&&000 THE CLUE IN THE OLD STAGECOACH  (1960)    DRW2COCH.ASC
NANCY DREW  by 'Carolyn Keene'  Grosset and Dunlap
Source: Phoenix Book Store  Ithaca NY
     scanned and edited by DPH  June 17, 1993

&&111



though. I think we ought to guard the stagecoach
until he arrives. 
At that moment the girls saw a truck  
approaching from the opposite direction. As it
came up to them, the handsome young driver
stopped and leaned out the cab window.
 I got a good distance up the road before I
realized my tow chain had broken,  he said.  I'm
glad nothing happened to the old outfit. 
=Bess smiled.  We thought we were seeing
things as we came down through the woods from
=Camp =Merriweather. We're vacationing there.
Where is this stagecoach going? 
The truck driver introduced himself as =John
=O'Brien, then said,  I guess you girls haven't
heard about the deserted village of =Bridgeford
that's being restored. 
 No, we haven't,  =Nancy replied.
=John explained that about two miles away there
had once been a thriving town where iron ore was
brought from a nearby bog to be smelted. It had
been abandoned a =hundred years before, but now
the county historical society, with the help of
some people interested in reconstructing old 
villages, was fixing up the place.
 A woman named =Mrs =Pauling, who lives  
outside of =Francisville,  =John =O'Brien went on,
 bought this stagecoach and had it repaired and
newly painted. It came from an abandoned farm.



two horrible creatures will be taking the mystery
right out of your hands and trying to solve it  
themselves! 
=Nancy was silent for a few seconds, then she set
her jaw firmly.  Let them try it!  she said.
When the girls reached their rooms, =Nancy
suggested that they put on bathing suits and go
for a real swim. Bess grinned.  My second today.
And anyway, we promised =Rick and the others
we'd join them later. 
For the next few hours the three girls
thoroughly enjoyed themselves. There was no
mention of the mystery until they were preparing
for bed. Then =George asked =Nancy how she
planned to continue searching for the clue in the
old stagecoach.
 I'm going to ask Mrs =Strook's permission to
tell part of her secret to Mrs =Pauling, the woman
who owns the stagecoach. Maybe she'll let me
make a more thorough search. 
 That sounds like a good idea,  =Bess remarked.
 When do you plan on going~ 
 Monday morning. 
=Bess and =George said they would have to be
counted out as they had promised to play in a
tennis match at that time.
 I'm sorry,  said =Nancy.
Next day, =Sunday, the girls went to church in
town. Later =Nancy phoned Mrs =Strook's home
and gave her the latest news.



hurried after the cousins. The three excited
sleuths almost ran along the bridle trail in their
eagerness to find the old stagecoach.
Suddenly =Bess stopped short.  We've gone far
enough to prove our point,  she declared.  I
think we should go back and tell the state police.
I certainly don't want to meet those hijackers! 
I can't say that I do myself,  =Nancy replied.
On the other hand, we're only guessing that these
wheel tracks belong to the old stagecoach. I think
we should have more proof. Those hijackers may
have taken the old stagecoach so they can hack it
apart and find the clue. I'm convinced that Mr
=Langstreet's secret has leaked out somehow. If we
can possibly keep the antique vehicle from being
destroyed, I'd certainly like to do it. 
 I would too,  said =George.  Come on! 
=Bess followed reluctantly. Less than a quarter of
a mile ahead, the girls found themselves at the
edge of a treeless cliff. Here the bridle trail veered
off down the wooded slope. The girls paused and
looked toward the foot of the cliff.
 There it is!  =George cried exultantly.
Below them was the stolen stagecoach, intact!
It was lying on one side.
 It isn't smashed, thank goodness,  said =George.
 All those hijackers wanted to do was to get rid of
it. But why? 
=Nancy did not try to answer the question. She
was not sure that she agreed with =George. = Bess



moments she said,  Here's another item. My
grandfather also contacted all the old inns and
taverns located along the stagecoach routes.  
=Abner =Langstreet never registered at any of them. 
 Well, that eliminates the idea that Mr  
=Langstreet sold the stagecoach out =West,  =George  
remarked.  It looks as if he must have hidden it
somewhere around here. 
 Yes, it does,  Mrs =Strook agreed. She sighed.
 But maybe by this time the coach has rotted
away and we'll never find it. 
=Nancy, determined not to lose hope, said,  It's
my hunch that if  Mr =Abner =Langstreet loved his
stagecoach as much as I've been led to believe, he
would do everything he could to preserve it. I'm
sure that it's hidden away safely somewhere. He
intended to tell in the letter he wrote to your
grandmother, Mrs =Strook, where he had put it,
but I believe he died without having a chance to
do so. 
 Mrs =Strook smiled fondly at =Nancy.  You're
such a wonderful girl,  she said.
 If you're right, =Nancy,  said =Bess,  where do
we go from here? 
=Nancy had a quick answer.  To the place where
 Mr =Abner =Langstreet spent his last days. 



smiled at the girls, who stepped out of the car.
 Are you looking for us, the =Zuckers?  the man
asked.
=Nancy revealed why they had come and asked
if he could give her any information about the old
stagecoach which =Abner =Langstreet had driven.
 I'm afraid not,  the young man replied,  
introducing himself as =Morton and his wife as =Marjory.
=Nancy introduced herself and the other two girls.
=Marjory spoke up,  When we moved here, this
place had been thoroughly cleaned out. Oh, there
was plenty of dirt, but not even a bottle or a piece
of firewood or anything. 
 And former owners never mentioned anything
about =Abner =Langstreet living here or owning a
stagecoach?  =Nancy asked.
The =Zuckers shook their heads, then  =Morton
said,  =But if you think you can find anything,
you're more than welcome to look around. 
 Thank you,  said =Nancy.  Actually, I was  
hoping there might be a bill of sale of the old  
stagecoach hidden away, perhaps behind some secret
panel. 
Intrigued, the =Zuckers said they Would like to
join in a search. First an ancient barn was  
thoroughly searched. Nothing came to light.
 What was that old shed used for?  =Nancy
asked.
 I believe it was the blacksmith shop,  =Morton
answered.  A =hundred years ago life on a farm



hardly wait for the orchestra to start playing and
that they would be the last ones to leave the  
garden when the music stopped. Nancy wondered if
it were her imagination or did =Ross and =Audrey
seem to heave a sigh of satisfaction at hearing this?
At intervals during the evening the three  
couples met and exchanged information. =Audrey and
=Ross were being elusive, darting in and out of the
hotel, among the dancers, and even into the woods
beyond. It was noticeable that they danced with
no one else and even chatted very little with other
people.
 I'm sure they're planning something,  =George
remarked with determination.
 Yes, we mustn't lose them, =Nancy replied.
A few minutes later as she and =Rick were  
dancing near a path that led from the garden directly
to the parking lot, they saw =Ross and =Audrey  
suddenly leave the dance floor and disappear. A
moment later they emerged onto the path leading
to the parking lot.
 There they go!  =Nancy told her partner, and
together they hurried up the path after the  
couple.
 I'll go down to the main road and watch which
way they turn, while you get your car,  =Rick
offered.
Within a minute =Nancy had joined him at the
entrance. He jumped in, pointing to the right.



 I'm glad you came,  said =Rick.  We have news
for you. 
Before he could go on, =Hobe =White burst forth
with,  =The =Monteiths have checked out! 
 What!  the three girls exclaimed together.
=Rick explained that he and the other fellows
had decided to do some sleuthing.  We thought
we'd surprise you girls,  he said.  To our  
amazement, we learned that the =Monteiths had packed
their bags and left =Merriweather before  
breakfast. 
 Where did they go?  =Nancy asked quickly.
=Rick shrugged.  I asked the clerk if he knew
where. All he could tell me was that the  
=Monteiths had asked that their mail be forwarded to
a post-oflice box in =New =York =City. 
 And that sounds zany to me,  said =Hobe.  The
=Monteiths have been here for two weeks. The
clerk says they haven't received one piece of
mail. 
 That does look suspicious,  =Nancy agreed.  It
wouldn't surprise me if the =Monteiths have
moved to another hotel in this area, or more
likely to a private home and perhaps under an
assumed name. 
 What about their car license?  =Bess asked.
 Wouldn't that give them away? 
=Nancy smiled and said,  When I phoned the
police this morning, they told me the car which



=Art =Warner frowned.  I had no idea this was
such a complicated mystery,  he remarked.
The lawyer stared out the window a full minute
before speaking again.  I'm glad you've told me
all this,  he said finally.  I'm eager to learn
whether or not what =Judd =Hillary is waiting to say
will have anything to do with your mystery. 
=Nancy nodded and now asked =Art =Warner if he
had had a chance yet to find out if =Abner  
=Langstreet had ever married.
 I was telephoning all morning about the case, 
the lawyer answered.  Of course I haven't covered
every possibility. But it looks as if =Langstreet  
remained a bachelor. At least this much is certain:
If he ever married, he went some distance away
from =Francisville to have the ceremony  
performed. And if he did have a wife who died before
he did, she's not buried in any cemetery in this
locale. 
The lawyer added that he had investigated
church registers and town-hall records where a
few vital statistics were kept at that time.  None
of them reveal his having married anyone, and
from what Mrs =Strook was told by her family, it's
pretty certain he never did. 
 If this is true,  said =Nancy,  then it makes =Ross
=Monteith, or =Frank =Templer, an impostor. 
 It sure does,  =Art =Warner agreed.
=Nancy next queried him on what he knew about
the explosion. Mr =Warner said it was thought to



not paid for a long time and the owner lost the
piece. You have the permission of the councilmen
to dig on it all you please. 
 Terrific!  said =Nancy cxcitedly.  I'll let you
know the result. Any news for me about  Mr  
=Langstreet? 
 I'm afraid not. But regarding any marriage
of his, I think no news is good news. 
=Nancy said she must go now, and =Art =Warner
wished her luck. She stepped from the booth and
went to a house phone at the end of the registry
desk. Calling =Ned's room she asked him if he and
the other boys would be willing to go out right
away to do some sleuthing.
 Of course. But what's up?  he asked.
 I can't tell you now, but I'm sure I have a good
clue this time. 
=Ned, who said he had not been asleep, would
rouse =Burt and =Dave and they would all meet
at =Nancy's convertible in a few minutes. Nancy
put down the phone, then went to speak to the
night clerk. Smiling, she said,  I wonder if the
lodge could do me a big favor? I'd like to borrow
several garden digging tools, say six. 
The clerk grinned at her.  More sleuthing,
Miss =Drew?  he asked.
 Now what makes you think such a thing  
instead of guessing that I might just want to  
transplant some flowers?  =Nancy replied with a
chuckle.



A cry of astonishment went up from the crowd.
Then =Art =Warner spoke up.  Why, they would
bring enough money, when added to what  
=Francisville can raise, to build a fine new school for our
town!  
 That's right,  the mayor agreed, and the other
officials bobbed their heads. None of them could
believe the town's good fortune.
There were tears in Mrs =Strook's eyes.  Bless
my Great-uncle =Abner!  she said.  There were
times when I doubted his story. But =Nancy =Drew,
here, never lost faith. All the credit for solving the
mystery goes to her. 
The town officials were loud in their praise of
the young sleuth and her friends. As =Nancy smiled
she put an arm around Mrs =Strook.  This is the
person who started the whole thing,  she said.
 She should have the credit. 
The mayor said he agreed.  We must have a
special celebration as soon as the old stagecoach is
restored,  he said.  Anybody have a suggestion as
to what we might do? 
 I havel  =John =O'Brien spoke up, stepping
forward. He told about how =Nancy and her friends
had dressed in costume and been photographed in
the old stagecoach at =Bridgeford.  I'd like to see
them do the same thing here in =Francisville, but
make it part of a parade with real horses. 
The crowd cheered and applauded, giving their
approval to the idea. Nancy thanked everyone but