Cap’s voice was gentle again as he turned to Susie and her brother. “Does your mother know about this treasure hunt of yours?”
“Oh, no,” Susie cried, her eyes wide with fright. “She would never let us do it. She must never find out. But we simply had to help her. After Daddy died, our money ran out right away. She tried everywhere to find work, but she only knows how to take care of people and cook wonderful food.”
“Where is she now while you kids are out gallivanting in the middle of the night like this?” Cap asked.
“She sits with old Granny Smothers, who can’t stay nights alone. But she’s poor, too. She can only pay Mother enough money to meet the mortgage. Ned and I thought … ”
“Didn’t you and Ned ever think of coming to your friends?” Cap asked crossly. “Didn’t you know that we loved you and would help if we knew you needed it?”
“Please don’t fuss at Susie,” Violet said. “When our mother and father died, we didn’t think of going to friends, either. We just found the boxcar and set out to take care of ourselves.”
Cap grinned and put his arm around Susie. “Of course you’re right. I didn’t mean to be cross. It’s just that I feel so bad that you went hungry and worked so hard and all for nothing.”
“I’m really sorry about the vegetables and the eggs,” Susie said.
“And the chicken?” Cap asked again.
“We didn’t take any chicken,” Ned repeated.
“Forget the chicken then,” Cap said, leaning toward Susie and Ned. “Let me tell you about those stories of pirate gold. They are like fairy stories, fun to think about but dangerous to believe in. But there is treasure in this neighborhood, Susie, real genuine treasure.”
Her blue eyes stared at him in wonder as he took her hands. “Our real treasure is the love we have for each other.” As Susie dropped her eyes, he shook his head. “I treasure you children and your mother above all the gold in this world. I can prove it.”
The room was completely still as all the children stared at him. “Do you know what I need more than anything? It’s somebody to keep this cabin clean and fix me healthy hot food the way these children have. To listen to my stories and tell me theirs, and make me laugh. Susie, these children are going back home Saturday. I want you to ask your mother if she would take a job with me. I’d pay handsomely to have the rest of my days as happy and comfortable as the last week has been.”
“Cap,” Violet cried, running to hug him. “What a wonderful idea. Would she do that, Susie? Would your mother do that?”
“I’m sure she would,” Susie said. “She likes taking care of people more than anything in the world.”
The tiniest tinge of light was showing over the woods when Susie and Ned left for home. As Benny stood at the door, watching them leave, he looked up at Cap. “Doesn’t anyone want to hear about me and the fox?” he asked.
“What fox?” Cap looked down at him, confused.
“The one that ran into the chicken yard just as I turned the floodlight on.”
The girls sprang to their feet and would have started right out to the chicken house but Benny stopped them. “He’s gone now. I ran after him and threw rocks,” he explained. “He snapped at me but he kept on running.”
Henry stared at Benny with his mouth open, remembering that something had brushed by him just as he saw Jessie’s signal. And Benny’s shouts while Henry was pinning Susie to the wall. “Take that,” Benny had been yelling. “Get going!”
“Did you beat him to the chickens?” Cap asked, grinning.
Benny nodded. “They were all flapping around on the ceiling when I went in. I drove him off before he caught any. And I locked them up safe, too. He smelled bad anyway.”
Cap leaned on his cane as he rose from his chair. “I hope you children haven’t any more excitement up your sleeves for me. I’ve just about had my share for this year and the next one coming.”
As Jessie undressed for bed, she thought about their mystery man, Mr. Jay. Maybe it was just as well they had never mentioned him to Cap. But she still wondered why he had been walking up and down Cap’s road, and why he always seemed to be spying on them and was so unfriendly.
That next day went all too quickly. Jessie suggested that they not even try to ride Pilot into town. “You know how much fun it is to make do with what we’ve got.”
Mrs. Hodges came with Susie and Ned right after lunch. She looked very unhappy when she came, but when she and Cap and the children finished talking in the living room, she was smiling.
Susie and Ned sat on the back porch drinking lemonade with the Alden children.
“The thing we hate the most is that Cap fell in that hole of ours and got hurt,” Ned said quietly.
“He’s fine now,” Violet reminded him. “It isn’t like he broke a bone or anything.”
By the time they left, everyone was tired. “Is that grandfather of ours ever going to get here?” Benny asked as he tumbled into bed with his eyes already half shut.
“Tomorrow,” Violet said.
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