Read Ebook: Penny Allen and the Mystery of the Hidden Treasure by McKechnie Jean L Jean Lyttleton

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Ebook has 1059 lines and 41930 words, and 22 pages

"Don't you go worrying about a little thing like that," answered Theresa, and with a wink at Pat she added, "Anybody that finds out about Ann Mary's cooking will gladly pay double the fee you're charging, if Pat isn't going to be too jealous to let anybody else taste that good food."

"Okay with me," said Pat good-naturedly. "Providing I get my share."

Slowly following behind Theresa were two people the Allens had never met. Penny and Phil shook their hands as Theresa introduced them.

"This is Mr. and Mrs. Mal Donahue, Ann Mary's cousins. Mrs. Donahue was Kathleen Doherty and we always call her Kitty. It's a cinch your help will all be getting along fine together since we're all Irish and all related. Seems as though all the Irish are related to each other, doesn't it?"

This brought forth gales of laughter from Jimmy who had interrupted his work in the garden to greet the new arrivals.

"I hope you like your cabin," he said to the Donahues. "All of our vegetables are growing right in your back yard, so whenever you get hungry all you have to do is reach out the window and pick some pole beans."

They smiled at him while Philip said, "We hope you will be happy with us, Mal and Kitty."

Mal Donahue cleared his throat. "We'd like the job, sir, uh--er," and he hesitated. "We were--ahem--curious, you see. We heard the house was haunted last winter, and some people say there's hidden treasure around here. We hope it's just a plain ordinary house. Kitty and I don't like surprises." This speech was made with some effort and once again Jimmy couldn't control his amusement.

He laughed and slapped Mal on the back. "If there's any treasure, old man, you and I will find it together." This seemed to reassure Mal.

When Philip and Penny walked toward the Lodge later, she said, "I think we are lucky, Phil, to get these young folks. I like their looks, don't you?"

"I certainly do," Philip agreed. "And Pat and Ann Mary will need all the extra help they can get. If things work out the way we hope they will, we'll have to hire more people from the village."

Penny nodded. "I'm very pleased with Kitty. She looks like a dear, and she'll make a nice appearance waiting on the table." She sighed. "It's too bad anyone as attractive as Ann Mary must stay in the kitchen most of the time."

"Don't worry about that," Phil said with a laugh. "I'm sure all our guests will want to go back and tell her how good her food is and they'll get to know her that way. Besides," he went on, "she won't stay in the kitchen all the time. Even if she's supposed to do nothing but cook, you know Ann Mary will pitch in and help the others whenever she has any spare time."

"That's true," Penny said thoughtfully. "And I'm beginning to see what you mean about our getting organized. We really should all work according to some sort of schedule so we won't be getting in each other's way."

"Exactly," Philip said. "We must have a serious meeting this evening and assign definite tasks to each one of us."

"Right after dinner," Penny agreed. "Now, before we go back to work in the house, let's read the mail the postman left on the porch a while ago. I--I," she confided, "I'm sort of hoping I'll hear from Peter Wyland. He's not sure he can take a vacation from his job until the end of summer."

"Cheer up, Sis," Phil said encouragingly. "Maybe there'll be a letter from him saying he can come sooner."

They hurried up the steps to the porch where a stack of letters was waiting for them.

AN ANONYMOUS LETTER

The first letter Penny opened was from the Curtises saying that they would arrive in about a week, the first weekend in July.

"That is," Mrs. Curtis wrote, "if it won't be rushing you too much, Penny dear."

Mr. and Mrs. Curtis, whom the Allens fondly called Grandma and Grandpa Curtis, had been old friends of Uncle John's. Their daughter Mary and their son Charles were the same age as Penny and Philip and they had spent many summers together in camps. They were to be the first guests at Allen Lodge and were planning to stay the entire summer.

When Mr. Curtis had heard about the ideal fishing his family had difficulty restraining him from coming up before the Lodge was really open for business.

"The Curtises are always doing something to help us," brightly asserted Penny as she finished the letter out on the big front porch.

She and Philip looked out on the lawn, a wide, trimmed space in front of the house, its grass thick, its masses of shrubbery and groups of beautiful trees stately, and its flowers just beginning to bloom. Truly, summer had come to the shores of Lake Superior, and Phil surveyed the property with great pride.

Watching the expression on his face, Penny said, "Uncle John certainly had good taste, Phil. You have every reason to be proud of your inheritance."

"I know it," Phil said. "But don't forget to give credit where it is due. Jimmy and I have done a good job of lawn-mowing and tree-trimming, if I do say so myself." He stretched his long arms. "That kind of work is a real muscle builder."

"I'll bet it is," Penny said. "And it's grand to know that I'll have plenty of flowers for the dining room tables and for every bedroom in the Lodge. Pat takes very good care of the cutting flowers in his old-fashioned garden. If you and Jimmy take as good care of the flowering shrubs, the Lodge will be a bower of blossoms inside and out all summer."

Marjorie and Jimmy came out on the porch then with their hands full of more mail that Pat had brought back when he went into town for Theresa and the Donahues.

"'Lo," said Jimmy. "Help us sort this out. Gobs came in today after the postman left."

Jimmy sat down in one of the large, old-fashioned wicker chairs and Marjorie drew up a little footstool in front of him.

"Go ahead," said Philip, "We'll trust you and Marjorie to sort it all out and hand it over, won't we, Penny?"

"Only too glad to have you do it," replied Penny, slumping down in her chair and pretending to relax. "Only don't take too long, if anything looks interesting," she added.

Jimmy's answer to that was to toss a flat letter into her lap, and to follow that closely with another slimmer one, carefully twirled by its corner to insure its falling at the proper distance.

"Oh, don't, Jimmy," protested Marjorie, over whose head the missives were hurled.

"That will keep her quiet, Marge," Jimmy announced. But Penny was already quiet, not even hearing Jimmy's last remark.

"You have the biggest pile, Phil," Marjorie stated in a few moments.

The pile in front of Phil was falling over with letters, papers, advertisements and catalogues. The process of dividing the mail was soon completed and silence reigned except for giggles from Marjorie as she read a long letter from her best friend, Judy Powell. Penny, deeply engrossed in one of hers, gave a slight exclamation once, and Philip whistled as he laid aside a long envelope. But no one stopped to ask questions.

Penny looked at the absorbed group as she finished her last letter and smiled. Marjorie stopped reading her letters and looked off into space.

"Read me some of Judy's letter, Marjorie," said Penny.

Marjorie turned with a smile to say that it was such a good letter and so funny--"Judy wants to know by telegram when they can come."

"She shall, Marjorie," Philip answered immediately. "I'm thinking of getting a special telegram blank printed."

Marjorie looked at Phil to see if he really meant such an idiotic thing; but as Phil only winked at her, she merely said, "Crazy!" and turned to Judy's letter:

"Dearest Marjorie:

I think it's simply tops that we can be together this summer. I was so afraid my parents would insist on sending me to camp again. Not that I don't like camp, but I know it's going to be so much more exciting to do things together, like exploring in the woods. Will we be allowed to go through the woods by ourselves? Are there secret cabins, or wonderful hiding places? Can we sleep out at night? I'll bet it's wonderful swimming in Lake Superior! Oh, couldn't you telegraph and let me know right away when we can come? I have so many questions to ask, I don't know where to begin.

My brother Alf says he would rather come to Michigan than go on the canoe trip in Canada. He says he always has fun with Jimmy. Maybe the boys will let us help them build something or do some of the things with them. Alf says they'll never take us fishing because girls talk too much, but maybe we can convince them that we know how to keep quiet.

I'm so excited that at last we are going to see the Lodge, and all the Allens and especially you, that's all I can write about.

Do Charles Curtis and Peter Wyland both still like Penny? Does Penny like either one of them? Maybe I should be minding my own business, but I guess I am just bubbling over with questions. Cincinnati is hot as it always is in the summer and we can't wait until we get to Michigan. Quick, quick, quick, send me a telegram. It will be the first one I ever received.

At present I just live in a bathing suit and we spend almost all day at the pool. I'm glad school is out. Alf says I'm a nuisance and a question box, and by now, you probably think the same. I can't wait until I see you,

Forever yours, Judy."

When Marjorie had finished reading Judy's letter out loud, Jimmy chuckled. "She's a riot, that Powell kid."

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