Trouble did the same thing, though he did not know exactly what
for.
"We'll have fun with Hal!" cried Ted. "Maybe he'll help us find the
tramp-man. Hal's smart--he can make kites and lots of things."
The next day Hal Chester came to visit the camp on Star Island.
"Say, this is a dandy place!" he exclaimed as he looked about at the
tents and at the boat floating in the little cove. "I'll just love it
here!"
"It's awful nice," agreed Jan.
"And there's a mystery here, too," added Ted
"What do you mean?" Hal demanded. "What's a mystery?"
"Oh, it's something queer," went on Ted. "Something you can't tell
what it is. This mystery is a tramp."
"A tramp?"
"Yes. Jan saw him when she was picking flowers, and he pulled Trouble
out of the spring afterward. And there's a cave here where maybe he
sleeps, 'cause there's some bags for beds in it. He's looking for
something on this island, that tramp-man is," declared Ted.
"Looking for something?" repeated Hal, quite puzzled.
"Yes. He goes all around, and we saw him picking up some stones.
Didn't we, Jan?"
"Yes, we did."
"Picking up stones," repeated Hal slowly. Then he sprang up from where
he was sitting under a tree with the Curlytop children.
"I know what he's looking for!" Hal cried.
"What?"
"Gold!" and Hal's voice changed to a whisper. "That tramp knows
there's gold on this island, and he's trying to dig it up so you won't
know it.
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