Part 9 (1/2)

”Where?” Scotty couldn't see them ”I don't see nary a rock”

”In the embankments, covered with dirt See? There's a place where the dirt cover has been washed away by the rain I've seen defenses like this before They used rocks as a base, filled in the cracks with clay, then put dirt on top and planted grass to hold it That gave therass?” Scotty wanted to know

”To fool eneuess I can't think of any other reason, except to prevent erosion In those days scouting was done by cavalry, and frorassy banks”

Inspection of the eht

Scotty inspected the place where the rain had washed the topsoil away, probably because sorass in that spot The rocks were clearly of the kind in the an to pry at so buried here”

Rick hurried to help out, and in a h rocks to disclose a considerable amount of moldy cloth

Scotty took a piece and shook it, then chuckled ”The answer is in the writing on the bag Wilbur's Prerew serious

”Only where was it used? I've seen no construction around here”

”Maybe sos and buried theet all the ce, because the powder sticks in the fabric If you try to wash it out, it only sets the ceht No one would use a ceht about it He looked up suddenly as a sound cah the trees It was a motor, but a small two-cycle kind, like a scooter or a so see who it is”

Scotty held onto the bag They walked back through the trees and into the caround in time to see a lanky, white-clad individual on a three-wheeled o box--co hite frost, that spelled FROSTOLA Underneath the letters was a list of products: cream pies, frozen cones, creah Rick had never heard of Frostola, it was immediately clear that this was an ice-cream vendor, of the kind that appears in swar horns, in trucks, on scooters, and even on bicycles

The Frostola ave them a cheery wave and tilted his white cap to the back of his head ”Hi! Where's the crowd?”

”We're it,” Scotty answered ”Were you expecting ,” the ht I'd come sell refreshhost fish,” Rick said ”The place is haunted”

The host If he shows up I'll sell him a cream pie”

”Sell ht

”Pleasure” The ot off the seat and Rick saw that he was over six feet tall, and built like a sapling The boy also saw that he wasn't as young as he at first appeared That was odd, because the peddlers on scooters were usually either very young or old

The Frostola man opened the seat box and the boys looked in, at neat stacks of ice creaed in various ways The stuff was kept frozen by slabs of dry ice wrapped in brown paper

The cream pies were on a stick, and coated with chocolate, butterscotch, and vanilla with coconut Rick paid for his selection and Scotty's, then co way out here froet away froe coht He noticed that the peddler was eying the bag Scotty had picked up, and was trying to be surreptitious about it Anyone would be curious about so, but why try to conceal that curiosity? On i away and let's go” To the peddler, he added, ”We're doing our bit to keep the place clean”

”Good thing to do,” the ot in the car Rick turned it around and headed for town The rear-view mirror told him that the Frostola man watched thehtfully, ”If you were anxious to o to do it?”