GRANDMA'S ATTIC SERIES by Unknown Read Free Book Online

something we want to bring home from the Shaves' barn."
    "What kind of something? We have several somethings in our own barn that could stand hauling off."
    Reuben and Roy exchanged worried looks.
    "Well," Reuben explained, "it's an old trunk. Mr. Shaw said we could have it, and whatever is in it, for just fifty cents."
    "So, we put our money together and bought it," Roy added.
    Pa put his fork down and looked at the boys. "Fifty cents! You mean you paid for the thing and didn't even look inside to see what you were getting?"
    Reuben looked embarrassed. "We tried to," he mumbled, "but we couldn't get it open. Mr. Shaw said it hadn't been opened for fifty years or more, because no one could find the key."
    "What in the world do you plan to do with a trunk full of who-knows-what that you can't even get into?" Pa asked. "Couldn't you think of a better way to spend your money?"
    "It seemed like a good idea at the time," Reuben explained. "We thought we'd get it open some way, and it might be something really valuable."
    "Very likely!" Pa snorted. "A trunk that has been sitting in the barn for fifty years is bound to be a real prize!" "Can we take the wagon, then?" Reuben asked.
    "Yes," Pa replied, "go ahead and take it. I hope for your sakes it's worth your time and effort."
    The boys were sure it would be, and they spent the rest of the evening talking about the treasure they would have.
    "If there's anything you like, we'll give it to you," Roy said to Ma. "There might even be a doll or something for Mabel."
    "Thank you," Ma said. "That's generous of you. I just hope there's something in there you'll like."
    Ma and I were at the window when the wagon pulled up the next morning, and we ran out to the porch. The boys looked delighted with themselves as they jumped down.
    "Come and look, Ma," Roy called. "Can we bring it in the kitchen?"
    "Mercy, no! You're not bringing fifty years of barn dirt into my kitchen. Put it up here on the porch."
    "But what if it rains?" Roy said anxiously.
    Ma eyed the rusty old hinges and scuffed-up leather.
    "One more good rain couldn't do anything but improve it." So, groaning and puffing, the boys tugged it up the steps.
    It was about three feet long and a foot and a half high.
    "If it's worth its weight in anything at all, you'll have a fortune," Ma said. "Did you hear a rattle in there?"
    "No," Reuben replied. "It didn't move. It feels like a solid piece of iron to me."
    "Part of the floor came up when we moved it," Roy put in. "I think Mr. Shaw's pa built the barn around it."
    "Well, you boys can figure how you're going to get it open while you're working today. Pa wants you to come help with the fence right away."
    "Yes, ma'am," Reuben answered. "We'll work on it after dinner."
    The boys went out to the field, and Ma and I went back to the kitchen.
    "What do you think is in there, Ma?" I asked.
    "I wouldn't have any idea. Usually folks keep things like quilts, or old photographs, or books, that sort of thing it them. I can't imagine what could be that heavy. I guess we'll have to wait until the boys get it open."
    The rest of the morning I hung around the porch and watched the trunk. One time Ma called to me from the kitchen door. "Haven't you anything better to than watch that piece of junk? You're not going to know one thing more than you do now until it's opened."
    She pushed the door out with her foot and handed me a pan. "As long as you're sitting there, you can at least snap these beans for dinner. I know how you feel. I'm anxious to know what's in there too."
    The morning passed slowly, but finally Pa and the boys came in from the field. Reuben stopped at the barn and picked up a crowbar.
    "Come and eat dinner first, boys," Ma said. "If I'm not mistaken, you'll need all the strength you can get to pry that open."
    Ma wasn't mistaken. Try as they would, the boys were not able to open the trunk. Red-faced and breathless, they left to join Pa in the field.
    "Oh, dear, we're never going to