorge.ToBessheadded,“Iseeyouhave
passengers.”“Yes,”saidBess.“Andmaybeyoucanhelpus.”“Glad to,” the youngman replied. “Sorry if I frightened you. I just parked over in those
woodswithmy trailer abouthalf anhouragoandhadn’t gone tobedyet.When I sawyoustop,Ifiguredyoumightbelost.Wheredoyouwanttogo?”“NewOrleans,”Bessreplied.Theyoungmanlaughed.“You’realongwayfromthere,”hesaid.“ButatthispointIthink
thebestthingforyoutodoisturnleft,gothroughTitusville,andthenhitthehighway.”“Thankyouverymuch,”Besssaidwithasmile.Shewas already foldingup themap andputting it away.As she started off, the stranger
called,“Oh,waitaminute!”Bess instantly became alarmed. Was this man going to detain them? But he went on
pleasantly,“Say,maybeyou’rethethreegirlsthatmanwasaskingaboutalittlewhileago.”“Whatman?”Nancyspokeupquickly.“Afellowinablackconvertiblewithblack-and-redseatcovers.HestoppedhererightafterI
parkedandIcameouttotalktohim.Heaskedmeifthreegirlstravelingalonehadgonepasthere.”Nancyandherfriendslookedquestioninglyatoneanother.Couldthedriverhavebeenthe
personwhohadstolenNancy’scar?“Oh,I’msurewe’renotthegirlshemeant,”Georgeputinhastily.“Whatdidthismanlook
like?”Thedescriptionthestrangergaveexactlyfittedthatofthecarthief!“Whatelsedidhesay?”Nancyasked.“Theman said that the two cars had been traveling together, but somehow had become
separated.”“Isee,”saidNancy.“Didhehappentosaywherehewasgoing?”“No,hedidn’t.”“Whichroaddidhetake?”Theyoungmanpointedstraightahead.Bessasked,“Couldyougo toNewOrleans taking
thatroad?”“Yes,youcould.Itwouldbeshorter,asamatteroffact.Buttheroadisn’tverygood.”NancyaskedtoseethemapandoncemoreBesstookitoutofthecompartment.Athought
hadcometothegirldetective—maybetheaffableyoungstrangerwasinleaguewiththecarthief!Althoughsherealizedhersuspicionsprobablywerewrong,Nancydecideditwouldbebest
nottotakeeitheroftheroadshehadmentioned.Followingherhunch,shetoldhimbrieflythatthegirlshadhadenoughdrivingforonenight
andwouldstayatahotelinthenearesttown.“Turnright,Bess,”shesaid.Shethankedtheyoungmanforhishelp,thenthegirlsdroveoff.Nancytoldthecousinsher
suspicions and said that as soon as they reached another crossroad, they would turn left.“Thenwe’llgoleftagainandfinallyhitTitusville.”SheandGeorgekeptlookingouttherearwindowtoseeifanycarwasfollowingthembut
theysawnone.FinallyNancysaid,“We’resafesofar.”Soonshetookherturnatthewheel.NancywonderedwhowasaheadintheracetoNew
Orleans—thegirlsorthecarthief.Hopefullyshethought:“If thatyoungmanat thecrossroadswashonest,andnot in leaguewiththedriverof the
blackcar,maybewehaveoutwittedthethief!”Beginning to feelweary,Nancy decided they had better stop at amotel. Just beyond the
small townofTitusville,shecametoanattractiveoneandturnedin.Asshepulled intothewell-lightedparkingarea,theyoungdetective’seyeswidened.Nexttoherstoodablackconvertiblewithnew-lookingblack-and-redseatcovers!NancyquicklywokeBessandGeorge, toldthemwheretheywere,andpointedtothecar.
“Look!”shesaidexcitedly.Bessgaveashiver.“Youmeanwe’reabouttocloseinonthecarthief?Shouldn’twenotify
thepoliceandletthemdoit?”Nancysaidthatshewasgoingtoconsultthemotelproprietorfirstastowhowasdrivingthe
car.Thethreegirlstooktheirbagsfromtheluggagecompartmentandwalkedintotheofficeofthemotel.Aplump,bald-headedmansatinabarrel-shapedchair,hisheadrestingonhischest.Hewassnoringslightly.Nancywalkedupand tapped themanon theshoulder.Heawokewitha start. “Youwant
rooms?”heaskedsleepily.Nancynodded,thensaid,“Wouldyoumindtellingmewhothepersonisthatcameherein
theblack convertiblewith red-and-black seat covers.We’re looking for someonewith a carlikethat.”“Person!”theplumpmanexploded.“Youmeanthatgang!Mother,father,threechildren,a
dog,acat,andaparrot!”The threegirlsburst into laughter. “Wrong family!”Nancy chuckled. “Well, have you two
niceroomsforus?”Theproprietortookthegirls’bags,andhiskeys, leadingthewaydownacorridor.“These
arethebestaccommodationswehave,”hesaid,smiling,andunlockingadjoiningrooms.“Oh,IwassosleepyIforgottoaskyoutoregister.”“We’lldoitinthemorning,”saidNancy.Shepreferredthisarrangement,justincasethecarthiefmightarrivelateratthemoteland
learnfromtheproprietorthatthegirlswerethere.The girls slept soundly, but were wide awake by seven o’clock. Bess, the first to look
outdoors,groaned.“Snow!” sheexclaimed. “A regularblizzard!”Bess suggested that theydelay their trip,at
leastforaday.Butbythetimethegirlshadeatenbreakfast,thesnowfallhadslackenedandNancydecided
itwouldbesafeforthemtogoon.Sheherselftookthewheel,withhertwofriendsinfrontwithher.Theyhadnotgonemanymileswhentheycametoaroadblockwithahugesignin.dicatingadetourtotheright.“Goodnessonlyknowswhat’saheadofus,”Besssaidnervously.Nancyturned.Halfamilefartheron,theroadledupasteepincline.Asthegirlsnearedthe
summitofthehill,theysawthattherewasasheerdroptotheleftoftheroad.“Oh,dobecareful!”Bessbegged.“Hush!”Georgecommanded.AlthoughNancywassurethatthetireswereexcellent,shewouldberelievedwhenthecar
hadsafelyreachedthebottomofthehillontheotherside.Nancyreachedthesummitandwasjustabouttostartdownthesteepinclinewhenallthree
girlsgaspedatthefrighteningsightwhichconfrontedthem.“Oh!”Bessscreamed.“Stop!”Acrosstheroadaheadlaytwosectionsofanelectricalcablewhichhadbeensnappedbythe
storm.Sparksflasheddangerouslyfromthebrokenends!Nancyputonherbrakes.Thenextinstantthecarskiddedtowardtheleftoftheroadwith
itssheerdropofthirtyfeet!
CHAPTERV
TheMysteryatSunnymead
ASTHEtiressankintothesnowthreefeetfromtheedgeofthecliff,thecarmiraculouslyheldtheroad.Hastilythethreegirlsscrambledout.Afterseveralsecondshadelapsed,andthecarstillhelditsposition,Nancysaid,“Iguessit’s
notgoingtomove.”Atthatmomentsnowstartedtofallagain.Thegirlspulledtheircoatcollarstightlyaround
theirnecksandglanceduptheroad.Thelivewirescontinuedtosparkleandcrackle.“Thisisreallyapredicament!”Georgedeclared.“Itcertainlyis,”Nancyagreed.“Wecouldn’tpossiblycontinueontheroad,evenifIdaredto
trymovingthecar.”“That’sright,”saidGeorge.“Iftheserearwheelsspin,thecarmaygooverthecliff.”“Whatwillwedo?”Bessaskednervously.“Hiketothenearesthouse?”“Ihopenot,”Georgesaidquickly.“Itmustbethreemilesback.”Nancywalkedtotherearofthecarandlookeddowntheembankment.“There’sonething
wecantry,”shesaidthoughtfully.“Notwithusinsidethecar!”Bessstatedflatly.“No.Fortunately,therearofthesedanisafewfeetfromtheedgeofthecliff.Ifwecould
justmovethecarbackontotheroad,Icouldbackdownthehill.”“Buthow in theworldcanyoumove thecarbackonto theroadwithoutdriving it?”Bess
asked.Nancysaidthatonetimewhenshewastryingtosqueezeontoaferryboatwithhercarshe
hadfoundit impossibletosteerintoposition.Twomenhadjoltedtherearofthevehicleupanddownuntilitactuallybouncedofftheground.Thentheyhadquicklylifteditafewfeettooneside.“Sothreegirlsoughttobeabletodothesamethingnow,”shesaid.Bessstill lookeddubiousbutGeorgewaswillingtotry it.She insisted,however,thatthey
firstblockthefrontwheelswithstonessotherewouldbenochanceofthecarrollingbackonthem.“Goodidea,”Nancyagreed.The girls kicked at the piles of snow along the side of the road until they found two
substantialrocks.Thesewerepushedsecurelybehindthefronttires.Thenthethreefriendstookpositionsbehindthesedan.“I’llcount,”saidNancy.“WhenIsay‘three,’heaveho!”Leaningover,theygraspedthebumperandbegantojouncethecarupanddown.Thegirls’
faceswerestrainedastheywaitedforahighbounce.In a moment Nancy said, “One! Two!” Bess and George worked feverishly, then waited.
“Three!”Nancycried.Together thegirls liftedtherearof thecaralmost twofeetbacktowardthecenterof the
road.“Hypers!” cried George, using her favorite expletive. “It worked. Nancy, you’re a brain
child!”Nancysteppedintothecarandstartedthemotor.Shedroveforwardafewinches,sothat
BessandGeorgecouldremovethestoneblocks.Thentheytooclimbedin.SlowlyNancy began to back down the hill. This proved to be difficult to do, because the
windhadshiftedandblownquantitiesofthesnowacrosstheroad.Twicethecarstuckfastandthecousinshadtogetoutandtrampdownthedriftsbeforeshecouldproceed.FinallyNancyreachedthefootof thehill.Sheconsultedthemapagainandturnedtothe
right.Halfanhourlatertheycametothemainhighway.Suddenly Bess said apprehensively, “I only hope that car thief is holed up somewhere
becauseofthestorm.”“Ihaveahunchheis,”Nancysaidcheerfully.Towardtheendofthedaythegirlsleftthesnowstormbehind.Tomakeupforlosttime,they
droveuntileleven thatnightbefore theystoppedatamotel.By this time theyhadreachedAlabama,withitsbloomingplants,greengrass,andbeautifultrees.“Whatareliefthissceneryis!”saidBess,gettingoutofthecarandstretching.“Andthetemperature,”Georgeadded.“Itwasonlytendegreeswhenweleft.Nowit’sabout
sixty!”After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast the nextmorning, the girls started off
again. Soon they were in an area of lovely Southern plantations. They were thrilled byglimpses of the homes, so large and statelywith their tall columned porches and beautifulgardens.Quaintcabins,formerlyusedbyslaves,stoodsomedistanceawayfromthehouses.BessohedandahedtosuchanextentthatGeorgefinallysaidteasingly,“Youremindmeofa
drippingice-creamcone,Bess.Sweet,butohsogooey!”“Iwish,”Bessretorted,“thatyoucouldenjoyitthewayIdo.”Nancy,tochangethesubject,said,“TellmeaboutyourcousinDonnaMae.”“Well,”Bessbegan,“she’sayearolder than Iam, tallandpretty.Shehasblondhairand
greatbigblueeyes.”Georgeinterruptedlaughingly,“Anddoessherollthoseeyesaroundtogetherownway!”“You’rejustjealous,”Besstoldher.“Anygirlwhocouldbeengagedtotwomeninoneyear
—”George tossedherbobbedheadat the remark. “Onewouldbeenough forme!But really,
I’vealwayslikedDonnaMae.Iwonderwhyshebrokeherfirstengagement.Theremusthavebeenaseriousreason.”“Orjustachangeofheart.”Nancyremarked.Therestofthetripwasoneofbanterandteasing,andexclamations,evenbyGeorge,over
thebeautyofthescenery.Thecarthiefwasalmostcompletelyforgotten.“I’ve never seen such exquisite azaleas in my life!” Bess remarked, as the girls drove
throughtheMobilearea.“AsIrecall,”saidNancy,“thisplaceisnotedforitsazaleas.”“Yes,itis,”Bessreplied.“TheGardenClubsputonspecialtoursfortouriststoseethem.”“Butthisride,”jokedGeorge,“isaprivatelyconductedtourbyDrewandCompany!”SoonthegirlsreachedthebroadMississippiandgazedat thepeaceful,somewhatmuddy
river.“Itlooksharmlessenough,doesn’tit?”Georgeremarked.“Butthinkofthepiratedayswhen
travelersweren’tsafeonit!”Nancyfollowedtheriverroadforseveralmiles,thenturnedinland.“Sunnymeadisjustahead,”Bessannounced.Fiveminuteslaterthecarturnedintoalongdrivewayedgedwithlive-oaktrees.Attheend
ofitstoodasquareColonialmansion.Itwaspaintedyellow,andwhitecolumnsreachedfromthegroundtotheroof.Twostoriesofporchesranaroundtheentirebuilding.Asthegirlsreachedthehouse,Georgeleanedoverandblewthehorn.DonnaMae,wearing
alow-neckedbouffantdress,rushedouttogreetthevisitors.“You’rereallyhere!”shecriedjoyously.“YouallhadmesoworriedwhenIkepthearingof
yourdelays.”Behind her wasMrs. Haver, an older yet charming version of DonnaMae. She wore an
attractivebluelinendress.
“WelcometoSunnymead!”Mrs.Haverexclaimedwithagracioussmile.InbackofherwalkedColonelHaver,atall,erectmanoffiftywithtwinklingblueeyesand
blackhairslightlygrayatthetemples.Nancywasintroducedtothefamily.Thenshesaid,gettingoutofthecar,“I’mafraidIshall
havetotakealltheblameforourbeinglateinarriving.Alittleunsolvedmysteryovertookus.”“Yes,” Bess added, “Nancy’s beautiful carwas stolen andwewere playing hide-and-seek
withthethief.”Shequicklytoldallthathadhappened.“Oh,howperfectlyghastly!”DonnaMaeexclaimed.“Didn’tyoualmostdie?”“Well,itwasn’tanyfun,”Georgeagreed.Amomentlateranelderlycoloredcouple,wearingamaid’sandabutler’suniforms,came
from thehouse. Theywere introduced asMammyMatilda andPappyCole. The two smiledpleasantly.Then,asPappyColestartedtounloadthecar,MammyMatildasaidtothevisitors:“Isurehopesyouallhaveafinetimedurin’yourvisithere.”“Thankyou,”saidNancy.“I’mlookingforwardtoit.”TurningtoColonelandMrs.Haver,she
added,“It’scertainlymostkindofyoutoinviteme.”Mrs.Haver smiled. “Thepleasure is ours.We’re alwaysdelighted tohave friendsofBess
andGeorgevisitus.”A youngman came from the house and joined the group.Hewas proudly introduced by
DonnaMaeasAlexUpgrove.“I’mcharmed,”hesaidtothevisitorsinaclipped,well-modulatedvoice.The River Heights girls shook hands with the slim, brown-haired young man. Nancy
instantlydecidedthathemightbetermedhandsome,butAlexhadanairofsuperioritywhichspoiledthefirstimpression.A few minutes later Mammy Matilda served tea in a patio at the rear of the house. It
overlooked one of the most exquisitely beautiful gardens Nancy had ever seen. Floweringcherry and plum trees served as a colorful background for beds of various colored roses,azaleas,andcamellias.In choosing seats on thepatioAlex foundonenext toNancyandat onceengagedher in
conversation.BessbroughtupthesubjectofthecarthiefandsaidthatinheropinionthemanhadbeentryingtokeepthegirlsfromcomingtoNewOrleans.“Oh,Idon’tseehowthatcouldpossiblyhaveanybearingonyourtriphere,”Alexdeclared.
“Andsurelyyouhaveno idea there isanyconnectionbetween this thiefand themysteryatSunnymead,haveyou?”Georgereplied.“Yes,wedo.ButIhopewe’rewrong.”Alexlaughed,thenastheconversationbecamemoregeneralheleanedtowardNancyand
whispered:“YouandIaregoingtohaveawonderfultimetogethersolvingtheplantationmystery!”Nancywas startled. She thought the remarkmost inappropriate, in view of the fact that
Alex’sengagementtoDonnaMaewastobeannouncedsoon.PretendingthatshehadmisunderstoodAlex,shesaid,“Yes,IwantyouandDonnaMaeto
tellmeallthedetailswhenyouhaveachance.”AlookofannoyancecameoverAlex’sface.“Ofcourse,”hemuttered.“Anytime.”When the tea hourwas over, the four girlswent upstairs.AsMammyMatilda helped the
visitorsunpack,DonnaMaetalkedincessantlyaboutherfiancé.“Isn’t he a darling?” she asked, “And smart, too. You know, Alex is a graduate of Oxford
UniversityinEngland!Andhe’sfabulouslywealthy—notthatthatmakesanydifferencetome.Buthisfamilyissimplywonderful—sociallyprominent,youknow.”A lookofsurprisecameoverGeorge’s face, forshehadneverbefore thoughtDonnaMae
snobbish.“Haveyoumetthem?”sheasked.“Oh, no, but they wrote me a simply darling letter from Paris and called me their new
daughter.I’llmeetthemsometimesoon.”DonnaMaeexplainedthatherfatherhadlookeduptheUpgrovefamily.Atthepresenttime
theywereallinEurope.“Youmustseehiscollegepictures,”shebabbledon.“Hehasthemwithhim.”“Donna Mae,” George asked abruptly, “what happened between you and Charles
Bartolome?”InstantlyDonnaMae sobered. “We—we—had a falling out on account of Alex. ImetAlex
whileCharleswasawayonalongtrip—andwebecamefriends.ButCharlesdidn’tapprove,andIgotannoyedwithhispossessiveness.SoIbrokeoffmyengagementtohim.”Shehesitated. “To tell you the truthmy consciencehurtme for awhile. I shouldn’t have
datedAlexbut Iwas lonely.AndAlexwassowonderful tome.He’samoreaggressivetypethanCharles,andhe’ssoinlovewithme.Iwonderwhereheisnow!”Asifshecouldnotbeartostayawayfromhimamomentlonger,DonnaMaesaid,“Seeyou
later!IhavetotalktoAlex,”andhurriedoutoftheroom.Bess looked at the other girls and shook her head. “I’ve never seen a bigger change in
anyone.Haveyou,George?DonnaMaejustisn’tlikeheroldself.”“You’reright,Bess,”repliedhercousin,“andIwouldn’tsayforthebetter.Maybeit’sAlex’s
influence.”After dinner that evening Colonel Haver took Nancy aside. “I’d like you to get started
solvingthemysteryassoonaspossible,”hesaid.“Timeisrunningout.”Heexplained thatstoriesofstrangehappeningson theshowboathadcausedworkmento
refusetogonearit.“NotasingletowboatcaptainwillcomeheretopushtheRiverPrincessoutof thebayou.
Wemust do something fast!”He smiled and added, “Are you ready to take over, DetectiveDrew?”
CHAPTERVI
Pirates’Alley
GIVINGtheColonelabigsmile,Nancysaidexcitedly,“I’dliketostartsolvingthemysteryatonce.”“Fine,” he replied. “And there’s one thing I want to say. You’ll have free rein. Don’t feel
obligatedtoreporttomeortoanyoneelse.Comeandgoasyoulike.”Nancywasgladtohearthis.Thefollowingmorningshewentintothegardentogazeatthe
bayou which lay beyond the extensive flower beds. Large water oaks, dripping with longfestoons of Spanishmoss, rose above themist which covered the swamp. Eerie clumps ofcypressandgumtreescouldbeseenagainstthesky.Nancycouldnotrestrainalittleshiver.“That’stheswampwemustgothroughtoreachthe
showboat,”theyoungdetectivemurmuredtoherself.Her thoughtswere interrupted by the arrival of DonnaMae.With a charming smile, she
said,“Goodmornin’,honey.Hopeyousleptwell!”Then,followingNancy’sglance,sheadded,“Thatoldplaceispositivelyspooky,isn’tit?Don’tthinkaboutit!We’regoingtoNewOrleansandhavesomefun.”“But,DonnaMae,Ihavesomeworktodoforyourfather,”Nancyprotested.DonnaMaemadeaface.“Work!WhowantstoworkatMardiGrastime?”sheaskedgaily.
“Youknow,you’regoingtobeintheplaywe’rehavingjustbeforetheballandyoumustgetacostumeatonce.Alexisgoingtodriveallofusgirlstotown.We’llshowyousomeinterestingsightsintheoldcity.”TheplannedexcursionsoundedmostattractiveandNancybrushedasideherseriousmood.
“You’reright,DonnaMae,”shesaid.“NewOrleansissuchafamousplace.OfcourseIwanttoseeit.Icanstartmysleuthinglater.Afewhourswon’tmatter,Iguess.”“Wonderful!We’llstartatteno’clock,”DonnaMaesaid.“I’lltellBessandGeorge.”AttenAlexdrovetothefrontdoor inastationwagon.Whenthegirls fromRiverHeights
cameouttheyworepastelsummercottons.“Howprettyyoualllook!”Alexremarkedashealightedtohelpthegirlsin.ThentoNancy,
whostoodtooneside,hewhispered,“Pleasesitnexttome.Iwanttotalktoyouaboutthemystery.”“Oh, there’splentyof time for that,”Nancyrepliedcoolly, ignoring the invitation. “Donna
Maejustwantsustohavefuntoday.”Shedeliberatelyclimbedintotherearseat,whereBessandGeorgewouldsit.As theyneared thecity,DonnaMae,next toAlex,directedhim toa fineold street in the
residential area.Sheaskedhim to stop in frontof a two-story,balconiedyellowhouse.Theproperty was surrounded by a wrought-iron fencewith an oleander pattern. In the gardenbeyondwereseveralmagnoliatreesandoleanderbushes.Bessgaveasighofadmiration.“Theoleanderblossom,”DonnaMaeexplained,“isthecityflowerofNewOrleans.Thejuice
ofthebushitselfispoisonous,youknow.”“Whyarewestoppinghere?”Alexaskedher.“MadameDupre,who liveshere,rentscostumesfor theMardiGras,”DonnaMaereplied.
“Herselectionisexceptionalandthecostumesunique.”Alexdecidedtoremaininthecarwhilethegirlswentinside.Ittookonlyafewminutesto
choosetheircostumes.AtDonnaMae’s insistenceherfriendswouldrepresent fairies intheplay.Theywouldwearwhite,fluffytulleballetdresseswithwingsattached.Georgegrumbledthatshewasgoingtofeelverysillyinhers.“I hardly think I rate wings, anyway!” she said wryly. “And the costume reminds me of
dancingschoolwhenIwasfouryearsold!”DonnaMaehadherway,however.Thecostumeswerepackedandthegirlswalkedoutside
withtheboxes.TotheiramazementAlexandthestationwagonwerenotinsight.“Nowwheredidhego?”askedDonnaMae,annoyed.MinuteslaterAlexreturnedandexplainedthathehadbeendoingsomesight-seeingwhile
waitingforthem.“We’lltourtheoldcityfirst,”saidDonnaMae,“andthenlunchatAntoine’s.”TheVieuxCarré,oroldcity,wasnestledon theeastbankof theMississippi.Themodern
cityofNewOrleansspreadbeyondit forsomedistance.Alexparkedandthetourbeganonfoot.The visitors were intrigued by the narrow streets and sidewalks, the ancient shops and
restaurants,andthehomeswiththeirheavywoodendoorsandironhingesandlocks.Thetwo-andthree-storybuildingslookeddelightfullyquaintwiththeirlovelywrought-iron
railings.Boxesofbright-coloredflowersdottedtheporches.Hereandtherewereopengatesleadingtocharmingold-fashionedcourtyards.“Visitorsarewelcome towalk inand lookaround,”DonnaMaeannouncedas she led the
wayintooneofthegardens.“Oh,howartistic!”BessexclaimedTheflagstonecourtyardwasdecoratedwithtubsof floweringbushes in fullbloom. In the
centerafountainplayedandatthefarsideacurvedstonestairwayledupwardtoaflower-deckedbalcony.Thewarmtropicalsunshinelentanairoftranquilitytothescene.“It’sheavenly,simplyheavenly!”Besssighed.Asthesight-seersleftthequaintspot,DonnaMaesaid,“Nancy,youandthegirlswillsurely
wanttoseethehauntedhouse.It’sfamousinthisarea.”“Whatmakesithaunted?”Bessaskedquickly.“Well,” beganDonnaMae, “a long, long time ago therewas a fire in the old house. The
ownerandhiswifewerenottherewhenithappened,sofiremenandneighborsbrokeinandsavedwhatfurnituretheycould.Totheirhorrortheyfoundslaveschainedintheattic.“Whentheownerandhiswifeheardthattheirdreadfulcrueltyhadbeendiscovered,they
ranaway.Butit’ssaidthattheghostsofthoseslaveshaunttheplace.”“Idon’tthinkIwanttoseethathouse,”Besssaidwithashudder.Alex suggested that probably they would be more interested in the pirates, anyway. To
Donna Mae, he said, “How about showing the girls the place where Pierre Lafitte was aprisoner?”DonnaMaeledthewaytoJacksonSquare,theheartoftheVieuxCarré.Inthecenterofthis
grassy esplanade stood a statue of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the UnitedStates.Thegeneralsatastridearearinghorse.WhenGeorgeremarkedthatitwasamazinghowtheforelegsofthehorseremainedinspace
with no support, Donna Mae said that this had been accomplished by making the statueperfectlybalanced.“Anunusualanddifficultfeatinthiscase.”DonnaMaewenton,“ThegovernmentofNewOrleanshasbeen in thehandsofdifferent
rulinggroupsfivetimes.SometimesitwastheSpanish,sometimestheFrench,sometimestheUnitedStates,andoncethecitywasindependent.”Around JacksonSquarewerenumerouspublicbuildingsandapartmenthouses.Alex,who
hadbeenonthetourbefore,ledthewaytotheCabildo.Thislarge,many-archedbuildinghadoriginallybeenthemunicipalhallforoldNewOrleans.Nowitwasamuseum.Off the center courtyard around which theCabildo had been built was the small cell in
whichPierreLafitte,thepirate,hadbeenjailed.Atthemomenttherewaslittleinit—themostinterestingobjectsbeingtwoancientsafeswithdecoratedcrosspiecesofahobnaileddesign.“Arethesewhatthepirateskepttheirgoldin?”Georgeaskedwithatwinkleinhereyes.“Sothelegendgoes,”DonnaMaeanswered.“PierreandhisbrotherJeanhadablacksmith
shopafewblocksfromhere.Theydidn’tdomuchblacksmithing,though.TheyweretoobusysmugglinginslavesfromAfricaandsellingthem.
“Jean and Pierre Lafitte were in trouble with the law most of the time,” Donna Maecontinued,“butsomehow,theywerealwaysabletogetoutofit.But,strangethoughitseems,they turned out to be very patriotic citizens during theWar of 1812 in the Battle of NewOrleans.”“Well,I’mgladtheymadeupfortheirmiserabledeeds,”saidBess.“Let’swalkupPirates’Alley,”Alexsuggested.“That’sthestreetwherethepiratescarried
ontheirnefariousschemes.”AsthegroupwalkedacrossJacksonSquaretoPirates’Alley,thegirlsbecameinterestedin
the many sidewalk artists. The men and women lined one side of the square. Many woresmocks and jaunty berets. Some sat on stools, sketching portraits of tourists, and all hadpicturesondisplaytosell.OneaggressivemansmiledatNancy,“MayIpaintyourportrait,miss?”heasked.“Yourface
wouldbelovelyoncanvas!”Nancylaughed.“Nottoday,thankyou,”sheanswered.AlexledthewayintothenarrowstreetnicknamedPirates’Alley.Itwassoattractive,with
itsquaintarchitectureandfloweringplants,thatitwashardforthegirlstothinkofsinisterplansoncebeingmadetherebyschemingpirates.Justasthesight-seersemergedfromthealley,NancygrabbedGeorge’sarm.“Ijustturned
aroundandsawamanwholooksexactlyliketheonewhostolemycar!Hemustbefollowingus!”George suggested getting a policeman, but Nancy said, “No. I’d like to follow him if
possible.Wemay learn something. Suppose you andBess and I duck into the first antiquestorewecometoandlethimpassus.”Georgewhispereddirections toBess, asNancy glanced over her shoulder to be sure the
manwasstillfollowing.Hewas!Comingtoagiftshop,sheannouncedquicklytoDonnaMaeandAlex,“BessandGeorgeand
Iaregoingtodoalittleshopping.SupposewemeetyoulateratAntoine’s.”Without further explanation, the three girls ducked into the shop. Donna Mae, looking
impatient,followedthem,butAlexremainedoutside.Whentheproprietorcameforward,BessandGeorgeengagedhiminconversationaboutafloweredplate.Nancypretendedtoexamineaminiaturevaseonatablenearthewindowwhilewatchingtoseeifthesuspectpassed.To her complete astonishment, the man stopped and spoke to Alex. It was nearly a full
minutebeforehemovedon.NancysignaledtoBess,whosaidtotheproprietor:“Thankyouverymuch.I’llthinkitover.”QuicklyNancylefttheshop,followedbytheothergirls.Thesuspectwasnotfaraheadof
them.Nancystartedoffatabriskpacetospeaktohimandperhapsfindapoliceman.“What’sthehurry?”Alexasked,catchinguptoandtakingherarm.“I want to talk to someone,” Nancy replied hastily. “By the way, what did the man who
stoppedtospeaktoyouwant?”“Thatfellow!Why,he—uh—wantedtopaintyourpicture.”“Whatdidyousaytohim?”Nancyasked.Alexlaughed.“Itoldhimtherewasn’taghostofachanceofpaintingyou.”Nancy gazed straight at Alex to determine if hewas telling the truth or teasing her. But
therewasonlyanamusedlookinhiseyeswhichgavehernoclue.“I’dliketospeaktothemanmyself,anyhow,”Nancydeclaredandhurriedon.Alex and the other girls quickly followed, but by this time the suspect was out of sight.
Nancywasannoyedatherselfforlettinghimgetaway.“I’msurehejustpretendedtobeanartist!”shesaidtoherself.Alex ledthewaytoAntoine’srestaurant.Herethegroupwalkedthroughseveralcrowded
roomsbefore being shown a table.Nancy and the cousins observedwith interest thewallsthatwerecoveredwithautographedphotographsoffamouspersons.
“I’msurethatheisthemanwhostolemycar!”“Now,Alex,”DonnaMaesaidgaily,“let’shavesomeofthosescrumptiousdishesyouandI
adore.”Asherfiancénoddedandbeckonedtoawaiter,Nancysaid,“Pleaseordersomethingspecial
forme.” She rose from the table. “And please excuseme a fewminutes. I have tomake aphonecall.”Closingherselfintoanearbybooth,shegotintouchwithpoliceheadquarters,toldherstory
aboutthestolenconvertible,andthefactthatshethoughtshehadseenthesuspectintown.“We’lllookintothematteratonce,MissDrew,”theofficerinchargepromised.“Thankyou.I’mstayingwithColonelHaveratSunnymead,”saidNancyandgavehimthe
number.The young detective hung up and started to open the door. Outside stood AlexUpgrove,
staringatherintently!
CHAPTERVII
ASwampAccident
As NANCY stepped out of the telephone booth, Alex Upgrove’s eyes bored into hers. Shestaredback.Neitherwouldwaver,butAlexwasthefirsttospeak.“Nancy,whydidn’tyoutellmewhatwasgoingon,soIcouldhelpyou?”hechided.“I’msure
you’reallwrongaboutthatmanbeingthecarthief.Butwecaninvestigatetheused-carlotsinthecityandseeifwecanfindyourconvertible.”“Thankyou,Alex,butI’llleavethattothepolice,”Nancyreplied.ShewasangrythatAlex
hadfollowedheranddeliberatelylistenedtoherconversation.“Well, have it your own way,” he said, escorting her back to the table. “But I wish you
wouldn’tbesomysterious.Icouldbeabighelptoyou,reallyIcould.”“Nodoubt,”Nancysaidinanoffhandedway.The youngpeople thoroughly enjoyed their luncheon in the famous restaurantwhich had
been operating in this same building since 1868. The lunch included the famous oystersRockefeller,servedinthehalfshellonhotsalt,andgarnishedwithasecretgarlicsauce.Thencame“chickeninthebag.”Thewaitertoreoffthepapercovering,revealingasucculentrice-stuffedbird.Dessertwaspecanpie.AstheyleftAntoine’s,Bessdeclaredshecouldnoteatanothermorseluntilthenextday!“Well,that’sfine,”saidDonnaMae,laughing,“becauseIwanttoputonarehearsalofthe
playandwewon’thavetotaketimeoutfordinner.”Thevisitors reluctantly acquiesced.But eachwas thinking that she couldnotbecome too
excited about appearing in the fairy costumes. Nancy writhed inwardly at the thought offurtherdelayinstartingherinvestigationoftheshowboatmystery.When they reached home, Donna Mae announced to her parents that rehearsal in full
costumeswouldtakeplaceinhalfanhour.ColonelHaverpuckeredhislipsandfrowned.“Iwasgoinggolfing,”hesaid.Hiswifesmiled.“Timeisgettingshort,dear.Maybewe’dbetterhavetherehearsal.”AsGeorge, a fewminutes later,was zipperingherself into thewinged fairy costume, she
suddenlyburstintolaughter.“Ifyougirlsthinkthesewingswillholdmeup,IbelieveI’llflyawayandescapethisrehearsal.”Bessgiggled.“You’dbetternot,oryoumayhaveDonnaMaeorAlexflyingafteryou.”Whenthethreeguestsappearedonthefirstfloor,theyfoundtheothersalreadyassembled.
ColonelandMrs.Haverlookedveryregalintheirkingandqueencostumes.DonnaMaeandAlex,attractiveintheprinceandprincessgarmentsofabygoneera,smiledgraciously.“Oh,youlookadorable!”DonnaMaeexclaimed,buthermothergasped.“Why,Ithoughtthe
threegirlsweregoingtobeladiesinwaiting.”“Wanttoseehowawingedfairyacts?”Georgeaskedimpishly.Instantly shebentdoubleandbegan todoadance step that resembled that of an Indian
ceremonial. Then Bess began to chant a song in themanner of a three-year-old reciting anurseryrhyme.AllbutDonnaMaeburstintolaughter.“I’m afraid,” said Colonel Haver, “that these fairy costumes are not appropriate, Donna
Mae.”“Thenwhatarewegoingtodo?”criedhisdaughter,whowasonthevergeoftears.Hermother said she thought somethingmore regalwould be suitable. Sheherselfwould
selectnewcostumesforthegirls.
Nancysighed. “Ihadhoped towearmymother’sbeautiful shawland fan to theball.Thesuitcasetheywerepackedinwasstolen,youknow.”“Thatwasmostunfortunate,”saidMrs.Haver.“ButI’llplanyourcostumesothatyoucan
weartheshawlandfanthateveningifyoushouldgetthembackintime.”Nancyflashedherasmile.“Thankyou,Mrs.Haver.”Afterthethreefairieshadunsnappedtheirwingsandlaidthemonthesofa,therehearsal
began.EarlierPappyColehadbroughtinseveralboxestoformaplatformonwhichtheactorscouldperform.“Whenwe’reactingontheshowboat,we’llhavearealstage,”saidMrs.Haver.“Iwouldn’tcountonthattoomuch,mydear,”ColonelHaverremarked,“unlessNancyDrew
solvesthemystery.”Any replyNancymight havemadewas interrupted byBesswho at thatmomentmade a
misstep on top of one of the boxes. As she fell backward onto the floor, everyone rushedforwardtohelpher.“Areyouhurt,Bess?”Nancyaskedsolicitously.“Oh,myarm!”Bessexclaimed,tearscomingtohereyes.“IguessIwrenchedit!”Mrs.HaverinsistedthatBessgoupstairsandliedown.Nancyofferedtomassagethearm
andGeorgesaidshewouldgetcoldcompresses.“Butwhat’sgoingtohappentotherehearsal?”DonnaMaewailed.“We’llhavetopostponeit,”hermotherreplied.DonnaMaecontinuedtocomplainpeevishlythateverythingwouldberuined,andhadher
friendsandfamilyforgottenthatherengagementwastobeannouncedthenightoftheball?“Everythingjustmustgosmoothly!”sheexclaimed.Nancyandherfriendsweredisgustedwiththegirl’sattitude.Ignoringher,theyclimbedthe
stairstoGeorgeandBess’sbedroom.“What’sthematterwiththatcousinofours?”Georgeburstout.“Oh, don’t pick on her, George,” said Bess. “I think DonnaMae is nervous and irritable
becauseherconsciencebothersher.”“YoumeanaboutCharlesBartolome?”Nancyasked.“Yes.”Bessdecidedtospendtheremainderoftheafternoonandeveninginherroom.Nancyand
Georgehadsupperwiththe familyontheterrace.Shortlyafterward,Nancyannouncedshewasgoingtoherroomandplannedtoretireearly.“I’vehadalovelyday.Thankyousomuch.Goodnight,everyone.”AsNancywalkedintothehouse,Alexhurriedafterher.“Waitaminute,Nancy.Don’tleave
yet,” he pleaded. “I want to talk to you.Won’t you please tellmewhat your plans are forsolvingthemystery?”“Truthfully,Ihaven’tany,”saidNancy.Asshestartedtowalkon,Alextookherhand.“Ifyouhavenoplans,mayIsuggestsome?”Nancywasannoyed,butshedidnotwanttoberude.“Whatkindofplans?”sheasked.“Well, firstofall, I thinkyouought tosee theshowboat.Whatsayyouand Igetupearly
tomorrowmorningandtakeacanoeouttheretogether?”“How early?” Nancy asked, parrying for time to think up an excuse not to accept the
invitation.“Oh,beforetheothersareup,”Alexsaidwithaslysmile.“We’llgetbackforbreakfast.”BythistimeNancyhadananswer.“Alex,Iunderstandthebayouisverydangerous.Neither
ofusisfamiliarwithit.Sorry,butI’mafraidIcan’tgowithyou.”Withthat,shewentupthestepstwoatatimeandhurriedtoherroom,closingthedoor.“Whatapestheis!”Nancysaidtoherself.Thenshesmiled.“OnethingIcandowithoutis
hiscompanytotheshowboat.”
Nancysatdowninachairbythewindow,lostinthought.Suddenlyshearose.“I’llfindoutrightnowaboutaguidetotakemethroughthebayou.”TheyoungdetectivedecidedthatMammyMatildaandPappyColemightknowatrustworthy
guide.Nancy peered into the hall to be sure Alexwas not in sight, then she hurried to a back
stairway leading to the kitchen andwent down.MammyMatilda andPappyColewere justfinishingtheirsupper.“Thatwas a deliciousmeal,”Nancy said, sitting down on a high stool. “I’ve never eaten
anythingthattastedbetterthanthatCreolerice.”The elderly couple smiled and thanked her. ThenNancy changed the subject. “I’d like to
visittheoldshowboat.Couldyourecommendagoodguide?”Thetwoservantslookedfrightened,andMammyMatildasaid,“MissNancy,youmustn’tgo
nearthatthereshowboat.”“Whynot?”theyoungsleuthasked.“I’mhopingtosolvethemysteryinconnectionwithit.”PappyColefrowned.“Iguessyouhaven’theardthatthere’saghostonboard.It’sahaunted
showboat.”“Whatdoestheghostdo?”Nancyasked.“Oh,allkindsofthings,MissNancy,”MammyMatildareplied.“Everytimeaworkmangoes
therean’triestofixtheboatup,thatthereghostcomesalongan’ruinsallthathe’sdone.”“Hm,”saidNancy, thinkingthatsuchdestructionsoundedmore like theworkofahuman
beingthanaghost!“To tell you the truth,”MammyMatildawenton, “I thinkour folksherearemakin’abig
mistaketryin’tomovethatthereboat.”“Whydoyouthinkso?”Nancyaskedher.Theoldcouple lookedquestioninglyateachother.Then finallyPappyCole said,hisvoice
risingexcitedly,“TheRiverPrincesswassentintothebayoubyagreatflood.It’sProvidencethatdidit.Providence.Wegotnorighttochangethings.Mammyan’Ithinkthatboatshouldrestthereinpeace.”Nancywasamazedatthispointofview.Instantlyshewonderediftherewereothersinthe
neighborhood who felt the same asMammyMatilda and Pappy Cole. If so, they might beresponsibleforwhatwashappening!“Well,whethertheoldboatismovedornot,”Nancysaid,“I’dlovetolookatit.”“Well,ifyouinsist,MissNancy,”saidPappyCole,“Ithinkthere’snobettermanthanUncle
Rufus.Heknowsthattherebayoulikethealligatorsdoan’he’saswiseastheoldowlsinit,too.”NancyaskedPappyColeifhewouldarrangeforUncleRufustocometoSunnymeadsothat
shemighttalktohim.“I’llhavehimheredirectlyafterbreakfast,”PappyColepromised.“Justcometothekitchen,
MissNancy.”Delighted, she thanked the couple for the information and went back upstairs. Nancy
stopped at Bess andGeorge’s room to tell them about her plan and ask them to go along.Georgeatonceaccepted.Besssaidshewouldgoifherarmfeltbetterinthemorning.BybreakfasttimeBessinsistedthatwhileherelbowwasstillsore,itdidnotbotherhervery
muchandshewouldliketoseetheoldshowboat.Atnineo’clock theywent to thekitchen.Awhite-hairedNegro immediately stoodup.He
wastallandslender,andhisfacehadthelookofatrustworthy,helpfulperson.“This isUncleRufus,”MammyMatilda introducedhim.“UncleRufus, theseheregirlsare
theoneswhowanttogotothatshowboat.MissDrew,MissFayne,andMissMarvin.”Theelderlymanmadealowbowandsaidhewouldbeveryhappytotakethem.“Igotmyka-noooutside,”hesaid.“Whenyouallisready,UncleRufuswillpaddleyouup
thestream.”AsNancyandGeorgestartedupstairstochangetheirshoes,Besswalkedouttotheporch
wheretheHaversweretalking.Alexhadgoneout,theysaid.WhenBesstoldthemofthegirls’
plan,theColonelsaid:“Fine.Perhapsyou’llfindsomecluestohelpsolveourmystery.”“Butdobecareful,”Mrs.Havercautioned.WhenNancy,Bess,andGeorgemetUncleRufusattherearofthegarden,theylookedatthe
canoeinamazement.Itwasahandmadedugout,veryoldandfragilelooking.“Areyousureit’ssafeforallofustogo?”Bessaskednervously.UncleRufussmiled.“Thishereka-noohastakenmean’myniecesandnephewsmilesan’
miles,”hesaidproudly.“Don’tyouallworryaboutit.”Thegirlssteppedinandtheoldmanstartedpaddling.Soonthehousevanishedfromsight.
For some time therewas no conversation as the girls tried to accustom themselves to theeeriestillness.ThedismalatmosphereoftheswampanditsrankodordisturbedBess.UncleRufus,seeingherholdingahandkerchieftohernose,remarked,“Prettysoonyouall
won’tmind this stench.Right hereabouts it’s scarce inmoss.Deeper in the swamp there’splentyofit.Youknow,mossisoneo’God’sgiftstotheswamp.Itpurifiestheair.”Fartheron,thegirlsnoticedquantitiesofmossgrowingonstumpsandstones.Theairdid
seempurer!The sight-seersalsonoticed thatonboth sidesof the stream,among the trees,was thick
coarsegrass.“That’scrawfishgrass,”UncleRufustoldthem.Heexplainedthatthenativesletdownnetbasketsontheendofapoleamongthebladesof
grass.“They puts in fish bait,” he said, “an’ in no time they gets themselves a basket full o’
crawfish.”Forsomedistancetheclearedstreamthroughtheswampwasaboutthirtyfeetwide,thenit
suddenlynarrowed.UncleRufusexplainedthatthiswasasfarasColonelHaverhadcleareditout.As theyentered thenarrowpart,UncleRufuspulled inhispaddleand let theboatglide.
“Wantol’Rufustotellyou’boutthetime—”At that instant the canoe hit an underwater obstruction head on. The craft shuddered
violently,thenoverturned,throwingitspassengersintothemurkywater!
CHAPTERVIII
TheVoodooPreacher
UNCLERUFUSandthegirlscametothesurface,shakingthemuckywaterfromtheirfaces.Thefourofthemwadedtotheoverturneddugout.“There’sabigholeinit!”Georgeexclaimed.UncleRufusshookhisheadindismay,thenwiththegirlsbegantolookforthecauseofthe
accident.SuddenlyNancycriedout,“There’sabarricadehere!”Shehaddivedunderthewater.Initsmurkinessshehadspottedastoutnetofvineswhich
had been strung across the narrow part of the stream and tied to trees on each side. Theimpactofthedugouthadtornitapart.“Hm!”saidUncleRufus.“Butthatsurewasn’twhatputaholeinmyka-noo.”Hewentdownunderthewaterhimselfandfeltaround.Amomentlaterhesurfaced.Hetold
thegirlsthatseveralsharp-pointedstoneshadbeenusedtoweightdownthevinenet.Thesehadpiercedhiscraft.“Someonedidthisonpurposetokeepusfromgoinganyfarther!”Georgedeclared.UncleRufuslookedstartled.“Youmeanyouallgotsomeenemiesaroundhere?”“It lookslikeit,”Nancyagreed.“But,UncleRufus,maybeyouknowofsomeotherreason
whythevinemighthavebeenputhere.”The oldman shook his head. “Nobody in this here bayouhas got anything againstUncle
Rufus.”Hechangedthesubjectabruptly.“Well,I’vegottogoan’getanotherboat.Youladiesclimbsometrees,elsesomehungryolealligatormaybotheryou.”Bessgavealittlesquealandinstantlystartedwadingtowardaswampoak.“Whereareyougoingtofindaboat?”NancyaskedUncleRufus.Theoldmansaidafriendwouldlendhimone.Heknewashortcuttotheman’scabin.With
asmileUncleRufusaddedthathewasusedtosloshingthroughtheswamponfoot.“Iwon’tbegonemore’nhalfanhour,”hesaid.“Halfanhour?”Besswailed.“YoumeanIhavetostayupinthistreeallthattime?”“I’seafraidyoudo,”UncleRufusreplied.Ashewasabouttostartoff,Nancysuddenlysaid,“Listen!IthinkIhearaboatcoming!”Theyall remainedquiet andpresently a canoeist turnedabend just ahead in thenarrow
partofthestream.“Alex!”Nancyexclaimed.The youngman lookedup.Seeing thegirls andUncleRufus, he called out, “What in the
worldisgoingon?”Quickly Nancy explained. As Alex came closer he said, “A mat of vines, you say? That’s
strange.Apparentlyitwasn’therehalfanhouragowhenIwentupthestream.”“Didyouseeanyoneelsearound?”Nancyaskedhim.“No,Ididn’t,”Alexanswered.Thenheadded,“Well,allofyouclimbaboardandI’lltakeyou
home.Isupposeyouwereonyourwaytoseetheshowboat?”Nancyconfessedthattheywere.SheexpressedamazementthatAlexhaddaredpaddleup
totheRiverPrincessalone.Theyoungmanlaughed.“Oh,I’mnotafraidofghosts,”hesaid.“Thesestoriesaboutthat
showboatbeinghauntedarealotofnonsense.Butjustthesame,I’mconvinceditwouldbe
foolhardytotryclearingouttherestofthestreamandmovingtheshowboattotheHavers’estatebeforeMardiGrastime.Infact,IthinkitwouldbesillytomovetheRiverPrincessatanytime.Sheisn’tworthit.”“Youmeantheboat’sinbadshape?”Bessasked.“Shesureis.Practicallyrottingaway.”TherewasnofurtherconversationonthesubjectuntiltheynearedthedockatSunnymead.
ThenAlexremarked,“I’mgoingtoadviseColonelHavertocalloffallworkandinvestigation.Nancy,Ihopeyou’llbackmeup.Thenyouwon’thavetobotherwithanymysteryandallofuscanhaveagoodtimetogether.”Nancydidnotreply.Instead,asthegroupsteppedoutofthecanoe,shesuggestedtoUncle
Rufus thathe come inside thehouse. “Youcanbatheandborrow someclothes fromPappyCole.”UncleRufuslaughed.“Thankyoukindly,miss,butI’seusedtotheswampmud.Igotalittle
bathin’pondofmyownuptothecabin.I’lljustamblealongthroughthewatertillIgithome.”Hehadgoneonlyfifty feetwhenanewideaoccurredtoNancy.Runningalongtheshore,
shecaughtuptohim.Inalowvoiceshesaid,“I’dstillliketovisittheshowboat.Woulditbepossibleforyoutotaketheothergirlsandmesometimetoday?”“Why,yes,miss,”UncleRufusanswered.“Couldyouallcometomycabinwhenyougitfixed
up?I’llbereadyan’I’llborrowthatka-nooIwastellin’youabout.”Nancyaskeddirectionsandwas toldhowtoreach thecabinbycar.“We’llbe there inan
hour,”shesaid.WhenNancy returned to the rest of her group, Alex adroitly tried to find out about her
conversationwithUncleRufus.Buttheyoungdetedectiveside-steppedhisquestions.“What’snextontheprogram?”Alexinquired,asheandthegirlswalkedtowardtheHaver
mansion.“Abathandashampoo!”Georgeannouncedfirmly.Whenthegirlsreachedtheiradjoiningbedrooms,Nancywhisperedherplanaboutstarting
againfortheshowboat.BesssaidthatshewouldbegladtogobutwonderedhowtheycouldkeepAlexfromaccompanyingthemorfindingoutwheretheyweregoing.“Thistimewe’renotgoingtotellanybodywherewe’regoing,”Nancysaid.“Youremember
ColonelHavertellingmeI’dhavefreereininsolvingthismysteryandwouldn’thavetoreporttoanybody.Let’skeepthistripasecret.”“Why thesecrecy,Nancy?”Bessasked. “Surelyyoudon’t suspectanyone in thishouseof
beingmixedupinthemystery,doyou?”“Ididn’tmeanthat,”Nancyanswered.“Ifourplanbecomesknown,wemaybeinterrupted
againtogosight-seeing.”George chuckled. “Also, Bess, you don’t have to be suspicious of people like Alex just
becauseyoudon’tlikethem.Isupposehemeanswell,butIcan’tstandthatmanandIknowNancycan’t.”“Well,Ican’teither,”admittedBess.“But,Nancy,surelyyoudon’tthinkheputthatbarrier
ropeacrosstherivertokeepusfromseeingtheshowboat,doyou?”“No. But he’s not very consistent. First, he wanted to join forces withme and solve the
mystery—undoubtedlytomakeahitwithhisfuturefather-in-law.Nowhesayshe’sgoingtoadvisehimtodropthewholepropositionandevenwantsmetobackhimup!”Georgelaughed.“Talkaboutwomenchangingtheirminds!”Thegirlswerereadyinhalfanhourandwentdownstairs.DonnaMaeandAlexwereplaying
tennis on a court near the house. Colonel and Mrs. Haver, Nancy learned from MammyMatilda,hadgonetotown.Nancyandherfriends leftthemansionbyasidedoorandwalkedtotheircar.Takingthe
service road, Nancy avoided the tennis court and drove off. Following Uncle Rufus’sdirections,sheturnedfromthemainroadontoabayoulane.Inalittlewhileshecametoamodestbrownwoodenshackinagroveofcypresstrees.The
girlsgotoutandwalkedtowardthebuilding.“Wait!”Besscriedout.“Thiscan’tbetherighthouse.DoyouhearwhatIdo?”
Fromthecabincamethesoundsofdolefulchantingandtheriseandfallofawailingvoice,evidentlypraying.“Soundslikeavoodoosession,”Georgeobserved.Thegirlsstoodstillandlistened.Singsongmutteringsfollowedthechanting.Amoment latera smallboycame from thecabinand ran toward thegirls. “Whatyouall
want?”heasked.“IsthisUncleRufus’shome?”Nancyinquired.“Yassum,itis,”theboyreplied.“Butyoucain’tseehimnow.”“Butwehaveanappointmentwithhim,”saidNancy.“UncleRufushada’mergencycase,”theboysaid.“Emergencycase?”Georgeasked.“IsUncleRufusadoctor?”“Yassum,”saidthelittleboy.Asheranoff,hecalledback,“UncleRufusisavoodoodoctor!”Thegirlswereamazed.“Idon’twantUncleRufuscastinganyspellsonme!”Besssaidfirmly.Nancywasthoughtful.Finallysheasked,“DoyousupposeUncleRufuscouldheadagroup
ofvoodoobelieverswhoholdsecretmeetingsontheshowboat?”George said it was very likely. “And perhaps they’re deliberately haunting it so the boat
won’tbemoved!”shesuggested.“We’ll tryto findout.Butwemustn’tmakeUncleRufussuspicious,”shewarned,andher
friendsnodded.At thatmomentUncleRufus’s “patient,” anelderly coloredwoman, came from thecabin.
Shewassingingahymn.Asshepassedthegirlsshesmiledatthemhappilybutdidnotspeak.Afterthewomanwasoutofhearingdistance,Bessremarked,“Sheactsasifshewereina
trance!”“Shesuredoes,”saidGeorge.Just thenUncleRufusappeared.As if reading thegirls’ thoughts,heexplained thatwhen
thewomanhadcometovisithimshehadbeenlimping.Aradiantexpressionspreadovertheoldman’s face when he added, “Now through prayer she’s cured.We sang an’ we prayedtogether.”In unison the girls said, “We’re glad,” butmade no other reference to thewoman or the
subjectofvoodooism.For several secondsUncle Rufus stood looking after his “patient,” then he turned to the
girls,“I’sereadytotakethetripnow.”
CHAPTERIX
TheRiverPrincess
THE CANOE proceeded along the bayou stream in leisurely fashion. Uncle Rufus paddledevenlybutslowly.Nowandthenhewouldstopalongtheedgetopointoutanherb.“Aresomeofthemspices?”Nancyasked.Uncle Rufus said a few were, but most of the swamp herbs were used for medicinal
purposes.Nowthattheoldmanhadstartedtalkingaboutthebayou,hewentonandon,tellingabout
itswildlife.“Takespiders,”hesaid.“Theyrepresentsthedevilonthisearth.Theypi-sonfolks,an’snakesdo,too.Yougottobemightycarefulof’em.”UncleRufus said that on the other hand the turtle represented great patience. “Just like
God’spatiencewithman,”headded,smiling.“Andaturtleknowsenoughnottostickitsneckoutan’getintootherfolks’business.”As thegirls chuckled,UncleRufus suddenly called their attention to a screeching sound.
“Knowwhatthatis?”“Oh,it’sabirdcall,isn’tit?”Georgeasked.UncleRufusnodded.“Doyouknowwhatkind?”“Awildduck?”Nancyguessed.“No,”UncleRufusreplied,“butsomebody’ssure’nufftryin’toimitateone.”“Isitbeingusedasasignal?”Nancyasked.“Mebbeso,”UncleRufusanswered.“Butit’sanawfulbadimitation.Nobodywhoknowsthe
bayouwouldbefooledbythat.”Justthenfromtheoppositedirectioncameanothercall,exactlythesameasthefirst.The
girls exchangedmeaningful glances.Whowas imitating awild duck’s cry? SuddenlyUncleRufuschuckledandsaidthatacoupleofcityboysmustbeplayingagameinthebayou.Nancy and her friends, although they did not say so aloud, did not come to the same
conclusion.Itwaspossiblethatpersonsweresignalingwithsomesinisterpurpose—perhapstosetanothertrapforthegirls!Meanwhile,thecanoehadalreadyenteredthenarrowpartofthestream.Fifteenminutes
laterUncleRufussangout:“TheRiverPrincessisjustahead!”Hepaddledaroundabendand thegirls found themselves facingasmallpond.At the far
sideofit,againstabackdropofmoss-coveredoaks,laytheoldshowboat.Itwasaboutahundredfeet long,twenty-fivefeetwide,andhadtwodecks.Thecrafthad
listedslightlyanditslookouttowerhadbeendamagedbyafallingtree.UncleRufuschuckled.“I—IguesstheRiverPrincesswasplentyproudinherday.Hundreds
ofgentlefolksusedtocometoseetheshows.”Bess gave a great, audible sigh. “I don’t blameColonelHaver forwanting to restore the
RiverPrincess.She’sthemostromanticthingI’veseeninalongtime.”“Andoneoftheworstwrecks,”Georgeretorted.Nancy smiled. “I agree, partly,withboth of you.But really I don’t think this showboat is
beyondrepair.Let’sgoaboardandlookforourselves.”At that moment hammering started on the craft. Bess involuntarily gave a shudder and
UncleRufuslookedstartled.Nancy grinned and said quickly, “Don’t worry. Ghosts rarely work in the daytime.” In a
loudervoiceshecalled,“Anybodyhome?”Amomentlateratallyoungmanappearedonthelowerdeckandwalkedtowardtherailing.
Hewasfine-featuredandhadreddishhair.“ThatmustbeCharlesBartolome,”Besssaidinalowvoice.“I’veseenhispicture.”“That’sMr.Bartolomeallright,”UncleRufusspokeup.Theyoungman,afterhisfirstlookofsurpriseatseeingcallers,smiledatthegroupinthe
canoe.“Hi!”hecalled.Introductions were quickly exchanged. Under her breath, Bess murmured, “How in the
worldcouldDonnaMaeeverhaveswitched fromhimtoAlexUpgrove?”NancyandGeorgesharedthesamefeelingbutmadenocomment.NancytoldCharlesBartolomewhysheandherfriendshadcometotheshowboatandhow
shehopedtoclearupthemystery.“WewanttohavetheRiverPrincessbroughttoSunnymead,sothattheballtheHaversare
planningwillbeabigsuccess.”“I, too,would like to see themystery solved,” saidCharles.He did notmention the ball.
“Goodlucktoyouall.”“We’llprobablyneedyourhelp,”Nancy toldhim. “Asa start,wouldyoumindshowingus
aroundtheRiverPrincess?”“I’dbedelightedto,”hereplied.“I’vebecomeveryfondoftheoldgal.Butassoonasmyjob
of restoring the showboat is completed, I’m leaving for New York. I’m going to live therepermanentlyandcontinuemyworkasanarchitect.”Thegirlsweresuretheyknewthereasonforthemove.WithDonnaMaemarriedtoAlex,he
wouldnolongerwanttoliveintheNewOrleansneighborhood.UncleRufuswaitedinthecanoewhilethegirlsclimbedaladderandwentaboard.Charles
led them inside to the auditorium. Fastened to the sloping floor were many rows of old-fashioned,cushionedoperachairs.Abalcony,ornateindesign,ranaroundthreesidesoftheroom,andonthefourthsidewasastage.Atatteredred-and-goldcurtainhungdownatthefrontofit.Charles remarked cheerfully, “A couple of coats of paint will do wonders for the River
Princess.Actuallytheoldboatisnotinsuchbadshape.It’sjust—”Theyoungmanpaused.His listenerswaitedforhimtogoon.Finallyhesaid,“It’s justthatwecan’t findanybody
willingtoworkonherormoveher.Andthemenwhowereclearingoutthispartofthestreamwon’tcontinue.”“Isitbecausetheywerefrightenedbysomethingwhichhappenedontheboat?”“Oh, therehavebeenall sortsof rumors,”Charles replied. “Onewas that thecalliopeon
board actually played. Thatwould be impossible, of course. The old organ has been out ofcommissionforyears.”Charleswentontosaythathehimselfhaddonesomeworkinstartingtherestorationofthe
RiverPrincess,butthatwhathehadrebuiltwasmysteriouslyhackedduringthenight.“That’sashame,”saidNancy.“ButI’mnotdiscouraged,”Charlesreplied.“I’llkeepatit.”Nancysmiled,thensaid,“BessandGeorgeandIhavewonderedifpeopleintheareawho
practicevoodoomaybeusingthisplacefortheirmeetings.Doyouthinkthat’spossible?”CharlesBartolomeconsideredthisideaforseveralseconds,thenhesaid,“It’spossible.But
whywouldtheydestroymywork?”Nancysuggestedthatitmightbetofrightenhimaway.“Inanycase,thesepeoplewouldnot
wanttheshowboatmovedtoaplacewheretheycouldno longeruse it,andmightbeusingvariousmeanstodiscourageColonelHaver.”Theyoungmansmiled.“Well,Nancy,it’syourmystery.Come,I’llshowyoutherestofthe
boat.”Theticketofficeandcaptain’ssuitewereatthebowoftheboat,whileatthestern,backof
thestage,weredressingroomsandlivingquarters.“Thesebedroomswereformarriedcouples,”theyoungarchitectexplained.“Theunmarried
men stayed on the steam towboat that pushed theRiverPrincess from place to place. Thekitchenanddiningroomwereonthetowboatalso.”Asthetourendedonthelowerdeck,neartheladder,Nancysuddenlyleanedovertopickup
somethingfromacrackbetweentheboards.“IthinkIhavemyfirstclue!”shecriedout.
CHAPTERX
ACuriousAlligator
ASNANCY’sfriendsontheshowboatwatched,shepickedupaglitteringobjectfromacrackbetween the deck boards. It was a large, gold ornamental hairpin, old-fashioned in design.Tinydiamondsandemeraldssparkledfromthefan-shapedend,whichwasabouttwoincheswide.
“Thegoldisstillshiny,”Nancyobserved,scrutinizingthepin,“sothisprobablyhasn’tbeenhereverylong.”
Bess and George, too, were intrigued. “You mean the pin might have been dropped hererecentlybyitsowner?”askedGeorge.
As Nancy nodded, the girls noticed a strange expression come over Charles Bartolome’sface.Hehadbeenstaringintentlyforseveralminutesatthehairpin.
“Doyouknowwhotheowneris?”Georgeaskedhim.“Possibly,”theyoungmanrepliedaftera longmomentofsilence.“AfewmonthsagoMrs.
Haver showed me her collection of old jewelry. There was a hairpin exactly like this oneamongthepieces.”
Thegirlswerestunnedbythisinformation.Itwasincredible,theythought,thatMrs.Haverwouldhaveworntheornamenttotheshowboat.Thenwhohad?
“Haveyouanytheoryastohowthepingothere?”NancyaskedCharles.“PerhapssomeonestoleitfromMrs.Haveranddroppeditaccidentally,”heoffered.Besswasinclinedtothinkthatthepinmightnothavebeendroppedaccidentally.“Perhaps
someoneplantedithereonpurpose!”“Butwhy?”Georgeasked.Sincenoonecouldevenattempttosolvetheriddleatthemoment,thesubjectwasdropped.
Nancy pocketed the hairpinwith the thought of questioningMrs.Haver about it later. TheyoungdetectivenowaskedCharlesifhehadheardanybirdcallsearlier.
“Youmeanthewildducksthatwereansweringeachother?”“Yes, only according to Uncle Rufus they weren’t genuine calls. He suggested that some
boyswereplayingagame.Butwegirlsthoughtthatperhapssomeonemightbespyingontheshowboat.Aconfederatesomedistanceawaycouldhavebeenusingthecalltowarnsomeonethatwewereapproaching.”
Charlesfrowned.“Thatcouldbetrue.Ifso,Idon’tlikeitatall.ImustadmitmyworkkeptmesobusythatIdidn’tnoticeanyonearound.”
Next,Nancytoldtheyoungarchitectaboutthevinebarrierinthestream.“Thisisserious,”hesaid.“I’llaskUncleRufustosearchtheswamp.”HecalleddownsoftlytoUncleRufus,requestinghimtohuntforanypersonswhomightbe
watchingthegroupontheboat.Astheoldmannoddedandpaddledoff,Nancysuggestedthattherestofthemmakecertainnoonewashidingontheboatitself.
Thesearchersseparated,withCharlesofferingtogodownintotheholdofthevesseltofindout if anyone were there. Nancy took the dressing rooms and upper deck, Bess theauditorium,andGeorgethestage.
Athoroughsearchwasmade.Doorstoroomsandclosetscreakedontheirhingesastheywereopened,butallwereemptyexceptforspiderwebs.
Bess,afterlookinginthetheater,wanderedalongoneofthenearbycorridors.Withastart,shesuddenlysawareflectioninafull-lengthmirroronthewallaheadofher.Theframewastarnishedwithageandthefigurelookedwavery.
“Oh!”shecriedwithalittleshiver.Then,realizingthereflectionwasherown,sheranoutondeck.
“This ispositively thespookiestplace I’veeverbeen in!” shesaid toNancy,whohad justcomedownfrominvestigatingthelookoutandseconddeck.
Soon George joined them, then Charles. All reported there was no evidence that anyonebesidesthemselveswasaboard.
A few moments later Uncle Rufus returned. He reported that there was no one within ahundredyardsoftheRiverPrincess.“Isuredidlooksharpeverywhichway,”theelderlymanassuredthem.Thenheaddedthathemustleavesoon.
“We’llbereadyinafewminutes,”Nancytoldhim.SheturnedtoCharlesandaskedhimifhehadeverbeenontheshowboatafterdark.
“No,Ihaven’t,”hesaid.“Infact,I’veneverevenbeeninthebayouaftersundown.”Then,reading Nancy’s thoughts, he asked, “Would you girls like to visit theRiver Princess someeveningwithme?”
“Oh,we’dloveto,”Nancyreplied.CharlesBartolomeofferedtobringthemtotheshowboatthefollowingevening.Bessdidnot
look enthusiastic, but managed to smile feebly. George declared it would be an interestingadventure.“Maybeafterdarkwe’llbeabletoscareupthoseshowboatspooks,”shesaid.
Atthis,Bess’sfaintsmilefadedcompletely.Shethrewawitheringglanceathercousinandsaid,“Don’tsoundsohappyaboutit.Ifwedocomeacrossanyghosts,youcancatchthemall,GeorgeFayne!”
Nancy,George,andCharleschuckled,thenNancysaid:“Itwillbeawonderfultrip.And,Charles,ifyoudon’tmind,I’dliketokeepitasecret.”Hegrinned,gavethegirlsawink,andsaid,“Iunderstand.AndI’mveryflatteredthatyou’re
goingtopermitmetohelpyousolvethemystery.”“Itmaybealongpull,”Nancywarnedhim.Charlessaidherealizedthat.“Butifitisn’tsolvedbyMardiGrastime,Iguesstherewon’t
bemuchuse.”AfterNancyandherfriendshadclimbeddowntheladderandwereseatedinthecanoe,he
calledtothem,“Howaboutyougirlscomingtomyhometodinnertomorroweveningbeforewego?IknowMotherwouldlikeverymuchtomeetyou.Dadwouldtoo,buthe’sawayforafewdays.”
“That’sverykind,”saidNancy.“I’dlovetocome.”“I’dbethrilled,”Bessspokeup,andGeorgeaddedherthanks.“ThenMotherwillbecallingyou,”Charlespromised.Thegirlswavedgood-byasUncleRufusstartedpaddlingdownthestream.Onthereturn
tripheentertainedthemwithstoriesofNegrolifeinAfricacenturiesago.
“Nancy!Watchout!”Bessscreamed“It was my ancestors that invented the first long-distance com-mun-i-cation,” he said
proudly.“Wemadedrumsthatcouldcarrysoundsformilesan’miles.Thefolksinoneplacesent signals an’ messages by beatin’ on the drums with their hands. Then the next villagewouldpickitupan’sendthesignalontoanotherplacefaraway.That’showtheygotallthemembersofatribetogetherforspecialmeetin’san’forfightin’wars.”
“Veryingenious,”Georgeremarked.NotoncedidUncleRufus refer tovoodooismor to the fact thathehimselfwasavoodoo
doctororpreacher.Justbeforethecanoereachedtheareainthestreamwhereitjoinedtheclearedsection,the
craftfloatedoveralargepadofwhitelilies.“Aren’ttheypretty?”Bessasked.NancynoddedanddecidedtopickafewoftheflowerstotaketoMrs.Haver.Inpullingthe
firstone,shefeltthewholerootcomingaway.Sheyankedatithardandinamomentfelttheclumppullloose.
Thesameinstant,Bess,whowaswatchingherchum,screamed.Shehadseenthesnoutofanalligatorrisingfrombeneaththeleaves.Thereptile’sjawswereaimingforNancy’shand!
“Lookout!”Bessyelled.
CHAPTERXI
APuzzlingAttitude
BESS’ScryalertedNancy.Justintimeshesawthereptileandquicklypulledinherhand,stillholdingthelilyplant.
“Oh!”Bessgaveahugesighofrelief.But the next moment her fright returned. Nancy and George, too, were alarmed. The
alligator,asifannoyedbecausehehadbeendisturbed,turned,flippinghistail.Itwhackedthecanoesohardthatthelittlecraftalmostoverturned.
Uncle Rufus stood up and hit the alligator’s head with his paddle. The elderly mansucceededinstunningthealligatorbyhittingthevulnerableaperturebehindthereptile’sear.ThenUncleRufussatdownandbegantopaddlefuriouslydownstream.
“Whew!”Georgeburstout.“Ineverwanttogetthatclosetosuchabeastagain!”“NorI,”saidBesswithashudder.“Oh,you’resobrave,UncleRufus!”TheoldNegro’sfacebrokeintoabroadgrin.“Whenyouliveswith‘gatorsallyourlife,you
don’tfoolaroundwith’em!”hesaid.Whentheyreachedtheoldman’scabin,thegirlsthankedhimforhishelp,thenreturnedto
SunnymeadinNancy’scar.There,teawasbeingservedonthepatioandMrs.Haverinvitedthegirlstojointhegroup.
“My,butyoualllookmysterious,”DonnaMaeremarked.“Letmeguess—you’vebeeninthebayou.”
WhenBessconfessedthattheyhadbeen,Alexadded,“AndI’dliketobetyou’vebeentotheshowboat.”
“You’reright,”Nancyadmitted.BeforeAlexcouldpursuethesubject,sheadded,“Themostexcitingpartofourtripwasmeetinganalligator.”
“Oh,howpositivelyhorrid!”DonnaMaeex.claimed.Thestorywastold indetailandNancyhopedthatnofurtherreferencewouldbemadeto
theshowboat.ButAlexhadnotforgottenit.“Well,”hespokeup,“nowthatyou’veseentheRiverPrincess,I’msureyou’llagreewithme
thatit’sahopelessmess.There’snopointintryingtomovetheboatfromthebayou.Itwouldbemuchtooexpensive.”
“But,Alexdear,whatarewegoingtodoaboutaplacetoholdtheball?”DonnaMaeasked.“Don’tyouworry,honey,”Alexsaidreassuringly.“Ihaveasplendid idea.Wecanturnthis
houseintoashowboat!”ForamomenttheHaversandtheirdaughterwerestunnedbythesuggestion.Butpresently,
as Alex explained how all the furniture could be moved from the living room and a stageerectedatoneend,theybecameinterested.
“Ifwecan’thavetherealthing,”remarkedtheColonel,“Isupposewe’dbetterstartmakingplansimmediatelytodecoratethisplace.”
Thegirls fromRiverHeights,however,wereextremelydisappointedat this turnofeventsand took no part in the planning. They thought Alex’s suggestion a poor substitute for theColonel’soriginalidea—andNancyherselfdidnotwanttogiveupanunsolvedmystery.
Presently Alex left the group to look over the living room and decide how he woulddismantle it. Mrs. Haver mentioned to her visitors that the family had been invited to aneighbor’shometoadinnerpartythefollowingevening.“Wouldyougirlsliketoaccompanyus?You’reinvited,”shesaid.
“We’dloveto,butthethreeofushavealreadymadeanotherengagement,”Nancytoldher
hostess.“Why, how nice! But I didn’t realize you knew anyone down here,” saidMrs. Haver, and
DonnaMaeasked,“Whereareyougoing?”Nancy told them about havingmet Charles Bartolome, and the invitation to his home to
dinner.Mrs.Haver,at first surprised, lookedembarrassedwhenDonnaMaesuddenlyburstintotearsandfledfromtheroom.Excusingherself,thewomanhurriedafterherdaughter.
“Howodd,”saidGeorge.“WhatailsDonnaMae,anyhow!”“Maybeweshouldn’thavesaidanythingaboutCharlestoher,”Nancysuggested.“Doyouthinkweoughttoturndowntheinvitation?”Bessasked.“Itseemstohaveupset
DonnaMaeterriblyandweareguestshere.”“Of course we shouldn’t give it up,” her cousin said determinedly. “This is a good
opportunityforustofindoutmoreaboutthemysteryoftheshowboat.”Asthegirlsquietlydiscussedthesituation,Mrs.HaverreturnedandrequestedNancyand
herfriendsnottogototheBartolomes.“DonnaMaeisinhysterics,”shesaid.“Nancy,supposeyougoupstairsandtellheryou’ve
changedyourmind.”TheyoungsleuthwenttoDonnaMae’sbedroom.Expectingtofindthegirlintears,Nancy
wassurprisedtoseethebride-to-beseatedatherdressingtable,puttingonmake-up.“DonnaMae,”Nancybegan,“I’msorrythatI—”“Oh,don’tbesorryaboutanything,”DonnaMaesaidairily,admiringherleftprofileinthe
mirror.“GototheBartolomesifyouwish.Itmeansnothingtome.”Nancywasbothperplexedandamusedbythegirl’sseemingchangeofheart.Butshewas
convinced that Donna Mae was putting on an act and that she was actually in love withCharles—onlytooproudtoadmitit.
“Youdon’tmindifweaccept?”Nancyasked.“Certainlynot,”DonnaMaereplied.“AndpleasetellMotherforme.”Nancy hurried downstairs. She met Mrs. Haver in the hall and gave her Donna Mae’s
message.Thehostessforcedalaughandsaid,“Well,I’mgladthat’sstraightenedout.”Justthen,thetelephonerangandshewenttoanswerit.Afewmoments laterMrs.Haver
came out to the patio where Nancy had rejoined her friends. Their hostess said thatMrs.Bartolomehadcalledtoconfirmthedinnerinvitation.
“She’llexpectyougirlsatseven.”Later,whenNancywasaloneinherownroomwithBessandGeorge,shetoldthemofher
conversationwithDonnaMaeandaddedherownthoughtthatthegirlwasstill inlovewithherex-fiancé.
“Thenlet’sgetthemtogetheragain!”Bessdeclared.Nancysmiled.“But first, let’ssolvethemystery. IwanttoshowMrs.Haverthe lovelyold
hairpinIfound.”Knowingthattheirhostessalwaysrestedbeforedinner,Nancywaiteduntila fewminutes
beforeseven,thenwenttoMrs.Haver’sbedroom,andtappedlightlyonthedoor.“Comein!”thewomancalled.
“Oh, how pretty you look!” she said, admiring Nancy’s powder-blue eyelet-embroidereddress.
“Thankyou.Mrs.Haver,Ihavesomethingtoshowyou,”Nancysaid.Shetoldthewomanofherdiscoveryandheldupthehairpin.
“Why, how strange—howvery strange!”Without anotherword,Mrs.Haver rushed to herbureau, opened a drawer, and took out a jewel box. She rummaged through it and a fewsecondslaterheldupahairpinverymuchliketheonetheyoungdetectivehadfound.
“ForamomentIthoughttheoneyouhadwasmine,Nancy,”shesaid.“Thesetwoarealmostidentical.Iwonderwhocouldhavedroppedtheotherone.”
“SodoI,”Nancyconfided.For thenext tenminutesNancydiscussed thestrangeaffairwithMrs.Haver,butneither
couldcometoanyconclusion.Finallythetwowalkeddownthestairstodinner.Donna Mae had completely recovered her composure. Her conversation was scintillating
and the Northern girls were amazed that her attitude had changed so quickly and socompletely.
Towardtheendof themeal,DonnaMaesmiledgailyandannounced,“Ihaveawonderfulsurpriseforyougirls.AlexhasinvitedallofustoNewOrleansforagalatimetomorrow.”
Nancy, although she really would have preferred continuing her sleuthing, politelyexpressedher appreciation. She thought it advisable not to antagonizeDonnaMae further.Besssaidshewaseagertoseemoreofthecityandeatatanotherfamousrestaurant.
George,forherpart,wassuspiciousofDonnaMae’smotives.Later,asthegirlsweregettingreadyforbed,shesaid,“Nancy,we’dbettertakeyourcar.Thistriptotownmaybeatricktokeepustheresolatethatwewon’tbebackintimetogototheBartolomes’fordinner.”
“Youcouldberight,George,”Bessagreed.“ButyouknowIjustcan’tfigureoutDonnaMaeandthewaysheacts.”
Georgeremarkedwithagreatyawn,“DonnaMaejustisn’therselfsinceAlexcameintoherlife. I think it’sa shame!”Thegirl’s voice roseas sheadded, “Sheused tobe sucha swellperson.Nowshe’sapain!”
“S-sh!”Nancywarned.“Shemayhearyou.”ThefollowingmorningNancyawakenedtoasunnydayandthetwitteringchorusofbirds.
Going to awindow, she stood there, breathing in the balmy, fragrant air and admiring thelovelygardens.PappyCole,ahugebasketoverhisarm,wascuttingflowersnearthehouse.
AsNancywentintoherfriends’room,thearomaofbroilinghamandfresh-bakedcorncakeswaftedupstairs.“Getup,yousleepyheads,”shesaidtoBessandGeorge.“It’ssimplyheavenlyoutside!Let’swearourskirt,blouse,andshortssetstoday.”
“Willdo,”Georgereplied,jumpingoutofbedandmakingabeelinefortheshower.“Oh,don’trushme,”Bessbeggedfromherbed.“It’stoodeliciousadaytohurry.”Nevertheless, the girls were dressed in half an hour and went downstairs. As soon as
breakfastwasover,theyoungpeoplemetinthedriveway.Alexhadthestationwagonreadyandhoppedouttoassistthepassengers.
“Thankyou,”saidNancy,“butBessandGeorgeandIaregoinginmycar.We’llfollowyou.”Alookofannoyancecreasedtheyoungman’sforehead.“Butwhy?”heasked.Bessputonanengagingsmile.Inaveryconvincingvoiceshesaidwithagiggle,“Youtwo
sweetiepiesoughttobealone.”To avoid any further objection, the girls hurried to Nancy’s car. She followed Alex at a
distance of about thirty feet all theway toNewOrleans. Upon reaching the outskirts, shewondered why he did not go directly into the city. Instead, he turned and took a verycircuitousroutetoreachthesight-seeingarea.
“Nothingspecialhere,”Georgecomplained.“Justalotofoldhousesonadesertedstreet.”At thatmomentasmallwadofpaper fluttered fromAlex’scarwindow.Nancy,wondering
whetherhehaddroppeditbyaccident,decidedonasuddenimpulsetostopandretrievethepaper.ShepulledtothecurbandGeorgehoppedouttopickitup.
“This isn’t anything special,” George announced, climbing in and smoothing out the tinysheet.“Justafunnydrawing.”
Thethreegirlsgazedatamaroon-coloredrectanglewithagoldstriperunningthroughit.Therewasnowritingonthepaper.
Alex had stopped and now backed up to seewhatwas detainingNancy. She handed thepapertohimoutherwindow.“Didyoumeantodropthis?”sheasked.
“Oh,that!”saidAlex.“Akidcousinofminedrewit.Ijustfounditinmypocket.Idon’twantit.”Hetossedthepaperintothestreetandstartedoffagain.
OncemoreNancy followedAlex,butashe turnedacornershesuddenlystopped thecar.Openingthedoor,shegotout.
“Quick,George, take thewheel!” sheordered. “Ihave somesleuthing todo.Meet youattwelveo’clockatBroussard’srestaurant.”
MysteriouslyNancydashedbackupthestreet.
CHAPTERXII
ASlyGetaway
“WHATdoyouthinkNancyisgoingtodo?”Bessaskedhercousin,astheydroveon.“Searchme!”Georgeanswered.“Butyoucanbesureithassomethingtodowiththatwad
ofpaper.”“YoumeanNancy’sfiguredoutthatthedrawingonitmeantsomethingimportant?AndAlex
wasn’ttellingthetruthwhenhesaidithadbeendrawnbyalittlecousinofhis?”“Something of the sort.” George grinned. “I can just see Alex’s facewhenwe get to the
parkinglot.He’llbefurious.”George’spredictionwasright.AlexandDonnaMaegotoutofthestationwagonandwalked
towardthespotwhereGeorgewasparking.NotseeingNancy,Alexinstantlyaskedwhereshewas.“Leftustodosomesleuthing,”saidGeorge,assheandBessalighted.“Shetoldustomeet
heratBroussard’sattwelve.”Alex’s eyes flashed andDonnaMae looked hurt. “I don’t think that’s very nice ofNancy
whenweplannedsuchagaysight-seeingtrip,”DonnaMaeremarked.“Well, after all, Nancy was invited down here to solve a mystery,” George defended her
friend.“I’mgoingtofindher!”Alexsaidsuddenly.Herantothestationwagon,gotin,androared
outoftheparkinglot.“AndI’mgoingtofollow,”Georgesaidtoherself.ShegotbehindthewheelofNancy’scar
andspedaftertheyoungman.DonnaMaeandBessstaredafterthetwocars.“Well,ofallthehorridthingstodo!”Donna
Maecriedoutpettishly.“What difference does it make?” Bess said soothingly. “You and I can have some fun
shoppingtogether.”ThisdidnotappeaseDonnaMae,however.Sheinsisteduponwaitingattheparkinglot.But
when ten minutes had gone by and the others had not returned, she finally consented toleaving.Inthemeantime,NancyhadrunbacktothespotwhereAlexhadthrownthedrawinginto
thestreet.Instincturgedhertofindoutmoreaboutthepieceofpaper.ToNancy’sastonishment,thepaperwasgone!“Andthereisnostreetcleaneroranyoneelseinsight,”Nancymurmuredtoherself.Her latest suspicion that Alex was not entirely trustworthy instantly became stronger. It
seemedasifthecircuitousrouteintotownmighthavehadarealpurposebehindit.HadAlex,byprearrangement,deliberatelydroppedthepaperforsomeonetopickup?Her mind racing, Nancy wondered if the paper might have been a signal, perhaps to a
personinahousenearby.“Maybe I’m being watchedmyself,” Nancy thought, and she was determined to find out
whatshecould.Standingexactlywherethepaperhadbeendropped,shestudiedthetwofacinghouseson
oppositesidesofthestreet.Bothwereold-fashionedbutwellkept.Neithergaveanyoutwardindicationofmysteriousgoings-on.AsNancystoodreflectingwhat todonext,ayoungcoloredwoman,withamarketbasket
overherarm,camefromoneofthehouses.Nancysteppeduptoherandsmiled.
“Wouldyoumindansweringaquestion?”sheasked.“I’mastrangerintown—herefortheMardiGras.ThispartofyourcityisquiteunfamiliartomeandI’mlookingforsomeone.Doyoumindtellingmewholivesinthehousewhereyouwork?”Theprettyyoungwomanchuckled. “Oneof the finest families inNewOrleans liveshere.
Andthisstreetusedtobeanicequietone.Butnowit’snoisyandallonaccountofthepeoplefromNewYorkwholiveacrossthestreet.”InstantlyNancywasinterested.“AfamilyfromNewYork,yousay?”“Nota family,” thegirl replied. “It’s aboardinghouse runbyawomanwho takes tourists
sentbyaNewYorktravelagency.Ishouldn’tgossipaboutourneighbors,butthey’renotthekindoffolkswe’reusedtoaroundhere.They’reloudandcommonlike.”Nancyexpressedsympathy,thenthankedthegirlfortheinformation.“You’rewelcome,”saidtheyoungwomanandwalkedaway.“TouristsfromNewYork,”Nancyrepeatedtoherself.“AlexisfromNewYork.”Then another thought struck her. The car thief from theNorthmight stay in this kind of
place!Confusedbuteagertofindoutwhatshecould,Nancy,onahunch,openedthesidegateofthepropertyandhurriedtotherearoftheyard.Severalcarswereparked thereandNancywent fromone toanother.Suddenlyherheart
began to beat faster. Near the side fence and backed against a hedge that separated theproperty from the house beside it stood a black convertible. It had black-and-red seatcushions!Nancyexcitedlyopenedthedoortolookatthecarpet.Perhapsshecouldfindoutifitalso
wastornashershadbeen!Beforeshehadachancetolook,thekitchendoorofthehouseopened.Aslovenly-looking
woman,withunkempthair,rushedoutsideandwavedherfistsatNancy.“Whatareyoudoingonmyproperty!”shecriedout.“I’llhavethepoliceafteryou!”Nancyquicklyclosedthecardoor.ShememorizedthenumberoftheLouisianalicenseplate
onitandsaidsweetly,“I’mlookingforsomeonewhohasacarjustlikethis.Wouldyoumindtellingmewhoownsthisone?”ThewomandidnotreplytoNancy’squestion.Instead,shegavetheyoungsleuthatongue-
lashingaboutpeoplewhopried,andorderedhertoleavetheyardatonce.“Sorry,”saidNancy.“I’llgo.”Asshewalkedtowardthestreet, theyoungdetectiveglancedfromwindowtowindowfor
anysignofthecarthiefbutshesawnoone.“Nancy!”avoicecalledfromthesidewalk.Turning,NancywassurprisedtoseeGeorgeand
Alexstandingthere.Theyoungmanscowled.“Whatareyougoingtodonext,”hechidedher.“Getthepolice,”Nancyreplied.“Thepolice!”Alexrepliedinastonishment.“What’sup?”Georgewantedtoknow.Nancyquicklyexplainedaboutfindingthecar.“We’llallgotothepolicestation,”Alexannounced,addingthathewoulddoallhecouldto
helpher.“Suppose you and George go,” Nancy proposed. “If themanwho stolemy car is in this
house,hemaytrytogetaway.I’llstayhereandwatch.”Alex hesitated, obviously reluctant to accept the suggestion, but finally remarked, “I
supposeyou’llbeallrightalone,”anddroveoffwithGeorgeinthestationwagon.Nancywenttositinherowncarandwait.Hereyesdidnotleavethehouse.PresentlyAlex
andGeorge returned in the stationwagon.Behind themwasapolicecarwith twoofficers.Whileoneofthemremainedonthesidewalk,theotherhurriedtotherearofthehousewithNancyandherfriends.Theblackcarwasgone!Itwasclearwhathadhappened.Theconvertiblehadbeenbackedthroughthehedgeand
drivenouttheadjoiningpropertytothestreetbeyond.Nancyberatedherselffornothavingpreventedtheescape.“Didyounoticethelicensenumber?”theofficerasked.Nancygaveittohim,butsaid,“Ifthepersonwhodrovethecarawayisthesameonewho
stoleitinRiverHeights,he’llsubstituteotherlicenseplatesatonce.”“You’renodoubtright,”thepolicemanagreed.“I’llalertheadquartersimmediately.”Thegroupreturnedtothesidewalkandtheinformationwasrelayedtoheadquarters.Then
oneoftheofficerswentwithNancytointerviewthewomaninthehouse.Whensheansweredthebell,theboardinghouseownerglaredatNancy.“Youback?”“We’d like to ask you a few questions,” the officer said, showing his identification. “Who
ownsthecarthatwasdrivenawaythroughthehedge?”“NobodyIknow,”thewomananswered.“Touristagencysenthimhere.Saidhisnamewas
JohnLane andhewas fromNewYorkCity. I don’t knowanything about him.Why are youaskingallthis?”“Thisyoungladyherethinksthemanwasdrivingastolencar,”theofficerexplained.“It’sa
seriouscharge,andifyou’rekeepingbackanyinformationaboutyourboarders,youmayfindyourselfindifficultywiththepolice.”Hearing this, the woman lost her bravado. Over and over she repeated that she knew
nothing about theman.Nancy asked her if she could give thema description ofMr. Lane.Whenthishadbeendone,Nancysaid:“Thedescriptionfitsthemanwhostolemyconvertible!”“I’msureMr.Lanewon’tcomeback,”theboardinghousemistresssaid.“Butifhedoes,I’ll
letyouknow.”AsthepolicemanwentdownthestepswithNancy,heassuredherthatthepolicewoulddo
everything in their power to track down the thief. Nancy and George followed Alex to theparkinglotandoncemoretheypulledtheirautomobilesintoposition.SinceDonnaMaeandBesshadleft,Alexofferedtoshowtheothergirlssomethingofthe
newerpartofNewOrleans.HepointedoutCanalStreet,oneofthewidestthoroughfaresintheworld.Hesaidthatoriginallytherehadbeenacanal inthecenterof itwhichhadbeenusedtodrainoffexcessiverainwater.Manypeoplewerewalkingonthestreetandalongtheadjoiningsidestreets.Alexexplained
thatthousandsoftouristscamefromallpartsofthecountrytohelpcelebratetheMardiGras.“TheparadesalwaysdisbandonCanalStreet,”hetoldthegirls.Attwelveo’clocktheywenttoBroussard’srestaurant.DonnaMaeandBesswerewaitingfor
themandinsisteduponafullexplanationofwheretheyhadbeen.WhenDonnaMaeheardthestory,sheremarked,“Whatashame!I’msorryyouhadbadluck
notfindingoutaboutyourcar,Nancy.Butwhybotheraboutit?Goodness,Iwouldn’twanttorideinacarthathadbeendrivenbysuchanawfulman.”Thenshelapsedintosilence.As thegroupbegan toeat,Bess toldofbuyingseveralattractive souvenirs to takehome.
“Mostlypralinesandpecannougat,”sheconfessed.“ButIdidgetsomelovelyprintsofNewOrleans.”DonnaMaeremainedveryquiet.Whatlittleshesaidseemedtobeforced.Butasthedessert
wasserved,shesuddenlybecameanimated.“I’vejusthadthemostwonderfulidea,”sheannounced.“I’mgoingtoinviteNedNickerson,
BurtEddleton,andDaveEvansdownfortheMardiGras!”Nancy smiled. “That’s very sweet of you,DonnaMae, and of coursewe’d love to see the
boys.ButIdoubtthattheycouldtakethetimeawayfromcollege.”AgleamcameintoDonnaMae’seyes.Shesaidmeaningly,“Theywon’tdarerefuse!”
CHAPTERXIII
MississippiMishap
THEIMPLIEDthreat inDonnaMae’sremarkangeredNancy,Bess,andGeorge.Allof themwere surewhat thegirl had inmind:Shedidnotwant eitherAlex orCharles tomakeanydateswithNancyandherfriends.ShewasgoingtomaketheboysfromEmersonCollegesojealoustheywouldnotdarerefusetocometoNewOrleans!
Noneofthethreegirlsexpressedtheirthoughtsaloud,however.Instead,Besssaidsweetly,“Oh,I’dadoretoseeDaveEvans!”
“There’snooneI’dratherdatethanBurtEddleton,”Georgespokeupquickly.Nancyadded,“I’msuretheboyswouldhaveawonderfultimehereiftheycancome.AndI
mustadmitthatIpreferNedtoanyotherescort.”Georgegrinned.“I’ll tellyouonething,DonnaMae.Burtwillneverconsenttoputtingon
thecostumeofafairyprinceforyourball!”Herremarkeasedthetensionandeveryonelaughed.The subject was dropped when Alex announced, “Now for some more sight-seeing. I’ve
rentedalaunchandwe’llshowyougirlstheriver.”“Thatsoundsalluring,”Besscommented.“TheMississippiissucharomanticriver.”“It’smorethanthat,”Alextoldher.“It’soneofthebusiest.”They drove through several narrow streets until they came to the waterfront, lined with
docksandshipsatanchor.DonnaMaesaiditwasoneofthemostimportantshippingpointsintheworld.
“Millionsoftonsofcargogothroughhereeveryyear.Onethingisofparticularinterest.TheNewOrleansportisknownasaforeigntradezone.ThismeansthatforeignvesselscominginherecanunloadandhavethecargotransferredtoanothershipgoingoutoftheUnitedStateswithoutpaymentofcustomsduty.”
Bythistime,theyhadreachedthedockwheretherentedlaunchwastiedup.Itwasatrimcraftwithasmallcabin.ThegroupeagerlyclimbedaboardandAlextookthewheel.
Soonthelaunchwasout inthemiddleofthestream.Thesight-seers lookedupanddowntheriveratthegreatdocks,wherevesselsofvarioussizesandkindsweremoored.
“Seethatwhiteboatover there?”DonnaMaepointed.“That’sabananaboat. It’spaintedwhitesothesunwillbereflected.Inthiswaytheholdwherethefruitisstoredremainscool.”
They passed a small puffing tug which was pushing a string of cargo boats. Georgeremarkedthatthelittletugsmusthavetremendouspower.
“Theydo,”saidAlex.“Andofcoursetheflowingriverhelpsalittle.It’sonlywhenthetugsgoupstreamthattheyhavetoworkhard.”
Partofthetourledpasthugegrainelevators.Alexremarked,“Thoselongconveyorsyouseecanloadeighteenthousandbushelsanhourontotheships.”
“Yes,” Donna said, and added, “The grain barges can hold as much as three thousandbushels!”
“Isuppose,”saidGeorge,“thatthebananasareincomingcargoandthegrainisoutgoing.”“That’sright,”DonnaMaereplied.“Thegraingoestocountriesinmanypartsoftheworld.”TheNewOrleansgirlnowproudlysaidthattheUnitedStatesengineershadconqueredthe
problemoffloodsforthecity.“Itusedtobeperfectlyfrighteningwhentheoldriveroverflowedandtheleveesbroke,”she
said.“WhentheMississippigoesonarampagenow,someofthewaterispumpedintoLake
Pontchartrain miles above here. The excess is carried through steel-reinforced concretetunnelstoapointfifteenmilesbelowthecity.Youwouldn’tbelieveit,butthereareathousandmilesofpipe!”
PresentlyAlexturnedupstreamandDonnaMaesaidshewantedthegirlstoseesomeoftheplantationhomesalongtheupperriver.Soontheylefttheareaoftraffic.Onlynowandthentheypassedaboat.
“Whatadivineplacetolive!”Bessremarked,gazingatpecanorchardsframingalovelyoldhouse.
PresentlyNancyglancedatherwatch.“Ithinkwe’dbetterturnbacknow,”shesuggested,thinkingofthegirls’dinnerengagementattheBartolomes.“It’sgettinglate.”
“Oh,no!”DonnaMaeprotested.“Youhaven’tseenanythingyet.”Georgelaughed.“I’veseensomuch,I’msureIwon’tbeabletorememberitall.”Nevertheless,Alexwenton forseveralmilesmore,withDonnaMaepointingout thehigh
concreteleveesinsomeplacesandfarmlandrunningrightdowntotheriverinothers.AgainNancyaskedAlextoturnaround.
“Okay,” he agreed, making a wide sweep in the river and coming about at five hundredyards from the far shore. Suddenly the motor began to sputter and the next moment itstopped.
“Goodness,what’sthematter?”DonnaMaeasked.Alexgaveagreatsigh.“We’reoutofgas!”Nancywasangry.Whyhadn’tAlexcheckedthetankbeforetheyleft?Aloudshemerelysaid,
“Theremustbeanemergencycanonboard.”Alltheyoungpeoplesearched.Theyopenedeverylocker,buttherewasnoextrafuelinany
ofthem.“Well,thisisafinemess!”Georgeexclaimedindisgust.The threeRiverHeightsgirls lookedat oneanother, the same thought in all theirminds.
HadAlexandDonnaMaeplannedthisonpurposetokeepthemfromgoingtotheBartolomehometodinner?
“If they are guilty, I’m not going to let them get the better of me,” Nancy determinedsilently.Aloudshecriedout,“Help!Help!”
BessandGeorgeyelledalso.AlexandDonnaMaesatstill,smilingamusedly.Whennooneappearedinanswertothegirls’call,GeorgelookedatAlexanddemanded:
“Well,aren’tyougoingtodosomething?”“What can I do?” the young man replied, shrugging. “We’ll get back sooner or later. The
streamwillcarryusdownslowlyandwe’llmeetsomeonewhowillgiveusgas.”SuchadelaywasnottoNancy’sliking.Shedecidedtodosomethingatonce.“I’mgoingfor
help,”sheannounced.Standing up, she kicked off her shoes and then unfastened the skirt of her three-piece
ensemble. Before the others could object, she dived overboard, and began swimming withstrongstrokesforshore.
“She’s crazy!” Alex exclaimed. “She may never make shore. And if she does, there’sprobablynotahouseformilesaround.”
Besswasalmostpersuadedtohisviewpoint.ButGeorgesaidconfidently,“Nancywillmakeitallright.”
Nancy did swim the five hundred yards easily. She crawled up the low levee, thendisappearedfromview.Theotherswaitedanxiously.
Presentlytheyheardthehumofamotorstartingup,andfromaroundabendintherivercameasmallmotorboat.InitwereNancyandamiddle-agedfarmer.Onaseatstoodafive-galloncanofgas.
Withlittleado,thefuelwaspouredintothetankoftherentedcraftandAlexpaidtheman.Nancythankedthefarmerforallhis troubleandclimbedback intothe launch.AlexstartedthemotorandheadedforNewOrleans.
“Oh,Nancy,you’rewonderful!”DonnaMaesaid.“Simplywonderful!I’dneverhavehadthe
nervetodothat.”BessandGeorge lookedattheirchumadmiringly,addingtheirpraisealso.Alex,however,
keptsilent.Nancy herself merely laughed. “I must be a sight,” she declared. “Bess, lend me a dean
handkerchief,willyou?”Withit,Nancytriedtowipethemuddywaterfromherface,neck,andarms,butwithlittle
success.Thewindsoondriedherhairandclothes.After she had put on her skirt and shoes, Nancy noticed that the launch was going very
slowly.SheurgedAlextospeedup.Hemadenocomment,butdidgivethecraftmorepower.Assoonastheyreachedthedock,Nancy,Bess,andGeorgehoppedout.“Thankyousomuch
foragrandtrip,”Nancysaid.“Nowwemusthurry.Ifyoudon’tmind,we’llgrabataxibacktotheparkinglot.Thenwe’llhurryonhome.”
BythetimethegirlsreachedSunnymcad,itwasalreadysix-thirty.OnlyhalfanhourbeforedinnerattheBartolomes’!
“Bess,”saidNancy,“willyoupleasecallCharles’smotherandexplainwhywe’llbealittlelate.I’lldashrightupstairsandwashtheMississippimudoutofmyhair.And,George,willyouget someclotheswecanwearonourbayou trip tonight andhide them in the trunkof thecar?”
A few minutes later Bess came to Nancy’s room. She reported that Mrs. Bartolome hadgraciouslysaidshewouldpostponethedinnerhourtoeighto’clock.Georgesaidthesportsclothesandshoeswereinthecar.
By seven-thirty the girls were ready to leave. As they walked into the hall, Donna Mae,lookingveryattractiveinapeach-coloredorgandy,camefromherroom.
“Haveawonderful time,girls,”shesaid.“Ishouldwarnyou, though,thatMrs.Bartolomegoestobedearly.You’llbebackherebyten.”
Georgeflushedwithanger.Shesaidicily,“We’llbeherewhenwegethere!”DonnaMae lookedas ifshehadbeenstung.Toease the tension,Nancysaidquickly,“Do
haveanicetimeatyourdinnerparty.”The three girls hurried from the house and went to Nancy’s car. Bess got in front with
Nancy,whileGeorgeseatedherself in the rear.As theydroveoff,Besssaidseverely tohercousin:
“WhyintheworlddidyoutalklikethattoDonnaMae?Doyouwanttospoileverythingforus?Ifthesituationaroundheregetsmuchworse,AuntStellaandtheColonelmayaskustoleave.”
“I’msorry,”saidGeorge,“butDonnaMaemakesmepositivelyillwhenshegetsonherhighhorse!”
“Shecertainlyhaschanged,”Bessadmitted.“I’llbetAlexisputtingheruptoalotofthesethings.”
Nancywasveryquiet.Somanyunexplainedthingshadoccurredthatnowshewasalertfortroubleatanymoment.
“Catgotyourtongue,Nancy?”Georgespokeup.Thegirldetectivelaughed.“No,”shereplied,“butIhaveafeelingthatweshouldbeextra-
cautious tonight.” Then Nancy added, “I’ve been thinking over what you girls said aboutDonnaMae.Shedidseemverydifferenttoday,especiallywhenwewereonthelaunch.Uptonow Ihadn’t thought that shewas interested in anythingbutherself.Actually, she’s a veryintelligentgirl.”
At that moment the girls reached the long, tree-lined driveway of Oleander Manor, theBartolomeestate.
Nancybegantobreathemoreeasily.Sherelaxedandleanedbackinherseat.“Isn’tthisanattractive—?”She never finished the sentence. From among the low branches of the tree she was just
passingastonehurtledtowardher!
CHAPTERXIV
GhostonBoard
FLYING through the open carwindow, the large stone grazed the side ofNancy’s head. Itcontinuedtothebackseat,narrowlymissingGeorge,whoduckedjustintimetoavoidinjury.Therocklandedwithathudagainsttherearcushion.“Oh!”Bessscreamed.Nancyquicklybrakedthecartoastop.Asthegirls lookedback,theysawamanrunning
awayfromthetreeanddownthedriveway.“Wemustcatchhim!”Georgeurged,asNancybegantobackup.The lean stranger, realizing that hewas being pursued, dashed across the lawn to some
bushesanddisappeared.AsNancyopened thedoor tostepout,Bessheldherback.“Don’tyoudaregoafterhim!
He’llprobablythrowanotherstone.”Theyoungdetectivepaused,thenclosedthedoor.Besswenton,“Whatadreadfulthingfor
himtodo!Why,Nancy,youorGeorgemighthavebeenkilled,ifthatstonehadhityou!”“I’m afraid you’re right,” Nancy agreed. “Well, we’d better report it to the police right
away.”As she started the car again, the girls saw Charles hurrying down the driveway toward
them.Hereachedthecar,openedthedoor,andjumpedinbesideBess.“Hello,everybody!”hesaid.“Iheardyoucoming.Howiseverything?”“Terrible,”saidGeorgeflatly,andtoldhimwhathadhappened.Theyoungmanwasaghast.“Yougirlssureyou’reallright?”heaskedsolicitously.After theyassuredhimtheywere,hewenton,“Youknow,sinceI’vebeenworkingonthe
showboat, I’ve had a couple of narrow escapes of my own. Once when I was in my carsomebodyshotata tire.And—well,maybeIshouldn’t tellyouwhathappenedtoday,oryoumaynotwanttogotonight.”“Oh,pleasedo,”Nancybegged.CharlessaidthatasniperhadshotathimthismorningwhenhewasonhiswaytotheRiver
Princess.“Hisbulletjustmissedme!”“Howwicked!”Bessburstout.“Oh,Ihopehewon’tbearoundtonight!”SecretlyshewashopingthatNancymightcancelthetrip,buttheyoungdetectiveseemed
moredeterminedthanevertogototheRiverPrincessandsolvethemystery.“Mymothermustn’tknowaboutanyoftheseattacks,”Charleswarnedthegirls.“Soplease
don’tsayanything.”Nancynoddedanddecidednottocallthepoliceaboutthestonethrower.“YougirlswillbegladtoknowthatI’veprovidedsomeextraprotectionforyoutonight.Two
friendsofmine,FrankMorseandJackMemory,arecomingtodinnerandwillgoonthetripwithus.”“Good!”Besssaidquickly.“There’ssafetyinnumbers,especiallywhenthey’remen!Ifeela
lotbetternow!”Theotherslaughedastheyproceededtothehouse.Mrs.Bartolome,averyattractiveandcharmingwomanoffifty,greetedthemcordially.She
andCharlestookthevisitorsforashortstrollintheirbeautifulgarden,edgedwithboxwood.Inthebrightmoonlighttheycouldseeroses,delphiniumandlilies,surroundedbyazaleaandoleanderbushes,bloominginprofusion.“If I livedhere,” saidBess, breathing indeeply, “I’dneverwant to leave theplace. It’s a
divinegarden.”Mrs.Bartolomesmiled,pleasedbythegirl’senthusiasm.“Wedoloveit,”shesaid.Afewminuteslatertwopersonableyoungmenarrivedandwereintroducedtothevisitors:
FrankMorse,slimandwell-built,hadblondcurlyhair;JackMemorywastallanddark,withflashingmischievousbrowneyes.Thedinnerpartyprovedtobeagalaone.Thefood,which includedstuffedpheasant,was
deliciousandtheconversationhumorousandsparkling.AttheendofthemealCharlesannouncedtheplanforgoingonthetripintothebayou.“Inordertokeepourtripsecret,”hesaid,“Isuggestthatwestrollintothegardeninpairs,
thenjoinattherearofthegarden.There’salittle-usedroadinbackofthelargestrosegardenandthecarishiddenthere.”WhenNancytoldMrs.Bartolomethatthegirlswouldliketochangefromtheirdinnerfrocks
and shoes to sports attire, their hostess led them upstairs. After showing them to a guestroom, Mrs. Bartolome smiled and said, “I wish you luck in your sleuthing tonight. ForCharles’ssake,I’dliketoseethemysterysolved.”“Ihopetolearnalottonight,”Nancyreplied.Quicklythegirlsslippedintotheshirtsandjeanstheyhadbrought,thenjoinedtheboysin
thelivingroom.Therewasamarkedchangeintheyoungmen’sattirealso.They,too,weredressedforthetripintothebayou!Asthesixfriendswentoutdoors,oneoftheboyscommentedonthebrilliantfullmoon.“Thisisfortunate,”Nancythought.“Itwillmaketravelingthroughthatswampeasierthan
in total darkness.” She also recalled that voodooworshipers often heldmeetingswhen themoonwasfull.FollowingCharles’splan,thecouplesseparated,NancyandCharleswalkingtogether,Bess
withFrank,andGeorgewith Jack.Fiveminutes later theyallmetbackof the rosegarden,jumpedintothecar,andstartedoff.“So far, so good,” Charles remarked, looking in his rear-viewmirror. “There’s no sign of
anyonefollowingus.”Twomilesfromthehousetheycametothebayouandheparked.Threecanoeswerehidden
amongthetreesandbushesthatoverhungthewater.Thecouplessteppedin.BessremarkedtoFrank,“It’sagoodthingthere’smoonlightoryoucouldn’tseeyourhand
infrontofyourface.”“S-sh!”Nancycalledacrossfromhercanoe.“We’dbetterkeepveryquiet.”Therestofthetripwasmadeinsilence.Astheynearedtheareawheretheshowboatwas,
theyoungpeoplebecameawareof thesteadybeatofa tom-tom.Bessshivereda little,butNancy,herheartpoundingwithexcitement,satupstraighter.A fewminutes later they coulddistinctlyhearmusic coming from the calliope!Toherself
Nancysaid,“ButCharlestoldmetheoldorgancouldnotpossiblybeplayed!”SoonthethreecanoesreachedthepondwheretheRiverPrincesslay.Inthemoonlight,with
shadowsplayingonher,theoldcraftlookedunrealandspookyindeed.Themusicstoppedattheendofadismaltune.Then, as if the organist had left his bench, a ghostly figure suddenly walked from the
interioroftheboatontothedeck.Itwassheathedfromheadtotoeinwhiteandglidedupanddownasthoughitwerefloatingratherthanwalking.Bessclutchedthesidesofthecanoeinwhichshewasriding.Aterrifiedgaspescapedher
lips.Asifannoyedbythesoundtheghostflittedinsidetheoldshowboat.“Shallwefollowit?”CharleswhisperedtoNancy.Beforeshecoulddecide,anewkindofsoundcamefromtheRiverPrincess—hymnchanting!“Avoodoomeetingmustbegoingon!”Charlessaidinalowvoice.Therewasnotalightontheboatandnoothersignsofactivity.Didthestrangeritestake
placeincompletedarknesswiththeaudiencesittingmotionless?Nancyleanedforwardandsaidtohercompanion,“I’dliketogoaboard.”
Charleswhisperedthathethoughtitwouldbebestnottogoacrossthepondinthecanoe.
Aghostlyfiguresuddenlyemergedfrom“Thereisastretchofmosssodonourleftleadinguptotheboat.SupposewefinditandwalktotheRiverPrincess.”The three canoes came together and the directions were given to the others. Then they
silentlypaddled through theshadows to themossywalkand thegirls steppedout.As theirfeettouchedthesod,thechantingontheshowboatsuddenlyceased.
theinterioroftheboatontothedeckIn the leeofagiantcypress, thegirlshesitated.Therewascomplete silence for fully ten
seconds,thentheybecameawareofthesplashofoars.“Someone’sleavingtheshowboat,”Georgeremarked.“Listen!”Nancy commanded. A fewmoments later she said, “No one’s leaving by canoe.
Someoneiscoming!”Theyoungpeoplewaited tensely.Fromanother entrance into thepondglideda rowboat.
Twofigureswereinit.To the young people’s complete astonishment the couplewere dressed in Colonial attire.
Themanattheoarswaselderly.Thewoman,aboutthesameage,woreadark-coloredvelvetdressandabonnet.Thewatcherswere tooastoundedtocomment.The“Colonialgentleman”pulledupto the
RiverPrincess.Thenhestoodupandhelpedthewomanascendtheladdertothedeck!
CHAPTERXV
AWeirdScene
COMPLETELYmystified,Nancyandhercompanionswatchedthesceneattheoldshowboatinawe. Why were the elderly woman and the man with her in Colonial costumes? Was sheperhapscoming forsomesecretherbssoldat thevoodoomeetingonboard?And, forsomereason,wastheeighteenth-centuryattirerequired?The threegirlshuddled together.Besswhispered thatchillsweregoingupanddownher
spine. “Maybe Uncle Rufus is here and is going to give the woman a treatment,” shemurmured.“IwishIknew,”Nancyreplied.“Let’sseewhatshedoesnext.”Thewoman reached the top of the ladder and nimbly stepped over the rail. At once she
walkedtotheentrancewheretheaterpatronswouldenterifcomingtoseeashow.Taking a position near the doorway, the costumed, elderly woman stopped and turned
toward the spot where a gangplank had once been placed. She smiled gaily, then begannoddingandshakinghandsasifwithimaginarypassengers.“Poorthing,”saidBess.“Shemusthavelosthermind.”“Itlooksthatway,”Nancyagreed.Fornearlytenminutesthelittlepantomimecontinued.Thenthewoman’scompanioncalled
upfromtherowboat:“Everyone’saboard,Louvinadear.Theshowwillstartsoon.You’veseenitsomanytimes,
honey.Supposeyoucomeforaboatridewithmewhileit’sgoingon.”The woman hesitated a few seconds and peered into the dark interior of the showboat
theater.“Buttheremightbesomethingnewtonight,”sheprotested.“Oh,Ithinknot.You’dbettercomenow,dear.Iwanttoshowyouhowlovelythewildorchids
nearhereareinthemoonlight.”FinallyLouvina, thoughobviously reluctant, came to the ladder.Theelderlymanassisted
herinclimbingdownandgettingintotheboat.Ashestartedtorowaway,GeorgewhisperedtoNancy,“Let’sgoaskhimwhat’sgoingon!
Hecanprobablysolvethewholemysteryinoneminute.”“Wait!”Nancysaidinalowvoice.“Ithinkthewomanisinatrance.Itmightbedisastrous
toawakenher.I’dratherfollowthetwoofthemandfindoutwhatIcanfromthemanlaterwhenhe’salone.”“Iguessyou’reright,”Georgeagreed.Despitehisage,theelderlymanwasaswiftrowerandtheboatwassoonoutofsight.Thegirlssteppedbackintotheircanoesandinwhisperedtonestalkedthematteroverwith
theirescorts.“SomebodyshouldstayhereandwatchtheRiverPrincess,”Nancydeclared.“Areanyofyou
willingtogoaboard?”Frank and Jack were eager to, but insisted that Bess and George remain outside in the
canoes.“Nopoint inyougirls takinganyunnecessarychances,”Franksaid,andBessgavehima
gratefullook.IntheenditwasdecidedthatonlyNancyandCharleswouldfollowthemysteriouscouple.Charles paddled swiftly in pursuit. Soon only about a hundred yards separated the two
crafts.“Doyouwantmetoovertakethem?”CharlesaskedNancyinalowvoice.“No,”sherepliedquietly.“Justkeeptheminsight.I’dliketofindoutwherethey’regoing.It
mayhavesomethingtodowiththemystery.”Thestreamwassoovergrownwithweedsthatitwasdifficulttofindadearpassageway.But
apparentlythemaninColonialcostumeknewhiswayperfectly.Nancyconcludedthathemustbeanativeofthearea.“IwonderwhoheandLouvinaare,”Nancyaskedherself.“Thewomanmayhavebeenan
actressand—oh,ouch!”ThetangledgrowthpulledatNancy’shairandwhippedherfaceasCharleswoundhisway
inandoutamongthelushvegetation.Oncetheylosttheelderlycouplecompletely.Butfinallythecanoeemergedfromthetangledmassintoanopenstream.“Doyouseethecouple?”Nancyasked,turningaroundtolookathim.“No—yes,Ido.They’reoverontherightandwayahead.”Fortunately,themoonwentunderacloudatthismoment.Nancysaidshewishedtheymight
slipupunobservedandperhapshearthecouple’splans.“I’lltrytogetcloser,”Charlessaid.Inthedimlighthealmostovertookthestrangepairand
afterthatfollowedmorecautiously.Afewminuteslateritbecameapparentthattheoarsmanwasheadingforadockconcealed
inasmallcove.NancyandCharlescameveryclose,sotheywouldnotlosetheirquarrywhenthemanandwomandebarked.Somedistancefromthedock,attheendofasmallflowergarden,stoodamodesthouse.A
fewlightsgleamedinthewindowsandasmalllampatthedoorwasturnedon.Astherowboatreachedthedock,Louvinastoodup.Takingastepforward,shebentdownto
kisshercompanion.Then,ashehelpedher,shesteppedtothedock.In a sweet, musical voice she said, “Thank you so very much, Henry. The show was
delightful,wasn’tit?Haveagoodnight’ssleep,dear.Anddocomeoversoon.I’llbeexpectingyou.”“Yes,honey,Iwill.”Without another word the woman tripped girlishly up the walk through the garden and
enteredthehouse.“‘Henry’doesn’tlivehereafterall,”Nancytoldherself.The elderly gentleman sat staring after Louvina.When she turned off the door light, he
steppedfromtherowboatandtiedthepaintertoapost.Thenhe,too,startedupthewalk.“Oh,pleasewaitaminute!”Nancycalledtohim.“I’dliketotalkwithyou.”Charlespulleduptothedockandshesteppedoutofthecanoe.Theelderlyman,startled,
turned around. A look of fright gave way to one of amazement upon seeing a smiling girlstandingthere.“I’msorryifIfrightenedyou,”Nancysaid.“Pleaseforgiveme.Ijustwantedtoaskyou—”Henrydidnotseemtobepayingattention.Hewasstaringathiscostume.Embarrassed,he
interruptedhertosay,“Pleasepardonmyattire.There’saspecialreasonwhyI’mwearingit!”By this time Charles was also standing on the dock. He apologized for his and Nancy’s
intrusion,thensaid,“It’sveryimportantthatwetalktoyou.ThisisNancyDrewfromRiverHeights.I’mCharlesBartolome.Ilivenotveryfarfromhere.Perhapsyouknowmyfamily.”“Yes,Ido.Nowwhatdoyouwishtoaskme?”theelderlymaninquired.Nancybegan to talk.First she toldhimabouthaving seenhimandhis companionat the
RiverPrincess.Henrylookedstartled.“TheRiverPrincess is onColonelHaver’s property, as youmay know,” she said. “Hehas
askedmetotrytosolvethemysteryofit.Canyoutellmewhypeoplethinktheshowboatishaunted?”Henrylookedsearchinglyatthegirl’sface.Thenhesmiled.“I’lltellyouthewholestory.”
CHAPTERXVI
LostintheBayou
“MYNAME,”saidtheelderlymanintheColonialcostume,“isHenrydelaVerne.Louvinaismytwin.HermarriednameisMrs.ClaibourneFarwell.Sheisawidownow.”Ashepaused,Nancysuggestedkindly,“Shallwesitdown?”“Perhapsthatwouldbebest,”saidMr.de laVerne.HeledNancyandCharlestoaquaint
littlesummerhouseinthegarden.Aftertheywereseatedonabenchacrossfromhis,themanwenton:“Thiswillnodoubtsurpriseyou,butourgrandfatherownedtheRiverPrincess.Aschildren,
Louvinaand I spentagreatdealof timeonher.”AgainMr.de laVernepausedandsmiledreflectively,asifthisbroughtbackhappymemories.Charlesremarked,“Itmusthavebeenagreatdealoffun,sir,foryouandyoursister.”“Indeed it was,” Henry agreed. “Louvina loved to play actress and try on the various
costumes.ShealwaysplannedtoactontheRiverPrincesswhenshewasolder,butneverhadachance.Therewasagreatstormandfloodwhichdrovetheshowboattoherpresentlocationandshewasabandoned.Ourgrandfatherdiedof shockand injurieshe receivedduring thestorm.”“Howtragic!”Nancymurmured,deeplytouched.“Yes,itwas,andthewholethingmadeatremendousimpressiononmysister.Shewasvery
upsetaboutthefateofourbelovedgrandfatherandshowboat,butasLouvinagrewolder,thefamily thought shehad forgotten theepisode.Shemarriedhappily and liveda verynormallife.“But after Mr. Farwell’s sudden death several years ago,” Mr. de la Verne went on,
“Louvina’s mind began to play tricks on her. She started living more and more with hermemories.Finally,IcametostaywithmysisterafterIretired,andhelpherwithherbusinessaffairs.”Hesmiled.“I’mabachelor.”Afteranotherpause,he said, “IhumorLouvinaall I can.Wewereverycloseaschildren,
playingtogetheralmostconstantly.”Mr.de laVerne lookedupat the sky.Thecloudshadbeenblownpastand themoonwas
shiningbrightlyagain.“Onnightswhenthere’safullmoonmysister’smindalwaysrevertstoherchildhood.It’s
thensheinsiststhatthetwoofusputoncostumeswhichourgrandparentsusedtowear,andgototheRiverPrincess.”NancyandCharlessmiledunderstandinglyandNancymurmured,“Youareverywonderful,
Mr.delaVerne,tobesopatientandthoughtful.”Themansuddenlychuckled.“ItisagoodthingthatLouvinapicksmoonlightnightsforour
trips.OtherwiseIcouldneverfindmywaytotheshowboat.”Afterafewsecondsheadded,“Well,thatismystory.Doesitclearupthemysteryofthesupposedlyhauntedshowboatforyou?”“Partly,”Nancyreplied,“andthankyouverymuchforconfidinginus,Mr.delaVerne.”I’d
liketoaskyouafewquestionsifImay.I’mdreadfullysorrytohearofyoursister’strouble,butI’msuresheisnotunhappy.”“Oh,no,”Henryansweredquickly.“Asamatteroffact,sheishappierwhensheisplayinga
partthanwhenhermemoryserveshernormally.Thenshestartsworryingaboutme.”“Mr.delaVerne,”Nancysaid,“yesterdayIfoundanantiqueornamentalhairpinonthedeck
oftheRiverPrincess.”Shedescribed it,andadded,“Does it,byanychance,belongtoyoursister?”
“Why,yes,itdoes,”Henryanswered.“Sheinsisteduponwearingittotheshowboatononeofhertrips.Itmusthavedroppedoutofherhair.”“I’ll return it soon,”Nancyoffered, then said, “Tonightwehearda tom-tombeingbeaten
and calliope music playing on the River Princess. And we actually saw a ghostly figureparadingupanddownthedeckjustbeforeyouandyoursisterarrived!”“What!”Henrycriedout.“It’strue,”Charlesspokeup.“Thefiguredisappearedinsidetheshowboatwhenyoudrew
near.”Theelderlymanwasvisiblydisturbed.Hesaidquickly thatLouvinamustnotknowabout
this—it would certainly upset her. And hereafter, when he took her there, he would makecertainnoonewasaround.“Ithought,ofcourse,wewerealone,”hesaidworriedly.“Thenyouhavenoideawhomightbevisitingtheshowboat?”Nancyasked.“Nonewhatever. I havehearda tom-tombeingbeaten in thebayou,” themanconfessed.
“But I thought the drummer was some Negro who had inherited the instrument from anAfricanancestor.Astothecalliope,Icannotunderstandit.Theoldorganisinnoconditiontobeplayed.”NancyaskedMr.delaVerneifhethoughtsecretvoodoomeetingswerebeingheldonthe
RiverPrincess.“It’spossible.Suchathingneveroccurredtome.”“DoyouknowUncleRufus?”Nancyasked.Whentheelderlymannodded,sheasked,“Do
youthinkhecouldbeleadingthemeetings?”Mr.delaVernevetoedthispossibility.“UncleRufusisafine,highlyrespectedmaninthis
neighborhood.Hedoesagreatdealofgood;hecertainlywouldnotconductanysuchsecretmeetings. By the way, why are you interested in solving the mystery of the hauntedshowboat?”Nancy told him about the plans formoving it and the forthcoming ball theHavers were
giving.“Moveit?”Mr.delaVernecriedout.“Oh,ifthatisdone,itwillkillmysister!”“ButifthereshouldbeanydangerontheRiverPrincess,youwouldnotwishMrs.Farwellto
goaboardit,”Nancypointedout.“Yes,thatistrue,”themanadmitted.“Perhapsifwearecareful,therewillbenotrouble.”“Iwonder,”saidNancy.“Mr.delaVerne,doyouknowofanyreasonwhypersonsotherthan
voodooworshipersmightwanttomaketheshowboatappeartobehaunted?Ortosabotageit?”Beforereplyingtheelderlymanstoodup.Forseveralsecondshelookedoffintospace,then
said:“Yes,theremightbe.Butthatisafamilymatter.Icannottellyouaboutit.ButonethingI’m
sureof.ItwouldbeveryfoolishforColonelHavertotrymovingtheRiverPrincess!”Bowing,HenrydelaVerneabruptlysaidgoodnightandhurriedupthegardenwalktothe
house.“Goodnight,”theyoungpeoplecalled.AsNancylookedaftertheman,shemulledoverhissentence.Whatwastherestofthestory
hewasnotwillingtotell?AndwashetryingtosendamessagetoColonelHaver,bywayofNancy,thatitwouldbedangerousfortheownerofSunnymeadtocontinuehiseffortstohavetheoldboatmoved?As she and Charles stepped into their canoe, Nancy mentioned these thoughts to her
companion.He smiled. “The old gentleman certainlymakes it sound ominous.Maybewe’llfindaskeletonhiddenawaysomeplaceontheshowboat!”Nancylaughed.“Perhapsafamilyskeleton!”Charlespaddledquicklyandsoonreachedthetangledmassofbayougrowththroughwhich
theymustpasstoreachtheRiverPrincess.Oncemorethemoonwentunderacloud.Itwaspitchblackintheswamp,butCharlescontinuedtopaddle,withNancyduckingwhenleaves
andstemsbrushedherhead.“I’vegottogiveyoucreditforfollowingagoodhunch,Nancy,”Charlessaidadmiringly.“I
likeagirlwithinitiative.Ifithadn’tbeenforDonnaMae’s—”Hebrokeoffabruptly.Nancythought,“Ihaveanotherhunch!CharlesisstillinlovewithDonnaMae,evenifshe
hashurthispride.”Butshefeltitbest,underthecircumstances,nottomakeanycomment.Therewasalongsilence,brokenonlybytherippleofwaterfromthecanoepaddles.Then
Nancylaughedsoftly.“Charles,you’reabsolutelyamazingthewayyoucanseeinthedark!”“Don’tpraisemetoosoon,”hereplied.“IhaveafeelingI’moffcoursecompletely.”Fiveminutes laterheconfessed thathewas lost. “Fromthe lengthof time that I’vebeen
paddling,weshouldbeattheshowboat.”Charlesofferedtotryyellingtotheirfriendstoseeiftheycouldgetdirections.ButNancy
felt that this might be a dangerous move. If any of their enemies were around, it wouldpinpointthecanoe’slocation.“Whydon’twegobacktotheopenwaternearMr.delaVerne’shouseandthenstartover
again,”shesuggested.“Itwon’thurttotry,”Charlesreplied.Butthelongerhepaddledthemorehopelesslylosthebecameinthemoss-drapedswamp.
FinallyCharlessaid,“We’llhavetogiveitupandwaitfordaylight.”Backattheshowboat,Bess,George,andthetwoboyswerebecomingfranticoverthelong
absence of their friends. Three hours had gone by and still Nancy and Charles had notreturned.“Oh,Ijustknowsomethingterriblehashappenedtothem!”Besswailed.“Don’tsaysuchthings!”Georgechidedhercousin.“YouknowNancywhenshe’ssleuthing.
Shejustwon’tgiveup.”“Let’s continue our search of the showboat,” Frank suggested to distract the girls from
worrying.Theyoungpeoplehadalreadydiscoveredseveralplacesinthewallsandfloorswhichhad
beenhackedsincethedaybefore.But therehadbeenno furthersignof theghostly figure,noranymorevoodoosoundsorcalliopemusicsinceNancyandCharleshaddeparted.Now they gathered near the stairway that led to the hold of the old river vessel.George
gazeddownintoit,thenturnedaround.“Maybesomethingvaluableishiddenonthisboat!”shesaid.As she said this, George stepped back. Without warning the top step of the stairway,
evidentlyrotted,gaveway.Sheplungedintotheinkyblacknessbelow!
CHAPTERXVII
TheTowboatCaptain
“OH,GEORGE!”Bessscreamed,lookingdownintotheholdforsomesignofhercousin.Besscarriedaflashlightandnowtriedtofocusitintotheblackdepths.Herhandshookand
shecouldnotholdthelightsteady.Therewasnoanswertohercry.TheyoungpeoplewerefearfulthatGeorgehadbeenbadlyinjured.“I’ll godownandseewhathappened,”Frankoffered.Pickinghiswaycarefullydown the
steps,hefoundthegirllyinginahuddledheapsomefeetfromthebaseofthestairway.“George!George!”hecalled,sloshingthroughmuddywatertoreachher.Heleaneddownandgentlyliftedherup.Sheseemeddazed,butwasabletostand.“Wh—
whathappened?”Georgeaskedshakily.“Youtookaheader,”Frankreplied.“I’llhelpyouupthestairs.”Bess,almosttearfulwithrelief,andJackreacheddowntoassistthecouple.Thefouryoung
peoplewalkedoutonthedeckandFrankofferedtotakeGeorgehomeatonce.“Oh,I’llbeallright,”shesaidgamely.“NothinghurtsbutmylegandIcanstandthat.”She
wouldnothearofleavingtheshowboatuntilNancyandCharlesreturned.Thegroupsatdownonthedeckanddiscussedthemystery.Asdawnbroke,theybeganto
worryanewaboutthemissingcouple.“WemustdosomethingtofindNancyandCharles,”Bessinsisted.FrankandJackofferedtotakeacanoeandtrytolocatethem.“Iguessyougirlswillbeall
rightherealoneinthedaylight,”Jackremarked.Justastheywereabouttoleave,anothercanoesuddenlyappeared.“Nancy!Charles!”theothersshoutedinrelief.“Iguessyouallthoughtwewerelost,”Charlescalled.“Well,wewere!”Storieswerequicklyexchanged.Thefourwhohadstayedontheshowboatwereamazedto
learnaboutHenryandLouvina.After telling them thatMr.de laVernehadhintedat somefamilysecretinconnectionwiththehauntedshowboat,Charlesrepeatedhisguessthattheremightbeaskeletonaboard.Jacklaughed.“Andit’shisghostwesawwalkingaround?Let’slookforoldBonesy.”But Bess insisted that the group leave at once. “We can come back another time. I’m
worriedaboutwhattheHaverswillsay.”Charlessmiled.“Don’tworry.Motherwilltakecareofthat.”“I’msureshewill,”saidNancy.“And,George,ifyoufeelallright,I’dliketostayherealittle
while and look around theboatmyself. Let’s see ifwe can findoutwhat theDe laVernes’secretis.”Theyoungpeoplespentanotherhourinanintensivesearch.Nancyevenwentdownintothe
holdandflashedherlightaround.Therewereafewinchesofwateronthelowsidewheretheboathadlisted.Inthedrysectiontheyfoundnocluetoanythinghiddenthere.Nancysaidshewasreadytoleave,sosheandCharlesjoinedtheothers.“Iinspectedthatoldcalliopeverythoroughly,”Frankspokeup.“Couldn’tgetasoundoutof
it.Howdoyouallexplainitsbeingplayed?”Nancy thought fora fewmoments, then replied, “Ibelievesomeonecomesaboardwitha
recordplayerandplayscalliopemusicandhymns.”“Andthetom-tom,too?”Georgeasked.“He’sgotquitearecordcollection!”Theotherslaughed,thenJackaskedNancyifshethoughtthepersonwhodidthesethings
hadbeenhiredbysomeoneorwasactuallythesaboteur.“I don’t know,” the young detective replied. “But I’ve been wondering if there is some
mechanismadistancefromtheshowboatthattriggersanalarm.Thatwouldaccount forallthesoundsontheRiverPrincessstoppingjustbeforetheDelaVernesshowedup.”Charlessuggestedthattheboysmakeasearchinthewaterwaysleadingtotheshowboat.
The girls waited on deck while they took the three canoes and scouted around. Twentyminuteslatertheyreturnedandreportedthatnothinghadbeenfound.“Then themen probably use the birdcalls or some other bayou sound as signals,”Nancy
decided.Jack looked at the girl intently. “If so, thismeans that theremay be spies around all the
time.”“Probablyitdoes,”Nancyagreed.“Anditmayalsomeanthatthere’snotmuchpointinour
beingsosecretive.”Frank laughed. “Well, then, all we have to do is find the spies and the mystery will be
solved!”Nancychuckled.“Right!”Toherselfsheadded,“AndI’mgoingtoenlistUncleRufus’saidto
dothis.”WhenthethreecouplesreachedCharles’shome,Mrs.Bartolomewasgreatlyrelievedtosee
them.“Iwasmightyworriedaboutyouall,”shesaid.“ButIdidn’twanttoupsetMrs.Haver,soI
phonedandtoldheryougirlswerestayingallnight.”NancyandCharles related theentire story.Mrs.Bartolomewasparticularly interested in
learningaboutMrs.Farwellandherbrother.“I knew them fairlywell years ago,” she said. “I thought that afterMr. Farwell died, his
widowhadmovedaway. I’mdreadfullysorry to learn thathermind isno longercompletelysound.”“Haveyouanyideawhatthefamilysecretinconnectionwiththeshowboatmaybe?”Nancy
askedCharles’smother.Mrs.Bartolomeshookherhead.“Surelyitcan’tbeanythingdisgraceful.TheDelaVernes
wereveryfinepeople.HenryisagraduateofOxfordinEngland.”Charles’smotherwent on to say that Henry had always been intensely interested in the
universityanditsactivities,althoughhehadgraduatedmany,manyyearsago.Changingthesubject,shesaid,“Youallmustbestarving.We’llhavebreakfastatonce.”Because of the early hour the servants were still asleep, so the group gathered in the
kitchenandpreparedorangejuice,baconandeggs,toastandcocoathemselves.Mrs. Bartolome caughtBess stifling a yawn. “Wouldn’t you girls like to sleep for awhile
beforeyoureturntotheHavers?”sheaskedsolicitously.Theyallconfessedthattheywould.AfterFrankandJackhadsaidgood-by, thethreegirls
wenttotheguestroomsandsleptsoundlyforfourhours.ThentheyputontheirdinnerfrocksandleftforSunnymead.AsNancyparkedhercarthere,DonnaMaerushedouttomeetthem.“Mygoodness!”she
exclaimed.“Youreallymadeavisit!Tellmeabouteverything!”“Tobeginwith,”Nancysaid,“wehadaperfectlydeliciousdinnerandbreakfast.”“TheBartolomes’gardensareabsolutelyheavenly,”Bessadded.“I thoroughlyenjoyedmy
walkinthem.”Georgegrinned impishly.“Oh,don’tbesostingywithyour information,girls.DonnaMae,
twocharmingboyscametojoinus.Maybeyouknowthem—FrankMorrisandJackMemory.”“Oh,yes,Iknowthem,”DonnaMaereplied.“Didyouspendthewholeeveningwiththem?”“Thewholeevening,”Nancyreplied.“Well,forgoodnesssake,tellmeaboutit!”DonnaMaebegged.Astheywalkedtowardthe
house,DonnaMaesuddenlynoticedthatGeorgewaslimping.“Oh,dear!Whathappenedtoyou?”
“Oh,justalittlespill,”Georgeanswerednoncommittally.“Where?”DonnaMaeaskedpointedly.“Onastairway,”Georgereplied.“Clumsyofme,wasn’tit?”DonnaMaewassilentforafewseconds.Sheaskednomorequestions.Apparentlyshehad
decided that her friends were not going to tell any more about their evening at theBartolomes’.SuddenlyDonnaMaesmiledandsaid,“Ihavesomegreatnewsforyougirls.Youwon’thave
todateCharlesandhis friends. I’vephonedNedNickerson.He’scomingtotheMardiGrasandbringingBurtandDavewithhim.”“Hypers!”Georgeexclaimed.“They’rereallycoming?”“Theysureare,”DonnaMaeanswered.“Itoldyoutheywould,”sheaddedsmugly.She insisted that thegirlschange theirclothesatonce,so that thewholegroupcouldgo
downtowntopickoutcostumesforNedandhisfriendstoweartotheball.“Everythingmustbeperfect.”shesaid.“Idon’tknowyourfriends’sizes.Soyougirlswill
havetopickoutthecostumes.”Nancy was disappointed that she could not get in touch with Uncle Rufus immediately.
“But,” sheconsoledherself, “onsecond thought,perhaps I candoa littledetectivework inNewOrleansinstead.”InsidethehousethegirlsfoundAlexstartingtodismantlethelivingroom.PappyColewas
carryingoutfurnitureandMammyMatildawastakingdowndraperies.Mrs.Haverseemedtobeflusteredandupsetaboutthewholething.Sighing,shesaid,“Oh
dear,Idowishtheshowboatcouldbemovedhereandthisroomnotdisturbed.”Nancyagreed.Suddenlyanideacametoher.ShesawColonelHaverinthegardenandwent
out to speak to him. She inquired whether every towboat captain in the area had beenapproachedandaskedifhecouldmovetheRiverPrincess.“Well,Isupposeso,”theColonelreplied.“AlexattendedtothatandI’msurehewouldhave
exhaustedeverymeans.”NancybegantowonderwhetherAlexUpgrovehad“exhaustedeverymeans.”Shedecided
tomakea few inquiriesofherownwhile inthecity.Therewouldstillbetimefor theRiverPrincesstobemovedbeforetheHavers’ball!Georgebeggedofffromthetripbecauseherlegwassoreandbruised.NancyandBesschangedintosmartcottonknitsuits.Ashorttimelaterthegirlsdroveoff
withDonnaMaeinNancy’scar.WithinanhourtheyhadselectedthreedifferentclownsuitsfortheboysfromEmersonCollege.“Beforewestarthome,”NancysaidtoDonnaMae,astheywereleavingthecostumer’s,“I’d
liketodrivedowntothewaterfront.”DonnaMaeagreed,soNancyheadedforthedocks.Asshedrovepast themanywharves,
theyoungsleuthlookedintentlyforanytowboatsthatmightbemooredthere.Presentlyshecametooneandstopped.“Iwanttoruninhereaminute,”shesaid.“Berightback.Waitinthecar,willyou?”Fortunately,thetowboatowner,aCaptainRuncie,wasonboard.Nancyinquiredifhehad
everbeenaskedtomovethestrandedRiverPrincess.Whenhesaidno,shetoldhimabouttheballandtheHavers’plans.“CaptainRuncie,wouldyouconsidertryingtotowtheshowboatoutofthebayou?”Nancy
asked.“I’llbegladtolookheroverandletyouknow.”“ThencouldyoucometotheHaverhomeandtalktotheColonel?”“I’llbethereearlytomorrowmorning,”CaptainRunciepromised.“Thankyouverymuch,”saidNancy.“We’llbelookingforyou.”Whenshereturnedtothecar,NancysaidnothingabouthererrandbecauseshefeltDonna
MaemightbeupsettolearnthatAlexhadnotexploredeverypossibilityinhavingtheoldboatmoved.AtoncethegirlcomplainedaboutNancy’ssecrecy.
Theyoungdectectivemerelylaughedandsaid,“I’mfullofsecrets,allright.ButI’llletyouinonone.Mynextstopwillbethepolicestation.”“Oh!”DonnaMaecriedout.“Why?”“Istillhopetotrackdownmystolencar,”Nancyreplied.Whentheyreachedpoliceheadquarters,shewentinsidealoneandintroducedherselftothe
captain in charge. “Is there any news aboutmymissing car or themanwho stole it?” sheasked.“No,thereisn’t,MissDrew,”thecaptainreplied.“Butwedohavealittlenewsthatmaybea
clue. My men made a thorough search of the room that fellow rented. In it they found asuitcasefullofwomen’sclothes.”“Asuitcase?”Nancyexclaimed.“Maybeit’smystolenbag!”
CHAPTERXVIII
TheSimmeringCaldron
THEPOLICEcaptainlookedatNancyinsurprise.“Yoursuitcase?”Nancyexplainedthatasuitcaseofhershadbeenintheluggagecompartmentofherstolen
car.“Werethereanyinitialsonthebagyoufound?”sheasked.“Therehadbeen,”theofficerreplied.“They’dbeenscratchedoff.”Nancyaskedtoseethebag.Usinghisdeskphone,thecaptainrequestedasergeanttobring
thesuitcasetohisoffice.Uponseeingit,Nancycriedout,“Itismine!Oh,Ihopemymother’sfanandshawlarestill
inside!”Quicklysheliftedthelid.Herclotheswereintact.Rummagingamongthemshefoundthat
theheirloomswerethere.“Oh,I’msorelieved!”shesaidhappily.“I’dratherlosemycarthanthisshawlandfan!”Thecaptainsmiledunderstandingly.“I’mgladthatwecouldrecoverthemforyou,”hesaid.
“Butactually itwasyou,MissDrew,whodiscovered thehousewhere thesuitcasewashid.den.”Atthatmomenttheofficer’sphonerangandhepickedupthereceiver.Afterlisteningafew
moments,heputdowntheinstrumentandturnedtoNancy.“Well,thisseemstobeyourdayforrecoveringthings.Yourstolencarhasbeenfoundinan
out-of-townsecondhandlot.”“Oh,howwonderfull”Nancyexclaimed.Thecaptainwenton tosay that themanwhohadbrought thecar inhadgiventhename
RalphWinterandsaidhecamefromNewYorkCity.“Hehadabillofsale,sonaturallythelotmandidnotsuspectthecarhadbeenstolen.”“Ifitismycar,”saidNancy,“thenthebillofsalemusthavebeenforged.”“You’requiteright,” thecaptainagreed.“Thecar isyours,all right.Mymanchecked the
serialnumbers.”“Wasthethiefcaught?”Nancyasked.“Not yet,” the officer answered. “But we’ll lend out an alarm. The man bought a gray
sedan.”“Didmydescriptionofthecarthieffitthisman?”Nancyinquired.“Yes, itdid—dark, slender, fortyyearsold.Small, piercingblack eyes. Low forehead, hair
rathercoarseandstiff.”Nancy smiled. “He’s the one, all right.” She thanked the captain for all his help and left
headquarters.WhenNancyappearedatthecarcarryinghersuitcase,Bess’seyesgrewlarge.“Yourstolen
bag!”shesaidunbelievingly.“Iseverythinginit?”“Everything,”Nancyanswered.TurningtoDonnaMae,shesaid,“Evenmymother’sshawl
andfan,whichIcannowuseattheball.”“Iknowyouwilllooksimplyadorable!”DonnaMaecriedoutecstatically.On the way home Nancy announced that she would like to stop at Uncle Rufus’s cabin.
DonnaMaebecamealittleimpatient.ShewantedtohurryhomeandtalkwithAlex.“Oh,Ishan’tbelong,”Nancypromisedher.Whentheyreachedthetinycabininthebayou,noonewasaround.Nancysuggestedthat
theothergirlswait in thecarwhileshe looked tosee if theoldmanwas in therearofhisproperty.ShehaddetectedthesmellofsmokeandthoughtthatUncleRufusmightbeburningbrush.Astheyoungsleuthroundedthecornerofthehouse,shestoodstill inamazement.Inthe
centeroftheyarda largetripodhadbeenerectedovera logfire.Swingingfromthetripodwasahugeironcaldron.BackofitstoodUncleRufus,wavinghisarmsbackandforthslowlyandmutteringtohimself.Nancyhesitatedaboutinterruptingthevoodoopreacher-doctor.Heprobablywasbrewinga
potionfromherbsandutteringprayersforitssuccessandefficacywheneveritmightbeusedbyhispatients.ItwasfullytwominutesbeforeUncleRufuslookedup.SeeingNancy,helefthisworkand
walkedtowardher.“Goodday,”hesaidaffably.“I’spectsyouwonderwhat’sinthishereherbpot.”Theelderlymanchuckled.“It’sasecret,buteffenyouneedatonic,it’llfixyouuprightquick.”Nancysmiled.“I’llletyouknowifIneedone.”ShetoldUncleRufusshehadstoppedtoaskhimifhewoulddosomedetectiveworkforher.Hegrinned.“Ifyoucon-fineittothebayou,Iwill,”hesaid.“Oh,Iwill,”Nancypromised.ShewentontotellhimabouttheweirdscenesandsoundsontheRiverPrincessbutdidnot
mentionthepartthattheDelaVerneshadplayed.Shewatchedtheoldman’sfaceintentlytoseeifheshowedanysignsofguilt.Hedefinitelydidnot.Instead,hescratchedhisheadandlookedperplexed.“Thishereisabigpuzzlementtome,”hesaid.“OnceinawhileIhearatom-tom,butlotsof
ourfolksgotthem.I’sesurenoneofthosepeoplegoesnearthatoleshowboat.”
UncleRufuswaswavinghisarmsandmutteringNancymentionedthefactthatperhapssomepeoplewereusingarecordplayerthere.“Maybeso.”UncleRufusnodded.“Butnoneofmypeople,”hedeniedstoutly.“MaybeIdo
knowsomethin’,though,thatmighthelpyou.LastnightwhenIwasoutpaddlin’Istoppedtolistentoanoleowl.He’swisdom,youknow,an’IthoughtImightlearnsomethin’fromhim.”UncleRufuswentontosaythatashortdistancefromhimhehadheardtwomenspeaking.
HewassurefromtheiraccentsthattheywerewhitemenfromtheNorth.“Whattheysaidwaskindo’queerlike.Onesaid,‘Iguesstheoldgalhasn’tanypirategold
afterall.’Theothermansaid,‘I’mgoin’tokeepathertillIfindout!’”UncleRufusaskedNancyifshecouldfigureoutwhattheymeant,buttheyoungdetective
shook her head. “That’s a hard one,” she said. Then she asked, “Uncle Rufus, would it bepossible foryoutowatchtheshowboat fora fewnights?Ifyou learnanything,cometotheHavers’homeandtellme.”Thevoodoodoctorsmiled.“Thatwillbeeasydetectivework,”hesaid,chuckling.“Isthatall
youwantmetodo,MissNancy?”“That’sallfornow.Andthankyouverymuch.”Shehurriedbacktothecarandtoldtheotherswhattheoldmanwasdoing.“He’sagreat
character in theseparts,”DonnaMaesaid. “It’s said thatUncleRufushasbroughtaboutagoodmanycures.”
WhenthegirlsreachedSunnymead,Georgewaswaitingforthemonthepatio.DonnaMaewentofftofindAlex,andGeorgegesturedthatshewouldlikeNancyandBesstofollowheratoncetothesecondfloor.“Iwonderwhat’sup,”Nancythoughtasshemountedthestaircase.George led the way into Nancy’s bedroom and closed the door. “Well, I think I’ve really
pickedupagoodclue,”shesaid.ExcitedlyGeorgewentontosaythatshehadspentalmostanhourwithAlex.“Igothimto
talkaboutNewYork,histravelsandhiseducation.Heshowedmealotofpictures.”“Butwhat’stheclue?”Bessaskedimpatiently.Georgelookedintentlyatthetwogirlsasshereplied,“IthinkAlexUpgroveisafake!”“What!”NancyandBessexclaimed.“Imean it,”Georgewent on. “In our talk I tried to trip him and I think I succeeded.He
contradicted himself several times. I’m convinced he’s either posing as Alex Upgrove fromNewYorkorelsehisnameisAlexUpgrove,buthe’sclaimingapositionofwealthandsocialstandingtowhichheisn’tentitled.”Georgeopenedabureaudrawerandbroughtoutapicture.“MuchasIhateflattery,Iused
someofitonAlexandgothimtoletmeborrowthispicture.”Shemadeawryface.“IthinkhebelievesIhaveacrushonhim.”Nancy and Bess stifled giggles, then looked at the photograph. It showed a group of
studentsatOxfordUniversity.Georgepointedtooneintherearrow.“That’sAlexUpgrove,”sheexplained.“Ishetheman
who’sgoingtomarryDonnaMaeordidhehelphimselftothispictureofsomeonewholooksverymuchlikehim?”“Well,itcertainlylookslikehim,”Besssaid.“Yes, it does,” saidNancy. Then she snappedher fingers. “I have an idea. You remember
Mrs.BartolometellingusthatMr.delaVerneisanOxfordgraduateandhasalwayskeptuphisinterestintheuniversity?”“Yes,” saidGeorge, “butAlexwouldhavebeenatOxford longafterMr.de laVerne.How
couldheidentifythepersoninthispicture?”“I know it’s a long shot,” said Nancy. “But Mr. de la Verne may have other pictures or
records of Oxford graduates. Let’s go see him, with the excuse that we’re returning Mrs.Farwell’sornamentalhairpin.”Nancylookedatherwristwatch.“Ifwehurry,girls,wecanjustmakethetripbeforedinner.
Comeon!”
CHAPTERXIX
AMissingSuspect
TOAVOIDmeetingAlexoranyoftheHaverfamily,Nancy,Bess,andGeorgeslippedquietlydown the back stairs and left the mansion. They hurried to their car and drove to Mrs.Farwell’shome.NancyrangthebellandMr.delaVerneopenedthedoor.Hebowed,thensaid:“Thisisanunexpectedpleasure.Pleasecomein.”ThegirlssteppedinsideandNancyintroducedtheelderlymantoherfriends.Aftergreeting
them,heindicatedasmalllivingroomfilledwithbeautifulantiquemahoganyfurniture.Whentheywereseated,Nancydrewthejeweledhairpinfromherpurse.“Icametoreturnthis,”shesaid.HenrydelaVernehesitatedamoment,thenarose.“Mysisterisnottoowelltoday,butIwill
seeifsheisabletojoinus.”Hewasgonefullyfiveminutes,butatlastreturnedwithMrs.Farwell.Thoughherfacewas
lined and her eyes slightly dulled because of her failing health, shewas still a very prettywoman. The girls were touched by the affectionate and chivalrousmanner with which herbrothertreatedher.Thecallersaroseandheintroducedthem.Mrs.Farwellnoddedherheadgraciouslyaseachgirlwasnamed.“Ifoundoneofyourvaluedpossessions,Mrs.Farwell,”saidNancy.“I’msohappytobeable
toreturnittoyou.”LouvinaFarwell took theprofferedhairpin and staredat it for several seconds.Then she
stoodupverystraight,gavealittletossofherhead,andlookeddirectlyatthegirldetective.ToNancy’sastonishment,thewoman’seyesindicatedshewasperfectlyrational.“Dositdownagain,mydears,”urgedMrs.Farwell.Afterherbrotherhadhelpedseatherin
achair,thewomanasked,“Andwheredidyoufindmymissingheirloom,Nancy?”“Ontheoldshowboat,theRiverPrincess.”“Howveryodd!”Louvinaremarked.“IfeelsosorryabouttheRiverPrincess.HenryandI
had suchwonderful times on itwhenwewere children. It is too bad that storm and floodruinedit.”“Wouldyou like to see theRiverPrincess restoredandmovedout of thebayou?”George
asked.“Indeed I would,” Mrs. Farwell replied promptly. “And I would like to see performances
givenonitagain.”Sheturnedtoherbrother.“Wouldn’titbefun,Henry,togotooneofthoseold-timeshowsagain?”“Yes, itwould,”Henry replied.HegaveNancy a surprisedglance, as if to say, “Iwas all
wrongabouttheeffectonmysisteroftherestorationoftheRiverPrincess.”Nancy,encouragedbythefriendlytrendoftheconversation,askedimpulsively,“Beforeyour
grandfatherownedtheshowboat,didpirateseverpilother?”“Oh,no,”Henryansweredquickly.Then,ashissisterstartedtospeak,hetriedtoswitchto
anothertopicofdiscussion.ButLouvinawouldnotbediverted fromthepiratestory.She laughedas if in recollection
andhereyeslostsomeoftheirdimness.Shesaid,“Nancy,mydear,nopirateeverownedtheRiverPrincess.Buttherewasastorythatseveralof themhidachestofgoldcoinsunderabulkheadoftheshowboatduringthetimemygrandfatherownedit.Thishappenedwhennoonewasaboard.”“Oh,howexciting!”Bessburstout.“Didtheyreturntogetthem?”
“Not that anyone ever knew,” Mrs. Farwell replied. “As a matter of fact, some verydisparagingremarksweremadeaboutmywonderfulgrandfather—peoplesaidthathewasinleaguewiththepirates.”“Why,howdreadful!”saidBess.“It certainlywas,”Mr. de la Verne agreed. “Well, now thatmy sister has told you of our
familyskeleton,I’llfinishthestory.ImyselflookedforthatpirategoldmanytimesbeforetheRiverPrincesswasabandoned,butitnevercametolight.”Nancywas convinced now that at last she had discovered the reason for the showboat’s
being“haunted.”Atthepresenttime,someonewhohadlearnedoftheoldstorywastryingtofindthepirategold—anddidnotintendtohaveanyoneinterferewithhisendeavor!“Just today,”Nancysaidaloud,“IaskedUncleRufus towatch theRiverPrincess at night
andreporttomeanythingstrangehesawgoingonthere.HeoverheardaremarkinwhichIthinkyou’llbeinterested.”Theyoungdetectivetoldaboutthetwomeninthecanoeandtheirmentionofpirategold.“I’msurethey’llneverfindit,”saidHenrydelaVerne,“becausethewholestoryprobably
wasmadeupbysomeshowboatrivalsofmygrandfather’s.”Louvinabackedupherbrotherinthistheory.Then,suddenly,shesaid,“Iamverytired.If
thegirlswillexcuseme,IthinkI’llgotomyroomandliedown.”“Oh,pleasedo,”saidNancyquickly.“ButMr,de laVerne,maywestaya little longerand
talktoyou?IwanttoaskyousomequestionsaboutOxfordUniversity.”“Ishallbehappytoanswerthem,”theelderlymansaidwithenthusiasm.“I’llbebackina
fewminutes.”Heassistedhissisterfromtheroombutreturnedshortly.Briefly,NancytoldaboutAlexUpgrove,andthathisengagementtoDonnaMaeHaverwas
tobeannouncedataballtheHaversweregiving.“Here isapictureofAlex takenatOxford. Iwaswondering if youcould findhim inyour
directoryofgraduates.”Theelderlymantookthephotograph.Thenheusheredthevisitorsintoanadjoiningroom
whichwaslinedwithbookshelves,andpulledoutseveralvolumes.PresentlyheannouncedtothegirlsthatanAlexUpgrovefromNewYorkCitywasindeedagraduateofOxfordUniversity.Mr.de laVerne then lookedthroughavolumeofpictures.Thisbookwasputbackon the
shelf,andhetookdownanother.Presentlyheexclaimed:“I’vefoundwhatyou’relookingfor!”Thegirlseagerlycrowdedaroundhimandlookedatthegroupphotograph.Itwasexactly
like the onewhichGeorge had borrowed fromAlexUpgrove. But the face of themanwhostoodintheplaceindicatedforAlexwasnotthatofthemantheyknewatSunnymead.“George,youwererightaboutAlexbeingafake!”Besscriedout.“Thisisveryunfortunate,”saidMr.delaVerne.Nancyraisedherheadthoughtfully.Asshestaredoutawindow,shewasstartledbyaface
framedinoneofthepanes.AlexUpgrove!WhentheyoungmanrealizedthatNancyhadcaughthimspying,hetooktohisheelsand
sprintedoutofsight.Nancyalertedtheothersandthethreegirlsdashedfromthehouseafterhim.Afewminuteslatertheroarofacarsomedistanceawaytoldthemthathehadescaped.“I’llbethe’llnevershowupatSunnymeadagain,”Georgepredicted.“Well, that’s finewithme,”Bess declared. “And I’m glad forDonnaMae’s sake that he’s
beenfoundout.Maybenowshe’llcometohersensesandbeherformerself!”TheyreturnedtothehouseandapologizedtoMr.delaVernefortheirhastyexit.“I’msorryyoudidn’tcatchupwiththatpretender,”hesaid.“Iwillnotifytheuniversityof
what has happened.While you were gone, I studied the photograph you brought, under amagnifyingglass.Therehasbeenaverycleverphotographicsubstitution.”“ThisAlexUpgrove,ifthat’shisname,”saidGeorge,“mustbeafterbigstakestohavegone
tosomuchtrouble.”
“I’llbethe’safterthepirategold,”Bessventured.ThegirlsthankedMr.delaVerneforhishelp,thensaidgood-byandhurriedbacktoward
Sunnymead.“How in the world are we ever going to tell Donna Mae the truth?” Bess asked
apprehensively.“Maybewewon’thaveto,”Nancysuggested.“ShemayfindoutaboutAlexherself.”WhenthegirlsdroveintotheparkingareaoftheHavers’estate,theygavegaspsofsurprise
and delight.On the patiowithDonnaMaewere three boys—tall, athletic, brown-eyedNedNickerson;blond,heavy-setBurtEddleton,andrangy-built,green-eyedDaveEvans.Thegirlshurriedtogreetthem.“Weconvincedtheuniversityweoughttolookoverthefootballsituationdownherefornext
year,”Nedsaidwithalaughaftergreetingswereover.“Andithappenedtocoincidewithamidyearvacation.”Burtgrinned.Intheconversationwhichfollowed,NancynoticedthatDonnaMaewasunusuallycharming
and gracious. She exhibited such happiness that the other girls were sure she had heardnothingadverseyetaboutAlexUpgrove.Andhowtheyhatedtotellher!SuddenlyDonnaMaeannounced,“Dinnerwillbeservedsoon.Wewon’twait forAlex.He
hadtogooutandsaidhemightbedetained.”The girls exchanged quick glances but made no comment. Excusing themselves, they
hurriedupstairstochangeintofloweredbouffantdresses.“ForthesakeofNed,Burt,andDave,”saidNancy,assheandtheothersstarteddownstairs,
“Isuggestthatwebeasgayaspossibleduringdinner.IfAlexdoesn’tshowuplateron,thenwe’llhavetotellDonnaMaewhatwe’velearnedabouthim.”Though at times it was difficult for the three girls to play their lighthearted parts, they
succeededverywell.Butlater,ontheterrace,ColonelandMrs.HaverbroughtupthesubjectofAlex.“Wheredidhego?”theyaskedtheirdaughter.DonnaMaesaidshedidnotknow.Anotherhourwentby.Stillhedidnotcome.NancytookNedasideandwhisperedthenewsaboutAlex.“Ifyoudon’tmind,I’dliketotell
theHaversprivatelywhatIknow.”Nedchuckled.“Icantakeahint,”hesaid,grinning.“Imighthaveknownyou’dhaveabig
mysterytosolve.Okay,wefellowswillhitthesack.”Presently he andhis friends excused themselves andwent upstairs.DonnaMae fidgeted,
thensaidworriedly,“Ican’tunderstandwhereAlexis.”Nancydecidednottowaitanylongerinrevealingwhatshehaddiscovered.Shewalkedover
toDonnaMae and her parents. “I’m afraid that Alex is not coming back,” she said gently.“Bess and George and I learned earlier this evening that he has beenmisrepresenting hisbackground.Hewastherewhenwefounditoutandheranaway.”“Whatdoyoumean?”DonnaMaeaskedquickly.Nancytoldaboutthesubstitutioninthephotograph.ColonelHaver’sjawsetfirmly.Donna
Maewentwhiteandtheothersthoughtshewasgoingtofaint.But.suddenlyshebegantocry.“Thatd-dreadful,thatdeceiving,thathorridman!”sheburstout.Mrs.Haver,whowasseatedbesideDonnaMae,putanarmaroundherdaughter.“This is
hard, I know,dear, but thinkof thedisgraceandunhappiness for you if youhadmarriedapersonlikethat.Weallhaveprobablybeensparedagreatdealofembarrassment,too.”Hermother’swordsmade little impressiononDonnaMae.Shecouldthinkofnothingbut
theoverwhelmingchagrinof themoment.As shealternatelyweptand laughedhysterically,herfatheraskedNancyifshethoughtAlexwasinanywayconnectedwiththemysteryoftheshowboat.“I’mafraidthatheis,”theyoungdetectivereplied.“Infact,IamconvincedAlexisinleague
with themanwho stolemy car. And thatmany other strange thingswhich happenedweremeanttokeepmefromcomingheretosolvethemystery.”“Butwhatisthemystery?”ColonelHaverasked.
Nancy told him of the rumor about pirate gold being hidden on theRiver Princess. TheHaverswereamazedtohearthis.Theyeagerlydiscussedthepossibilityoftheancientcoinsbeingon the showboat.DonnaMaemomentarily forgother troublesandeven joined in theconversation.Butasthegroupstartedforbed,sheagainbrokeintoanotherfitofhysteria.Nancywentto
DonnaMae’sroomwithherandtriedtosoothetheagitatedgirl.To the young detective’s wonder, Donna Mae revealed a new worry. “Nancy, I’ve just
realizedwhatadreadfulthingI’vedonetoCharles,andhedidn’tdeserveit.”AlthoughNancyfeltsorryforthegirl,andwassureDonnaMaestilllovedCharles,shewas
a little irked at her fickleness. Nevertheless, she endeavored to comfort Donna Mae, whofinallyfellasleep.The next morning Donna Mae appeared quite composed. She talked very little during
breakfast, but later asked the threegirls to come toher room.To their surprise and relief,DonnaMaeseemedtohaveamorematureattitude.“I’vebeenverystupid,”shesaid.“Allthishastaughtmeagoodlesson.IknownowthatI
still loveCharles—andhaveall the time. I shan’tgo runningafterhim.But ifhe’ll takemeback,I’llbeveryhappy.”Thegirlshadnochancetocomment,forjustthenMammyMatildaknockedonthedoorto
saythatCaptainRuncie,thetowboatowner,wasdownstairs.“ColonelHaverwouldlikeyoualltocomeandtalkwithhim.”When they reached the first floor, ColonelHaver said, “Nancy, you andBess andGeorge
havedonesuchawonderfuljobsofarinsolvingtheSunnymeadmystery,Iwantyoutotakeoverthefinalpart.IsuggestthatyouthreeandNed,Burt,andDavegowithCaptainRuncietotheRiverPrincess.Hewillseewhathecandoaboutmovingit.”Thegirlsweredelightedwiththisarrangementandthreecanoeswerebroughttothedock.
Nancy andNed stepped into the first craft and took Captain Runciewith them.When thegroupreachedtheRiverPrincess,thetowboatownersaidhewouldremainoutsideandmakesomecalculations.Thethreegirlsbeganshowingtheirescortsaroundtheshowboat.Ned,pokingintovarious
crannieswithhisflashlight,saidlaughingly,“I’mnotgoingtogiveupuntilIfindthatpiratetreasure.”IntheirsearchheandNancyfinallyreachedtheholdoftheoldvessel.Walkingonthedry
part,theybeamedthelightbackandforth.SuddenlyNancystoopeddownandsaid,“Ned,here’ssomethinginterestingImissedbefore.
Theymaybeaclue.”Shepointed toaseriesofknotholesononeof thewideboards in thecenterofthedeck.“Butthisisn’tunderabulkhead,asthelegendsaid,”Nedobjected.Nancysmiled.“Thosepirateswereclever.Doyourealizewe’restandingunderabulkhead
ofthetheaterontheupperdeck?Ned,let’stryliftingupthisboard.”“Okay.Butwithwhat?”Nedasked,lookingabout.Not far awayNancy spotted a crowbarwhich she had seenCharles use the day she had
visitedtheboatthefirsttime.Nedhurriedtopickitup,thenstartedtopryupthesectionoffloor.Nancywaitedbreathlessly.Wouldher hunchpayoff?Suddenly,with a ripping sound, the
floorboardcameup.“Oh!”sheexclaimedexcitedly.Beneaththeboardwasanotherboard,oldandrotted,andbelowthis,ametalchest!NancyandNed,afterafewtugs,liftedthelid,revealingamassofgoldcoins!“We’vefoundit!We’vefoundit!”Nedcriedout.Heranhishandthroughthecoins.“There
mustbefiftythousanddollars’worth!”As he andNancy did a little dance together to express their glee, they were completely
unaware of two sinister figures who suddenly arose from behind a pile of crates and ragsnearby.Thetwomenheldstoutsticksintheirhands.Quietlyandstealthilytheyleapedtowardthecoupleandbroughtthesticksdownfullforceontheirheads.NancyandNedslumpedtothedeck.
Above,BessandDavewerejustcompletingatourofthefirstdeck.Afewminuteslatertheycametowardtheentrancetothehold.Besssuddenlyyelledinalarm:“Smoke’scomingfromthehold.Theshowboat’sonfire!NancyandNedaredownthere!”
CHAPTERXX
AMasqueraderUnmasked
FEARFULthatNancyandNedweretrappedintheholdoftheRiverPrincess,Besscriedouttheirnamesinterror.Therewasnoanswer.“Wemustdosomething!”thegirlwailed.AtthisinstantGeorgeandBurtarrived.QuicklyBessandDavetoldthemoftheirfearsfor
NancyandNed.Thetwoboystiedhandkerchiefsovertheirnosesandmouths,turnedontheirflashlights,andrusheddownthesteps.Reachingthesmoke-filledhold,BurtandDavepeeredaroundfrantically.“There theyare—over there!”Burtpointed.NancyandNed layon the floor,unconscious.
Quickly the twoboys swung theprostrate formsover their shoulders, coveredNancy’s andNed’smouthsandnoseswiththeirhands,anddashedupthesteps.Theinjuredcouplewerelaidonthedeck.Besskneltdownbesidethem.“Seethoselumpsontheirheads!They’vebeenhit.”As George and Bess began to try reviving their friends, Burt, Dave, and Captain Runcie
grabbedfirebucketsstillhangingonthedeckandrusheddownintothehold.“Oh,dobecareful!”Besscalledafterthem.Ina fewminutesNancyandNedregainedconsciousness.Bothsatupandaskedgroggily,
“Whathappened?”Besssaidsomeonemusthaveknockedthemoutinthehold.“Andthere’safiredownthere,
too.Doyouknowanythingaboutit?”“Wedidn’tseeanyfire,”Nedreplied.Downinthehold,CaptainRuncieandhistwocompanionswerebusilysloshingwaterfrom
thelistedsideofthedeckontotheburningsection.Inashorttimetheyhadtheflamesout.Whentheyreturned,DaveaskedNancyandNedhowtheyfelt.Reassuredtheywouldbeallright,heaskedifthecouplehadseenanyoneinthehold.“No,”theyreplied.ThensuddenlyNancysaid,“Thetreasure—isitstillthere?”“Treasure!”Daverepeated.“Itwasanauthenticpiratechestfilledwitholdgoldcoins,”Nedexplained.“Wefounditin
thehold.”“Thenwhoeverknockedyououtmusthavestolenit!declaredBurt.”Wedidn’tseeachest.”Noonehadseenanystrangersleavetheshowboatandsomuchtimehadelapsedsincethe
attackthatthegroupknewitwouldbefutiletotryfindingNancyandNed’sassailant.“Hemusthavesetthefire,thenrunupthestairs,andgotawaywhennoonewaslooking,”
saidGeorge.Tomakesurehewasnotstillaboard,acarefulsearchwasmade.Thethief,orthieves,had
vanished!“WemustreturntoSunnymeadandreportthistothepoliceatonce,”Nancydecided.AsCaptainRuncieandtheyoungpeoplewereabouttoleavetheRiverPrincess,thegentle
soundofpaddles came from twodirections. Ina fewmoments they sawCharlesBartolomeapproachingfromoneentrancetothepond,UncleRufusfromanother.Thenewarrivalswereamazedtohearwhathadtakenplaceontheshowboat.“I’m sorry that you twowere hurt,” said Charles grimly. “So the legend about the pirate
treasurewastrue!”Uncle Rufus said he had news for Nancy. He had seen nothing suspicious at the River
Princess the eveningbefore.But hehadbeenmaking some inquiries amonghis neighbors.One,aNegroboy,hadsecretlywatchedtwomenatworkintheshowboatlateonenight.Theyoungermanhadcarriedtools,theothera“talkin’machinewithrecords.”Whilethere,theyhadplayedtom-tomandcallioperecords.“Theyalsoplayedsomehymns,”UncleRufusadded.“ThemencalledeachotherAlexandSpike.”“NotAlexUpgrove?”Charlesasked.Bessmotioned the youngmanaside andquickly told him theunfortunate story and their
furthersuspicionsaboutAlex.Charles’sfacebecamegrave,andhesaidsoftly,“I’msorryforDonnaMae.”“She’sjustcrushed,”Besstoldhim.“Sherealizeshowfoolishshewastothinkthatshewas
inlovewithAlex.”Besssmiled.“Youknow,Charles,despitewhatyoumaythink,DonnaMaehasalwaysbeenveryfondofyou.”Charleslookedthoughtful,butmadenoreply.AsBess turnedback to theothers, sheheardUncleRufus say thathe thoughtSpikewas
hidingoutinanemptyshackinthebayou.“Let’sgogethim!”Nedurged.CaptainRuncie insistedupongoingalong.Butheadded,“I’mmucholderthantherestof
youandIofferthisadvice.Girls,don’tgoonthismanhunt.Thosefellowsaretoodangerous.”Nancyreluctantlyconcededthathewasright.Beingfamiliarnowwiththebayou,thethreegirlssetoffaloneinoneofthecanoestoreturn
toSunnymead.Whentheytoldtheirstory,theHaverswereastounded.Whilethegroupwereexcitedlydiscussingthenewdevelopments,CaptainRuncieandtheEmersonboysreturned.“Wecaughtoneofthemen!”Daveannounced.“Buttheotheronegotawaywiththepirate
chestjustbeforewearrived.”NedsaidthatthemantheyhadcaughtwasSpikeLander,whohadmanyaliases.Theyhad
drivenhimtopoliceheadquartersandhewasnowinjail.IfhehadanyideawhereAlexhadgonewith thepirategold,hehadrefusedtoadmit it.But theLouisianapoliceandthoseofMississippiandotheradjoiningstateshadbeenalerted.“Alexoughttobecaughtsoon,”Nedprophesied.ColonelHaversaidhecertainlyhopedso.Then,turningtoCaptainRuncie,heaskedabout
thepossibilityofmovingtheshowboattotheSunnymeaddock.“IcanmovetheRiverPrincesswithverylittletrouble,”thecaptainstated.“I’llgetmento
clearouttherestofthestreamandfetchthatshowboatdownhereinnotime.”Two days went by and still there was no word of Alex. Spike Lander had confessed to
stealing Nancy’s convertible. As the young detective had suspected, he had attempted byseveralsinistermethodstokeepherfromcomingtoNewOrleans.Otherthanthathewouldtellnothing.“IwishIknewwhereAlexis,”Nancyfretted.ThebatteredshowboathadbeenhauledtotheHavers’dock.Sincecarpentersandpainters
oftheareawerebusyonMardiGrasfloatsandgrandstands,nonewereavailabletorepairtheRiverPrincess.EveryoneatSunnymeadofferedtohelp.“I’llacceptit,”saidColonelHavergratefully.Charlesheardabout theplanandcameover tohelp,bringingFrankand Jack.Hammers,
saws,andpaintbrusheswerekeptinusefrommorninguntilnight.TheRiverPrincesswouldberestoredandreadyforthegrandball!Anotherkindofchangewasalsotakingplace.Bess,inparticular,wasthrilledtoseeDonna
MaeandCharlesworkingsidebyside,talkingandlaughing.Heseemedtohaveforgottenhishurtfeelingsandbecamemoreandmoreattentivetohisformerfiancéeeachday.“Oh,Idohopethey’llgetmarried,”Besssighedaudibly.AtlasttheRiverPrincesswascompletelyrestored.Thetheaterwasreadyfortheplay.The
largeroomontheupperdeckandallthedeckswerespick-and-spanandwaxedfordancing.Onlytheholdwouldbebarredtovisitors.Mrs.Haverremarked,withapleasedsmile,“ThePrincesslookssimplybeautiful.Ishallbe
sohappytohaveourfriendsseeher.”ColonelHaverthankedeveryoneashegazedproudlyattheshowboat,thensaid,“Fromnow
onnomorework! Iwant everyone to get into the carnival spirit. TomorroweveningMardiGrasweekofficiallybegins.Ihavegrandstandseatsfortheparades.”Nancyandherfriendsweregladtoturntheirthoughtstothecolorfulspectacle.ButNancy
stillcouldnotgetAlexUpgroveoutofhermind.Justbeforeleavingforthefirstparade,shephonedthepolice,onlytobetoldtherewasnotacluetotheyoungman’swhereabouts.“Ifyougetanyleads,MissDrew,letusknow,”thecaptainrequested.TheHaversandtheirvisitorshurriedoff toNewOrleansand foundplaces in themayor’s
grandstand.Soontheyheardbandmusic,anddownthestreetcamethelonglineoffloats.“It’sjustlikebeinginfairyland!”Bessexclaimedafterseveralgorgeousfloatshadpassed,
lightedbytorchbearersrunningalongsidethem.High above the street rolled the glittering imitation gardens, palaces, scenes from
mythology,Indianhistory,Nature,ships,andthesea.Silks, satins, and velvets were used in profusion in costume and decoration. Every float
sparkledwithgoldorsilverpostsandcanopies.On the pavement below them crowds of people clapped and cried out for souvenirs.
Thousandsofimitationpearlnecklacesweretossedbytheactorsintotheupturnedhands.“Oh,isn’tthisthemostexcitingthingyou’veeverseen?”BessaskedNancyasshecaught
oneofthenecklacesonthethirdnightoftheparades.“It’ssimplygorgeous,”Nancyagreed.“Absolutelysuper!”addedGeorge.Bands were plentiful and high-stepping drummajorettes led by baton twirlers kept up a
livelypacebehindthemusicians.DuringallthistimeNancyhadnotforgottenAlexUpgrove.Shehadremainedalertforany
cluetohimamongthevastcrowdofpeople.Butnightafternightwentbywithoutasignofhim.Finally came Shrove Tuesday, the final day of the Mardi Gras celebration. As soon as
breakfastwasoveratSunnymead,theentireHaverfamilyandtheirguestsdonnedcostumesinpreparationfor joiningtherevelers inNewOrleans.Todaytheparadewouldstartatten-thirty.AsthegirlsfromRiverHeightsandtheEmersonboys,alldressedasclowns,rodetoward
thecityinNancy’scar,shesaid,“Ihaveahunch.Maybeit’sfarfetched,butIfeelthatwe’llfindAlexUpgrovetoday.”“How?”Nedasked.“Evenifhe’saround—whichIdoubt—he’llprobablybeincostume.That
wouldbetheeasiestwayforhimtohidehisidentity.”“Iknowthat,”Nancyanswered.“Buthehasn’tbeencaught,soIbelievehe’sintown.Ican’t
getthatwaddedpieceofpaperoutofmymind.ImeantheoneAlexthrewfromthecar.Onitwasapatchofmaroonwithagoldstriperunningthroughthecenter.Itmighthavemeantafloatcoveredbymaroonvelvetwithagoldstripe.”“YoumeanAlexmightbeonit?”Nedaskedincredulously.Nancynodded.“Insomewayhe’llbeusingthepiratecoins.”Theyoungdetectivelaughed.
“IthinkAlexmightevenhavemadesomekindofarrangementtorentthecoinstotheparadecommittee,providedhe found thembefore theMardiGras.He’lluse thecash togetoutoftownwhilestillincostume.”“Andleavethechestofpiratemoneybehind?”Burtaskedunbelievingly.“Oh,no,”saidNancy.“He’llmanagetotakeitwithhim.”Nancysuggestedthatsinceallofthemwereinsimilarcostumes,itmightbewiseforthem
toseparate.“IfAlexisaround,hewon’tbesoapttonoticeus.We’llmeetyoulateronwheretheparadebreaksuponClaiborneAvenue.”Ned parked the car and the six masked revelers alighted. He and Nancy found an
advantageousspotfromwhichtowatchtheparadeasitwentalongSt.CharlesAvenue.Floatafter float went by without arousing any more than admiration on the part of the youngpeople.ThensuddenlyNancygrabbedNed’sarm.“Look!” she whispered excitedly. “Here comes a pirate float and around the outside is
maroonvelvetwithagoldstripe!”
She andNedwatched intently as the float came closer. Three of the “pirates”werebusythrowingnecklaces to the costumed revelers in the street below them.A fourthpiratewasbentovera treasurechest.Hewasbusysiftinggoldcoins throughhis fingers,much to thedelightofthecrowd.“Throwmesomeofyourmoney!”criedaby-standerdressedasaknightinarmor.“Yes,I’dlikesomepirates’money!”Calledhiscompanioninaskeletoncostume.The cloaked pirate merely laughed. As he passed just above Nancy she peered at him
searchingly,tryingtofigureoutwhathisfacewouldlooklikewithoutmake-upandmustache.Afterthefloathadgoneby,shewhisperedexcitedlytoNed:“IthinkthatwasAlex.Let’sfollowhim!”Thetwokeptashortdistancebehindthefloatandwoundtheirwayinandoutamongthe
crowd.BythetimetheyreachedCanalStreet,wheretheparadeturned,NancywaspositivethatthefloatpiratewiththegoldcoinswasAlexUpgrove.“I’mgoingtonotifythefirstpolicemanwesee,”shetoldNed.“Goodidea,”heagreed.Notfarawaytheymetanofficerandquicklyapprisedhimoftheirsuspicions.Hepromised
to alert headquarters at once, have the pirate float put under surveillance, and the manhandlingthecoinsquestionedwhentheparadedisbanded.“I’llbetheretoidentifyhim,”Nancysaid.SheandNedcontinuedtofollowthemaroon-and-goldfloat.Asitcameneartheareawhere
theparadewouldbreakup,theysawthe“pirate”suddenlystuffhismanypocketswithcoinsfromthetreasurechest.Theresthedumpedintoasmallsackhewasholdingandtuckedthisintohisvelvetwaistcoat.“That’sAlex,allright,”saidNancy.“Oh,Ned,look!He’sgoingtojumpoffthefloatandget
awaybeforethepolicecome!”“Buthewon’tgetawayfromme,”declaredNedgrimly.Themanjumpedtothesidewalk.Ashestartedtorun,Nedmadeaflyingleapandthetwo
crashedtothepavement.Several revelers screamed. Their outcries caught the attention of the police who were
waitingashortdistanceaway.Inafewsecondstwoofficerswereonthescene.BythistimeNedhadpulledthe“pirate”tohisfeetandwasholdinghiminaviselikegrip.Nancy rushedupanddefinitely identified the suspect asAlexUpgrove.Hishat,wig, and
mustachehadfallenoffinthestruggleandmostofhismake-uphadrubbedaway.“What’sthemeaningofthis?”Alexaskedangrily.“You’reunderarrest,”saidoneoftheofficers.“Ihaven’tdoneanythingwrong,”thefugitivecontendedstoutly.“Accordingtothisyounglady,youhaveseveralcrimestoyourcredit.”Theofficernamedonlyone—knockingoutNedandNancyontheshowboatandsettingthe
fire. On hearing this, Alex broke down and confessed that Alex Upgrove was not his rightname, althoughhe refused to saywho hewas.Months before theMardiGras, he hadmetSpikeLander,whohadheardtherumorofthepiratecoins.“SpikeneededsomebodywithclasstoingratiatehimselfwiththeHaversandkeeptrackof
whatwasgoingon,sohechoseme.IfiguredoutthisOxfordbusinessanditworkedallrightwithDonnaMaeandherparents.Butyou,NancyDrew,spoiledthewholegame.”Alex admitted that he and Spike had arranged to haunt the showboat.WhenNancy was
learningtoomuch,hehadfollowedhertotheDelaVernes’.TheelderlyOxfordgraduatehadbeenhisundoing.“SoIhadtoleaveSunnymead,”hesaid.“ButSpikeandIweren’tgoingtogiveuphunting
forthatpiratetreasure.WhenNancyfounditforus,wehadtoknockherouttoescape.Thefirewasaccidental.SpikelightedamatchandintherushtogetawayIguesshedroppedit.”Alexwentontosaythathehadarranged,alsoinadvance,tobeincludedasapirateonthe
floatunderstillanotherimportantassumedname.Hehadfiguredifallwentwellhecoulduseit as a surprise for Donna Mae, whom he really had intended to marry and gain a social
positionforhimself.Atthis,NancyandNedexchangedglancesasiftosay,“Whattremendousconceittheman
has,tobelievehecouldhavegottenawaypermanentlywithsuchascheme!”Alexhadalso figuredthat ifhisplanswentwrong,MardiGrasDaywouldbeanexcellent
one in which to disappear. As Nancy had guessed, he had rented the coins to the paradecommitteeandplannedtousethecashtomakeagetaway.Shehadalsobeenrightaboutthewadofpaper,withtheidentifyingmaroonandgold.Ithad
beenasignaltoSpike.Therewasinvisiblewritingonit,askinghispartnertohelptrailNancy.“Yes,Spikeriggedthatvinebarricade,”AlexadmittedwhenNancyquestionedhimonthis.
“AndheandIusedaduckcalltosignaleachotherwheneverhethoughtanyoneelsewasinthevicinityoftheshowboat.”“AnddidhethrowthestoneatmeandplayghostontheRiverPrincess?”“Yes.”Whenthecaptive’sstorywasfinished, thepoliceofficersaidtohim,“Well,Upgrove,your
masqueradehasended.Yourpal isbehindbarsandthat’swhereyou’regoing,also. It’s toobadyouchosethewrongkindofcompanywhenyougotalongsowellwithnicefolks.”Bess, George, and their companions reached the group just then. Nancy said, “Alex has
confessed,”andtheprisonerwasledaway.“Well,Nancy,yousolvedthemysteryofthehauntedshowboatanddidamagnificent job,”
Nedpraisedher.“Hip-hip-hurray!”saidBurt,strikinganexaggeratedpose.Nancy laughed. “Now that the mystery is solved, let’s have some fun.” But suddenly a
wistfulfeelingcameoverherasshethought,“WhenwillIhaveachancetosolveanother?”Nancy’s questionwas to be answered very soon,when she found herself involved inThe
SecretoftheGoldenPavilion.Inagaymoodtheyoungpeoplereturnedhome.TheirhostsandDonnaMaewerealready
there.With themwasCharles. All listened in awe and admiration asBess andGeorge toldaboutthecaptureofthefalseAlexUpgroveandtherecoveryofthepiratetreasure.“It’s unbelievable,” saidColonelHaver. “Nancy, how canwe ever thank you?Unless,” he
added,atwinkleinhiseyes,“thepiratetreasureyoufoundisrewardenough.”Nancystaredinamazement.“Oh,Ishan’tclaimthat!I’dlikeonecoinasasouvenir,butyou
andtheDelaVernesshouldsharethetreasure.”“We’ll see,”saidColonelHaver.Therewassilence fora fewmoments, thenhecontinued.
“Nancy,youareresponsibleforsomethingfarmoreimportantthansolvingthemysteryofthehauntedshowboat.Iwanttotakethisopportunitytotellyouallthatafterthepageanttonight,the engagement of my daughter Donna Mae to Charles Bartolome will be formallyannounced.”“Oh, I’m so happy to hear that!” Nancy cried out, and Bess and George gave a rousing
cheer.DonnaMaehuggedNancygratefullyandonhercheektheyoungdetectivecouldfeelafew
tears.“Nancy, you helpedme recover somethingmore precious than all the gold in theworld,”
DonnaMaewhispered.
MatchWitswithTheHardyBoys®!
MatchWitswithSuperSleuthNancyDrew!