re's an old rat's nest made
years ago, I should think; and look what's lying beside it, will
you?"

CHAPTER V

A CALL FOR HELP

Jerry was holding something up when he said this, which he had just
picked out of the cavity under the loose plank.

"Why, it looks as though it had once been a baby's shoe, I should
say," suggested Frank.

"Just what it is, but as old as the hills," remarked Jerry. "I wonder
now, did it slip down here, or was it carried by the old mother rat
when this nest was made?"

He fumbled among the scraps of paper and such stuff that had gone to
form the nest of the rodent. One piece seemed to be a part of an
envelope. The writing was fairly visible, though age had yellowed the
paper.

"What do you think of this, fellows?" Jerry demanded, as though
interested. "I can make out part of a name here, and whose do you
reckon it is?"

"Oh, tell, and don't keep a fellow guessing!" urged Bluff
impatiently.

"The word Aaron is as plain as anything," pursued Jerry, "and then
there's part of the next one Denni--so you see it really looks as if
away back, twenty years ago or perhaps even much longer, the rich old
hermit used to actually live here in this log cabin. In those days he
was land poor, mebbe; and say, the shoe--why, he must have had a wife,
and a baby, too!"

All of them looked at the poor little memento of the dim past which
had been discovered under such singular conditions. Then Jerry
commenced smoothing the earth level under the plank so that it would
set more evenly. In the midst of this he uttered another exclamation.

"All sorts of queer things are coming my way, I tell you!" he called
out. "See what I've dug up now!"

"Looks like a half dollar," remarked Bluff decidedly interested. "And
see here, if you've struck a miser's hoard, remember we're all chums,
Jerry; it's share alike, I hope."

A vigorous hunt failed to disclose any mate of the coin, and in the
end they were compelled to believe it must be only a lone specimen.

"Perhaps old Aaron was a money grabber in those days," Bluff ventured,
"and laid the foundation for his fortune while living here in this
cabin. And this hole under the loose plank--wouldn't it be just the
jolliest hiding-place for a miser to stow his valuables in?"

"Either that," added Frank thoughtfully, "or else the half dollar
managed to slip down through a crack. Have you examined it to see the
date, Jerry? Because if it happens to be one th