Keene, Carolyn – Nancy Drew 006 – The Secret of Red Gate Farm

he’s in some shady deal around River Heights,

he’d be glad to have our young sleuth out of the

way.”

Joanne looked a bit worried, but all she said

was, “I think we’d better be on our way. I have

to be there before that man comes to buy the

farm. I must talk Gram out of it!”

The girls finished the sundaes and picked up

their checks, but Nancy insisted upon paying.

“I want to break this twenty-dollar bill Dad

gave me,” she said. “I’ve spent most of my smaller

bills.”

The waitress changed the bill for her without

comment and the girls left the lunchroom. As

they climbed into the car. Nancy glanced anx-

iously at the sky. There was a dark overcast in

the west.

“It does look like rain over my way,” Joanne

observed. “And we leave the paved road and take

a dirt one about five miles from the farm.”

“I’m afraid it’s going to be a race against time,”

Nancy warned, starting the car. “A bad storm on

a dirt road won’t help matters at all!”

The girls now noticed a change in the country-

side. The hills had become steeper and the val-

leys deeper. The farms dotting the landscape

were very attractive.

Nancy made fast time, for she was bent on

beating the storm. The sky became gloomier and

overcast. Soon the first raindrops appeared on

the windshield. “We’re in for a downpour all

right!” Nancy declared grimly, as she turned

onto the dirt road.

Soon there was thunder and lightning, and the

rain came down in torrents.

“Listen to that wind!” Bess exclaimed. “It’s

enough to blow us off the road!”

The next minute everyone groaned in dismay,

and Nancy braked the car. Across the road stood

a wooden blockade. On it was a sign:

Detour

Bridge Under Repair

George read it aloud in disgust. An arrow on

the sign indicated a narrow road to the right. As

Nancy made the turn, Joanne gave a sigh.

“Oh, dear,” she said, “this back way will take

us much longer to reach Red Gate.”

The detour led through a woodland of tall

trees. Daylight had been blotted out entirely,

and even with the car’s headlights on full, Nancy

could barely see ahead. Again she was forced to

slow down.

Suddenly a jagged streak of lightning hit a big

oak a short distance from the car. It splintered the

tree.

“Oh!” screamed Bess. “This is terrible!”

Nancy pretended to be calm, but she really was

very much worried. She decided it would be safer

to get away from the dangerous line of trees, any

one of which might crash down on them!

“How long is this stretch of woods?” she asked

Joanne.

“Oh, perhaps five hundred feet.”

“We’ll have to chance it.” Nancy drove as

quickly as she dared in the darkness. The girls

breathed sighs of relief when open country was

reached.

But Joanne’s fears were not yet over. “Watch

out!” she advised. “There’s a sharp, treacherous

curve very soon, just before we take the turnoff

for the farm.”

By now the brief storm had moved off to a dis-

tant sky and it was easier to see the boundaries of

the slippery road. Nancy rounded a curve, but as

the car took the turn, the wheels on the right side

sank into the thick mud of a ditch, bringing the

car to a lurching halt.

The unexpected mishap stunned the girls for

a moment. Finally Bess found her voice. “Now

what?”

Nancy endeavored to drive the car out of the

ditch, but it was useless. “Well”-she sighed-

“we may as well jump out and examine the car.

Keep your fingers crossed.”

They found the convertible at a lopsided angle.

The right wheels, however, were firmly anchored

by the mud. The four girls attempted to push the

car, but without success.

“I’ll look in the trunk,” Nancy said, “to see

if there’s something to help us.”

Nancy found two pieces of heavy burlap. Bess

and George put them in front of the two back

wheels for traction. Then they gathered and

broke up some brush to make a mat for each tire.

“I hope this works,” Joanne said, taking her

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