HARVEST TIME
Noone said a single word for the better part of a minute, after Toby had made this astonishing statement. They continued to exchange uneasy looks, and then cast furtive glances up toward the particular window at which Toby had been pointing his trembling finger.
It was however excitement, not fear, that made Toby shiver; for after all he was the first to break the sombre silence, and then it was to make a proposition.
"Let's go back up there, and take a turn around," he said, eagerly; "mebbe we did miss some room, and after all there's somebody ahidin' in the blooming haunted house. What d'ye say, fellows?"
"I'm on!" replied one of them before Toby had really finished speaking; and of course it was Chatz who agreed so readily.
Elmer immediately made a move that announced his readiness to do what the first discoverer of the ghost proposed; Ted and Toby followed suit; and finally George, shrugging his shoulders as though he considered it all folly, came tagging along at their heels grunting to himself.
In this fashion they entered the house, and immediately passed up to the second floor, lookingcuriously about them again. Nothing was in sight, not even a trespassing bat, for the little creatures had all been alarmed when the boys made their first entry, and flown through various openings into the outer air.
"Now be sure you pick out the right window, Toby," warned Chatz.
"I counted 'em from the outside," replied the other, with a business-like air, "and it was exactly the seventh from the end; and here she is. Everybody count and see for yourselves."
"That's all right," remarked George, triumphantly; "but suppose you show us your old ghost, Toby."
"Never said it was one," protested the other, as he looked about in a puzzled manner; "what I did remark, and I stand back of it still, was that if ever there was such a thing as a spook in this world that must have been one."
George sniffed contemptuously.
"Go on and poke him out, then; I want to be shown, if I ain't from Missouri!" he told Toby, who turned his back on him.
"Well, there doesn't seem to be anything here, Toby, for a fact," said Elmer, as he looked carefully around, up and down, on the floor, and along the hall.
"It's disappeared, as sure as shooting, Elmer," admitted the pilot of the ghost-hunting expedition; "but I give you my affidavy that I did see a face, a white one at that, though it flipped out of sight before I could grab a second look."
"Beats the Dutch what animaginationsome fellows have got," grumbled George.
"I tell you I did see something, George!" repeated Toby, firmly.
"Sure, you might have done that," agreed the other, cheerfully; "but it's my honest opinion that it might have been just a little flash of sunlight on a window pane. I've known such a thing to startle me more'n once. And when you shifted your head, why, you got out of focus, and the thing disappeared as you say, like a wreath of smoke. Now, I'm one of the kind that likes to look deep into things; and I never let a mystery grip me. Make up your mind, Toby, that it was something like I'm telling you, and let it go at that."
Toby did not answer. Truth to tell he did not know what to say, for while he still firmly believed he had seen a human face at the window there was nothing around by means of which he could prove it.
He went to the window and looked out.
"Anyhow," he remarked, disconsolately, "even if I was fooled by something, it sure wasn't the sun, because it never strikes this side of the house after noontime; and look at the heavy trees shading it, will you? I give the thing up, and yet I'd like to take a look over this floor."
"Suppose we start in and do it, then?" remarked Elmer, quietly.
Even George accompanied them, though he continued to look superior, and allowed a skepticalexpression to appear on his face. Possibly, in spite of his avowed disbelief in ghosts, George did not really care to be left alone in that house; his valor might all be on the surface.
Nothing was found, and Toby finally admitted that it seemed useless wasting any more time prowling around.
"But I'll always believe I did see something," he avowed, as they started out of the building again; "and if we come up here to camp during the Thanksgiving holidays we ought to look into this business closer. P'raps something might show up in the night time that'd be worth seeing."
"Do you really think so, Toby?" exclaimed Chatz, with rapture, as though even the mention of it gave him secret delight.
"Rats!" sneered the unconvinced George.
They had gone only a little way from the house when Elmer called a halt.
"Just wait for me a few minutes, boys," he said; "or, if you feel like it, fetch the wagon around to load up our sacks of nuts."
With these words he turned and went straight back into the house. The others exchanged looks, but did not say anything, though they must have thought this queer on the part of the scout master. But then Elmer was a privileged character, and often did things that mystified his chums, explaining later on, to their complete satisfaction. Perhaps he may have dropped something up there on that second floor, or else conceived a sudden ideawhich caused him to return for another look around.
"Might as well get loaded up, as hang around here any longer?" suggested Toby.
"I think the same," added George, "for there's no telling who'll be seeing all sorts of queer things next. Must be in the air. Once that sort of thing begins to get around, and it takes a solid mind to ward it off. Never bothersme, though."
"I'll bring the horse up," suggested Toby, with a grin; for in spite of finding himself the target for these shafts of ridicule on the part of the scoffer, Toby dearly loved to hear George offering objections.
"Guess you'd better, because Nancy knows you more'n she does any of the rest of us; and a hoss is a rantankerous creature," said Chatz.
"Particularly a mare," added Toby, as he hurried away; but they noticed that he cast many side glances at the surrounding dense foliage as he went in the direction of the spot where they had left Nancy and the wagon when approaching the grove of nut trees, as though he did not wholly fancy finding himself alone amidst such weird surroundings.
Once the wagon was brought up it did not take the scouts long to get all the sacks of nuts loaded. When they saw what a splendid showing the collection made it caused a fresh outbreak of congratulations all around.
"There never was such a grand lot of nuts brought into town from the day the first cabinwas built away back!" declared George, who could not see any reason to throw cold water on this positive fact, with the evidence plainly before him.
"That's what comes of having an idea," remarked Toby, proudly; "if I hadn't engineered this plan we might have spent a hard day in the woods, and only brought home a single bag to show for it. Just look at that wholesale lot, will you?"
"Yeth, and we're all ready to thay you did it with your little hatchet, Toby; it taketh you to hatch up plans, thure it doeth," admitted Ted.
"Wonder what's keeping Elmer?" Chatz observed, as he turned to look toward the house, glimpses of which they could catch through small openings in the dense growth of trees; to immediately add: "there he comes right now."
"Hope he found what he was looking for," George ventured, and nothing further was said in regard to the matter.
Elmer quickly joined them. Chatz looked keenly at his face, and fancied that he could detect something like a faint smile there; but even if the scout master had made any sort of discovery on his last visit to the haunted house, he did not seem ready to take his chums into his confidence.
"Well, that looks like something, boys," he remarked, as he surveyed the great load of filled bags that occupied nearly every bit of space in the wagon bed.
"Oh! we believe in doing a wholesale businesswhen we get started," laughed Toby; "the only thing that's bothering me is where Chatz, Ted and George can find room to sit. Guess they'll have to fix it so as to stretch out on top of our load."
"Ted can crowd in with the two of us on the front seat, if he wants," explained Elmer; "and if somebody gives me a hand we'll soon arrange a place for the other seat back here on top of these four partly filled sacks."
"Consolation prizes, you mean!" muttered George, who did not exactly like the idea of their going to all the trouble of carrying the extra sacks home just to drop them in the yards of the members of the Mallon crowd; George was inclined to be proud, and it seemed to smack too much of pulling "chestnuts out of the fire" for others.
"Well, after all, suh, they worked hard enough to knock those nuts down to be entitled to a share," Chatz remarked, that fine Southern sense of justice cropping up again, despite his dislike for Connie Mallon and all those who trained in his camp.
"Not to speak of the bruises and black eyes some of them must have picked up when they conducted that masterly retreat," Elmer added; "I'll never forget that panic; for I don't believe I ever saw fellows more frightened than they were."
"Well, do you blame them?" asked Ted; "if I got it in my head that bunch of ghosth had it in for me on account of my breaking in on their haunt I'd run like a whitehead too, and thatth right."
"I'd like to see Connie's face when he discovers that sack of nuts in his yard to-morrowa. m.," George continued, actually pursing up his lips in a smile, something he was seldom guilty of.
"Reckon he'll think it rained down in the night," chuckled Chatz.
"More'n likely he'll begin to believe he's only been dreaming that these things happened, and that he did fetch the nuts home with him, after all," Toby volunteered.
"But when the other counties are heard from, and they all compare notes, won't they get on to the game then?" George asked.
"How about that, Elmer?" Toby inquired, turning to the scout master.
"I don't see how they can help but figure it out as it stands," came the reply.
"That is, they'll guess we fetched back their bags for 'em, and not wanting to turn the same over empty, just chucked a lot of nuts in to make 'em stand up," and George as he said this looked as consequential as though he had solved some great problem.
"All I'm afraid of," resumed Toby, "is they'll get the idea in their dense heads that we're only doing this because of fear; that is, we're offering a bribe, hoping they'll forgive us for frightening them, and won't hold us to a reckoning. I don't like knuckling down that way. I wish we thought to put a note in each sack telling them we only turned these nuts over because we had more than we could use ourselves, andthought they'd worked hard enough to earn some."
Elmer, however, shook his head.
"That wouldn't be worth while trying!" he declared. "I think it'd only make them more bitter against us. The best way to do is just to leave the bags in their yards, and say nothing. If they ever ask us why we did it, let's say we thought it only fair they should have some of the proceeds of the raid on the Cartaret grove, because they worked hard enough for it. If they want to make trouble after that why we'll have to accommodate them, that's all."
That settled the matter. When Elmer clinched an argument he seldom left any ground for the others to stand on; and in this case all of the boys seemed to be satisfied to let him do as he proposed, though several privately disliked the idea of carrying that additional weight back home, just to turn over to that turbulent, trouble-making crowd.
"There's nothing more to keep us here, seems like," suggested George; "so what do you say to going home?"
"It's time," admitted Chatz, "and if Nancy is able to draw such a heavy load, we ought to get there before dark, which comes along about five, these November days."
"It's mostly down-grade," Toby went on to say, as he climbed to his seat, and took up the lines; "besides, I told you the animal needed a good haul to take some of that extra spirit out ofher. All aboard, fellows; those who can't get a board find a rail. Homeward bound, and with the greatest load of bouncing big nuts ever harvested along Hickory Ridge."
They were a merry lot as they found places on the wagon.
"Hope Nancy behaves herself going home," George remarked, as he tried to fix himself firmly in his seat; "if she took a notion to cut up all of a sudden where d'ye think we'd land back here, with the wagon so full?"
"Plenty of room on the road, George; and believe me you wouldn't have to question where you'd dropped, because it'd be a convincing argument," Elmer told him.
So they started, and all of them turned to take a last look in the direction of the haunted house, as they caught a glimpse of it through the trees.
"Good-bye old ghost!" cried Toby, waving the hand that did not hold the reins; "we'll come again and interview you, mebbe. Take care of yourself, and don't play any mad pranks while we're away."
As they rode off, making their way among the trees, and heading for the vicinity of the road, Chatz turned to Ted, who was sitting in the middle again, having decided to cast his fortunes with the comrades of the rear seat, and remarked in what he meant to be a low tone:
"I'd give something to know, suh, whether Elmerdidfind out about thatthingwhen he went back into the old house again!" but Ted onlyshook his head in reply, as though the subject was too deep for him, or else he believed Elmer would take them all into his confidence when he saw fit to do so.
HOW ELMER'S PLAN WORKED
"Howhad we better arrange about the nuts, Elmer?" asked Toby, when they were drawing close to the border of the town, with the twilight gathering around them.
"I've been thinking about that, Toby," replied the other; "and the best way all around would be for you to keep the whole lot in your barn. Some day we'll get together and divide up, because, as they stand now some bags have only walnuts, others hickories, while a couple have got most of the chestnuts in them."
"Are the rest agreeable, and do they trust me as far as that?" demanded Toby.
"Trust you with my pocketbook, Toby," George assured him.
"That's because there's never a red cent in the same, then," the driver flashed back, as quick as anything; "but see here, Elmer, what about the other four half-filled sacks?"
"I was coming to that," replied the scout master; "and unless somebody objects to the programme, why, I'll drop around after supper, say before nine o'clock, and between us, Toby, we'll lift all our own bags out, and stow the same away in that room in your barn that's got a lock to it. Then I'd like you to hitch up Nancy again, sowe can go around and drop these other bags in the yards of the four fellows. It's apt to be pretty quiet along about that time, even if it's Saturday night; and not much danger of anybody spying on us."
"Just as you say, Elmer; I'm with you," replied Toby, who was a very accommodating fellow, and easily influenced; "I guess I'll feel stronger, and more like tackling the job after I've had my supper."
There was no objection to that plan, since it had already been decided to work things that way; and possibly George, as well as Ted, felt that they were escaping some hard labor when they allowed these two comrades to shoulder the burden.
At various corners the others jumped off the heavily loaded wagon, and made for their homes. It happened that no boys were abroad just then to ask where they had been, for supper time came early in most of the Hickory Ridge homes during the fall and winter days; and so Toby was not forced to explain that he and his four chums had been off nutting.
True to his word by half-past eight Elmer made his appearance at the Jones domicile, and with Toby and a lighted lantern proceeded to the big barn. Here they found that the wagon stood just where it had been left when Toby unharnessed Nancy, and stripping off their coats the two lads proceeded to complete their job.
It was no light one at that, lifting out those sacks filled with nuts, and stowing the same awayin the man's room near by; but both were husky fellows, and by degrees managed to complete their task.
"There," said Toby, wiping his streaming brow, "that part's done, and the rest won't be so hard, because the bags are only half filled; but I kind of wish we had 'em planted O.K., and were on the way home again. Whew! what would happen, d'ye think, Elmer, if Connie Mallon dropped in on us when we were dumping a sack over the fence into his yard?"
"That'd be hard to say," replied Elmer; "but what's the use crossing bridges before you come to them? Time enough to bother with that when it happens. And if you knew Connie as well as I do, because he doesn't live far away from my house, you'd never expect him to be home at nine o'clock on a Saturday night. He's too fond of loafing down in the pool room with his crowd; or being off on some lark, robbing some orchard of late apples. Now, suppose you lead Nancy out, after you've got her harness on, and we'll hitch up."
This was soon done, and afterwards Toby started to back the vehicle out of the barn, while Elmer extinguished the lantern.
"I'll leave it here alongside the door, so we can find it again when we come back," he told the driver; after doing which he mounted beside Toby, and they started off on their queer errand.
Phil Jackson lived close by the Jones home, so they paid the first visit there. Lights could beseen through the windows, but the boys found it an easy thing to lift one of the half-filled sacks of nuts out of the wagon, and silently slip it over the fence, leaving it there to be discovered by Phil is the morning.
After that a second visit was made, and their end was accomplished quite as easily as at the Jackson house. The third one proved a little harder, for there were some people standing at the door as the boys drove past.
"Better make a turn around the block, Toby," suggested the scout master; "they've been having visitors, and perhaps they'll be gone when we get back again."
This proved to be the case, and having decided just where they wished to leave the sack of nuts, the boys drew in the animal and quickly dropped their burden over the picket fence.
"Things are booming," remarked Toby; "that makes three of the lot, and only one left, which is Connie Mallon's bag."
He seemed to be a little nervous about approaching this place, for the bully had a bad reputation as a fighter among the boys of the town; but everything appeared to be quiet, and there was not a single light to be seen in the small house where the Mallon family lived.
All the same Toby breathed freer when he felt the bag slip from his grasp over the fence. Hardly had they managed this than there was an explosion of savage barks and a bulldog came rushing toward the corner.
"Wow! ain't I glad that Towser's on the other side of the fence?" Toby exclaimed, as he hastened to jump up on the wagon; while the dog continued to bark fiercely, with his blunt nose pressed against the palings surrounding the enclosure; "hurry, Elmer, and let's get away. I don't think he can climb fences, but I won't take any chances with that brute. He's spoiled one pair of trousers for me already."
Soon afterwards the two boys parted at the gate of the Jones place.
"I feel like we'd had a great time of it to-day, don't you, Elmer?" Toby was saying; and then, not waiting for an answer, he continued: "and I have to laugh every time I think of what a crazy scramble that Connie and his bunch put up when you gave 'em the ghost walk with that birch bark horn. Most people like to see the ghost walk on pay days, but this one wasn't the same kind. Wouldn't I give a cooky, though, to see what they look like to-night, and hear what they say about bein' chased by that Cartaret spook!"
"Well, it's been a good enough day for us, Toby; and I think we ought to have a great time if we go up in that region for our Thanksgiving camping trip. Good night," and with that Elmer walked away, not a little tired himself, for it had been a pretty strenuous day, all told.
In the morning he was up early, because he had an object in view, and Elmer was not the one to sleep late at any time, even though it were Sunday morning.
From a certain place up in the loft of the barn he knew he could see the Mallon yard quite plainly; and taking a field glass he owned along with him, he now proceeded to occupy this lookout.
As he had already had some breakfast he was nor bothered by gnawing hunger as he continued to sit there, and watch the back door of the Mallon cottage.
He saw Connie's mother come out several times, and judged she was getting breakfast ready. Then the big hulking boy himself appeared, bearing a bucket in his hand, and yawning at a great rate.
Elmer sat up and watched closely, for he anticipated that a fellow who possessed as sharp eyes as Connie, could not help but see the bag that lay in plain sight near the fence. The dog had already been chained to his kennel by Mrs. Mallon, the watcher fancied, though he had not seen her do this. Connie stopped to speak to the ugly looking beast, and from the way Towser wagged his crooked stump of a tail it seemed as though he must be somewhat fond of his master.
Then the big boy shuffled on toward the well, where he was evidently expecting to draw a bucket of drinking water.
Suddenly Elmer, who was using the glasses now, saw him come to a standstill, and look straight at the bag, as though he could hardly believe his eyes.
Down went the water pail, and Connie hastilystrode across the yard until he reached the bag lying where Elmer and Toby had dropped it, snug up against the fence palings.
He bent down, and opening the bag by cutting the stout cord that had been wound around the flap above the store of nuts, stared hard at the latter. Elmer saw that he was greatly staggered, for he started to scratch his head after the manner of one who did not know what to believe. Just as Chatz had suggested, perhaps he began to think the prize must have rained down in the night, for he examined the sack, and evidently recognized it as one of those he had taken with him on the preceding day when starting out on that nutting expedition with the idea of getting ahead of the scouts.
Then again it might be that he began to believe all that affair of the panic and flight must have been a bad dream, and that after all he and his cronies had brought back some spoils when they returned. Again Elmer saw him put his hand up to his face and feel of his cheek.
"He's got a cut there to show where he banged against a tree," the scout told himself, "and that's plain proof there was a panic. There, he's examining the bag again, as if he thought it would speak and explain the mystery. This is surely worth watching. Hello! there comes Phil Jackson, and that Benners fellow on the run. Looks like they had found their bags at home, and are coming to see what Connie has to say about it. And now there'll be a high old time, I expect."
There was, after the two newcomers had discovered that one of the bags half filled with nuts stood in the Mallon yard, just as they had found at their homes.
Elmer sat there for fully fifteen minutes, watching them talk and make gestures. He imagined that they had quickly figured it all out, and must know to whom they were indebted for a winter's stock of nuts. What they might choose to do about it was another question, however. Elmer hoped for the best, yet was prepared to meet the worst, whatever might come.
"Anyway, Connie's concluded not to refuse the nuts just because they came to him through the scouts he hates so bitterly," Elmer concluded, as he saw the Mallon boy shoulder the sack and carry it to the house, after saying good-bye to the other two, who hastened away, possibly to learn if the fourth and last member of the expedition had likewise been favored by a visit from the fairies during the night.
School held for the next three days, and then came glorious Thanksgiving with its turkey, and pumpkin pies, and all the splendid things that go to make up the annual feast. All this while there had not been the least hint from Connie or his three allies that they knew who put those nuts there. It almost seemed as though they purposely avoided meeting Elmer and his chums. Even at school they kept away from the others, and Toby declared that it was mighty queer, because he had fully expected to have a tongue lashing from thebig bully, even if nothing more serious came to pass.
Elmer was satisfied with the way things had turned out. As a scout he could feel that he had done the right thing, and deep down in his heart he hoped it might in some fashion show Connie Mallon there was such a thing as returning evil with good.
Nothing might come of it just then, but Elmer hoped the seed would find lodging, and perhaps later on germinate.
When they got to talking it over, as they made preparations for leaving home bright and early on the morning after Thanksgiving, George of course professed to doubt whether it had made even a dent in the callous surface of Connie's mind.
"Take my word for it, fellows!" he declared, pompously, "you'd have to swing a sledge hammer and give more'n a little tap at that, to make any impression there, he's so extra tough. Chances are he just don't want to stir us up for fear we'll tell the whole story, and all his pals would have the laugh on him for running away from a ghost!"
Toby himself seemed more than half inclined to believe something along these same lines; but Chatz knew Elmer must be looking beyond this explanation, and still entertained hopes that the olive branch extended might not be wholly wasted.
They had all their arrangements made that night, and expected to start with the rising of thesun on Friday morning. This would give them two nights in camp, even if they did have to come back on Sunday afternoon in order to be ready for school on Monday.
"And it looks like we might have fine weather along with us, too," Elmer told the others, as they said goodnight at his door; "there's a tang like frost in the air even now, and you can see your breath easily. That means we'll enjoy a camp fire more than ever, because it never feels half as good on a hot summer night. Look for you bright and early, Toby, with the wagon and the tent and all the stuff. I'll be ready with my bundles, and that piece of ham."
All preparations having been made they parted with mutual good wishes for a fair dawn, and Elmer, standing there in the doorway, found himself a little disappointed because there had been no response to the invitation extended to Connie Mallon to bridge over the chasm, at the time they left those nuts in his yard.
Elmer was astir long before daybreak on the following morning, because he meant to get himself a light breakfast, so as to be ready for the wagon when it came along about sunrise. Having satisfied his hunger, and seen that all his various bundles were ready he stepped out of the back door to listen, in expectation of hearing the sound of wheels.
Then he had a little surprise, for hanging there on a nail beside the door was a brace of freshly killed rabbits; and Elmer knew to a certainty nothingthe kind dangled there on the preceding evening.
He took them down, and laid them on the kitchen table, while a whimsical smile crept over his boyish face, and a glow of satisfaction could be seen in his eyes as he rubbed his hand along the sleek side of the larger bunny.
For Elmer chanced to know that Connie Mallon had spent Thanksgiving day off in the woods and meadows hunting; and the very fact that he had thus shared the results of his tramp with the boy he had fought against so long gave Elmer a queer feeling of triumph deep down in his heart.
Then the wagon came along, with all the other boys aboard, and the bed of the vehicle pretty well filled with their camping outfit; so Elmer got in his seat, wondering what Doubting George would have to say when he learned how a good action may set even the worst boy in town to thinking, and changing his ways.
THE CAMPING OUT EXPEDITION
Thistime there was a load for Nancy to pull, since besides the five scouts who had made the nutting trip three additional fellows were along.
First of all there was a lanky boy who long ago in a spirit of derision had been dubbed "Lil Artha" by his Comrades; and although he stood fully a head taller than any of his intimate chums, he still answered cheerfully to this silly name. Arthur Stansbury was a good scout, and well liked, though at critical times he showed a disposition to get what boys call "rattled," and on more than one occasion this weakness had resulted in his getting those long legs of his twisted in a knot, resulting in trouble all around.
Landy Smith was a cousin of George Robbins. Philander was rather fat, belonged to the Wolf Patrol, and had been known to walk in his sleep, so that often the others, whenever any mysterious thing happened in camp at nighttime, accused Landy of doing it while under the influence of this strange wandering spirit, that made him get up while asleep, to play tricks, and disturb his mates.
The third boy was Tyrus Collins. His specialty as a scout, if he had any, was his recognized ability as a cook; and Ty's weakness might be said to be a fondness for wearing a sweater of a pronouncedfiery hue. Once a garment of this type had gotten Ty into a lot of trouble with a furious bull, when he was caught in a pasture, and forced to take refuge in a lone tree. He had only escaped in the end by sacrificing his red sweater, which the bull stopped to rend while the fleeing boy managed to gain a friendly fence.
But Ty could not always be expected to remember this danger, and at present he boasted of another garment of a sanguinary hue, which he wore when he believed there were no bulls around.
Here, then, were eight lively fellows seated "every-which-way" in that commodious wagon, and enlivening the time as they journeyed toward camp with much jabbering, and not a little loud singing of popular songs.
They appeared to be completely happy. Ty was wearing his "grand sweater" right then, and treated the warnings solemnly uttered by some of his mates with abject scorn. Nancy certainly did have a pretty heavy load to transport, and after the first mile or so along the frosty road there were no further manifestations of gaiety on her part, only dull care, for she labored heavily.
But then these boys were merciful, and they generally jumped off, to walk up any steep hills, so as to relieve the beast of burden. Scouts early learn to think of the woes of dumb animals, and show a disposition to lighten their work all that is possible. If being a scout did not teach a boy a single thing more than that it would still have accomplished much; and posterity would havegreat cause to be grateful to General Baden-Powell as the originator of the organization that has long ere now circled the globe, and made converts in every clime.
The boys were of course all dressed in the familiar khaki uniforms associated with scouts everywhere; and they carried with them a couple of tents, as well as other necessary things connected with camping out. There were no firearms visible, though possibly a gun or two might turn up later on, when the contents of that heavily laden wagon had been fully disclosed. Several of the boys were fond of hunting under favorable conditions; and besides, as there was always some danger to be encountered from wild beasts or snakes, Elmer thought it advisable to be prepared for an emergency.
He sat on the front seat with Toby and George; Chatz, Ty and Landy had managed to pre-empt the second one by virtue of early arrival; while Ted and Lil Artha, the "long and the short of it," made themselves fairly comfortable on the soft tents, and claimed to have the best of the bargain.
The tall scout dangled his long legs over the tail-board, and was frequently called upon to "quit dragging," whenever the pace of the animal between the shafts slowed down from any cause.
"How about going all the way in with the rig this time, Elmer; could we make the riffle, do you think?" Toby was asking, after they had gone three-fourths of the distance to the Cartaret place,and there was a brief lull in the general chaffing.
The others listened in order to catch the reply of the scout master, for of course they were one and all interested in what was being said.
"I don't see any particular reason why we shouldn't," Elmer answered; "we found it possible to take the wagon all the way to the nut grove when we wanted to load our sacks; and by watching out smartly I reckon we'll find a way to push through the woods there."
"I only mention it," continued Toby, as though he thought some explanation were necessary, "because we've got a raft of stuff along this time, and if we had to tote the same on our backs to and from the wagon, it'd mean a lot of hard work, all of which could be saved."
"And I think it a good idea too," chimed in George; "though of course I'm always willing to shoulder my share of the hard work when it's got to be done."
There was more or less chuckling and nudging among the other scouts when this broad statement was made, because George had a reputation a little bit along the line of a "shirk," when it came to hard labor, though always ready to do his duty manfully when a meal had to be disposed of.
"Well, we ought to get there in about twenty minutes more, if only Nancy doesn't drop dead with heart disease," Toby went on to say.
"Not much danger of that, Toby," ventured Ted, from the rear of the wagon; "I alwayth did thay that Nanthy wath the toughest thing that everwore the iron on her hoofth. And I expect to thee her doing duty yearth after I come back with my diploma from college. And they tell me thereth only one hoth older than Nancy in the county, which ith owned by that Connie Mallon's dad, the mathon."
Somehow the very mention of that name which had been associated with considerable of tumult in the past history of the scouts' organization seemed to remind Toby and George of the remarkable events connected with their late nutting expedition. Elmer, therefore, was not in the least surprised to hear George immediately voice the feeling of detestation he entertained toward Connie Mallon.
"I hope that gang enjoyed the treat we fetched home for 'em the other day; and which I believe you and Toby here distributed like a pair of Thanksgiving Santa Claus," he remarked, with a vein of satire in his voice that was almost as natural to Doubting George as breathing was; "but I never did take any stock in the game, though I agreed to assist out, to please you, Elmer. And to my mind it was a flat failure in the bargain. We might as well have handed all that lot of good nuts to some poor family, or turned the same into the pig-pen for the porkers."
"Oh! I don't know," Toby said, with his favorite drawl. "Elmer here seems to be of the opinion that it's donesomegood. Anyhow, none of us has had any trouble with that Mallon crowd since then. They seem to slide away every timethey see us coming down the street, or across the campus at school."
"Good reason," piped up George, "because they're afraid that if they say a word we'll start the ball arolling, and everybody in town'll hear how they ran like Sam Hill, leaving their nuts behind, and thinking a ghost was chasing after 'em. Huh! don't you give that tough crowd credit for thinking anything decent, because it ain't in 'em."
"Listen," said Elmer, quietly, "and perhaps you'll find it best to change your tune, Old Question Mark. I had a little surprise this same morning when I came out of the house, just as dawn was breaking. Something dangling there alongside the back door caught my eye, and what do you think it was?"
"Oh! give it up, Elmer," said George, with a shrug of his shoulders; while the others leaned forward eagerly, intent on hearing the answer; "couldn't guess in a year of Sundays, so open up and tell us."
"A brace of the fattest and biggest rabbits I ever saw, and fresh killed at that," replied the scout master, impressively.
"Oh! you don't mean to say it?" ejaculated Toby; "and, Elmer, as sure as anything I saw Connie Mallon coming home late last evening with four of the same hanging over his shoulder, and looking as proud as a turkey cock. He just grinned as he walked past, and even nodded his head, but I was too surprised to answer him, or ask where he struck such great luck. But theneverybody knows Connie is the best rabbit hunter around Hickory Ridge, and has got a boss hound in the bargain. So you think he left that brace hanging at your back door, do you?"
"I'm as sure of it as if I saw him sneaking in late at night, and fastening the pair there," said Elmer, positively; "and he divided evenly with me, you see, if he had just four. Now, George, what do you say to that? Was it a silly thing in our taking those four bags of nuts, and leaving them where we did? Don't you think Connie Mallon was setthinking, and that unable to express himself in any other way he carried out this fine thing to show me he understood the motive back of what we did?"
George died hard.
"Well, I wouldn't just like to say that much, Elmer," he admitted; "because I don't believe that tough case could understand a decent motive; but he evidently wanted to let you know he'd keep still, if you fellows only wouldn't blab on him and his crowd."
"I don't agree with you, George," the other told him, sharply. "I think you've got to rub your eyes some yourself, and get the scales off. It's my opinion that in his own crude way Connie meant to tell me he was holding out the olive branch. I've got a hunch he's in a humor to be approached, and met more than half-way; and when we get back after this camping trip I'm going to have a chin with him the first chance I get to see him alone."
"Huh! wish you luck then, that's all," grunted George; "but I give you my opinion for what it's worth, and the chances are ten to one you'll rub up against a stone wall."
"Well, there'll be no harm done, anyway," continued Elmer, nor did he insist on carrying the argument any further, for he knew how persistent George could be, and that although possessed of many sterling qualities, being broad-minded was not a cardinal virtue of the doubting scout.
A short time later and those who had been up in this region recently began to call the attention of their companions to certain features of the landscape, and comment on the same.
"I'd give a heap," said Chatz, "to own a picture of that other rig coming whooping out of the woods somewhere around here, and turning down the road in the direction of town. Well, suh, I reckon the fellow who held the whip was using the same on the backs of those hosses like fun, and the lot of them shouting to him to make the team go faster, because they believed the ghost would overtake them."
"It sure must have been a glorious sight," called out the long-legged Lil Artha, from the rear of the vehicle; "and just like you, Chatz, I'd give a heap to see a photograph of the same. Do we turn in here, Toby?"
"Yes, and you fellows hang on now, tooth and nail," replied the driver, "or there's a chance of you getting pitched out, because the old wagon joggles dreadfully most of the time over rootsand stones. Steady, back there, everybody!"
What Toby said turned out to be the truth. He tried to pick the easiest trail possible, but in spite of this it proved to be so rough that presently Elmer called a halt.
"I'm going to walk the balance of the way, fellows," he declared, as he made a jump and landed on the ground.
"Me too!" echoed Landy Smith, following suit.
In another minute Toby was the only one left aboard, and he too might have gladly sought the ground only that it was necessary for some one to do the driving.
Old Nancy appreciated this lightening of her load by striving harder than ever to draw it; while George and Ted and Chatz continued to call attention to various features of the landscape.
"There's where we hid our wagon that other time," the last named declared, pointing to a thick cover of brush, into which the track of wheels led; "and Toby, you notice, is turning out, because this time we don't want to head direct for the nut grove, but the dense woods alongside. We saw a fine spring as we came by, and I reckon, suh, that our efficient scout master has it all fixed in his mind's eye to pitch our tents close to that."
"Saves a heap of water lugging, and that counts," admitted Lil Artha.
"That oughtn't to bother you much, Lil Artha," said George; "when you're built to cover half a mile at every step. All you'd have to do would beto take one look-in, fill your pail, and then turning around, come right back again."
"Our camp, then, will be pretty close to the old house, won't it?" ventured Chatz; and there was an eagerness in his voice that betrayed how much he had been thinking of his luck at being in the vicinity of a building said to be haunted, for two full nights.
"That's what it will," Toby called out over his shoulder, for he was following the pilot of the expedition, Elmer, who strode on all by himself away in the van; "and you'll have a chance to scrape up an acquaintance with that old hobgoblin, Chatz. You're welcome to all the fun; I haven't lost any ghost that I know about, and you don't ketch me hanging about in there half the night, waiting for something white and clammy to stalk around. Ugh! I should say not. Oh! what was that?"
Nancy, up to then behaving very well, because quite tired after the long pull, began to prance at a lively rate; and every one of the four scouts craned their necks and stared in one particular direction; it was in that quarter George had just said the haunted house lay; and what had come to their ears was the strangest sort of a cry they had ever heard, a mingling of pain and rage it seemed.