Nancy heard the telephone ring and went to answer it. To her amazement the call was for her. It was from Mrs. Pauling, who asked if Nancy and her friends could come over to Bridgeford right away.

"You're needed here," she said. "It's a good thing you told John O'Brien where you were going and I could catch you."

"What's up?" Nancy asked.

"They're getting ready for a historical pageant to be held in connection with the formal opening soon," Mrs. Pauling told her. "I'm the chairman. I've just learned that the princ.i.p.als have been held up some place and can't get here in time for special pictures to be taken for a big magazine. The cameramen are waiting. How about you and your friends coming over and posing?"

"Why, certainly," said Nancy. "We'll be there as soon as possible."

She went to check with Mrs. Strook to be sure the elderly woman was all right. Mrs. Grover had arrived and said she would take good care of her friend.

When Nancy made her announcement to Bess, George, and the boys, they showed mingled feelings. Bess thought how romantic it would be. George objected to wearing "a flubby-dubby costume." The boys declared they would feel very silly. But all said that so long as Nancy had promised to do it, they would go.

Upon reaching Bridgeford, Nancy introduced the boys, then Mrs. Pauling took the group into a small white house where a governor of the state had once lived. The young people were given rooms in which to dress. As the six reappeared in their costumes, a few minutes later, all burst out laughing.

"I never knew I had such skinny legs until I put on these tight-fitting trousers," said Burt.

"And I should have curls hanging down under this bonnet," George remarked. "I must look like a lady convict of 1850 with my hair so short."

The merriment continued as the group went outside and walked over to the old stagecoach and horses, where two cameramen waited with John O'Brien. Introductions were made by Mrs. Pauling.

Ned, costumed as the driver, opened the door of the stagecoach for the girls to climb in. Nancy and Bess eagerly stepped up. Burt refused to follow and declared he was going to ride on top.

"I think I'll try that too," said George.

The others roared with laughter as the tom-boyish girl tried to negotiate the climb in her long skirt. Finally, with the boys' help, she made it. Dave, who was to be messenger, pulled himself up to the front seat beside Ned.

"All ready?" the photographer called out.

"Let 'er roll!" Ned replied.

Cameras clicked for several pictures. Then the photographer called out, "Now I want to take some movies. O'Brien will pull the horses and stagecoach. Ned, act as if you were really driving, will you?"

The tow chain was attached and John O'Brien took his place at the wheel of the truck. A moment later the outfit began to move, but unfortunately the truck had started with a jerk. The stagecoach gave a sudden lurch, jostling George and Burt.

George lost her balance and toppled over the side!

Burt made a dive for her. He managed to seize George in time to keep her from falling to the ground. George, for her part, made a wild grab for the railing at the top of the coach and helped pull herself up.

The commotion had reached John O'Brien's ear and he had stopped short. George, shamefaced and a little disheveled, apologized. Suddenly she realized that the movie camera was still whirring. Turning to the photographer, she cried out:

"You didn't take my picture!"

"Of course. It looked very realistic," he replied, grinning.

"Well, don't you dare show it to anybody!" George snapped, but she knew from the big tantalizing smile he gave her that he would not accede to her request.

The balance of the photographing took place without incident. Mrs. Pauling thanked Nancy and her friends for all their trouble, then the young people said good-by and headed for Camp Merriweather.

The evening was spent catching up on home news, but by ten o'clock all declared they were weary from their day's experiences and said good night.

When Nancy reached her room, she sat down in a chair and gazed out the window, lost in thought. Her father had once told her that reviewing the various details of a case just before going to bed might bring a ready answer in the morning. Nancy often found herself instinctively doing this.

George lost her balance and toppled over the side!

Suddenly she jumped up and began to walk around the room as an idea came to her. She snapped her fingers and smiled.

"I wonder if I could possibly be right!" she thought excitedly.

CHAPTER XIX.

A Midnight Attack

AT THAT moment the door between her room and the one George and Bess occupied suddenly opened. "Nancy, aren't you ever going to bed?" Bess demanded solicitously.

George followed. "Why, you're not even undressed!"

"Don't scold!" Nancy pleaded. "I just had an idea that I think may solve the mystery!"

As her friends watched, she dashed across the room to a bureau drawer where she had left the notes written by Great-uncle AbnerLangstreet. Bringing them to the desk and turning on a bright light, she stared at the sides on which the signatures appeared.

"Some of these notes have penciled markings, you notice," she remarked.

"I see them," said George. "Just doodlings."

"Maybe not," Nancy murmured.

She creased one paper and laid it on top of another, so that the two drawings came together to form a horizontal staff and an arrow-shaped crosspiece at the center and to the right. Then she fitted a pointed section to the top. Finally, after creasing three papers into tiny squares, Nancy slid three circles over the center section.

"You're a genius!" Bess exclaimed. "That's a railroad semaph.o.r.e!"

"It sure is," George agreed. "But what does it mean?"

Nancy smiled excitedly. "It's my guess that Mr. Langstreet buried his stagecoach along the railroad tracks near a semaph.o.r.e."

"It's a marvelous deduction," said George. "But the question is, which semaph.o.r.e. We might find ourselves digging in hundreds of places."

Before Nancy answered, she went back to the bureau drawer and this time pulled out the map Mrs. Strook had given her. After studying it carefully, she said:

"I'm convinced that Great-uncle Abner buried the old stagecoach on family property which runs along the railroad. Here's a strip and it isn't too many feet long. Even if we don't find the semaph.o.r.e, we wouldn't have a great deal of digging to do at this spot."

Bess's eyes were wide open in astonishment. All sleepiness had gone out of them. "I think this is simply super, Nancy," she said in praise. "Right after breakfast tomorrow we'll all start out and go to this place."

"Oh, I can't wait that long," said the young sleuth. "It really isn't late. If we can get the boys to go, aren't you game to start digging tonight?"

"I'm game," said George, but reminded Nancy that she really had no right to dig on private property.