Free The Goose's Gold by Ron Roy Page A

driveway surrounded by rosebushes.
    Dink saw a small pink house with blue shutters. Window boxes were filled with bright flowers. Pots of pink geraniums sat on the front steps.
    “You’ve got an awesome house, Mrs. Hathaway!” Josh said.
    She laughed. “Please call me Gram, and thank you!”
    The kids followed Gram into a yellow living room. In one corner, a Christmas tree stood on a table.
    “Okay, drop your bags and let’s eat!”
    Gram led Ruth Rose and Josh into her kitchen. “I hope you like fried chicken!”
    Dink followed slowly. He couldn’t stop thinking about the man on the telephone.
    If he was just talking about food, Dink wondered, why was he whispering?

“I smell cookies,” Josh said the next morning.
    Dink rolled over and looked at Josh. He was sitting up in bed with his nose in the air.
    Dink grinned. “You look like a rabbit, Josh.”
    “No, I’m serious,” Josh said. He walked over to the window and took a deep whiff. “Yep, it’s cookies. With chocolate chips!”
    They heard a knock on their bedroom door. “Hurry up, you guys!” Ruth Rose said. “Gram is making breakfast!”
    Dink and Josh scrambled into shorts and T-shirts. They did a quick job of washing up, then hurried down the stairs.
    Gram Hathaway stood at the stove, spooning pancake batter onto a hot griddle. She was wearing running gear, and her hair was tied in a red bandanna. “Good morning, boys. How’d you sleep?”
    “Great,” Dink said. “Except Josh snored all night!”
    “Ha!” Ruth Rose laughed as she poured orange juice into four glasses. She liked to dress all in one color. Today she was wearing green shorts, a green T-shirt, and green jelly shoes.

    Josh glanced at the stove. “I thought I smelled chocolate chip cookies.”
    Gram smiled. “What an observant young man! There’s a batch in the oven that’s almost done.”
    Josh nudged Dink. “See? I’m an observant young man!”
    Gram brought a platter of pancakes to the table. “I’m baking cookies for our company.”
    “Who’s the company Gram?” Ruth Rose asked.
    Her grandmother smiled mysteriously. “It’s a surprise. You’ll have to wait and see.”
    While they ate breakfast, Gram told the kids about some of the sights to see on the island.
    “Be sure to take a ride on the Old Town Trolley” she said. “It scoots all over town.”
    “How do we get to the beach?” Josh asked.
    “Just walk to the end of my street, then turn right,” Gram said. “Two more blocks, and you’ll see the water!”
    “Can we help you clean up?” Ruth Rose asked.
    “I’ll clean up after my run,” Gram replied. “You kids go have fun, and I’ll see you for lunch.”
    The kids each grabbed a warm cookie, then hurried outside.
    Ten minutes later, they were carrying their sneakers and wading in the ocean.
    Dink was looking at guys’ feet on the beach. He saw plenty of ankle tattoos, but none were eagles.
    From the beach, they walked up some steps to a wide concrete pier. There were benches and tables, and vendors selling food and souvenirs. A man was juggling oranges and grapefruits. Big gray pelicans sat on posts, waiting for tourists to feed them.
    “Let’s go see those boats,” Josh suggested, pointing toward a long wooden dock.
    The kids ran along the beach and crossed over to the dock. Dink saw a sign that said WATCH FOR SPLINTERS AND FISHHOOKS! NO BARE FEET!
    People were lined up, fishing. One little girl shouted, then pulled up a silver fish the size of Dink’s hand.
    The kids pulled on their shoes and hiked along the long dock. Boats were nestled in slips on both sides.
    Everywhere they looked, people were washing, polishing, or painting their boats.
    “I wish I had a sailboat,” Josh said as they continued along the dock. “I’d live on it and sail around the world.”
    “What about me and Dink?” Ruth Rose asked.
    “Oh, I’d hire you as my cook,” Josh told Ruth Rose. “You could make me cookies and pizza.”
    He nudged Dink with his