Two girls and a mystery

"Two girls and a mystery" by May Hollis Barton is a juvenile mystery novel written in the early 20th century. When cheerful Barbara “Bab” Winters inherits a dilapidated house from her eccentric Uncle Jeremiah, a cryptic codicil, a “lucky” ring, and tales of strange lights and footsteps draw her—and her daring friend Gerry—into a treasure-tinged quest. Joined by Gordon, Charlie, the quiet chaperon Mrs. Fenwick, and devoted cook Rosa Lee, Bab’s hunt blends spirited fun with eerie hints and a possibly related local kidnaping. The opening of the story finds Bab overhearing her grandparents’ money troubles and vowing to help, only to receive a lawyer’s letter: her great-uncle Jeremiah Dare has left her $500, an old house in a wooded glen, and a puzzling hint that its “treasure” will reveal itself to the courageous. A near-crash ride with Gordon and cousin Charlie coincides with a glimpse of a terrified girl in another car; soon newspapers report the abduction of a Barbara Winthrop who looks strikingly like Bab. Despite a lawyer’s warning about ghostly lights and pattering sounds, the group travels to the village of Clayton; on the way to the house they see a ragged boy beg for help before a dark, turbaned man seizes him and vanishes. At the gloomy, neglected house they begin exploring; thunder gathers, and in the library the girls hear unmistakable tiny, running footsteps and feel a cold, musty draft—an unsettling first brush with the mystery.

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