Sunlight streaming in the window woke Jan the next morning. She lay still trying to think why today was special. Then she remembered, the barn and the FACT Club.
“Julie, get up. It’s morning.” She bounced on her twin still asleep in the other bed.
“Huh, what’s going on?” Julie said sleepily.
Jan threw her pillow at her sister. “Wake up. This is the day we’re starting our club. And maybe we can find a clue to the barn’s secret.”
Julie groaned and sat up. “How can you be so wide awake, Jan?”
Soon both girls were dressed and had their beds made. Julie sat on her bed for a few minutes and read her Bible. Some days she forgot, but usually she read a little.
Jan waited for her impatiently. She could not understand Julie’s new interest in the Bible. So she was relieved when Julie was done at last and they could go downstairs for breakfast.
Mom was having a cup of coffee at the kitchen table. Candy and Steve were already eating a bowl of cereal.
“Good morning, girls,” Mom smiled at them.
“Morning, Mom,” Julie gave her mother a smile in return.
“We told Fred and Susan we would be over after breakfast,” said Jan as she got herself a bowl for cereal. “We’re going to the barn to start our club.”
“That’s fine, but first there are a couple of things I want you both to do that will be a great deal of help to me,” Mom said.
Jan stamped her foot. “Work, work, that’s all we do around here. I’m tired of it.”
“Really, Jan,” Mother said sternly, “moving is hard on everyone. Now work first, then you may do what you want. And I’ll hear no more arguments, young lady.”
Jan didn’t say anything else. But she set her bowl down on the table rather hard. And she ate her cereal and toast in silence.
Mom had a few chores for them to do. Not really very much, Jan had to admit to herself.
When they finished, Mom let them pack a picnic lunch to eat at the barn. Then they walked across the street to get Susan and Fred.
Susan made some sandwiches for herself and her brother. Fred went to his room to collect a couple of things. Soon he came back with an old leather covered box his mother had given him. Inside he had put paper, pencils, pens, a stapler, glue, and some other odds and ends.
“For the club,” he explained to the girls.
Together they started toward the barn, although not too hurriedly. It was another hot, sunny day - the kind of day when it is easier to move slowly if one must move at all.
They laughed and talked as they went. Even the heat could not stop Fred from acting silly. He put the box of club things on his head to cross the creek. “I wouldn’t want it to get wet in this deep water,” he said seriously.
This remark caused a lot of giggling and funny replies. They finally arrived at the barn out of breath.
“Whew, I’m hot,” Jan said fanning herself. She threw herself down under the big old apple tree.
Julie and Susan sat down with her. But Fred climbed up the tree.
“Hey,” he called, “you can really see a lot from up here. Maybe we can use this tree for a look-out tower.”
“You’re crazy, Fred! A look-out for what?” Susan demanded.
“Spies and robbers,” he replied at once. “What else?”
Susan rolled her eyes. “See what I have to put up with?”’ she asked the twins.
Fred dropped from the last branch.
Jan stood up. “Let’s walk around the barn and look at it better,” she suggested. “Maybe we’ll find some clue to the mystery.”
The apple tree was at the back of the barn. From where the children were it was two stories high. It had a stone basement. In the stone wall was a solid looking door.
“It looks like a walk-out basement,” Julie remarked.
The children tried to open the door. The handle turned, but the door was stuck.
“It probably hasn’t been opened for years,” Fred said.
They gave up and went around to the front. Jan realized why she hadn’t noticed the barn’s basement before. The barn had been built into the side of the hill it sat on. It was only one story high in the front. But of course none of these things gave Jan any ideas about the barn’s secret. It was silly to feel disappointed, she knew. After all, Gramps had said he had spent hours looking for clues without any success. Nonetheless she wished that something would give her just a tiny clue. She couldn’t help sighing.
The children went into the barn.
Right away Julie exclaimed, ‘What’s this!” She was holding a shiny object in one hand.
The others crowded around her to look. It was a brightly polished pocket knife. The outside was beautifully carved.
“Now where did that come from?” Jan wondered aloud. “It wasn’t here the other day, was it?”
“I don’t think so,” Julie said slowly. “I saw it as soon as I came into the barn today.”
“Someone must have been here since we were,” Susan said in a little voice.
“Aw, Suzy-Q, you’re not scared, are you?” Fred asked teasingly.
He took the pocket knife from Julie and turned it over in his hands. “That is some pocket knife,” he whistled. “I don’t think I have ever seen one as fancy as that is. Hum, maybe we’ll need that look-out tree after all.” He opened the club box and dropped it in.
After that it was forgotten as the children began talking over plans for their club.
“A club needs a treasury, I think,” said Jan. “How can we earn some money?”
“We can have club dues,” Susan offered, “most clubs do.”
“Susan, get some paper and a pencil out of the club box, please,” Jan said. “Someone should write our ideas down.”
“Let Suzy do it,” Fred said. “She can be our club secretary.”
“Stop calling me ‘Suzy,’ Fredrick Baker or I’ll...” Susan sputtered. She was blushing furiously.
“Fredrick, is it? Whew! She really is angry,” he said in mock horror. “O.K., O.K. you win. Miss Susan, will you kindly consent to be Madam Secretary of our humble club?” He stood up and bowed to her.
The twins began to giggle. Jan was certain no queen had ever accepted a lower bow. And Fred’s eyebrows were raised making his face look very solemn.
“Oh, give me that paper and quit being so silly.” Susan snatched up the paper and pencil. She wrote neatly on the paper: 1. club dues.
“We could do some errands to earn money,” Julie suggested in her soft voice.
Susan wrote: 2. errands.
“How about a car wash?” asked Fred.
3. car wash, was added to the list.
“We should do something big to earn money. You know, like grown-up clubs have. A-a-a bazaar or...” Jan stopped to think. “I’ve got it!” She jumped up in her excitement. “How about a carnival? We could have a fish pond and a fun house and everything!”
“Jan, that’s really a good idea. It sounds like fun too,” Julie said.
They all thought so. It would take some work, though, to get a carnival ready. That meant time. Also, they would have to use either the Davidson’s or the Baker’s backyard. So they would need their parent’s permission. All this they talked over together. But still, it seemed the best idea anyone had had.
All of a sudden Fred said, “I’m starving. It must be lunch time.”
It was. They got out sandwiches, corn chips, crisp apples, and cookies. Jan and Julie had brought a thermos of milk. As everyone began to eat, Jan caught a glimpse of Julie swiftly bowing her head to pray. Jan pretended she hadn’t noticed.
The food seemed to disappear by magic. Then all at once Julie shrieked, “Oh! Who was that?”
Everyone looked where she pointed. The children were sitting on the wooden barn floor. Julie was facing the barn’s only window. It was not very large, and the glass was partly broken out. What glass was left was very dirty.
“Someone’s out there,” she said, her eyes very big. “I saw a part of his face in the window just for a minute.”
“His?” Fred asked. He was already at the barn’s door looking out. He didn’t wait for an answer but went around the corner.
Jan was a bit slower but she soon followed Fred. Julie, however, stayed with Susan who was really frightened.
When Jan caught up with Fred, she asked breathlessly, “Do you see anyone?”
“Shush,” he hissed putting a finger to his mouth.
Jan listened, but she couldn’t hear anything.
Fred said quietly, “I thought I heard someone in the bushes over there when I first came out.” He motioned down the hill. If someone had been there, there was no sign of him now.
The two went back inside. Jan saw that Susan had a couple of tears on her face and was trembling. Julie was talking softly to her.
“Did you find anyone?” Julie asked.
Fred shook his head. “Nope, but I thought I heard someone going downhill in the weeds.”
“Probably whoever left that pocket knife came back to get it,” said Julie.
“He could have just come in. We would have given it to him,” Jan said.
Everyone was silent as they finished lunch. Susan was still looking scared. Jan was wondering about the owner of the pocket knife. The others seemed thoughtful too.
They were careful to pick up all the papers when they were through eating. Then they decided to head for home.
As they followed the path downhill, Jan said, “Hey, I just remembered. Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. Didn’t Mom say we’re going on a picnic, Julie?”
Julie thought about it. “Why yes, we are. I had forgotten. It’s a picnic with the Christians where we meet to remember the Lord,” she told Susan and Fred. “We will use one of the park’s big shelters for the day.”
By this time they were crossing the creek. They ran uphill and were in the Davidson backyard.
“What plans do you two have for tomorrow?” Julie asked Fred and Susan.
“I don’t think we’re going anywhere,” Susan answered. “Dad says there is still a lot to be done to get settled. I heard him telling our Mom that he wanted to spend the extra day working around the house.”
“Besides, he doesn’t like picnics,” Fred added.
“I’ll bet you could come with us. I’ll go ask Mom right now.” Jan was on her way as she finished talking.
Soon she was back. “Mom said it’s fine with her if it is O.K. with your parents. She said to bring your swimsuits and towels. There are two big swimming pools there,” Jan explained.
“Wow, I don’t remember the last time I went swimming. It is sure nice of your Mom to let us come along,” Susan said.
“Right now we have to go to the store,” Jan went on. “We need picnic food, I guess.” She laughed. “It won’t be much of a picnic without it!”
With friendly waves the children parted promising to see one another the next day.
It was not until dinner that the twins had a chance to tell Mom and Dad about the pocket knife and the face in the barn window.
“Sounds to me as though another child has been playing in the barn,” Dad said thoughtfully. “Did you say it was a boy you saw, Julie?”
“I’m not sure, Dad,” she answered, “but I thought it was a boy.”
“Maybe he was too shy to come in with all of you there,” Mom suggested. “Julie should be able to understand that.” She smiled at her daughter.
Julie nodded. “I never thought of that, but I’ll bet you’re right, Mom. I would never go in some place with four people I didn’t know. Now Jan wouldn’t mind at all,” she said teasingly.
“Julie!” Jan said indignantly. But it was true. She was not usually the least bit shy of strangers.
“Perhaps you girls should keep an eye out for that boy and invite him to play too,” said Mom.
Julie agreed, but Jan said nothing. She liked the club the way it was. Besides they had found the barn first.
Later she would remember the advice her Mom had given that day ... and wish that she had paid more attention to it.