OCR Text |
Show 63 in the thrill of actually finding a place. As discouraged as he was, Josh had told himself that for the moment this was to be his home, and he might as well make the best of it. However, as they were about to burst from the trees to go whooping and hollering across the meadow to claim the cabin, they jerked to a stop. "Oh no-somebody's beat us to it," wailed Cap. Through the trees they could see a man carrying water from the stream. "Maybe we can find another one," Josh suggested as he leaned on a stump. "You think cabins grow on trees?" Cap said angrily. He sat down on a rock and kicked at a root. "In Dog Leg Valley maybe, but that's a long ways." "Anyway, Mr. Raintree says Dog Leg Valley gets too snowed in," Josh reminded with a shake of his head. Deep down, he wasn't sorry the cabin was alread taken. Perhaps now, they would have to go home. And yet, Chinook made that impossible. Dejected, the boys stared down at the cabin. The man with the water bucket paused at the cabin door, turned, and let his gaze sweep over the meadow. On seeing the man's face, Josh caught his breath. "Cap, it's him! The fat detective'." He swung behind the tree stump to get out of sight. Cap ducked and peeked through some bushes. "Sure enough, it's him, all right," he whispered in astonishment. "Now what's he doin' way up here?" 'You think both those robbers are down there?" There was a quaver |