The Mystery of Sinister Scarecrow - M. V. Carey [4]
They’re more widespread than you’d suppose. One species is found all through Panama and Mexico. There’s another type in the United States. It might be found anywhere south of forty-five degrees latitude. That’s as far north as Oregon and Maine.
“And then there are the ants here on this hillside. They aren’t exactly the sort of army ants you’d expect to find here. Their legs are longer than the ones that have previously been seen in this area, and their body armor is thicker.”
Woolley paused for a moment, and his face lit up with excitement. “Want to see something amazing?” he asked.
He didn’t wait for an answer, but opened the door and went out. Hans and the boys followed him up the hill.
“This land belongs to Chester Radford,” said Woolley. “You may know of him.
He’s very wealthy, and he’s generous. He supports a lot of scientific work. I was hiking near here last spring when I spotted some strange army ants. I confirmed that they were unusual, and also that they were on the Radford estate. Mr. Radford lives abroad, but I was able to contact him. He gave me permission to live here and use the barn for a workshop. He also authorized a grant from the Radford Fund for Further Education in the Sciences, so I can carry on my work.”
Woolley stopped in front of a small greenhouse, which had about it a neglected and abandoned air. The door to the little building creaked when the scientist opened it.
“Now, here is a colony of army ants!”
Charles Woolley knelt and pointed to a dark, bulging mass of material that hung from the underside of a table. It moved slightly in the draft from the open door. The motion reminded Jupiter of the way fur moves when someone blows on it. The mass was a huge, seething bundle of ants, all clinging to one another.
“Yuck!” said Pete.
“Fascinating, aren’t they?” said Woolley. “And not quite like any other army ants I’ve seen. Perhaps a new subspecies. Perhaps mutants. How long have they been here?
Where did they come from? Where are they going? These are the questions I’m trying to answer.”
Hans looked worriedly at the mass of tiny creatures. “I think we better go,” he said. “Mr. Jones will be here any minute.”
He went out, and after a minute the boys followed him. Skirting the cornfield, they picked their way down through the scrub brush on the hill towards Rock Rim Drive.
Once Jupe looked back. Woolley was standing near the cornfield fence watching them.
The scarecrow on the fence seemed to watch, too, with its blank triangle eyes and a grin that was a bit menacing.
“Strange guy,” said Pete. “He’s really nuts about ants!”
“That’s not what’s strange,” said Jupe. “What’s strange is that a serious scientist mistook me for a living scarecrow!”
Chapter 3
Strangers Step In
“WELL, ALL I KNOW IS that it’s more than five miles from here to the turnoff at Rock Rim Drive,” said Pete, “and most of it is uphill. Now, why should I pump a bike for five miles in the hottest part of the day just to take another look at that scarecrow?”
It was several hours after
the boys’ adventure on the
hillside of the Radford estate.
Jupiter, Pete, and Bob were
sitting in a booth at the
Seaview
Cafe
in
Rocky
Beach, eating ice cream and
talking over the events of the
morning.
Jupe
had
just
explained that he’d excused
himself from the second
attempt at a buying trip in
the mountains. Uncle Titus
was going to the cabin
himself, because Jupe wanted
to return to the strange
cornfield instead.
Pete and Bob weren’t enthusiastic about the change in plans.
“Have you no curiosity?” said Jupiter. His tone was reproachful. “Don’t you want to investigate that sinister scarecrow?”
“It isn’t sinister,” Pete declared. “It’s just a bunch of old clothes.”
“All right, but why did Charles Woolley think he saw a live scarecrow on the hill?”
Jupe demanded. “Why did he attack me?”
“I think you’re making a big mystery out of nothing,” said Bob. “Woolley just got excited, that’s all.”
Jupe shook his head. “No, that isn’t all. Because he got too excited. How many people get really