The Sasquatch Mystery

it—” Mart began.
    “I like it!” Di exclaimed hastily and began munching.
    When the last cookie was eaten, Cap asked casually, “Had any company lately, Tank?”
    “Company? Do ya count fishermen and kids on noisy trail bikes? Yah, sure. Some.”
    “Well, how about—” Cap chewed ice and stared into space—“night company?”
    Tank grinned broadly. “There’s Old Gray— he yells every night till all the coyotes over Park Crick vay, they take up that rackety song. Loverly ’n’ me, ve listen. Yah, that’s company for us. Night company.”
    Knut explained that Loverly was Tank’s pet skunk.
    Cap kept right on chewing ice, without looking at Tank.
    “Ya vant to hear about T’ree Claws? Yah? He comes sometimes.” Tank’s eyebrows twisted.
    “Three Claws is an old bear that got caught in a trap umpteen years ago,” Hallie said. “Tank feeds him when grub is short.”
    Still Cap chewed ice.
    Impatiently Tank asked, “You vant that ay count owls? Porkies? Skunks that wisit Loverly? Mister still comes around.”
    Cap shrugged.
    Cautiously Tank peered at Cap. Then he said, “Suka, suka, suka?”
    The sleepy look left Cap’s eyes. “Have you been visited by fur-people you’ve never met before?”
    “Ay tank this fur-fellow has been here before. Ay find footprints sometimes in vinter. This is the first time ay hear him in hot veather. Last night he come down off the peak, ay tank, and vent down-crick.” Worriedly Tank added, “He bother you?”
    “No, not really,” Cap answered. “Made the hair on my neck stand on end, though. Everybody’s on the move, packing up to go home. We thought we’d better check up on you. Want to go to Kellogg or Wallace till things quiet down?”
    “Ain’t nothing to get riled up about,” Tank said calmly. “As long as you’re around to do my toting for me, ay tank Loverly ’n’ me vill go on like alvays.”
    “Good,” Cap said. “I thought that’s what you’d say.” He included all the others in a sweeping glance. “How about it, gang? Are we staying, too?”
    “That’s what we came for,” Trixie said sturdily. “All in favor?”
    “Aye,” they all said—including Miss Trask.
    A small sigh was heard. “I lied,” Di confessed. “I don’t want to go home and scare all our folks to death. But I don’t want to stay here and scare myself to death, either!”
    “Don’t fret,” Miss Trask said kindly. “You know that Knut and Cap will look out for us.

It Had Hands • 6

    MISS TRASK ROSE from her thronelike chair. “I do think it is time we hike down that mountain. It occurs to me that it may be a good idea to prepare our dinner before dark.”
    On the way home, Trixie wondered what else had occurred to Miss Trask. Walking close to Cap, Trixie watched the steady, rhythmic placing of his moccasined feet, the swinging of his shoulders, and the smooth coil of his tied-back brown hair. She tried, but she just didn’t know Cap well enough to read his face. Had he put aside the worry about the sasquatch? If so, at least Cap knew what he was putting aside.
    The group stopped at intervals to drink sparingly from canteens. About halfway home, during one of their rest stops, Knut snapped his fingers.
    “Rats!” he said. “I forgot to pick up Tank’s bag of dust.”
    “Sounds like a vacuum cleaner chore,” Honey giggled.
    Knut grinned. Smoothing back his bird wings of black hair in a gesture that reminded Trixie so much of her father, he said, “Maybe I’d better go back. I can catch up with you if you’ll poke along.”
    “Oh, let’s not any of us do anything alone,” Di urged.
    “I agree with Di,” Miss Trask said firmly, and the others followed her down the trail.
    “Okay, I’ll just charge Tank’s ‘t’ings’ at the Mercantile,” Knut said, matching strides with Trixie on the downhill hike.
    A thin cry floated on the wind: fleeoweep ....
    Di promptly threw both arms around Trixie’s neck. “Where is it?” she squealed.
    “Maybe I could tell if you’d stop choking me!”
    “That cry came from a long way off,” Cap decided.
    When the group reached the clearing among the tall pines on Champion Creek, it was apparent that no monster had visited their campground. Humans obviously had, though.
    Trixie snatched up a piece of paper torn from a grocery sack. Large lipsticked letters read: BEWARE OF THE BEAST!
    “Now, this is mysterious,” Trixie gulped.
    Honey pulled an envelope from under a water pail. “This one says,