Ashley Enright and the Message in the Tree (11 out of 12)

      Fortunately, for Josh’s sake, they didn’t have to wait too long. When they got back to Ashley’s house to play a game of chess, the phone rang.

      “Ashley,” her mother yelled from her office upstairs. “This call’s for you. It’s that reporter from the Donnybrook Globe.”

      “O.k., Mom,” Ashley yelled. “I’ll pick up the phone in the kitchen.” She answered the phone and listened to what the reporter said. Her eyes grew wide and she looked at Josh and gave him thumbs up. “You bet we’d like to go with you! We get home from school at 2:30, so you can pick us up then.” She told the reporter her address and then hung up the phone.

      “Josh,” she said excitedly.  “The reporter got a phone call from a man in who lives in Donnybrook Nursing Home. He said that he is the “P.W.” on the tree! Susan is going to pick us up tomorrow and take us to the nursing home so we can meet Mr. Wellington! Isn’t that great?”

      “Great?”questioned Josh. “I guess so, but we still don’t know who ‘R.L.’ is.”

      “Duh,” said Ashley. “Mr. Wellington will know because he carved the initials in the tree.”

      “Oh, yeah,” Josh said brightly. “He would know that, wouldn’t he?”

      “You bet,” said Ashley. “I can’t wait to meet him and hear his story.”

      “Yeah,” said Josh. “But now we have to wait all through school tomorrow.”

      “Oh, will you stop,” Ashley laughed. “You’re so impatient. We’re closer to knowing the whole story about the initials.”

      “I guess you’re right,” Josh said with a sigh. “Why don’t we finish our chess game?”

      “O.k.” said Ashley. “I just want to run upstairs and tell my mom. Do not move any of your pieces on that chessboard!”

      Josh laughed and said, “Boy, you don’t trust me.”

      “Not when it comes to playing chess,” said Ashley as she went out of the room.

Ashley Enright and the Message in the Tree (10 out of 12)

      Sunday morning finally arrived and Ashley went into the kitchen for breakfast. Her parents were at the kitchen table drinking coffee and reading the Sunday paper.

      “Good morning,” her father said as he looked up from his newspaper.

      “Good morning, Dad,” said Ashley. “Is it…?” She didn’t even have time to finish her question when her mother pointed to the Living section of The Donnybrook Globe.

      “It’s on page two,” said her mother.

      Ashley quickly opened the paper to page two. There was a photo of the carving on the tree and a story by Susan Whiteman beneath the photo.  The story asked readers to contact the reporter at the paper if they had any information about the initials on the tree.

      “Wow,” said Ashley. “That’s a great picture! I sure hope someone knows something about the initials. Can I call Josh?”

      “Of course,” said her father with a smile. “I hope you find out something about the initials, too!”

      Ashley went into the living room to call Josh.

      “Yell-o,” said Josh when he answered the phone.

     “Josh,” said Ashley. “What kind of crazy way is that to answer the phone?”

     “Sorry,” Josh laughed. “I was just being silly. I kind of knew it would be you. Maybe I should say, ‘The Stewart residence, young master of the house speaking’.”

      “Why can’t you just say ‘hello’ like a normal person?” Ashley asked.

      “How boring,” answered Josh. “Why be normal?”

      Ashley sighed and said, “Well, did you see the picture in the morning paper?”

      “I sure did,” said Josh. “Someone’s just got to know something about those initials!”

      “I know,” said Ashley. “I feel the same way.”

      “So,” said Josh. “What do we do now?”

      “I guess all we can do is wait,” said Ashley.

      “Ugh.” Josh groaned. “More waiting…I hate this!”

      “I know,” said Ashley. “But, hopefully, we’ll just have to be patient for a little while longer.”

      “Can we wait at Ella’s?” asked Josh.

      “Can you think of anything else besides food?” asked Ashley.

      “Not really!” Josh  answered. “Remember, I’m a growing boy.”

      “I know,” said Ashley. “But it’s only 8:30 a.m. It’s way too early for lunch!”

      “I know that,” said Josh. “But, you know, I always like to plan my meals ahead of time.”

      “Yes,” Ashley laughed. “I know that. How about I’ll come by at 11:30 and then we’ll ride into town?”

      “Yipee,” Josh yelled and he hung up the phone.

      Ashley looked at the receiver in her hand and said to herself, “Well, if he couldn’t answer the phone properly, why should I expect that he end the conversation properly?” She laughed and hung up the phone.

Ashley Enright and the Message in the Tree (9 out of 12)

      Kathleen called her friend, Susan Whitman, at the paper and explained the idea to her. After a few minutes, she hung up the phone and looked up at Ashley and Josh.  “She loves the idea,” said Kathleen brightly. “She’ll send a photographer out to take a picture of the carving and it will be in this Sunday’s paper.”

      “Awesome,” said Josh. “Someone’s got to know who those initials belong to!”

      “Yes,” said Ashley. “I’m sure we’ll be able to solve this mystery. Thanks for your help, Kathleen!”

      “My pleasure, kids,” said Kathleen with a smile. “I can’t wait to see how this turns out!”

      Ashley and Josh said goodbye to their friend and left the library to ride home.

      “Ashes,” said Josh as he pedaled alongside her on Matthews Road. “How are we ever going to wait until Sunday? What are we going to do?”

      “Um,” said Ashley. “Go to school and do homework? Besides, we may have to wait longer than Sunday to see if anyone knows anything.”

      Josh groaned, “What do you mean by that?”

      “I mean,” Ashley said. “People have to have time to read the paper and then call the paper to let them know that they recognize the picture.”

      “Oh brother,” Josh groaned again.

      They rode home and managed to get through the entire week of waiting.

Ashley Enright and the Message in the Tree (8 out of 12)

      Kathleen pulled up the Donnybrook marriage license records on her computer. After several minutes of typing, she looked intently at the screen and shook her head. “I only found one match for one of the initials, ‘P.W.’ There was a Peter Wellington who married Holly Sturgis in 1953. I don’t see any matches for the ‘R.L.’”

      “Oh,” said Ashley. “I was hoping we’d find out who these people were.”

      “Bummer,” said Josh.

      “Let’s not give up so easily,” said Kathleen “There are other ways to check.”

       “Really?” asked Ashley.

      “Sure,” Kathleen answered. “They might not have gotten married in Donnybrook.”

      “That’s right,” said Josh.

      “Yes,” said Ashley. “But there are a million places where they could’ve gotten married. We can’t search a million city databases, can we?”

      “No,” said Kathleen. “That’d be a full time job. But, I do have an idea.”

      “Really?” Ashley and Josh said in unison.

      “Really!” Kathleen said. “My friend, Susan, works for the Donnybrook Globe newspaper. Maybe she can print a picture of the carving and ask if any readers know anything!”

      “That’s cool,” said Josh.

      “Yes,” Ashley agreed. “That’s a great idea!”

Ashley Enright and the Message in the Tree (7 out of 12)

      The next day, Ashley could hardly wait until school was over. When she got home, she called upstairs to her mother’s office and said, “Mom, Josh and I are riding to the library.”

      “O.k.,” her mother yelled down the stairs. “Don’t be late for dinner. Your grandmother is coming over to make one of her special meals.”

      “O.k.” said Ashley. She loved it when her grandmother, Gram, tried out a new recipe that she learned in cooking class at the university. “I’ll have my cell phone with me!”

      Ashley put her backpack on her back and went to the garage to get her bicycle and ride to the library with Josh. Josh was waiting for her at the end of his driveway. They rode to the library and parked their bicycles outside. They walked into the library and headed straight for the reference librarian’s desk.

      Josh breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Kathleen sitting at her desk.  Ashley heard his sigh and said, “I feel the same way!”

      Kathleen looked up from her computer screen when they came to her desk. “Hi,kids,” said Kathleen. “What brings you both to the library today?”

      “Well,” Ashley laughed.  “You know us. We’ve found another mystery that we hope you can help us solve.”

      Kathleen smiled and said, “I’m not surprised. What’s the mystery?”

      Ashley explained how they found some initials carved into a tree at the end of Foggy Bottom Road.

      “I climbed the tree to get a better look,” Josh said proudly.

      “Yes,” said Ashley. “Monkey boy, here, loves to climb trees.” She pointed to Josh and then pulled out a piece of paper from her knapsack and showed it to Kathleen.

      “Hmmm,” said Kathleen as she read the initials on the paper. “R.L. + P.W.  forever.”

      “Do you know how we can find out who these initials belong to? asked Josh.

      “Well,” said Kathleen. “I suppose we could search marriage records and see if those initials show up. I wonder how far back I should go?”

      “Beats me,” said Josh. “That tree was pretty tall. Maybe go back to the Revolutionary War?”

      “Josh,” Ashley groaned and rolled her eyes. “The tree was not that tall!”

      Kathleen laughed and said, “I think our records only go back to the 1940s. So, I guess that’s as far back as we’ll go right now!”

      “That sounds good,” said Ashley.

Ashley Enright and the Message in the Tree (6 out of 12)

      “So, Josh,” Ashley said as she leaned over the table. “Tell me about your latest comic book.”

      Josh was a talented young artist who liked to draw comic books featuring super heroes. Ashley always laughed to herself because Josh didn’t realize that all of his super heroes had the same initials that he did: J.S.

      “Well,” said Josh leaning over the table.  “Josiah Strikefeather is a native American who helps the American soldiers during the Revolutionary War.”

      Ashley smiled to herself at the name ‘Josiah Strikefeather.’ “Does he have super powers?”

      “He doesn’t need them,” Josh said proudly. “He uses his knowledge of nature to help our soldiers plan their battles with the British soldiers.”

      “What do you mean?” asked Ashley.

      “He can predict the weather by looking at the moon and sky and the behaviors of the animals,” said Josh.

      “Obviously, you’ve been paying attention in Social Studies class,” said Ashley. They had just finished learning about the Revolutionary War in school.

      “I guess so,” said Josh.  “I guess I must pay more attention than I thought!”

      Ashley laughed. Carolanne brought their lunch to the table and both she and Ashley laughed as Josh took a huge bite of his cheeseburger.

      “Sorry,” Josh said sheepishly as he wiped his face with his napkin. “I just couldn’t wait any more!”

      “We know, Josh,” said Ashley. “As you always say, you’re a growing boy!”

Ashley Enright and the Message in the Tree (5 out of 12)

      They parked their bicycles outside of Ella’s Sweet Shop and went inside to their favorite booth by the window.

      “Hey, hey, what’ll it be today?” asked Carolanne as she came to their booth.

      “Hi, Carolanne,” said Ashley. “I didn’t know you’d be working today.”

      Carolanne was an early education major at the university and was working as a teacher’s aide in the Donnybrook Elementary School. “You know me,” said Carolanne. “I’m always ready to work! Now, what brings my two favorite customers in today?”

      “Wow,” said Josh. “We’re really your favorite customers?”

      “Sure!” said Carolanne.

      “I guess that’s because we in here a lot, right?” said Ashley.

      “Well,” Carolanne laughed. You two are here quite often. But, I also like hearing about the mysteries you’re always working on. Do you have a mystery today?”

      “Well,” said Ashley. “We sort of have one.” She told Carolanne about finding the initials carved in the tree.

      “My goodness,” Carolanne exclaimed. “You two find something to investigate even when you’re not looking!”

      Ashley and Josh just shrugged their shoulders.

      “Oh well, “said Josh. “I guess we’re just lucky that way!”

      “What are you going to do now?” asked Carolanne.

      “We’re going to go to the library tomorrow and see if Kathleen can help us find out who those initials belong to,” said Ashley.

      “Isn’t the library open on Sunday?” asked Carolanne.

      “Yes,” Josh answered. “But, Mrs. Daniels works on Sundays.”

      “She really doesn’t like helping kids,” said Ashley. “We’d rather wait until Kathleen is there.”

      Kathleen Gorman was the reference librarian and had helped Ashley and Josh with Ashley Enright Investigations in the past.  They liked that they could call her by her first name instead of ‘Mrs. Gorman.’

      “I see,” said Carolanne. “Now, what can I get for the two of you, the usual?”

      “You bet,” said Josh enthusiastically.

      “O.k.,” said Carolanne. “One cheeseburger and chocolate shake and one tuna melt and milk coming right up!” Carolanne left to go to the kitchen and place their order.

Ashley Enright and the Message in the Tree (4 out of 12)

“O.k.,” said Josh as he started to run out of the woods.

Ashley yelled, “Hey, wait up” and she ran to follow him. They stopped at her garage and took down her bicycle from the hook on the garage wall.

“The tires don’t look too bad, Ashes,” said Josh. “They just need a little air.” He got the bicycle pump and pumped some air into the front and rear tires. “There,” he said triumphantly. “You should be good to go!”

      Ashley got on her bike and rode down the driveway. “It feels fine,” she said looking back over her shoulder. “I’ll meet you at your house.” She started up the street and met Josh in his driveway.

      He was out of breath from running up the block.  Josh opened his garage door and Ashley gasped at all the clutter. Josh laughed when he heard Ashley’s gasp. “Don’t worry, Ashes,” he said. “It may seem like a mess, but…”

      “I know, “Ashley interrupted. “Your father knows where every single thing is!”

      “That’s right,” said Josh as he rolled his bicycle out of the garage. “Gee, my wheels look pretty good.”  He kicked the tires on his bike.

      “Now, “said Ashley. “What exactly does kicking the tires do?”

      “I have no idea,” Josh giggled and shrugged. “But, it looks impressive, doesn’t it?”

      “I guess so,” said Ashley. She rolled her eyes and said,”Come on, let’s ride to Bud’s Gas Pump so I can make sure my tires are o.k.”

      “O.k.,“  said Josh. “But, of course, we’ll have to go to Ella’s for a bite to eat. Do you have any money?”

      “Oh, for Heaven’s sake,” said Ashley. “You know I always have some money in my backpack.”

      “I know,” said Josh. “That’s what I count on! Some day I’ll pay you back, Ashes. I promise.”

      “I know,” said Ashley. “You always promise that. Maybe some day, “some day” will come!”

      “It will,” said Josh as he started riding down his driveway. “Some day will come, I promise!”

      “Promises, promises,” said Ashley. She laughed and rode down the driveway and followed Josh.

      They rode into town and stopped at Bud’s Gas Pump to make sure there was enough air in their bicycle tires.

      Bud Watts came out of the garage and wiped his hands on a rag. “Hey, kids,” he said. “Do you need any help?”

      “No, thank you, Mr. Watts,” said Ashley. “We’ve just put more air in our bike tires.”

      “Getting them ready for the nice weather?” asked Bud.

      “You bet,” said Josh.

      “Well,” said Bud. “Bring them inside the garage and I’ll give them the ‘once-over’ to make sure they’re in good shape.”

      “I don’t know if we can afford to have a mechanic work on our bikes,” said Ashley hesitantly.

      Bud laughed and said, “There’s no charge on such a beautiful spring day! It will be my pleasure to look them over.” He made sure that the tires were properly inflated and put some oil on the gears to help them switch smoothly. “There you go, kids. You’re all ready for lots of riding during the nice weather. Just be sure to be careful in traffic.”

      “We always are,” said Ashley. “Thank you! Have a great day!” She and Josh started riding to Ella’s Sweet Shop.