Free The Treasure Hunt by Rebecca Martin

are,” Lisbet said admiringly as Lydia set them in pans and put them up on the shelf to rise again. It gave Lydia a glowing feeling of accomplishment to hear her big sister say that.
    Off Lydia went into the garden with Mother to dig some potatoes. Because of the faithful watering, the potatoes had grown well enough. Although some were the size of two chicken’s eggs, many were no bigger than one egg.
    When that job was finished, it was time to go in and fire up the woodstove for baking. The hardest part of all was getting the oven temperature just right, so Mother showed Lydia how to use small pieces of split wood to make the fire burn extra hot at first and a little less so later.
    As gently as if she were carrying a new baby, Lydia brought the round, fluffy loaves to the oven and slid themin. Oh, how she hoped the loaves would stay nice and round this time, instead of flopping into a heap the way they had last time!
    Soon the aroma of baking bread filled the kitchen. Every three minutes or so, Lydia wanted to open the oven door to check on her loaves, but Mother warned her not to. “You’d be letting too much heat out of the oven,” she explained.
    At last the tops of the loaves were as brown as a ripe chestnut. “Are they done, Mother?” Lydia asked.
    With her fingernail, Mother tapped one of the loaves. “Hear that hollow sound? That means they’re baked through and through.”
    A beaming Lydia used two hot pads to carry the loaves from the oven to the table. Suddenly the kitchen door opened, and Jake stuck his head inside. “Where’s Joe?”
    â€œOh, out hunting I suppose,” Lydia said distractedly, bending down to get the third loaf from the oven.
    â€œHe’s always hunting, and he doesn’t often get anything,” Jake growled, barging across the kitchen. Bam! He bumped into Lydia.
    â€œOh, Jake!” she shouted as her precious loaf flew from her hands and landed with a thud on the floor. She dashed to retrieve it. The lovely brown crust was broken and bashed in.
    â€œYou should watch where you’re going,” Jake snapped, heading back to the door. “Listen, I need someone to help chase the cattle. Who’ll do it if Joe’s gone?”
    â€œI will,” Lisbet offered sweetly.
    After the other two were gone, Lydia sat gazing at her ruined loaf. “It’ll never look right again,” she mourned, trying to poke it back into shape.
    â€œWe can eat it anyway,” Mother said. “And look at your five nice loaves.”
    Smiling, Lydia propped her chin on her hand. After a while she remarked, “Jake wasn’t very nice. He’s been like that ever since Father left, it seems.”
    â€œI think he’s a bit tense with all the responsibility that’s on his shoulders,” Mother replied.
    â€œI thought it’s because he wishes he had gone threshing,” Lydia said.
    â€œWell, maybe that too, not that I’m excusing him for his impolite behavior. Remember what Father always says: ‘Even though you may have a reason for behaving badly, that is still no excuse.’ ”
    Lydia nodded. She had needed to hear that quite a few times already!

13
    Drawn Like a Magnet
    T he shotgun was always set on two pegs above the kitchen door. One morning, about a week after Father had left, Joe took down the gun and went outside. Though a bank of mist still hung over the creek, the fields were bathed in early morning sunlight.
    â€œWhat?” exclaimed the thirteen-year-old under his breath. “Somebody’s walking in our lane. Why, it’s—” He turned on his heel and dashed back into the house. “Mother! Father’s walking in the lane, and it looks like his arm is all bandaged up.”
    Mother dropped her towel, Lisbet dropped her dishrag, Lydia dropped her broom, Joe carefully put down the shotgun, and just like that, all four of them were out the door.
    Father’s