The Secret of the Forgotten City by Carolyn G. Keene Read Free Book Online Page A

sentences? The third word in each sentence will be a message to the rest of us.”
    “Give us an example,” Dave suggested.
    The girl detective thought a few moments, then said, “I always suspect bargains. Sometimes I’m standing near a sales counter. I inspect nearby merchandise also.”
    For a couple of seconds her listeners looked blank, but Mr. Drew said, “I get it. The message is, ‘Suspect standing nearby.’ ”
    “Pretty cool,” Burt commented. “Anybody else smart enough to think of one?”
    At first nobody answered, but finally George grinned and said:
    Please, Santa, look in my empty sock.
Fill it up real high.
A hole’s in the toe, but never mind.
The Christmas tree won’t sigh.
    The others burst into laughter. Dave thought it was a bit corny, but George’s message was good. “It said, ‘Look up in tree.’ ”
    By this time, Mr. Drew had reached the airport, and farewells were exchanged. When the travelers arrived at O’Hare Airport in Chicago, they learned that the plane to Las Vegas would be late.
    “We have a long wait,” Bess complained. “I’m going for a tall chocolate float.”
    The three boys said they would rather take a walk. Nancy and George went with Bess to the concourse for a cool drink. On the way back to the gate at which they would board the plane, Nancy bought a newspaper.
    She had soon scanned the first page and turned over to the next one. Suddenly she exclaimed, “Oh!”
    “Bad news?” George asked.
    “I don’t know,” Nancy replied. She pointed to a headline which read:
    RUMOR OF GOLD IN NEVADA DESERT RUSH TO SPOT EXPECTED
    “Is it where we’re going?” Bess asked. “And do they mean the gold—”
    George grabbed her cousin’s arm before she had a chance to give away their secret to anyone who might be snooping.
    “Here’s a map of the area,” Nancy said, pointing it out in the paper.
    The three girls studied it carefully and finally Nancy said, “Apparently it’s in the opposite direction from the one we’ll take out of Las Vegas.”
    Bess sighed with relief. “Thank goodness. We’ve had enough trouble with strangers already.”
    In a few minutes the boys rejoined the girls and Nancy showed them the newspaper story.
    Ned whistled. “I hope none of the gold seekers come our way. That would spoil everything.”
    As the group walked toward the boarding area, Nancy said suddenly, “What number are we? It’s like being in a maze. We’d better watch carefully for our sign.”
    For a couple of seconds her friends said nothing. To an outsider Nancy’s conversation would seem perfectly rational. To her friends, using the third word in each sentence, she was saying, “Are being watch.”
    One by one, members of Nancy’s group found an excuse to turn around completely to see who was watching them. All agreed upon a casually dressed young man. He seemed to be walking around aimlessly, but he always stayed close enough to hear as much of the young people’s conversation as possible. When he realized that they had detected his purpose, the man hurried away.
    “One thing I’m sure of,” said Nancy, “is that he is not going on our plane. But he may want to make certain we’re aboard so that he can telephone the news to someone in Las Vegas.”
    The trip to the Southwest was uneventful. On their arrival the young people taxied into the city in two cabs. They exclaimed over the garish downtown area.
    “There must be billions of electric lights on these hotels, restaurants, and clubs,” remarked Bess, who was riding with Nancy.
    It was a busy city, with taxis and private cars going up and down the streets in a steady stream. In a little while their cabs reached the residential area, which was very attractive and much quieter. The cabs pulled up in front of Neil Anderson’s home. It was spacious and had a beautiful flower garden.
    Neil and his parents were charming people who made the visitors feel at home at once. A girl who was about fourteen years old