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diff --git a/40667-0.txt b/40667-0.txt index 3649bfb..8ad1cd3 100644 --- a/40667-0.txt +++ b/40667-0.txt @@ -1,34 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Mystery of Jockey Hollow, by Cleo Garis - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Mystery of Jockey Hollow - Arden Blake Mystery Series #2 - -Author: Cleo Garis - -Release Date: September 5, 2012 [EBook #40667] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF JOCKEY HOLLOW *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40667 *** “Oh! Oh!” she screamed. “It’s terrible! Down here—in the cellar——!” (_Frontispiece_) (THE MYSTERY OF JOCKEY HOLLOW) @@ -6167,359 +6137,4 @@ we’ll soon be back at Cedar Ridge. Nothing ever happens there!” End of Project Gutenberg's The Mystery of Jockey Hollow, by Cleo Garis -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF JOCKEY HOLLOW *** - -***** This file should be named 40667-0.txt or 40667-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/6/6/40667/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Mystery of Jockey Hollow - Arden Blake Mystery Series #2 - -Author: Cleo Garis - -Release Date: September 5, 2012 [EBook #40667] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF JOCKEY HOLLOW *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - "Oh! Oh!" she screamed. "It's terrible! Down here--in the cellar----!" - (_Frontispiece_) (THE MYSTERY OF JOCKEY HOLLOW) - - - _The Arden Blake Mystery Series_ - - - - - MYSTERY OF - JOCKEY HOLLOW - - - _By_ - CLEO F. GARIS - - A. L. BURT COMPANY - _Publishers_ - New York Chicago - - - _The Arden Blake Mystery Series_ - - BY CLEO F. GARIS - - The Orchard Secret - Mystery of Jockey Hollow - Missing at Marshlands - - - COPYRIGHT, 1934, BY - A. L. Burt Company - - - Mystery of Jockey Hollow - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - - Contents - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I Fleeing in Alarm 7 - II The Ghost Mansion 20 - III Arden Wonders 30 - IV Seeing the Dead 42 - V Baffled 53 - VI Introducing Granny 61 - VII Trial by Jury 68 - VIII The Ghost of Patience 75 - IX A Warning 86 - X The Missing Man 91 - XI Callahan Collapses 98 - XII A Strange Discovery 103 - XIII Betty and the Books 113 - XIV How Did It Happen? 120 - XV Jim Doesn't Know 130 - XVI A Surprise 140 - XVII Some Real Investigating 148 - XVIII The Figure in Red 157 - XIX Santa Claus 168 - XX Harry Hears Something 178 - XXI Rift in the Clouds 185 - XXII Arden's Idea 193 - XXIII Mistletoe 205 - XXIV A Strange Woman 214 - XXV The Christmas Party 223 - XXVI Two Ghosts 230 - XXVII Frightened Screams 237 - XXVIII Falling Stones 243 - - - - - CHAPTER I - Fleeing in Alarm - - -The proud old house rang with excitement. Nor was there any attempt to -suppress it. When no one but the three girls, the faithful Moselle, and -her daughter Althea were in it, there seemed no reason to go all the way -up to Sim's room when a lusty shout up the stairs would answer the same -purpose. So Terry Landry stood with one foot on the bottom step, leaned -against the banister, and again tried to make Sim hear her above the -blatant music coming from the radio in the library where Arden Blake was -supposed to be listening, but Arden, instead, was curled up in a big -chair reading a book of ghost stories. - -"Oh, Arden! Will you please turn off that radio just a moment while I -call Sim?" Terry spoke in those evenly spaced, overly quiet tones -sometimes effectively used to prevent one's temper from taking flight. - -"Hu--u--um!" came from the library as the radio was switched off. "What's -the trouble?" - -"No trouble at all. Only I've shouted three times for Sim to come down -and get this letter. But she must be asleep or something." - -"Letter? Let's see!" Arden reluctantly closed the book she had been -reading, uncurled herself from the depths of the chair, and came out in -the hall to Terry, who said: - -"It just came, and it's postmarked New York. Look at the size of the -envelope. I wish Sim would answer!" Terry repeated peevishly. - -"Of course, you could go up, you know," Arden suggested with a superior -air. - -Terry did not answer but tapped her foot impatiently, bringing into play -a shining black patent-leather opera pump that was vaguely reflected in -the polished floor beneath. Terry wore lovely shoes. - -Arden took the letter and was examining it, front and back, feminine -fashion. A leading jurist once said that if a woman was given a letter or -any piece of paper she would, without fail, turn it over and look on the -other side. Arden, however, was rewarded, for on the reverse, in large -red letters, was the name "Rita Keene." - -"It's from Dot's mother," exclaimed Arden. "I suppose it says Dot can't -come. But I should think she'd be glad to have her daughter visit such -lovely girls as we are." Premeditated sarcasm here. - -"Are we lovely girls?" inquired a voice from the stair landing above. -"Seems to me I heard a little shouting." - -"Sim! Where were you? I've been shouting for ages!" Terry announced. - -"I know. I was phoning. I just called Ellery's. I thought we could go for -a ride through Jockey Hollow. It's such a nice day, and we have the -marketing done and everything." Sim, a rather small light-haired girl, -already dressed in riding clothes, was descending the stairs as she -spoke. - -"Open this letter first. It's addressed to you. From Dot's mother." Terry -handed over the missive as Arden made this demand on Sim. - -"You could have opened it," suggested Sim, carefully inserting a tiny -shell-pink nail under the flap, in no hurry at all. - -"It says," she began, "'My dear Miss Westover: I shall be most happy to -have Dorothy spend the Christmas holidays with you. I am rehearsing in a -new play and would have very little time to give her. I know you will -enjoy yourselves. Cordially, Rita Keene.' That's all. Oh, no, it isn't, -either. It says, also, that Dot will get here tomorrow on the eleven -o'clock train. We'll meet her," Sim concluded. - -"Will you ask her, in due time, of course, to take her turn at doing the -marketing?" Terry wanted to know. - -"A good thought," murmured Arden. - -While Sim's parents were spending Christmas in the South, Arden, Terry, -and Sim had been entrusted with the running of the big town house. Arden -and Terry were Sim's guests over the holidays until it should be time to -return to Cedar Ridge College, where they were freshmen. A last-moment -idea had been to invite Dot Keene, also a freshman, to make one of the -house party. Now, it appeared, Dot was coming. - -Although Arden and Terry had their own fine homes in Pentville, not far -removed from the Westover residence, they thought it much more fun to -come and live with Sim and help her manage over the Christmas vacation. -Like all girls, they were sure they could do it if once given the chance. -So when Mr. and Mrs. Westover decided to go South, and when it was -impracticable, because of the projected length of their stay, to take Sim -with them, they agreed to let the three girls try housekeeping. - -Moselle and her daughter Althea were there, of course, and would remain -to do the housework. Moselle had been in service with the Westover family -ever since Sim's baby days, and Althea, blacker, if possible, than her -mother, was learning the ways of a parlormaid and waitress. Henry, -husband of Moselle, was driving Sim's parents South in the big car. A -small roadster had been left for Sim's use. - -"I don't know," spoke Sim in response to the suggestion of Terry and its -seconding by Arden, "I think I'll have to wait until we are a little -better acquainted with Dot before suggesting marketing to her. I wouldn't -like to embarrass her so soon. Which reminds me--what did you order for -lunch, Terry?" - -"Lamb chops, baked potatoes, peas, salad, and some of Moselle's special -lemon meringue pie," Terry answered practically, licking her lips in -appetizing anticipation. - -"Good!" exclaimed Arden and Sim in unison. And it was good. - -"Did you make a date to ride today, or did I imagine it?" Arden next -asked, getting back to the original subject. - -"I nearly forgot. Yes, I did. For half-past ten. You two hurry and change -while I get the car out." Sim was already starting out of the front door, -while her companions, murmuring about Sim's habit of letting things go -until almost the last minute, dashed up the stairs to the bright pleasant -room they shared in Sim's home. - -It did not take them long to get into riding clothes; warm woollen -underwear (for the weather was cold), heavy gloves, and hats pulled well -down. Terry and Arden wore light tan trousers with darker coats, while -Sim sported a dark green coat with cocoa-colored trousers. Looking -"snappy" was the main idea. - -Soon the three were sitting in the little roadster, Sim's last year's -Christmas present. They soon covered the short distance to the Ellery -Riding School. - -The girls rode so frequently, every opportunity they had to be away from -Cedar Ridge, that their favorite horses were ready for them when they -arrived. Dick Howe, the young groom and helper around the stable, opened -the door of the car. - -"Good-morning," he greeted them pleasantly and with a smile that -displayed to advantage his white even teeth against the background of -well tanned cheeks. "Nice day for a ride. How long do you want to stay -out?" - -"About two hours. What do you say, girls?" Sim asked. "Is that all -right?" - -"Fine," answered Arden. "But couldn't we go a new way for a change?" - -"Yes, let's go by Sycamore Hall," suggested Terry. - -"Sycamore Hall?" questioned Dick. - -"Why not? We have time, and I like the hill there. It's so nice for a -canter," Terry went on. - -"Certainly. Whatever you say," Dick agreed, with just a shade of -reluctance, it would seem. - -Their horses were led out, and Dick gave each of the girls a "leg up." -Stirrups were adjusted, and away they cantered. - -Dick was a very proper young groom. He gave them a little trotting, some -walking, and just enough cantering. A good horseman, he sagely observed, -never allowed his animal to get overheated, but saw to it that there was -the proper amount of exercise for himself and his beast. - -Walking the horses, they reached the end of the paved highway and were -soon upon the dirt road that wound around through a stretch of woodland -into Jockey Hollow, a Revolutionary historic section just outside -Pentville, which, though it was so comparatively near, had seldom been -visited by Sim and her two chums. It was a lovely wooded place, -containing, now and then, a cleared field. With Jockey Hollow in -prospect, a pleasant ride was assured the little party, and, though they -did not know it, the girls were to begin a strange adventure. - -Now well out into the open, the horses suddenly, of their own accord, -broke into a trot with Sim and Terry in the lead. Arden followed with -Dick. The day was cool for December, and the horses seemed to feel -frisky. They liked it. - -"Don't let him get going too fast, Miss Westover," called the groom as he -watched Sim. "We take that left turn." - -Sim pulled her horse up, and Terry also stopped. They looked back at -Arden and Dick to make sure of the direction to take next. Dick smiled -and pointed to a lane leading down a hill. Sim and Terry went that way -but more slowly. - -"This is a new way," Arden said. "Do you know that road?" - -Dick smiled slyly as he said, "I ought to. I live down there." - -"In Sycamore Hall?" Arden was surprised. - -"No, not in the Hall, but in a little house near it. With my grandmother -and sister. The Hall is soon going to be torn down to make way for a new -road through this section. Jockey Hollow is going to be made into a -national park on account of it being connected in many ways with the -Revolution." - -"Oh, it is?" asked Arden, interested. This was news. But the truth of the -matter was that though she and her chums knew, in a vague way, about -Jockey Hollow, they had been, of late, so wrapped up in college life at -Cedar Ridge, they had lost track of local matters. - -Arden, suddenly occupied with guiding her horse, which evinced a desire -to shy, did not pursue the subject with Dick. Through the trees she now -caught a glimpse of the two-hundred-year-old mansion known as Sycamore -Hall. There were many stories about it, one or two concerned with the -more or less established fact that it still contained certain objects -supposed to belong to the descendants of the original owners, whoever -they were. No one now lived in the Hall, nor had it housed anyone for -some time. In spite of its age, the old mansion, though woefully lacking -paint, was well preserved. It was as strong and sturdy as some ancient -oak tree. - -Sim and Terry, in the lead, had approached Sycamore Hall and were waiting -for Arden and Dick to reach them. The two girls gazed, not without -interest, at the deserted mansion. There were evidences about it of some -new and strange life. There were dump carts, but no horses, some piles of -boards, and, near the drive, an old flivver that seemed impossible of -being used. - -From within the ancient mansion came dull blows, as of pounding, and out -of some open windows floated a fine dust, like smoke. - -"Is the place on fire?" asked Arden as she and Dick spurred their horses -forward. - -"No. But I guess they've already started to tear it down. A new road is -going right through the old place." Dick seemed to sigh a little. - -"What a shame," murmured Arden. "It's too bad such a historic place can't -be preserved." - -"I guess it's too old to preserve," Dick said. "Though they are going to -make a park of the Hollow and save some of the smaller houses that were -used by Washington or Mad Anthony Wayne or some of the Revolutionary -folks." - -"How interesting!" exclaimed Arden. "I wonder----" - -But she never finished that sentence. Just at that moment something -happened. - -Two big Negroes, one carrying a crowbar and the other an ax, came fairly -leaping out of the open front door of Sycamore Hall. They were mouthing -something unintelligible and seemed to be rushing straight for Sim and -Terry. - -"Oh! Oh!" gasped Arden. "Oh, Dick, what is this?" - -Straight for Sim ran the two Negroes, their ragged clothes white with -plaster dust. They were still mumbling and waving their hands in a -terrified way. This was too much for the nervous horse on which Sim was -mounted. He reared sharply, nearly throwing the girl off, though she had -a good seat, and then, wheeling, the beast ran wildly up the road past -Sycamore Hall. - -Terry managed to control her animal, though he too showed a desire to -bolt. - -"Oh, Dick!" cried Arden again. - -"I'll get her!" shouted the young groom, and spurring his mount he dashed -away after Sim. Left to themselves, Arden and Terry looked at each other -with frightened eyes. The two colored men ran into the woods across from -the Hall, still mumbling in a strange way and showing every evidence of -terrible fright. - -"Come on, Terry, we've got to follow!" called Arden. - -They urged their steeds after those of Sim and Dick. When they reached -the top of the hill they could see that Sim was safe. Dick had dismounted -and was holding her still frightened animal. Sim was soothing the -creature with neck-pattings and calming words. - -"Heavens, Sim! What happened?" gasped Arden. - -"Those men scared Teddy, rushing at him that way, though why, I don't -know. I wonder what the idea was, having them dash out in that wild way? -If I had been standing a little nearer they would have run right into -Teddy and me! They couldn't seem to turn off. They were wild with fright. -But why?" Sim was a little indignant. - -Dick smiled up at her. "Haven't you heard?" he asked. - -"Heard what?" - -The other girls listened with interest. - -"Why, this old place is said to have become suddenly haunted. Something -in Sycamore Hall has stirred up the spirits of the departed owners, and -more than once the Negroes and Italians hired to tear it down have been -scared away--frightened stiff. A lot have quit. I understand the -contractor has continually to get new men. And it looked as if those two -who ran out saw something--or thought they did," Dick concluded. "They -probably won't come back." - -"Haunted!" murmured Terry. - -"Ghosts--Revolutionary ghosts," whispered Sim. - -"How thrilling!" exclaimed Arden. "Tell us some more, Dick." - -"Well----" began the groom, but he got no further. - -Back up the hill came running the same two Negroes who had but a few -minutes before rushed out of the mansion in such a terrified way. Their -faces still bore signs of their fright. - - - - - CHAPTER II - The Ghost Mansion - - -Unable to understand what had caused the workmen to act as they had, and -sensing the possibility of a further fright to the horses, Arden and her -chums were about to wheel and ride away. But Dick called to them: - -"Steady; I think it will be all right. These men don't know what they're -doing. They are just frightened." - -"At what?" asked Arden. - -"That's what I'm going to try to discover," said the young groom. Then, -shouting to the running Negroes, he inquired: - -"What's the matter?" - -"Don't ask us, boss," answered one, dubiously shaking his head. "We sho' -am finished on dat job! I never could abide t' wuk in haunted houses!" - -"Dat goes fo' me, too!" echoed the other. "I don't laik ghosts!" - -Then they both ran on, disappearing into the woods. - -"Ghosts!" laughed Terry after a moment of silence. "They're just what we -need to brighten up our lives." - -"Let's go in the old mansion and look around," proposed Arden. - -"Have we time?" suggested Sim. - -They glanced at Dick for his verdict. - -"We have about half an hour," he said, looking at his watch. "Go on in if -you want to." - -When they urged their horses through the overgrown tangle that had once -been a front yard and came to a stop near the big broad porch, the -pillars of which were tilting, Dick helped the three girls to dismount. -Then, leading the horses to a tree with conveniently low branches, he -looped the reins so the animals would not stray. Horses in the East are -not trained like their Western cousins, to stand if the reins are left to -dangle on the ground. - -The girls held back a little before going up the four steps at the -entrance of the house. It was a combination Georgian-Colonial style, -squarely built, with a beautiful fanlight still intact over the center -door. - -"It is spooky, isn't it?" asked Sim with a pleased little shiver. - -"Did you ever see such a sorrowful house, though?" Arden wanted to know. - -"What do you mean, sorrowful? To me it seems very proud and stern," Terry -decided. - -"I don't think so. Look at the way the door hangs on its hinges. Ready to -fall off if it had a good push. And what lovely hinges they are, too. -Hand forged, I'll bet," Arden said, going a little closer to inspect. - -Sim, quickly sympathetic, fell under the spell of Arden's imagining. -"Poor old place," she murmured, "I don't blame it for haunting the -workmen. I suppose this house has been the scene of many an exciting -adventure. Do you know anything about it, Dick?" Sim turned to the boy, -who stood aside waiting for them to enter. - -He hesitated a moment before replying and then seemed reluctant to give -much information. - -"Yes," he said slowly, "I know a little bit about it. You see this place -once belonged to my ancestors." He looked down at his polished boots and -appeared rather bashful. - -"Really?" asked Sim. "Tell us, please," and she smiled disarmingly at -him. - -Arden and Terry waited hopefully for Dick to continue. - -"Suppose we go in and I'll show you the place," the young groom -suggested. - -"How about the ghosts?" Terry asked. - -"These ghosts aren't the common graveyard variety--that is, if the -stories are true. They all seem to be spirits of soldiers, farmers, and -sometimes there's the ghost of a lovely girl," Dick went on. "You see -this place was built during the Revolution. The Continental army 'dug in' -at Jockey Hollow, here, for the winter of 1779." - -Terry, growing bolder, preceded the others into the hall. Rooms very much -dilapidated were on either side. One room, probably a parlor, was -dominated by an enormous fireplace with a faded picture above it. - -"Oh, girls, come here!" Terry called. "Look at this! Is this your girl -ghost, Dick?" - -They hurried to Terry as she stood before the painting. Terry was in -sharp contrast to the charming scene above. Feet planted a little apart, -hands clasped behind her back, tall as she was, her head just came to the -old, high mantel. The girl in the picture was also in riding clothes, but -far different from Terry's. They looked like a tableau: "The Past and -Present." - -Terry wore smart riding trousers and a flaring coat. Her sandy hair was -just showing beneath a well blocked hat. - -The girl in the picture was dark-haired and tall. Her right arm was -thrust through the reins of a black horse. The panniers of her dark-green -riding costume seemed to melt into the leafy background of the painting. - -The picture girl was staring straight at Terry and perhaps it was not -entirely imagination that disclosed something akin in the two girls. - -"What a charming picture you make!" Arden remarked, and then, as she saw -that Terry was perhaps too delighted at the compliment, she added: "In -this dim light we can't see the freckles." - -Terry turned and, like a small boy, stuck a pink tongue out at Arden. - -Dick, in the meanwhile, was looking thoughtfully at the girls. Sim went -to him. - -"Dick," she said softly, "I can see that you somehow belong here. Won't -you tell us about it? We've been riding with you several seasons now, and -we won't repeat a thing if you don't want us to." - -"Please," begged Arden. "You look as sad as this house, Dick. What's the -matter?" - -"This place," Dick began with an including gesture, "once belonged in my -grandmother's family. But the deed, or some necessary paper, has been -lost, and now the state claims the estate, and the old house is to be -torn down to make way for a road. The march of progress, you know, must -not be halted." - -"But has it no historic interest?" Terry asked. "Couldn't it be preserved -as a shrine of some sort? I mean the house, for you said Jockey Hollow is -going to be a park." - -"I'm afraid not," continued Dick. "I guess it's about the only mansion -that George Washington never visited. Besides, the original house has -been added to so many times that now it is a combination of three or four -periods." - -"What would your grandmother do with this property if she could find the -deed?" asked Terry practically. - -"Sell it," answered Dick without any hesitation. "At least it would bring -enough money for me to give up this stable job that any half-wit could -hold and let me finish at college. Then Betty, she's my sister, could go -to New York and keep on with her work in costume design and interior -decoration. She's really talented," he added earnestly. - -"If this home were mine I should hate to part with it," Arden announced. -"I don't see how your grandmother can bear to give it up. Isn't there a -chance that she could keep it, Dick?" - -"Perhaps, if we could prove title. But even then we need the money its -sale would bring. Granny ought to have little comforts, though really -she's been swell about it all. Never complains. And the stories she -knows!" - -"What does she say about the ghosts?" Sim asked. - -"Just laughs. She says she'd sleep here on All Souls' Eve or any other -particularly ghostly time. I guess she likes ghosts." - -"I'd love to meet her sometime. Do you think we might? I wish we could -help some way," said Arden thoughtfully. - -"I'll ask her. I'm sure she would. She leads rather a lonely life," Dick -answered. "And she loves young folks." - -"Say, Dick, who is this girl in the picture? Isn't it too valuable a -painting to be left here?" Terry was studying the painting. - -"It's not worth much. It was probably painted by one of those traveling -artists who could do family portraits or barns, whichever might be -wanted. Granny has left a few things in here to sort of claim the place, -though the claim isn't recognized. And we live now in a little house -behind this one. It used to be the servants' quarters," Dick finished -bitterly. - -The little group fell silent. The girls had stumbled, it seemed, upon -something very private, and they felt embarrassed at learning of -someone's misfortune. - -"Like finding somebody crying when they thought they were alone," Terry -later remarked. - -No one knew what to say. Dick walked to a window that reached almost from -the ceiling to the floor, and stood looking out. Terry, always the first -to move, stepped over the fender around the fireplace and peered up the -chimney. For no reason except to break the trying silence, as far as she -knew. - -Barely perceptible at first, gradually a sound impressed itself on the -girls. Like footsteps on a stair, far away but coming nearer, the sound -approached. - -Terry pulled back her head from the dark corner of the fireplace and -looked at her friends. They stood like statues staring back at each -other, while Dick turned slowly from the window. - -"What's that?" Sim asked, cocking her head like a young puppy as if to -hear better. - -"Sounds like someone creeping down the stairs," Arden ventured. - -"Perhaps it's one of the workmen coming back," suggested Terry. - -At this Dick shook his head. "No," he said. "I happen to know that those -two men we saw a while ago were the only ones on the job today, and they -left in a hurry," he finished, grinning. - -"Well, then, there is only one explanation left." Arden was glowing with -excitement. "Ghosts!" - -"Oh, gosh!" exclaimed Sim. "Let's go! I like to read about ghosts but I -don't like to meet 'em. Come on!" Without waiting for the others, Sim ran -from the room. - -"Wait, Sim, wait!" Terry called. And when Sim did not return Terry added: -"Arden, we'll have to go too! I don't like it, either." Then she turned -traitor to the cause and ran after Sim. - -There was nothing left, then, for Arden and Dick to do but follow. But -Arden lingered a moment in the hall on her way out and listened. - -The measured sound above was slowly coming closer. Heavy steps, as though -the feet making the noise were encased in thick boots. - -"Thud! Thud! Thud!" - -Above the first landing all was in darkness, and even Arden, ghost-loving -as she was, decided to wait no longer to find out what might be coming -down the long stairs. - -With a last fearful look she also fled, calling to Dick for protection -and stumbling over a loose floor board in her haste. - - - - - CHAPTER III - Arden Wonders - - -Communing with herself, Arden Blake, as she dashed out of the strange old -mansion, was wondering just what it was all about and what, exactly, had -happened. - -Dick, anxious about the horses and doubtless believing there was no -danger to Arden, who had been left to be the last out of the house, did -not pause as she called to him. - -"She'll be in the open in another second," reflected the young groom. - -As she hastened out Arden had many conflicting thoughts. - -"Another mystery," she told herself, half whispering. "Can there be -ghosts? If ever there was a place made for them, Sycamore Hall is. But -ghosts in the daytime! Perhaps those men did it to annoy us for coming -around while they are working. But what object could they have in doing -that? Oh, if it's another mystery, I hope it turns out as well as the one -in the orchard did." - -At last she was away from the strange big house, and she fairly jumped -down the broad steps. With a sigh of relief she saw the girls and Dick. - -Outside, the horses were straining at their bridles. With ears laid back -and eyes frightened, every now and then one gave a nervous little tap on -the hard ground with dainty fore feet. - -Sim tried to mount Teddy unassisted, but every time she put her foot in -the stirrup the frisky animal wheeled about, leaving her hopping -helplessly. At last Dick had to hold him while Sim climbed up. Then -helping up Arden and Terry, Dick mounted his own horse with practised -ease, and they turned away from the ghost house. - -So nervous were the animals that the girls did little talking. They were -occupied in keeping them under control. Dick cautioned them about letting -the horses bolt. Headed to the stables as they were, once they got going -it would be difficult to stop them, and a dash across the heavy traffic -streets of Pentville would be dangerous. - -Arden did manage, when her horse settled down a bit and danced along -beside Dick's for a stretch, to ask him what had gotten into their -usually well behaved mounts. - -"They're frightened at something," he answered. "They were scared stiff -when we came out." - -"So were we all," Arden admitted. "Do you suppose the horses could feel -our fright?" - -"Some people claim that a horse feels his rider's every mood," Dick -answered. "I really don't know. But I surely believe these horses sensed -something, perhaps more than we did. But----" Then Dick's shining black -mare broke into a sudden trot, and he could not finish what he started to -say. - -But Arden was persistent. She urged her steed forward and was again -riding beside the groom while Terry and Sim pranced on ahead. - -"Do you believe in ghosts, Dick?" - -He hesitated a moment and then slowly answered: "I believe that people -often see just what they expect to see in haunted houses, so called, and -hear just what they want to hear." - -Arden was plainly disappointed at this matter-of-factness on Dick's part. -She had hoped for something more concrete than this. But remembering -Dick's, or, rather, his grandmother's, connection with Sycamore Hall, she -did not press her point. - -"Let's catch up to the others," she proposed, and Dick assenting, they -were soon close behind Terry and Sim, who were still talking soothingly -to their mounts to quiet the restless animals. After a ride of several -miles through woodland they reached a straight open stretch of road and -broke into a smart canter. The girls were a little breathless when they -dismounted at the stables. - -"Do you young ladies want to make another date for the end of the week?" -asked Titus Ellery, owner of the riding academy, as he came forward on -much-bowed legs. He was not an attractive man, but he knew horses. Rather -stingy and grasping was his reputation. "How about it?" He was respectful -enough but persistent. - -Sim spoke up. - -"Not just now. We'll phone." Telling Dick to "charge it," she and the -girls walked toward the waiting roadster. - -Dick opened the door. - -"Don't let this adventure scare you," he said in a low voice. "It was -probably nothing but those excited men imagining something." He seemed -worried lest they cancel further riding engagements during the holidays, -and Dick probably made a little commission. - -"Don't worry," Terry answered. "We loved it! See you later; and thanks, -Dick!" - -They were off, Sim driving with a little less than her usual abandon. -Arden was the first to notice it. - -"What's the matter?" she asked. "Scared?" - -"No, just thinking." - -"It was queer," murmured Terry. "I was really frightened." - -"The men were, anyhow," said Arden. "And when we heard those bumping -sounds coming out of an old uninhabited house----" She shivered a little. - -"Probably falling plaster!" laughed Sim. - -"I'm not so sure of that," said Arden. - -"She's thinking of what happened in the orchard," remarked Terry. - -"Well, something happened there all right," Arden responded. - -"Let's forget it a while," proposed Sim, and she stepped on the gas in -her usual manner. - -Home again, they were greeted at the door by the smiling Moselle who -answered their ring. - -"You-all have a nice ride?" she asked cheerfully. - -"Grand," answered Terry. "And we met up with some very fine ghosts, -Moselle." - -"_Ghosts?_" Moselle's eyes were wide. - -"Over by Sycamore Hall," Terry continued. - -"Um--uumm!" Moselle shook her head. "I don't know what your mother will -say, Miss Sim. Chasing after ghosts. You-all ought to keep away from that -place. I know it's dangerous. Plumb full of ha'nts, that what it is." - -"Why, Moselle! Do you know anything about it?" Sim asked, surprised. - -"Yes'm, Miss Sim, I sure does! Only las' night Brutus Jackson tole me he -was going to work there 'cause he needed a little change, and ain't half -hour ago he came dashing into my kitchen with Sam Brown and tell me they -done quit." - -"He did--why?" Arden frantically signaled Sim to let her continue the -questioning of Moselle. - -"Why, he say," went on the colored woman, "a funny old soldier with a -bloody bandage around his haid come clumping down the stairs and stood -pointing for Sam and him to get out the door and, yes, ma'am, he say they -sure did git!" Moselle made unbelieving noises. - -Terry turned to Sim. "Gosh, I'm sorry we didn't stay. What'd you run for, -Sim?" - -Sim started to reply, but seeing Moselle listening intently said -casually, "Oh, I just felt like it." Then, addressing the curious cook, -she asked: "How about lunch, Moselle?" - -"Yes'm, Miss Sim, in just a few minutes. You-all got time to change if -you like," she said, quick to realize she was being dismissed. - -"Good! Come on then, kids, let's go up;" and before Arden or Terry could -ask any more questions Sim, taking them by the elbows, steered them up -the stairs. - -By unspoken consent they gathered in Sim's room. - -"Gee, Arden, I was afraid Moselle would get all worked up, and then you -know what she'd do? Write to Mother and Dad and get them all excited. She -doesn't miss a thing. And she's very superstitious." - -"I forgot about her," Terry admitted pulling a turtle-necked sweater over -her head. "Wounded soldier! I guess that's what we heard. Certainly -sounded like footsteps to me. Don't you love it? What did Dick say, -Arden?" - -"Not much," Arden answered. "We were too busy with the horses. Did you -notice how scared they were?" - -"Say," interrupted Sim happily, "won't Dot love this! Bet she won't want -to sit around and play contract now." - -"Oh, contract--who wants to do that? There's something queer about that -place, and I'm going to find out what it is before I have to go back to -school," announced Arden emphatically. - -"We're with you, Arden! You can't leave us out of any such excitement as -that," Terry decided. "Can she, Sim?" - -"I should say not!" Sim said, and striking a dramatic pose sang out: "All -for one, one for all! Arden, Terry, and Sim!" - -"And Dorothy," supplemented Arden. "She'll be here tomorrow. Let's take -her out to see the house in the afternoon." - -"Yes," agreed Sim. "That will be fun, and maybe we'll see the soldier." - -At this point in their plans the dulcet tones of the luncheon bell could -be heard coming from below, and Terry was obliged to slip her sweater on -again. In the end they all ate in riding clothes and talked of subjects -far from their minds lest Althea, who was serving, should carry ghost -stories back to her mother in the kitchen. - -The lamb chops were done to a turn, and the peas were startling in their -lovely greenness. The pie, lemon meringue, was a fluffy dainty that -disappeared with remarkable quickness when put before the girls. - -Everything in its place was their motto; ghosts belonged to Jockey -Hollow, and food came under Moselle's supervision. After a half year of -college fare, food was, after all, important. - -Arden Blake, Terry Landry, and Sim Westover had been schoolmates and -chums ever since they started in Vincent Prep. They were graduated at the -same time and went to Cedar Ridge College for their freshman year -together. The first term of the college had just ended and they were home -for the Christmas holidays. - -As told in the first volume of this Arden Blake mystery series, entitled -_The Orchard Secret_, almost as soon as the three freshmen signed in at -Cedar Ridge things began happening. There was something strange about the -college orchard, where so many gnarled, weird, black trees stretched up -their waving branches in the night. And when Arden saw the poster of the -missing and rich Henry Pangborn, there was another complication. - -But Arden and her two chums solved the puzzle, much to the benefit of the -college swimming pool, which had had to be abandoned because there was no -money to repair it. And thus Sim remained at college, for she was -determined to become an expert swimmer and diver, and when she had found -the swimming pool was so sadly out of commission, she had threatened to -leave. But Arden's success in solving the mystery had made everything all -right. - -When the three girls had finished lunch in Sim's beautiful home on the -outskirts of Pentville, a few miles from Jockey Hollow, Arden went to the -library across the hall and began to scan the shelves impatiently. - -"Know anything about these books, Sim?" she asked. - -"Yes, of course I do. What do you want to know?" - -"I want to find out something about our Revolution. Perhaps we can get a -volume that will tell who really lived in Sycamore Hall in Jockey -Hollow." - -"That's a great idea, Arden! At times you seem almost brilliant," laughed -Sim. - -"Well, suppose you help me to shine a bit," Arden proposed. - -"Let me help," begged Terry. - -They delved among the books but though they found some American history -lore and much about the Revolution, there was nothing on Jockey Hollow or -Sycamore Hall. - -"I'll have to try somewhere else," Arden sighed. - -The girls spent most of the afternoon talking over their strange -adventure, at times hardly believing it had happened, again with a little -thrill of fear mingled with doubt as to what it all meant. - -"Well, I'm going to find out something," finally announced Arden the -impetuous. - -"How?" drawled Sim. - -"I'm going to the library. They ought to have something there about -Jockey Hollow. Goodness knows it was important enough!" - -"Tell us when you come back," begged Terry. - -"Don't you want to come with me?" - -"No. I'm for a nap. Riding always makes me drowsy." - -"I'm with you, Terry," announced Sim. "Come on." - -She led the way upstairs, where she and Terry changed from riding clothes -to lounging pajamas. But Arden donned a polo coat and low-heeled shoes -and started out. - -"Don't you want my car?" sleepily called Sim, lolling on her bed. - -"No, I'm going to walk, thank you." - -She was on her way, though she scarcely realized it, to the beginning of -another strange mystery. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - Seeing the Dead - - -Arden felt sure there must be some historical books in the town library -that would throw light on the legends of Jockey Hollow. By studying these -legends, Arden decided, she might strike a clue to the traditions that -had built up the Sycamore Hall ghost stories. - -Hurrying to the library, determined to get at that angle without delay, -she was disappointed when she saw a girl standing at the entrance and -shaking the heavy door handle to make sure it was locked. - -"That must be Dick's sister, Betty," she decided. "He said she worked in -the library. But why is she closing it so early?" - -Reaching the door, Arden asked about the early closing. The girl, pretty -and friendly, explained that lack of funds and the holiday season made it -more practical to close early. She was Betty Howe, she admitted, smiling -at Arden's question. And she said her brother Dick had mentioned the -girls from the Westover house having gone riding with him. - -"I'm sorry, but all the lights are out now," the girl continued. "We open -at nine in the morning, you know," she smiled, putting away her keys and -pulling on her gloves. - -"Oh, thank you. Then I'll come back in the morning." - -"Yes, do. I hope it was nothing important?" - -"No, indeed," Arden answered smiling. "Tomorrow will do nicely." - -But as she hurried along to Sim's she did feel disappointed. - -"Did you find out anything?" Sim promptly asked, while Arden sank down -rather wearily. - -"No. The library was closed. But I had a nice walk," Arden tried to -persuade herself as well as Sim. - -"Well, let's forget the ghosts," suggested Terry. "It's been a long day, -and tomorrow we'll have Dot with us." - -"And so, to bed!" yawned Sim, and those who didn't yawn certainly felt -like it. - -Their night was undisturbed by "witches, warlocks or lang-nebbied -things," in spite of what had happened, or was thought to have happened, -at the Hall. Not even a bad dream threw its shadow on the healthy girls -sleeping serenely at Sim's. - -Perhaps that grand feeling of being able to lie abed as long as they -wished was too much for them; at any rate, when Terry breezily wished -Moselle a cheery good-morning, the maid made no attempt at hiding her -surprise. - -"'Mornin', Miss Terry. You-all sleep well?" she inquired. - -"'Morning, Moselle," Terry replied. "Yes, thank you. And now I'm ready -for a big breakfast." - -Moselle grinned her delight. She loved to cook, and nothing pleases a -cook more than knowing her art is appreciated. - -Arden and Sim were not long behind Terry, and the girls made a pretty -picture in their gay dresses against the background of dark paneled walls -in the dining room. - -It was Arden's day to do the marketing, but because they were to drive to -the station and meet Dorothy Keene, shortly after breakfast, they agreed, -"just for this once," to leave the planning of the day's meals to -Moselle. They were still determined to run the house efficiently and -well, on a smaller budget than Sim's mother had allowed; furthermore, -Terry and Arden agreed not to telephone home for advice. Of course, the -routine of cleaning and washing went on as before: the girls could not -improve on that. So Moselle was instructed to call up the stores and have -something very special for the coming guest, whose mother was "in the -movies," which fact thrilled Moselle to the cockles of her heart. - -When the train pulled into the suburban station, the three girls, with -the car parked as close as possible to the platform, had no trouble in -finding Dorothy. Although Terry, perched on the car top, which was folded -down, had thought she could see better from that vantage point and locate -her chum more quickly, Dorothy, it developed, was the only passenger who -alighted at Pentville. So they saw her at once. She was wearing a smart -fur coat cut on swagger lines and a ridiculously small hat pulled over -one eye. She waved a greeting. - -"Hello, Dot!" Sim ran to meet her. "Awfully glad you could come." They -hugged affectionately. "We're having specially nice weather just for -you." - -"Sim dear," the girl replied, "and Terry and Arden, it's great to see -you. I've been in a penthouse in New York with a lot of stage-struck -people, and I feel a bit struck myself," she laughed. "This lovely -country and you kids are just what I need," declared the visitor. - -They walked toward the car, each trying to show her own particular brand -of pleasure at Dot's arrival. - -"And we need you, too," Arden put in with a little tug at Dot's arm. -"Don't we, girls?" - -"Now, look here!" and Dot pulled them all to a sudden halt. "You are up -to something, I'm sure. What is it? Any new mysteries thrusting -themselves upon you?" - -"Dot, my child," Arden answered, "you are positively psychic! That's -exactly what we're bursting to tell you!" - -"Ghosts! Nice hundred-year-old ones! All hoary and bloody, with pointing -fingers!" Terry supplied. - -"And a poor old lady and two orphan grandchildren," grunted Sim, as she -tried to turn the wheel of the car. All four were in the front seat, a -feat accomplished by Sim, Arden, and Terry squeezing into a row and Dot -sitting on Terry's lap. That Dot's head was much higher than the -windshield and unsheltered from the wind bothered them not at all. With -so much to say, they simply couldn't split up the group by using the -rumble seat. Dot's grips were there, anyway, and for the two weeks of her -visit she would be well supplied with clothes--at least, judging by the -size of the bags. - -"Go on, my dear Watsons," chuckled Dot laughing. "Isn't there a -nice-looking young man any place in this mystery?" - -"Of course there is," replied Terry, "and a girl, too." - -"But the house, Dot--it's perfect! We heard the ghostly footsteps -ourselves, and in broad daylight, too!" Sim surprisingly stated. - -Dorothy shook her head. "You're all sleeping idiots! Well, I won't arouse -you. I suppose country people must have some amusement." - -"Country people!" Three voices sang out together. It never failed. A -suggestion that they in Pentville were not as metropolitan as their New -York chum was always a disputed point. - -"A ghost couldn't live in New York," Arden said sarcastically. "You have -to get out where there is some room for ghosts. Like Pentville or Jockey -Hollow." - -"Don't you believe us, Dot?" Terry asked. Dot just smiled. - -"We'll show you. What do you say, girls--shall we go over to Jockey -Hollow before we go home? The bags will be safe. Our ghost isn't a -thief." Sim slowed down at the junction where one road led to the Hollow, -which they would pass as they went to Sim's house, though at some -distance. - -"Yes! Let's go, Sim. If you're not afraid of the car on those roads," -Terry said, plainly anxious to go back to Sycamore Hall. - -Sim needed no urging, and going into second she turned the wheel and very -carefully started down the narrow dirt road. On the brow of the hill she -stopped and pointed out the faded stone walls of the house which could -clearly be seen through the bare trees. - -"That's it, unbeliever," Sim told her guest. "We'll take you inside, if -we can get in, and show you things your eyes have never before beheld." - -"Lead on MacDuff," Dorothy laughed. "Whom have you hired to jump out on -me and cry 'Boo'?" - -"Word of honor, Dot," Arden insisted, "it isn't a joke. You'll see! Go -on, Sim," she prompted. - -Bouncing and rolling from side to side, the little roadster neared the -house. The old lane that once approached prosperous farm lands, but was -now overgrown and stony, led almost to the door. But knowing she must -turn around again to go home, Sim stopped so they could back out. - -Shutting off the motor, she turned to her friends. - -"I hope he shows up," Sim whispered to Arden and Terry. - -"Who?" asked Dot. - -"The old soldier with a wounded head, all bandaged in bloody rags. He -wears very heavy boots and was hidden and sheltered from the British in -this old house during the Revolution," Terry guessed facetiously. - -"But how did you find out all this?" Dot was plainly interested but also -a little incredulous. - -"We were riding here in Jockey Hollow yesterday," Sim explained, "when -our horses were frightened, and we were, also, by some Negro workmen -rushing out of the place, crying, 'Ghost!' Oh, it was startling!" and she -related, in her most convincing way the details of their strange -adventure. - -"Oh!" said Dorothy after a little pause. "Oh!" That was all. - -The four sat in the car, no one speaking for a while. Their own -imaginings had gotten the best of them, evidently, though no one would -admit it. - -Then, suddenly, the quiet and peace surrounding the old Hall was broken, -by the loud squeaking of ancient nails being pulled from hundred-year-old -wood, and the shrill sounds were like the shrieks of frightened women. It -startled the girls into activity. - -"The workmen are back!" Arden said disappointedly. "I guess the ghost -won't dare come out." - -"Too bad, girls. You almost had me believing you. But let's go in and -look around, anyway. I like old houses, with or without ghosts." Dot was -still skeptical. - -So they climbed out of the car and picked their way over the tangled -vines and low bushes to the door: a dignified, paneled old piece -decorated with a handsomely discolored brass knocker. - -Dorothy, in a spirit of bravado, lifted the knocker up and rapped it down -smartly. They waited a second and, still defiant, Dorothy put her hand on -the bronze knob to open the door. - -No one knew just how it happened. Dorothy said she had not yet tried to -open the door when it swung back of its own motion, and instantly the dim -old hallway stretched before them. At that the reassuring sound of -hammering suddenly stopped and, gathering courage, the girls were about -to enter when a shout--half scream, half moan--echoed through the old -mansion. - -The girls stood transfixed with terror, almost breathless. Another cry -quickly followed, and then the sound of loud, hurrying footsteps could be -heard. There was a rush of bodies, and three men in working clothes, -powdered white with plaster dust, literally jumped down the last few -steps of the great staircase and continued their maddened race out of the -big front door, brushing by the astonished girls without a word. - -"There!" cried Sim triumphantly. "Something's happening now!" - -"I should say so!" gasped Terry, looking at Dot, whose eyes showed wonder -and who seemed too surprised to speak. - -"Hey! Wait!" Arden shouted, and she turned to pursue the last of the -three frightened men still wildly running away. "Wait! Tell us what's the -matter!" - -The workman, beating his hands on his trousers to knock out some of the -dust, barely hesitated. - -"Lady, I can't wait!" he exclaimed. "We saw the dead body of an old woman -stretched out on a bed. We saw her in a room below where we were -working--saw her through a hole I tore in the floor and that went into -the ceiling of her room. We saw her plain! I'm finished on this job!" He -had to wait to say all that, but then turned and ran on. - -"Oh, please!" begged Arden. "Just where did you see her? Tell us! Is she -really dead?" - -"I didn't go near her," he said breathlessly. "I don't want to get mixed -up in no murder case. But she sure looked dead to me--lying flat on her -back--in a red dress--or something--and pale--pale as----" He looked -toward his retreating companions, now some distance down the road, and -then, with a frightened glance up at the old Hall, he turned again and -ran away. - -"Well, what do you think of this?" demanded Sim. "Shall we go in?" She -turned to Dorothy as though asking her permission. - -"I--er--why, of course!" the visitor decided, perhaps a bit hesitantly. -"If there's anything wrong we ought to notify the police. Yes, we must do -that." - -It was a bold decision. It rather pleased Arden and her chums. - - - - - CHAPTER V - Baffled - - -Still, no one wanted to be the first to enter, and they stood on the -step, frightened but intensely curious. - -Arden gave Terry a little push, hinting that she should lead, but Terry -sidestepped. Sim sneaked around the others until she was on the edge of -the step, nearer the car. - -"Do you think it could be so terrible?" she questioned. - -"We ought to find out. Besides, if it's someone dead--" Dorothy -stopped--"it couldn't hurt us anyway." - -She started cautiously just a few steps, but at least they had begun to -move. The other three, in close formation, followed. At the foot of the -stairs they stopped; listened. There was not a sound. The daylight -filtering in through a stained-glass window at the first landing cast -eerie shadows and even made the girls' faces take on a sickish pale -color. - -Dorothy put her hand on the worn old stair rail and slid it up ahead of -her as though to pull herself after it. A deep indentation checked the -sliding hand and acted like a brake. - -Then Terry, growing a little braver, deliberately went up a few steps, -and in this fashion, by starting and stopping every second or two, and -listening, cautiously they reached the first landing. - -There they halted. But only for a second, for something drew them on; -some power they could not resist urged them up almost against all reason, -until they were on the second floor of the weird old house. - -There the hall ran the length of the house. All furnishing was gone from -the hall except an old dusty chest that stood in a dark, dingy corner. - -Rooms were on either side of the passage, but the doors were all closed -except one. Somehow Dorothy felt this was The Room. But to look in would -be another matter. What was in there? Nothing at all or----? - -They must find out. The old adage, "safety in numbers," came back to -Dorothy. She motioned to the other frightened girls. They crept forward -on tiptoe. - -Now in line with the opened doorway, Dorothy forced herself to look in. -She saw a large square room with shuttered windows through which the -morning light barely seeped in splintered blades. There was the bed. - -The bed! That dreadful possibility! - -How could she look? No longer brave, she shut her eyes. Her buzzing head -seemed not to belong to her. But the next moment, of its own accord, it -turned again to that dreadful resting place. A deep sigh, a gasp, from -one of the girls behind Dorothy startled her further, and she could delay -no longer. She opened her eyes. - -The bed was empty! - -A four-poster that must once have boasted a canopied top, the huge old -bed stood stark and sinister. A dark bedraggled cloth covered the -mattress, but happily--and how glad they were--nothing else was there. - -"Whew!" Terry ran a trembling hand across her forehead. "I feel as if I -had just gone through a clothes wringer." - -"Such suspense! I lived a hundred years coming up those stairs," declared -Sim. "Is my face white?" - -Arden did not feel like joking. She went closer to the bed. - -"Absolutely empty! Those men must have very vivid imaginations," she -declared with a little laugh. "Seeing things, that way." - -"This time three men saw the same thing, or claim they did. The other -time it was two who saw and who also claimed they heard the thudding of -the soldier's boots. Some complications even for ghosts," Sim remarked. - -"It's very queer. The spirits of the departed owners of the Hall must be -rising in protest against the invasion of the wreckers," Terry suggested, -not too merrily. - -"Are you sure, my dear friends, you had nothing to do with this?" Dorothy -asked, once more skeptical. - -That question brought a storm of protest. - -"Dorothy!" exclaimed Arden, "do you really think _we_ could have scared -away those workmen?" - -"Well, if you feel that way, Dot," began Terry. But she didn't; she told -them so. And once more it was a united party that looked for further -evidence of ghosts, real or imaginary. - -The inevitable fireplace was built in the wall not far from the suspected -bed. An old squat rocker stood lonely and forlorn in the center, and a -packing box had gathered dust under a window--that was all. The floor was -also dusty, but Dorothy stooped down and, with royal disregard, swept a -spot clean with a dainty lace-trimmed handkerchief. - -"Look at the floor, girls," she said. "See how wide the boards are and -the pegs to hold them down. They don't make floors that way any more. All -these boards were cut and planed and the pegs made and fitted in by -hand." - -"I wish I knew more about such things," Terry remarked, inspecting the -floor. "All I know is that this must have been a fine old house, and I -wish it wasn't going to be torn down." - -"It reminds me of an impending execution." Sim sighed. "It did its duty, -and now it has to give up its life for its country." That trite remark -brought on a giggle, but Sim didn't mind. - -Arden and Dorothy were snooping about, looking through the cracks in the -shutters, and even peered under the bed. - -"If they succeed in demolishing the Hall, I'm going to try and buy the -picture of that girl downstairs," announced Terry. "She fascinates me! -I'd like to find out more about her." - -"Probably Dick's grandmother could tell you. We must look her up," said -Arden, dusting her hands. "Who's that?" she asked suddenly as voices in -dispute were heard from somewhere. - -"Someone downstairs," Dorothy answered. They listened. One voice, a -man's, seemed just very ordinary, not the least bit ghost-like. - -"Let's go down and see what's happening," Terry suggested. "We're not -afraid of workmen." - -They all trooped down in much different spirits than they had come up in. -Now, like weather vanes turning in the wind, their interest was veering -to the commotion below. - -In the hallway stood the three workmen who had so recently rushed out of -the old mansion. There was another, an older man, obviously their -employer, with them now. - -"Are you men telling me that you're quitting, too?" asked the boss -sharply. - -"Yes, sir," the leader of the three stated emphatically. "I don't like -this place. I'd rather chop down trees all winter than go up on the top -floor for a day and start tearing this place down." - -"But, man, you're wrong! There's nothing there. You told me this same -story last week, and when I looked in, the room was empty," the wrecking -contractor declared. - -The girls were on the landing above, and he turned to them, seemingly -surly and surprised. - -"That your car outside? What are you doing in here?" he asked bruskly. - -"Yes," answered Sim. "We heard someone shout as we were going past and -stopped to see--if we could help." - -"Well--what did you find?" the contractor asked, apparently hoping that -the statement of disinterested young ladies would impress the frightened -men favorably. - -"Nothing," Arden admitted. "The room was empty when we looked in. -Although _he_ said," Arden indicated the man she had questioned, "that -there was an old lady up there, dead on the bed." - -"Yeah--_he_ said," the contractor shrugged. "I know! He had the same -story last week. All right," he continued, now addressing the men, "go to -the office and get your pay. You're finished! But this house comes down -if I have to pull it down myself!" - -The laborers turned away and, talking among themselves, gathered up their -lunch boxes and coats and hurriedly walked away. - -"You girls want to be careful in here," the contractor warned. "Not that -I worry about ghosts, but you might get hurt if something fell on you. -They were working on the roof today. This is the second time men have -laid down on this job. But I'll have this place leveled to the ground if -I have to get my own family to help me." He looked angrily at the ceiling -above him and then, taking a big black cigar from his pocket, he bit the -end savagely. Glancing about once more he finally strode after the men, -leaving the little group of wondering girls to puzzle it out. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - Introducing Granny - - -The girls just stood there, shocked by the wrecker's vehement manner. The -door was still open, and suddenly, without warning, a face appeared -there. - -"Oh!" came in a surprised murmur from Arden and her chums as they huddled -closer. - -Then the brown, weather-beaten countenance of an old woman broke into a -queer wrinkled smile. It was an old woman--not a ghost. The girls now -realized this. - -"Are they gone?" The voice was young and full of amusement as an old -lady, wearing a dress which was neat but quaint and old-fashioned, -stepped inside the hall. - -"Yes, they're gone," answered Sim, the first to fall under the charm of -Granny Howe, for it was she coming to investigate, apparently. - -"I came up to see what the trouble was, but I didn't want to meet that -Callahan man," she declared. "He's got such a temper, always having -trouble with his men." Then, as though she had just thought of it, she -asked who the girls were, what they were doing there, and scarcely giving -them time to answer, she told them who she was. Then, still interrupting, -Granny Howe guessed they were the "young ladies who had been riding with -Dick: he had told her one of them had red hair," she quaintly revealed. - -Terry blushed a little at that and then smiled; it was impossible to take -offense at Granny's gentle ways. - -"Yes, Dick took us in here yesterday," Terry answered. "We were -frightened away by----" - -"Ghosts, I suppose," the old lady chuckled. "Dick told me about it." She -laughed heartily. "Everybody but me seems to think this place is haunted. -Nonsense!" - -"But there is something queer about it, isn't there?" pressed Arden. -"I'll be so disappointed if you can explain it all naturally. We have -just got to be thrilled, you know." - -"My dear," Granny answered, "you're just like Betty, my granddaughter. -She loves to think that Nathaniel Greene or Patience Howe has come back -in spirit form to defend the old place." - -"Who were they?" Dorothy stepped forward. "Won't you tell us something -about them? I'm studying architecture, and, even with the little I know, -I can tell that Sycamore Hall must have been designed by a fine artist." - -"Dick told us it would soon all be torn down," Sim supplemented. "We're -awfully sorry, and we're not just curious. If there is anything we could -do to help----" - -Granny's blue eyes swam with tears; she shook her head and looked at each -of them in turn, pathetically. - -"You're dear young things. I can see that. But I'm afraid we'll have to -let Sycamore Hall go." She sighed and patted the wall beside her. "My -grandfather and his father before him were queer men. Never had much -faith in banks. If they had, the deed or whatever claim papers we need, -would not be missing today, and Betty could go on gallivanting around -like you girls, instead of sitting cooped up all day in the town library. -And Dick could be in college----" She left the sentence unfinished and -looked away sadly. - -Terry decided to change the subject. The old lady seemed so broken. It -was too bad, really, that no one could help her. - -"Who was the girl in the picture downstairs? I think she is lovely," -Terry pointed out brightly. - -"She was Patience Howe, an ancestor of mine. She lived here in -Washington's time. She was a modern girl for those times: brave and -strong. She kept that horse of hers right in this house when some of the -Continental soldiers tried to steal it," Granny answered Terry, her head -high now with a touch of ancestral pride. - -"Could we--would you--" Sim faltered--"would you let us come to see you -sometime--just to talk? Or would you rather not tell us things? I can -understand that the present condition of this old place must make you -very sad, and if you can't bear to think about it, we'll know just how -you feel." Sim was trying to be diplomatic, but at the same time she -hoped the old lady would answer "yes." - -"Dick told us a little of your misfortune, though we had to drag it out -of him," Terry added. "That was yesterday, when we heard the footsteps." - -"Footsteps!" echoed Granny. "That would be Nathaniel Greene walking in -his delirium from the wound in his head. Poor fellow! He loved Patience, -and she nursed him a long time, but he died." The old lady was once more -lost in ancient memories. - -The girls didn't know how to proceed now. Sim's request was still -unanswered, and they did so want to learn more. In their hearts they all -wanted to help this charming lady and save Sycamore Hall. That would aid -Betty and Dick also. - -With a brave effort, Granny checked her dreaming, and putting a tanned -old hand on Sim's arm said: "Of course you may come to see me--if your -parents will let you. I'm considered somewhat of a recluse by many folk -around here. But I'll be glad to have you to tea tomorrow afternoon. All -of you. You'll be perfectly safe, and it will brighten things up for me. -Do you know where I live?" she asked briskly. - -The girls said that they did not and began thanking her and assuring her -that no one would in the least object to their visit. They were all -talking at once, so Granny smiled and held up a gentle restraining hand. - -"You sound so alive and gay--I know what you're trying to tell me. It's -all right. I'll enjoy having you. But now I must go back. We are baking -today, and I stayed longer than I should have." She stood at the door as -if indicating to them that they too must leave. - -The girls were glad enough to walk out into the sunshine, and presently -they climbed back into the car. Granny chuckled as they squeezed in and -waved "good-bye" as Sim backed away. - -"There, Dot, how did that strike you?" Arden breathlessly asked when they -were safely on their way. "Do you still think it's a put-up job on our -part?" - -"Arden, I'm sorry," answered the girl. "I'm entirely convinced, and I'm -on your side. Wasn't she fascinating?" - -"Just like someone out of a play," Terry exclaimed. "Isn't it a shame? -Taking her own house and land away from her! If I were a ghost I'd come -to her rescue, too! Even if I did have to break up a wrecking gang." - -"What could those men have seen?" Sim wondered aloud. "They certainly -were scared." - -"When we get home we'll have to consider each person, the way detectives -do, and reason out who would be likely to know, or be responsible for -those manifestations," Arden suggested. "Shall we? Let's write it -out--and see if we can solve the mystery systematically." - -This suggestion met with whole-hearted approval, and all the rest of the -way home the girls talked of the best method of "detecting." Sim stepped -on the gas and bounced the girls unmercifully, she was so anxious to get -home, but they clung together and didn't complain. - -They had something new to do now and could hardly wait to begin. A -first-rate mystery to be unraveled, in the most up-to-date detective -fashion. It would be through the method of clues and eliminations of -clues, and the girls were "all for it." - - - - - CHAPTER VII - Trial by Jury - - -Sim's library was an ideal room for the girls to carry out their plan. -Seated at a large desk, where Sim's father often worked at night, Arden -assumed the rle of judge, or lawyer, they were not quite sure which. -Sim, Terry, and Dot, in varying positions of comfort, were perched around -her. - -Events had been too exciting to warrant "time out" for Dorothy to change -from her traveling clothes, so she simply kicked off her shoes and gave -Althea the keys to her bags. The unpacking would be accomplished swiftly -and skillfully with everything put neatly away and any wrinkles -completely ironed out. - -Arden sat with pen poised and her face alight with eagerness, a -dark-haired, blue-eyed Portia. - -"Now we'll begin," she said. "Who was the first person to mention -Sycamore Hall, and how can we connect him with the mystery?" - -"I was," answered Terry. "I suggested that we ride by. I was tired of the -old roads." - -"Theodosia Landry, student," Arden wrote in a schoolgirl's hand, -"suggested visiting spot. Of course, Terry, you knew nothing about the -legend that the place was haunted?" - -"I object." Sim sprang up. "That's a leading question. How do we know she -didn't? Remember, we are all guilty until proven innocent." - -"I'll ask it another way, then," Arden agreed. "Did you have any -knowledge of ghost stories emanating from Sycamore Hall, the house in -question?" - -Arden was well pleased at the businesslike way in which she was -conducting the investigation. - -"Absolutely none, it was merely a coincidence," Terry replied and Arden -penned her answer. - -"Who next mentioned the house?" Arden resumed her rle of detective. - -"Richard Howe," Terry supplied. "He seemed surprised that we wanted to go -there and didn't seem anxious to take us." - -"Yes, and it was he who told us the house was haunted!" chimed in Sim. - -Arden wrote down Dick's name and occupation and the charge against him. - -"Next come the men running from the house when they frightened Sim's -horse. Sim, what did they say they had seen?" Arden asked, busily -writing, her head on one side and the tip of her tongue showing between -her white teeth as she worked. - -"Dick asked them what was the matter, and one said he wouldn't work there -any longer. That he wouldn't stay where there were ghosts," Terry -supplied promptly. - -"What happened after that?" Arden asked. "I'm a little confused, things -happened so quickly." - -"I'll testify again," Terry exclaimed eagerly. "This is lots of fun. Then -we went back to the house after calming our horses, and entered the -living room." - -"Where was Richard Howe then?" asked Dorothy from a deep armchair. "It -seems to me you're losing sight of him. After all, he is the one who -would want to keep the house standing." - -"I don't remember whether he went in first or after we did," Terry -answered, "but we were all together in the living room when we heard the -noise." - -"Dick said there were no workmen in the house when I suggested it might -be they who were responsible for the manifestations, so apparently he -knew we were alone there," Sim said. "It does seem as though he knows -more than we think." - -"We will each have to report what we were doing and what we heard as we -were in the house. Your story comes later in the course of events, Dot. -You check up on us and ask questions when we leave anything out. Now----" -Arden took a deep breath. "Sim Westover, or, rather, Bernice," she -corrected herself with a little giggle, "how about you?" - -"I was standing near the door of the parlor leading to the hall when I -heard a bump--bump--like someone coming downstairs. I became frightened -and ran out," Sim stated simply. - -"Terry?" questioned the youthful inquisitor. - -"I was looking at the picture of the girl over the fireplace, and Dick -was looking out the window. He had his back to the room," Terry told her -story. - -"And I," said Arden, "was near Terry, also looking at the picture when -the noise came. My recollection is that Sim ran out first, then Terry and -Dick, and I last. The noise was definitely louder when we left." - -"But you didn't actually see anything?" Dorothy asked practically. - -"No," Arden resumed, "we only heard it. When we got home, Moselle told us -that she knew the men who had been working there and that they told her -they had seen the figure. Do you suppose real detectives would consider -that?" - -"If we want to be very thorough we ought to look those men up and -interview them," Dorothy decided. "But let's go on for the time being. -Don't I come next?" - -"Dorothy Keene," Arden wrote and added: "student." - -"I heard from the car hammering that suddenly stopped and then a cry. The -men rushed out of the house. When I went upstairs I saw nothing," she -remarked. - -"The next people were the men who returned and the contractor. We can -almost rule them out. It's Callahan's job to tear the place down," Arden -went on, pushing a stray lock of dark hair out of her eye. - -"Granny Howe appeared after that," Sim added. "Let me report about her, -Arden." - -"Proceed," Arden said with dignity. - -"She poked her head in at the door and asked what the trouble was," began -Sim. "Then she came in and asked if the men had gone and laughed when we -told her they had," she finished. - -"That covers everyone and everything," Arden remarked putting the top on -the fountain pen she had been using. "And from it all, the only -conclusion we can come to is that two separate sets of workmen were -frightened away by something they claim they saw or didn't see. While we -only heard sounds." - -"You'll have to admit, though, that it was very strange that the horses -should be so frightened _before_ we came out. That is, we are -_reasonably_ certain that we did not frighten them ourselves," Terry -suggested smartly. - -"There's something in that," agreed Sim, "and also don't forget the -number of people who heard the same kind of noises and claim they saw the -same thing at the same time." - -Arden stacked the sheets of paper containing the history of "The Jockey -Hollow Case," as she had called it, and suggested that they be put in a -safe place so more could be added. All the girls felt that there was much -more to come and hoped to get new evidence from Granny Howe when they -took tea with her. - -Sim took the papers, locked them in a small drawer in the desk, and took -the key. - -"I'll put the key on a chain and wear it around my neck. Then it will be -safe." She looked at her friends with shining eyes. It was so exciting to -be in the very center of a thrilling mystery. - -The girls nodded their approval and began talking brightly of all they -had done and seen as though they might have forgotten something -important. But on the whole they were well pleased with their work and -agreed it was very clever of Arden to suggest it; one useful fact -remembered from reading countless detective tales had come their way. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - The Ghost of Patience - - -"Move over, Terry, give me a look!" demanded Sim, elbowing her way nearer -to the long mirror before which Terry was admiring herself. - -"There's plenty of room and at least two more mirrors within easy walking -distance," Terry replied. "Why we all have to congregate in here, I don't -know." - -"It's more fun, that's why," Arden crisply replied. "And we can talk -better. Moselle can hear every word we say if we call to each other from -room to room. Don't forget _she's_ under suspicion too." - -"As far as I can see, the only person who isn't is Dorothy Keene, -daughter of Rita Keene the distinguished comdienne," Terry remarked, -successfully maneuvering Sim away from the glass again. "We saw her get -off the train ourselves. You're the only innocent one among us, Dot, but -you don't look it in that swanky dress." - -"Do you think we're dressing up too much? We wouldn't want to embarrass -Granny Howe," Dorothy considered. - -The girls were all in Sim's big blue-and-white bedroom, laughing and -talking as they dressed. It was the afternoon following the "trial by -jury." Sim had lately gone "modern," and the room showed it. The walls -were a cream-white edged in dark blue; light fixtures were star shaped, -and the twin beds were covered with a dark-blue satin spread with Sim's -monogram in white-satin letters on the fold. It was all glorious. - -Fooling around until the last possible minute, they were now making up -for lost time by all hurriedly dressing in Sim's room; getting ready for -the visit to Granny Howe. - -After talking it over they had decided that the old lady, though she was -spry and active, might better enjoy the little party if they did put on a -little style and dressed up. So they were wearing soft dresses and -high-heeled shoes and had put on other dainty accessories. - -The day was rather dark, a slate-colored sky promising snow before night, -but the balmy air contradicted the warning, and Sim, with the top of the -roadster down, urged the girls to hurry. A glance at her watch showed -three-thirty, and their first call should not keep Granny waiting. - -They were ready at last and piled in the car, Sim letting the clutch in -so fast that the sudden start snapped their heads back and jerked the car -forward as though Sim was just learning to drive. They went off in a gale -of laughter but not in a cloud of dust, for the frozen ground of the -driveway refused to part with any of its surface. - -Sim drove as near as she could to the little white house where Hannah -Howe lived. The cottage-like place was behind the more stately Sycamore -Hall and to the left of the lane. The lane was a mere path just tunneled -with trees. - -Four small pillars, more like posts, supported the shingled roof of the -low porch, and behind it were two square windows with a door in between. - -The girls stood in dignified silence waiting for Granny to answer Arden's -knock, but she didn't keep them long. - -"Come in, my dears!" exclaimed the elderly lady like a grandmother in a -fairy tale. "I'm glad to see you all looking so well and happy." - -Granny herself looked well and at least temporarily happy. She wore a -long-sleeved, high-necked dress, dark-blue color with little pink flowers -dotted over it. At her throat, precisely in the middle, glowed with -sullen brightness the soft purple of an antique amethyst brooch. Her -thick white hair accentuated the smooth tan of her skin, as she smiled a -welcome. - -The party trooped inside the little old house, and they were at once -struck by the charm and quaintness of the little place. - -With admiring "Ohs!" and "Ahs!" the visitors looked eagerly about, and -Granny, pleased with their young enthusiasm, explained and pointed out -the interesting features. - -The fireplace, with a pot in place and hooks for holding others, was -especially fascinating. - -"Imagine cooking over an open fire!" exclaimed Sim, "and Moselle -complains about the oven in our new gas range." - -"Years ago the fireplace served a double purpose," Granny explained: -"that of heat and a stove. And as someone has said, they were truly the -heart of the home. Many a lone winter night Patience Howe sat by this -one, keeping the fire alive, wondering would she ever see her father and -brothers again." - -On a low maple table in front of the old Colonial davenport, Granny was -putting out the "best china": thin cups and saucers with a pink wild-rose -pattern. With unfeigned interest, Arden watched her dainty movements. She -seemed as much a part of the place as did the pewter plates on the -mantel. The little company had settled down to chat with the abruptness -of old friends. After the first greetings were over, they all felt they -had known this little lady all their lives. But it was Sim who first -broached the subject uppermost in the minds of all. - -"It was Patience who hid the wounded soldier, wasn't it?" she asked, -nibbling at a tiny bread-and-butter sandwich. - -"Her picture still hangs in the Hall, doesn't it?" Terry inquired, -following Sim's lead. - -"What a brave girl she must have been," remarked Arden, hoping Granny -would take the cue and tell them about her. - -Handing Dorothy a cup of tea and settling herself in a quaint high-backed -rocker, the old lady nodded her head and smiled. - -"I can see you are all burning with curiosity," she laughed. "Of course, -I'll tell you about her, I'm very proud of her, and as you say, my dear, -she was indeed very brave." Granny glanced at the girls sitting around -her, sipping their tea and patiently waiting for her story. Then she -began: - -"In the year when Washington's troops were retreating from New York, -Patience refused to leave her home to seek shelter with relatives at -Philadelphia. This was her home: the big house, I mean, of course," she -explained. "This tiny place was for the servants. But Patience decided to -stay and help with the work of the farm; so many of the working men had -joined the troops. There was plenty of work, and it was bitter cold, too. -One day, as the poor, tired army was forced to go still farther back -beyond the advancing British troops, a wounded soldier was carried into -the house. Nathaniel Greene, his name was, and his comrades begged -Patience to take him in and keep him, for he would surely die if made to -march in the bitter cold. Patience hid him in her own room, disguised -herself as an old servant, and moved out here to live." - -"What a--girl!" breathed Arden, as Granny paused a moment. - -"Imagine waiting on a wounded soldier," followed up Terry. - -"And imagine the danger she was in," concluded Sim. - -Granny, gratified that the story of her famous relative should gain so -much honor through her own simple telling, finally continued. - -"When the British took possession of the house Patience declared the -wounded man was a raving lunatic, and so she kept him out of harm's way. -Until spring she hid him successfully, and by that time the soldier and -the maid had fallen in love." - -The girls waited while Granny shook her head sorrowfully. - -"But he contracted pneumonia and died," she murmured. "Patience never -married but gave herself up to her country's cause and became a nurse for -wounded soldiers. That was her candle holder; she used it to light her -way along a secret passage from the big house to this one." - -Granny indicated a pewter candlestick on the mantel between two plates. -Their eyes lingered on it lovingly. A moment later Granny went on with -her story. - -"I have an old letter telling about it, but when the place was remodeled -the passage must have been walled up. Dick and Betty have never been able -to find any trace of it. Although, I dare say, it will come to light when -the house is torn down." Granny finished her recital and sat looking -straight before her, her bright eyes dimmed with tears. She sighed and -attempted a little smile. - -Arden's heart skipped a beat, and a lump rose in her throat. - -"Oh, it's monstrous to think that dear old place should come down!" she -exclaimed bitterly. "Can't something be done to save it? Is there no way -of buying it in?" - -"I'm afraid we couldn't keep it, even if we could save it," Granny -replied. "We need the money it would bring. But as it is now, we are -unable to prove title to it, and it will go and be forgotten," she sighed -pathetically. "I can stay here while I live, they have allowed me that, -but Dick and Betty will be left homeless when----" - -She did not finish that prophecy, but they all knew what she meant, and -instantly they secretly determined to help her some way; how, they did -not know. - -But in a flash Sim imagined herself handing the long lost deeds to Granny -Howe and then becoming a heroine. The plot had magic influence on them -all. - -It was Dorothy who brought them back to the present. "Was it Nathaniel -Greene the workmen thought they saw the other day? But it couldn't have -been Patience on the bed," she demurred. "Of course, the workmen didn't -know anything about these war stories." - -"There is an old tradition," Granny resumed, "that Nathaniel appears in -his tattered uniform and with his head bandaged whenever the old house, -or anyone in it, is in danger. - -"Sometimes, so the story goes, and you may believe it or not, as you -choose," Granny smiled whimsically, "the ghost of Patience Howe is seen -wandering about the old house. Certainly she would have good reason to -come back here now. Not that _I_ believe in such things," she hurried to -declare, rather unreasonably. - -The girls politely agreed, but did not want to interrupt the stirring -narrative. Patience Howe's story was simply fascinating. - -"As for the figure on the bed, Patience died there when she was an old -woman. Her horse fell, breaking his leg, and she was mortally injured. -She died in her red cloak there on the old four-poster." A reverent pause -followed that statement. "But we are becoming too sad. All those things -are over and done with. Won't you have some more tea, my dear?" Granny -quickly asked, addressing Sim. - -"The story holds such strange historic interest," Sim replied, accepting -her second cup of tea. "May we go through the Hall sometime?" - -"Whenever you like," Granny consented. "But I advise you to do it soon. -That Callahan will have a new batch of workmen here by the end of the -week, and you won't have the house to yourselves after that. I must say -he is very determined. Don't let those ghost stories frighten you--the -house is really very interesting, and the door is always open ... to -you," and the hostess included them all with a bright smile and a -graceful wave of her gentle hand. - -It was almost dark now, and the girls, realizing this, drew themselves up -with a start. - -"We want to thank you for a most pleasant afternoon," said Sim smilingly. -"We must be going now; Moselle will be worried to death, and look--it's -beginning to snow!" - -The first feather-like flakes were floating down to be lost in the brush -below. Arden sprang up and impulsively kissed the old lady they had all -come to love. She gave Arden a little hug in return, and asked them all -to stop and see her whenever they could, declaring she had had a -wonderful afternoon, herself. Then, gathering their things quickly, they -left the little white house behind them. As they drove away the merry -snowflakes were making little jabs at their happy, willing faces. - -"Oh, wasn't it great!" sighed Arden. - -"I feel like a live history of the American Revolution," declared Sim. - -"And I feel like the latest authority on military ghosts. But I hated to -have the soldier die before he married Patience," sighed romantic Terry. - -"We might even be able to fix that up if we get friendly enough with the -ghosts," teased Arden, which seemed like a very good idea to all of them. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - A Warning - - -The air was brisk now, and the countryside had taken on that hushed -feeling that comes just before a snowstorm. At the moment the roads -seemed quite deserted, and their little roadster hummed along with all -its prideful speed and importance. - -Suddenly Arden spoke. "Let me off near the library, Sim, will you?" she -asked. "I'll get a cab back. I'm going to see if I can't find a book with -something about Jockey Hollow. I've heard so much, I'm greedy for more." - -"We can wait for you, Arden," Sim answered. "It's not so very late, and -it's only beginning to snow. You might not get a cab handy." - -"No, I'd rather you didn't," Arden objected. "I want to take my time. -Besides, you've got the top down, and Moselle will be worried. You go -along and I'll come later," she insisted, pulling her collar up closer -around her neck. - -Sim finally agreed and turned toward the village, where she dropped Arden -at the corner nearest the library, so she wouldn't have to turn around. -Sim was not yet an expert driver and often went blocks out of her way to -avoid turning. Arden stood at the corner and waved goodbye as her friends -continued on their way. The corner drugstore was brilliantly lighted, and -the usual group of men was hanging about the entrance, leaning up against -the window, talking and laughing. They were the least desirable element -in the town, lazy and shiftless and, somehow, they always gathered -together. - -Titus Ellery was in this group, Arden noticed, as she hurried along. A -thin man, unshaven and carelessly dressed, Arden gave him a glance out of -the corner of her eye. His booming voice rang out on the night air, for -he made no effort to control it, and Arden could not help hearing him -say: - -"Swears he don't know a thing about it. But there's a chance to pick up -some easy money. If we can do it. Thing is to find the stuff. It's around -there some place, I'll bet. That old Mrs. Howe ain't as dumb as she -looks. You got the job all right, Nick?" - -Arden started. Could she stop and learn some more, or would they become -suspicious and stop talking? She thought suddenly of a plan and, entering -the store, bought some powder she did not need, emerging just in time to -hear the man called "Nick" laugh rancorously and say: "That Callahan's -got his job cut out for him. Every darky in Pentville's scared to death. -I didn't have no trouble gettin' him to hire me." - -"Good!" exclaimed Ellery. "Then tomorrow----" - -But Arden could linger no longer and so continued reluctantly down the -street to the library, although she was now anxious to get back and tell -the others what she had heard. She reasoned nothing could be done that -night, so she would try again to locate the books in which she hoped to -find important details. - -It was almost closing time when she reached the library, and the place -was deserted except for a young girl putting books back on the shelves. - -Arden approached her. "Are you Betty Howe?" she asked impulsively. - -The girl looked at her coldly. "No, she's not here this afternoon. May I -help you?" She flashed a brief professional library smile. - -Arden felt rebuffed and explained that she had come for a book on the -history of Jockey Hollow. - -"We haven't very much on the subject. Most of the papers and maps telling -about it were destroyed in a fire years ago. There is this book, though," -she said, and going to a shelf took a thin red book from it. "They say -Richard Howe, the old one, that is, refused to trust his papers to anyone -but himself and they were lost when a fire broke out in Sycamore Hall -while he was still living. Betty says the deeds to the old place were -lost then also." - -Arden took the book eagerly. It was pitifully small, she thought -regretfully, but thanked the librarian and, after having it stamped, left -to get one of the rickety village cabs and tell the girls all about it. - -It was odd though that Betty Howe was not there, and she had not appeared -at tea, either. "Oh, well," thought Arden, "perhaps she's gone into New -York or some place." And holding the precious book close to her, she -climbed into old Pop Warner's car and told him to take her to Sim's -house. He was a talkative old man, and he knew Arden and her friends -quite well. He seemed to know a lot about them, in fact, and asked her -question after question as he drove her to Sim's. She squirmed with -impatience and then sat bolt upright as he asked in his squeaky voice: - -"Heard you was chased by a ghost in Sycamore Hall! What would your dad -say if he knew you was galavantin' around there? No place for young -ladies, I'll say! Stay on your own side of the railroad tracks." Then he -lapsed into silence as he turned into the driveway. - -"What do you mean, Mr. Warner?" Arden asked quickly. "Who told you we -were there?" - -"I hear things in this business. People always talk when they're riding -along. There's bound to be fire where there's smoke," he chuckled. "If I -was you, I'd let well enough alone. Hannah Howe is a smart woman," he -managed to say as the car stopped with a jerk. "That'll be fifty cents." -He took the money and started away after a curt, "G'afternoon." - -Arden felt rather suffused with the day's adventures. There had been -Granny's story; then the overheard remarks from those men at the -drugstore, and last but not least, the insinuations of the old cab -driver. - -At any rate, she had news for the girls, and she hurried up the drive and -into the house to give it to them. This historical study was fast -becoming a deep-dyed mystery, decided Arden. - - - - - CHAPTER X - The Missing Man - - -Sim, Terry, and Dot were gathered in the big living room quietly talking -over their visit with Granny Howe, when Arden burst in on them in great -excitement and blurted out her newest and latest story. - -The "crime sheet," as they had come to call the history of the Jockey -Hollow ghost story, was hurriedly taken from the locked drawer of their -desk, and Arden wrote in the three new suspicious characters: Titus -Ellery, Pop Warner, and the mysterious dark man mentioned as Nick. - -"We'll have to go over to the Hall the first thing in the morning: they -begin work early," Arden decided as she finished entering her report. -"Something is going to happen, I'm sure, and we don't want to miss it. -Those men at the drugstore seemed ready to pop." - -"Suppose that Callahan person just tells us to go away--what then?" -questioned Sim. - -"Granny told us we could go through the house, and if he says anything -contrary we'll tell him Mrs. Howe gave us permission. I guess he won't -put up any objections then," Terry said decidedly. - -So the next morning the girls tumbled out of their warm beds and dressed -quickly in riding clothes, that sort of outfit being most practical for -the day ahead. The dead white snow covered everything, rounding out sharp -stones and smoothing corners like a layer of lovely new downy cotton. -Apparently it had continued snowing for some time during the night, but -now the sun was shining with a dazzling brightness and a deep blue sky -promised fair weather for the day. - -The girls ate a big breakfast, which pleased Moselle. She was also -pleased to make sure that the girls had suddenly become too busy to -bother with the house, so the precious task was all her own. - -Sim got the little car out and waited impatiently while Terry went back -for a woolly scarf, but she nearly exploded when Arden, as soon as Terry -returned, discovered she had forgotten her gloves and had to go back for -them. Eventually they got going, only to stop when Sim noticed the -gasoline gage showed nearly "empty." She decided she would have to drive -to town for gas. - -"Oh, Sim!" exclaimed Dot impatiently, "we've got enough to go out to the -Hall and back. It will only take more time to go to a station." - -"Yes, Sim, we won't be driving any place else. Don't go now," Terry -begged. - -But Sim was firm, and they headed toward town and stopped at a filling -station, the other girls glaring at their little blonde chauffeur while -the tank was being filled. - -"I believe in being prepared," Sim lectured, paying the service man. "How -do you know where we'll be before night?" - -The words were prophetic, though Sim didn't realize it, for they were -destined to have a queer experience that very day. - -When they reached the road that led down to Sycamore Hall, the Hollow now -being covered with snow, they saw tire tracks stretching before them. The -workmen were there, of course. And they were late! - -Parked in the spot they thought of as their own special place was an open -truck with the name "Callahan--Contractor" painted on the back. Knowing -what that meant, they looked at each other with questioning dismay. -Callahan himself must be there and would not be likely to leave at once. -Even as they wondered, he came marching out of the Hall, a smile on his -broad ruddy face, and nonchalantly came over to their car. - -Giving a tug at the brim of his shapeless soft hat he said jovially: -"Well, we're back on the job again, ya' see. I've got a fine bunch of men -there now. Not ordinary laborers. These men don't believe in ghosts," and -taking a big black cigar from a pocket he bit off the end and searched in -his pockets for a match. - -Sim reached over Terry's knees, took the detachable cigarette lighter -from the dash board, and smilingly handed it to the man. They watched to -see what that might do. - -The girls could hear the men stamping the snow off their feet in the -empty house, now and then a loud crash as an iron bar or tool was -carelessly dropped. The voices of the men, in good-natured badinage, -floated out on the brisk air; then came shouts of laughter. Peal on peal, -deep rumbling laughter, and the lighter sounds mingling together. What -could this mean? - -Mr. Callahan turned a pleased face to Sim as he handed back the lighter. -"There! These men didn't run. I guess they're onto the trick." He started -toward the house, then stopped and said: "If you girls want to see the -ghost you may as well. Come in with me, I'll show you what's been scaring -my men." There was a bragging tone in his hearty voice, and a confident -tread in his heavy stride. - -The girls needed no urging, quickly getting out of the car and following -the triumphant lead of the contractor through the light snow. Once -inside, he went straight to the top of the house, walking with a -precision that showed his determination. Now he would "tell the world," -his attitude seemed to declare. - -Reaching the third floor they found the men still merry. They were in a -room similar to that where the suspected ghostly bed was, on the floor -below. As the boss, with the girls, came in, it was clear the men were -trying to look businesslike. - -"What's the joke?" asked Callahan bruskly. "What's all the laughing -about?" - -A young man wearing a windbreaker jacket and awkwardly holding a crowbar -spoke first. - -"We heard groans coming from the chimney, and Pete opened the chute in -the fireplace and threw down a brick. I guess we hit the ghost, the noise -stopped so quick," chuckled the workman. - -"Ghost, my eye!" exclaimed another man. "Probably it was a cat or -something caught in there. Well, you finished him anyway, Pete," and they -were ready to laugh again. - -Arden and the girls drew closer together. "There is that Nick," whispered -Arden to Dot, indicating a man in the group who alone showed no -amusement. He was covertly glancing at his companions, and suddenly he -left the room. - -In an instant he was back, bringing with him another man. Both were -seriously excited. - -"Any of you guys seen Jim? He was working with me across the hall, but he -ain't here now," declared the new man. - -"He didn't come here," answered the man who had spoken before. "What's -the matter? You look worried." - -Callahan stood facing the newcomer, dismay slowly blotting out the -pleased expression on his face. Was this more trouble? Was ever a man so -followed by bad luck? What was going on in this old house, anyway? - -"What's your trouble?" Callahan was once more the boss contractor. - -"I can't find Jim. He was with me, and we were sizin' up the room, -figurin' on how she would tear apart. I was at one end and Jim at -another, near a closet. I saw him go in. Then I heard a funny noise, sort -of groan, and when I turned around--Jim wasn't there!" - - - - - CHAPTER XI - Callahan Collapses - - -"Nonsense!" snorted Callahan, chewing on the end of his cigar. "He's -probably downstairs." - -"No, sir, I looked! Jim ain't so well. He's been sick, and this is the -first time he's been out on a job in quite a while," the workman said. -"He's a swell feller. I've known him a long time. I'm afraid he's hurt." - -"How could he be hurt? He hasn't even begun to work. Show me the room you -were in." The contractor spoke disgustedly. - -They all started for the room across the hall. The men were in various -kinds of working clothes, one or two wearing ordinary business suits. -These were the better class, who needed the work. Then there were regular -house-wreckers in stout shoes and overalls. As a background there were -the girls in their smart riding habits and bright scarfs following -Callahan, whose cigar was now reduced to a soggy brown mass. - -In the room from which the man Jim Danton had disappeared was a -conglomeration of furniture. Old chairs and a rickety table piled in a -group in one corner, a huge wicker clothes hamper that had been turned -upside down, perhaps in the hope that Jim would fall out. - -The girls could not suppress a giggle, it was so silly, and some of the -men snickered too. But Jim was nowhere to be seen. - -"Here's where I last saw him standing. Right here; but he wasn't there -when I looked." The man who had been about to begin work with the missing -Jim indicated the far end of the room. - -Callahan strode over with Napoleon-like firmness. A door was closed, -there; a closet door. With a huge red hand the contractor grasped the -knob and wrenched it open. There was an expectant silence, then Callahan -took a step forward to see better. The closet was empty! - -The group pressed nearer. Three sides of dark wood but nothing more. The -contractor thumped the walls vigorously. - -"You're crazy, man!" he said to the puzzled wrecker. "Jim never -disappeared from here." - -"Well, he disappeared from some place. He's not here now," insisted the -friend of Jim. - -Callahan was clearly disgusted. Just when everything seemed to be going -well at last, something new had to crop up. What silly persons these men -were. Like a bunch of sheep. Because a few not too intelligent Negroes -claimed they had seen a ghost, these men, who ought to have more sense, -were already showing signs of fright because one of their group could not -be found. The contractor pulled his battered gray hat down over one eye -and produced a new cigar from an apparently endless supply. Then began -the slapping of his pockets for matches. He looked vaguely at Sim as -though remembering that she had come to his rescue before, but this time -she stared back at him uncomprehending. - -Callahan went to the head of the stairs and shouted over the banister. -"Danton!" he called, his powerful voice booming through the house. "Jim -Danton!" - -But not even an echo answered him and, giving the cigar a vicious bite, -he strode over to the window. "Hey, you, Danton, come here!" he shouted, -but the result was the same as before. - -"Maybe he got sick and started home," timidly suggested Sim in a voice -that sounded ridiculously small after the Gargantuan tones of Mr. -Callahan. - -"Oh, no, miss," answered the worried worker. "He couldn't go back till -the truck came to take him and all of us out the main road. He lives too -far. Besides, this job meant a lot to Jim. It's the first work he's had -in months." - -There was a discontented murmur growing among the men, and Arden could -see the man whom Titus Ellery called "Nick" circulating among them and -saying something in an insistent low tone. They were talking in a little -group near the door of the room while Callahan questioned Jim's -particular friend more closely. - -Arden stepped to the open door of the closet and peered inside. Then she -stooped down, and when she straightened up again she held up a small -grimy object. - -She turned and faced the awe-struck company, for what she was displaying -was a glove such as workmen wear, of a dull white color with a dark-blue -knitted band at the wrist. - -"That's his glove!" exclaimed the man near Mr. Callahan. "I was with him -when he bought the pair. Jim said his hands were soft from not working in -so long; he needed gloves." - -At this discovery the men who had been talking quietly now showed open -revolt. One fellow dropped a crowbar he had been carrying. It fell with a -crash and seemed to startle them all into activity. - -"Not quitting, are you?" the contractor asked, sneering. "Fine bunch of -men, you are!" - -"We sure are quitting, Mr. Callahan! We don't mind ghosts; but when a man -disappears in broad daylight, that's too much." It was the sinister Nick -who spoke. Arden thought he seemed pleased at his announcement. - -The men near by shook their heads in agreement, and some put on their -coats as they prepared to leave. - -The weary Callahan sank helplessly down on a pile of boards and pushed -his hat back on his head. This, surely, was the last straw! The men -straggled out of the old house. The girls followed them. In a little -while the contractor also came out. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - A Strange Discovery - - -There appeared to be a spirit of uncertainty among the workmen. They were -not like the Negroes and Italians who had previously "seen ghosts." These -new workmen were not superstitious. But even they, white-collar-class, as -they were called, seemed suddenly given to some strange and nerve-racking -fear. They wanted to hurry away from the old Hall where such a strange -thing had seemingly just happened, but felt they owed a certain -allegiance to their missing fellow worker if not to the burly and baffled -boss, Callahan. - -"I say, fellows," one of the men began, "I wonder if we shouldn't do -something about Jim before we leave." - -"What can we do?" faltered the man who had dropped the heavy bar. - -It was here that Arden Blake saw her opportunity. Stepping forward with a -manner and air that her girl friends warmly complimented her about, she -called: - -"Are you going to leave without trying to find that missing man?" - -"But how can we find him?" a voice from the huddled group asked. "He just -disappeared. We can't find him. There's nowhere even to look." - -"But have you searched?" Arden demanded. - -They seemed confused at that straightforward question. - -"No," one finally murmured. - -"Then come back to the house with me!" insisted Arden. "We girls will go -with them, Mr. Callahan," she promised. "We'll have another good look all -around. There is nothing in that house to harm anyone. And we don't -believe in ghosts, so the man must be found." - -"If it comes to a question of ghosts, miss," said a tall, lanky man, "I -don't believe in 'em myself. But when a man is snatched away, you might -say, right from under your nose, why, that's something different." - -"Sure is," his friends muttered. - -"Could it not very well be," asked Sim, "that this Jim Danton might have -gone to some other part of the house without telling any of you, and have -been hurt there?--his hammer may have slipped and hit him on the head, -knocking him unconscious. That could have happened." - -"And he may be up in one of the old rooms now, injured, suffering," added -Terry. - -"This certainly is getting interesting, to say the least," spoke Dorothy. -"I must give you girls credit for getting up some good theatrical effects -in this mystery. That's quite a mob scene," and she pointed a rather -languid finger at the group of workers. - -"Don't make fun, Dot," said Terry in a low voice. "This may be serious." -Dot was inclined to be theatrical at the wrong time. - -"It is serious," declared Sim. - -Arden still held the center of the stage. She felt the need of prompt, -effective action. - -"Well, let's go make another search," she proposed. "And don't waste -time." - -"We'll do that with you," said a young fellow. "But Jim didn't go to any -isolated room and hit himself on the head with his hammer. In the first -place, he didn't have any hammer. He was using a crowbar." - -"That's right," came in a murmur, a proper mob-scene murmur, Dorothy -thought, though she did not dare mention it. - -"And in the second place," went on the same young fellow, "he was in that -closet. I saw him go in." - -"And nobody saw him come out, and there isn't even a rat-hole in that -closet yet," declared another. "We haven't started ripping there." - -It looked as though the fear and mystery would start all over again. But -Arden was not going to give up. - -"Let's go have a look," she proposed. - -"That's the idea!" boomed Mr. Callahan. He was getting hopeful once more. -"The girls'll put you fellows to shame! Let's all go in." - -The Hall was quickly invaded with more persons than it had housed in many -a long day. On the two lower floors no work of demolishing the place was -visible. The men had first started tearing out the top or fourth floor. -It was from the third floor that Jim Danton had disappeared. - -"I wonder how much longer Mrs. Howe is going to leave some of her -possessions in here?" said Sim as they rentered the big lower entrance. - -"She'll have to be getting it all out pretty soon," threatened the -contractor, "or I'll have to set it out for her. I don't want to damage -anything of hers and have her sue me, for she's a determined woman, -though, in ways, as nice as my own mother. But she sort of feels that she -is being cheated. It's none of my doing. She claims this place, and she -told me she was going to leave stuff in here to enforce her claim. But -it'll have to be got out of here pretty quick now. The men'll soon be -down to the second floor. There's hardly any of Mrs. Howe's stuff on the -third floor now. She took it away before I began my work this week." He -was saying this as they tramped into the echoing old hall. - -The party, scattering, though the girls kept together, looked all over -the first floor. There was no sign of any missing man, though it took -some little time to establish this fact, for there were many nooks, -corners, passages, closets, and rooms in the lower part of the rambling -old place. - -The second floor, where the "ghosts" had been said to appear, was -likewise devoid of any missing person, man or otherwise. They looked, one -after another, calling back and forth like scouts in the woods. - -"Well, he isn't here," Mr. Callahan finally announced. - -"No," Arden was forced to agree, with a sense of disappointment. She had -really hoped to find the man and so dispel the unreasoning fears about -the place as well as to save Jim Danton. - -"Now, we'll try once more to see how it could happen that Jim could -possibly have vanished out of a closet that you say hasn't even a -rat-hole," spoke the contractor, as they all went up to the third floor -like some awkward brigade. Some of the rooms there were open to the -weather, their outer walls having been torn away in uneven patches. - -"There's where he went in but where he didn't come out!" said the man who -claimed to have heard the weird ghostly howling through the ash-chute. - -One by one the men, the girls, and the contractor looked and stepped -inside the closet. As before, it seemed as solid as any such place always -seems. There were rows of old hand-forged iron hooks on the two side -walls and the back, but it appeared solid; unbroken in walls and, as had -been said, there wasn't even a rat-hole for escape. - -"A collector would give a good deal for those hooks," said Dot. "They're -real antiques." - -"We're looking for a man, not antiques," said Sim, under her breath. - -Mr. Callahan and some of the men stamped on the floor and kicked at the -baseboards. Everything was solid. The door was the only visible means of -egress. - -"And Jim didn't come out of the door!" declared several of his -companions, at which all of them shook their heads in positive agreement. - -"Well, it sure is queer," the contractor had to admit when they had -finished inspecting the third floor, including a big room next to the one -containing the closet that seemed to be the starting point of the -mystery. This room had an immense fireplace, and one of the men even -stooped within it and peered up the chimney. - -"He isn't up there," he announced, scraping some soot and dirt down the -uncovered ash-chute with his foot. "Jim isn't there." - -This was terrifying. Workmen might be familiar with accidents, but the -girls could hardly stand such suspense. - -The entire third floor, at least the undemolished rooms, was thoroughly -searched, with no result. The fourth floor and the roof over it were so -nearly destroyed that it required but the briefest of inspections to make -sure no missing man was there. - -Baffled, the party went down to the lower hall, Mr. Callahan becoming -more serious and even showing alarm now that his workman could not be -traced or located. - -"What do you think now, Arden?" asked Terry in a low voice. - -"I don't know what to think, but he must be some place." - -"There's no use in our staying here any longer, is there?" asked Dorothy. - -"I can't see what good we can do," agreed Sim. - -The contractor was talking to his men off a little to one side. He was -arguing against their desire to quit. - -"If you go," he threatened, "you'll lose the bonus I promised to -everybody who'd work a week straight here and not be scared away by silly -stories. Besides, we've got to keep on looking for Jim." - -"A man vanishing isn't a silly story," snarled one man. - -Sim, Terry, and Dorothy were interested in the efforts of the contractor -and realized that he was trying desperately to keep his force together. -It was a sort of last stand with him, since so many of the more ignorant -workers had left previously. Arden, hardly knowing why, wandered out and -around to the rear of the old Hall. She was tired of the confusion but -did not want to give up. - -"I wonder if I could think this out?" she reasoned. "There must be some -answer." - -In a sort of mental fog, Arden walked on a little farther into the field. -She found herself in a tangle of weeds where once had been beds of -flowers. There was one of the entrances to the great cellar under the old -mansion, just under a little back porch. - -Arden peered down the crumbling stone steps and looked past the sagging, -rotting, open door into the blackness. A damp, musty smell floated up to -her; perhaps the remains of the aroma that must have clung to the cellar -since its days of full and plenty. - -As Arden stood there, she was surprised to see a little flickering light -in the darkness of the cellar. Suddenly the light, which was bobbing -about like a will-o'-the-wisp, came to a stop. - -"Somebody's down there!" gasped Arden. "Oh----" - -A moment later she heard a scream. It was the high-pitched and frightened -voice of a girl. - -Then, out of the black cellar, with horror showing on her face, came -running--Betty Howe! - -"Oh! Oh!" she screamed. "It's terrible! Down there--in the cellar--a dead -man!" - -"A dead man!" repeated Arden, her mind now working fast. She wanted to be -sure of her ground. "Are you sure, Betty?" she asked. - -"Yes! Oh, yes! I saw him--as plain as anything!" - -Betty rushed toward Arden, all but falling upon her, the flashlight still -glowing. At the same moment Arden became aware of the approach of an old -woman from around the corner of the house, at the rear. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - Betty and the Books - - -Arden Blake, for a moment, did not know which to attend to first, the -strange old woman or the nervous and excited Betty Howe with her gasping -declaration of a dead man in the cellar. - -Then, in a flash, Arden decided if there was a dead man there he must be -the missing Jim. And if he were dead he would remain there. Also Arden -knew Betty, but she did not know this strange woman who had so suddenly, -and seemingly mysteriously, appeared on the scene. - -"Don't be afraid, Betty!" Arden told the trembling girl. "We are here -with you--the other girls are around in front, and so is the contractor -and his men. But who is this--lady?" - -The strange woman was regarding Arden with malevolent eyes, and her mouth -seemed to be muttering words. Betty, who, up to this moment, did not -appear to have been aware of the other's presence, now turned and looked. -She showed no surprise. - -"Oh," she said in a low voice to Arden, "that is Granny's cousin, Viney -Tucker. She lives with us. I guess Granny didn't mention her before, -because, well--she is a little----" - -Betty did not need to add the word "queer," Arden could see that for -herself. But there was nothing abnormal about Viney Tucker. She had once -been a handsome woman, Arden reasoned, perhaps even more so than Granny -Howe. - -"Cousin Viney helps Granny with the work, as she used to do when we all -lived in the Hall," Betty hurried to say. "But don't bother about her. -She goes and comes as and when she pleases. But the man in the -cellar--the dead man. Oh, I was so frightened! What shall we do?" - -"This probably explains the whole mystery," said Arden. - -"What mystery?" - -"About the missing workman, Jim Danton. Didn't you hear all the -excitement about him, Betty?" - -"No, I only just got here a few minutes ago. What do you mean about a -missing man?" - -"First tell me," suggested Arden, "what you were doing in the cellar." - -"I was there looking for some old books that were stored down there when -we moved out and over to the cottage. I happened to mention them to our -librarian the other day, and he suggested that I bring some in for him to -examine. He said there might be some valuable volumes among them. So I -took a little time off from my work, and I came directly here--with a -flashlight." This was all said in breathless haste. - -"Yes," said Arden, "I see you have a flashlight." - -"It's the only way to find things in the cellar--it's so dark down there -with all the lights off now. And if it hadn't been for my light I -wouldn't have seen the dead man." She actually leaned against Arden and -was trembling still. - -"Let's hope he isn't dead," suggested Arden. "Come! We must tell the -others quickly." - -Up to this time Viney Tucker had neither moved nor spoken since her -arrival on the scene. She stood at the corner of the house and fairly -glared at the girls. Now she exclaimed: - -"Ha! So there's a dead man, is there? I knew murder would be done before -they finished tearing down our house! I knew it!" - -"It isn't murder, Cousin Viney," said Betty. - -"Well, there will be murder before this business is finished," sniffed -the old woman. "And I don't like murder being done in our old house." - -"And it isn't our house any more, Cousin Viney," said Betty. "That's just -the trouble--we can't prove it is ours." - -"If we could only find the papers! If we could only find the papers!" -muttered Viney Tucker as she hurried away in the direction of the -cottage. Evidently the excited woman was suffering from the wrongs she, -as well as her family, felt had been done them about the Hall. - -"Now we must hurry!" cried Arden. "This man you think is dead--I'm sure -he's the missing Jim, and he may not be dead at all; he must be looked -after. If he's injured, he'll need a doctor. Come and tell the others all -about it! They're right out here." - -"But I don't _know_ anything about him," Betty objected as Arden fairly -dragged her around to the front of the house. - -"You found him--that's enough!" - -The conference between the contractor and his men was still on, but Sim -and the others seemed on the point of leaving. They had just become aware -of the fact that Arden was not in sight when she came into view with -Betty. - -"We've found the missing man. Or, rather, Betty did when she went in the -cellar after books!" cried Arden all in a breath. Quickly she introduced -Betty to her chums. - -"You mean Jim?" shouted Mr. Callahan. - -"I think so," Arden answered. - -"Come on, men!" cried the contractor leading a rush around to the side -cellar door. "But it'll be dark down there. We'll need some lanterns. Get -one, some of you." - -"Take my flashlight," offered Betty. - -Mr. Callahan did, fairly snatching it away but begging her pardon a -moment later. - -"You can't know how upset I am," he explained. "So many things have -happened today and other days. Poor Jim! How in the world did he get down -in the cellar? Is he badly hurt, do you think?" - -"He seemed to be unconscious," Betty answered. "But I didn't give more -than a look, and I thought he was dead, so I screamed and rushed out." - -"And I met her as I was wandering around that way trying to think up some -reason for all this," Arden explained. - -"Well, we must get help to him quickly if he's alive!" decided the -contractor, and he led his hurrying men while the girls followed. - -"How long were you in the cellar, Betty?" asked Arden. - -"Only a few minutes. I couldn't find the box of books at first. It must -have been moved. And then I saw--him!" - -"And you didn't hear anything of the search we have been conducting for -the last half hour?" asked Sim. - -"Not the least sound. But then I was away down cellar, and the floors are -very heavy." - -"And we were searching the upper floors," said Terry. "Of course you -couldn't hear, Betty." - -Up out of the cellar, sliding and slipping on the crumbling stone steps, -came the men carrying an apparently lifeless form. They had found it by -means of Betty's electric torch. - -"Is it the missing man?" called Arden. - -"Yes, it's Jim Danton," someone answered. - -"Is he--dead?" - -"We don't know yet," said Mr. Callahan. "We've got to get him to a doctor -pretty quick." - -"Well, at any rate," said Dorothy, "the mystery of the poor man's -disappearance is solved, and I hope he isn't seriously injured." - -One of the men who was standing near the girls turned to answer Dorothy. - -"That doesn't explain it," he said. "Jim was working on the third floor, -but _how_ did he get down in that cellar?" - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - How Did It Happen? - - -Having carried the unconscious man out of the cellar, the men stood at -the top of the steps leading down into the darkness, awkwardly holding -their burden. The girls had a momentary glimpse of Jim Danton's face. -There was blood on it. With a little shudder and murmur of horror Dorothy -turned away. - -"Poor fellow!" murmured Sim. - -"Can't we do something to help?" asked Terry. - -"You ought to put him down--lay him down flat!" commanded Arden. "There -may be broken bones! It isn't doing him any good to hold him all crumpled -that way." - -"He ought to have a doctor!" declared the contractor. "I wonder if it's -best to try to get him home and have the doctor there or get a doctor -here? Where's a telephone?" - -"There isn't one anywhere near here," Betty volunteered. - -"Then we'd best take him home," decided Mr. Callahan. "But how to do it? -I let my partner take my car after he dropped me off here, and I don't -know when he'll be back." - -"I have a car!" Sim quickly interposed. "If one of you men will sit in -the rumble seat and hold this man, I'll drive him home--if it isn't too -far." - -"Oh, he lives right here in Jockey Hollow," said the tall thin worker. -"About two miles from here, down by Primrose Brook." - -"I'll take him in my car, then," decided Sim. "One of you girls had -better ride with me," she added in a lower voice. - -"I will," Arden offered. "And I know a little about first aid, so maybe -we can be of some help when we get this man home--before the doctor -comes." The unfortunate man hadn't moved, nor did he seem even to -breathe. - -"That's right," agreed Sim. "But about a doctor?" she asked, turning to -the contractor and the men gathered about him. "How are you going to get -a doctor?" - -"I'll run to the nearest telephone, miss, as soon as you start with Jim," -the tall thin man offered. "I know the location of Jim's house. I can -direct the doctor there." - -"All right," Sim assented. "Take him to my car. Come on, Arden. We -certainly have run into something all right--whether or not it's a -mystery will develop later. But about you girls?" she asked, looking at -Dot and Terry and, incidentally, at Betty. - -"We'll wait here until you two come back," Terry suggested. - -"Please come with me and have some tea at our cottage," invited Betty. -"You can wait there." - -"That will be better," Arden accepted. As the men started to carry Jim to -Sim's car, she inquired, of no one in particular: "Where did you find -him, and is there any explanation of how he got into the cellar?" - -"He was at the bottom of an old ash-chute," said Mr. Callahan. "It opens -into the cellar and connects with that big fireplace on the third floor, -in the room next to the one with the closet in--the closet they say Jim -disappeared from, only he couldn't. It's a very big ash-chute--big enough -for a man to slide down. They must have burned whole trees in the old -days, in that fireplace. And when the fire was out, instead of carting -the ashes downstairs in a hod, they just opened a sort of trapdoor on the -bottom of the hearth and dumped the ashes down. Only the trapdoor is -rusted away now, and, somehow, Jim must have got into the ash-chute and -he slid down to the cellar, bumping his head, cutting himself and -knocking himself out on the way. That's all there is to the mystery. And -I'm glad of it." - -His men looked relieved. One of them said: - -"Then I guess Jim couldn't have gone into that closet like Nate thought -he did. Though he may have gone in there, and have come out without Nate -seeing him. Next he went into the fireplace room and, somehow or other, -he slipped down the ash-chute." - -"That's the way of it," said Mr. Callahan. "It explains everything, boys, -and tomorrow we'll get on this job and clean it up. The mystery is all -solved." - -"In my eye!" someone muttered. - -"What makes you say that, Nate Waldon?" asked the contractor. - -"Because Jim did disappear right out of the closet. I know it. I didn't -see him disappear, of course, but he didn't come out and go in the -fireplace room." - -"This is worse and more of it!" sighed the contractor. He looked at the -men carefully getting Jim into the rumble seat of Sim's car and asked: -"Well, what do _you_ say happened, Nate?" - -"All I know is I saw Jim go in that closet. I heard a noise. I heard him -yell, and when I ran to the closet he wasn't to be seen. He didn't slip -out into the other room. I was close enough to have seen him if he'd done -that. And we didn't find any holes in the closet. The next we know we -find Jim in the cellar. Talk about mysteries being cleared up--this one -isn't; not at all!" - -"Oh, well, don't let's talk about it!" begged Mr. Callahan. "All of you -report for work tomorrow. We'll knock off now. And I'm a thousand times -obliged to you young ladies for all you've done--and are doing," he added -as he saw Arden and Sim getting into the car, while in the rumble seat a -man was carefully holding the still unconscious Jim, supporting his head -very gently as the car started. - -"We'll be back as soon as we can," Sim called to Terry and Dot as they -walked, with Betty, toward the little cottage. - -"Don't hurry," was the answer. "We'll be all right. And do all you can -for the poor man." - -"This will be a surprise for Granny," said Betty as she led the way to -the cottage. - -"It must have been a surprise for you," suggested Terry, "coming upon -what you thought was a dead man in the cellar." - -"Oh, I was scared stiff!" admitted Betty. "And I was so glad when I ran -up and saw Arden. I suppose it seems presuming on such a short -acquaintance to call you girls by your first names," she added with a -little smile, "but, somehow, I feel as if I had known you a long time." - -"Of course," Terry agreed, "we feel that way about you, too." - -"Excitement makes time pass rapidly," declaimed Dot. "And there certainly -has been a lot of excitement since I arrived here." - -"Indeed there has been," Terry agreed. - -At the cottage Granny welcomed them with her usual happy smile but asked -at once: - -"What has happened?" - -"How did you know anything had happened?" asked Betty. - -"I can tell by your faces." - -"Well, I believe we do show something of it," her granddaughter admitted. -"But nothing a cup of your nice tea will not help to straighten out, -Granny. You know Terry and Dot?" - -"Oh, yes. And we shall have tea at once. Now tell me." - -They told her. Granny listened with an enigmatic look on her face, now -and then her eyes showing flecks of pity as the wounded man was spoken -of. - -"Very strange!" she said at the end. "I can't understand it. There must -be secrets about the Hall I never dreamed of. Perhaps when it is all torn -down some of the secrets will come to light." - -"There is some as will never see the light!" suddenly exclaimed a sharp -voice from somewhere back of the hall. A woman, hard featured as to face -and with straggling gray hair, suddenly poked her head out. She quite -startled the girls, but Betty smiled reassuringly. - -"Oh, Cousin Viney!" murmured Betty, "why do you say such things?" as if -dismissing this woman. - -"Did you want anything, my dear?" asked Granny kindly. - -"I only want to tell you that you're having too many visitors, Hannah -Howe!" was the answer. "Too many altogether! You know tea costs money, -and so does cream and sugar, though I never use either." - -"Won't you sit down with my company, Viney, and have a cup of tea--clear, -as you always like it?" invited Granny sincerely. - -"No. I've got other things to do. There's lots of work in this cottage. -Not as much as there was in the Hall--but enough!" - -At that she flounced herself out, slamming the door. - -Granny and Betty exchanged glances. So did Dot and Terry: it was their -introduction to Viney Tucker. Arden had already met her, as Betty -announced. She added: - -"Don't mind her. She's Granny's cousin--just a little odd--though I don't -need to tell you that. But she's kind and good," she explained as Mrs. -Howe went out to get more hot water. "She thinks the world and all of -Granny and of Dick and me. But there is no use denying she is a bit -trying at times, and she often embarrasses us when we have company--which -isn't as often as I'd like," and Betty smiled at her two new friends to -make them sure of their welcome. - -"I believe," she continued, "that Cousin Viney feels and resents, as one -has a right in the circumstances, our loss of Sycamore Hall, more than -even Granny does. She is a creature always given to solitude and--well, -you know how lonely women can be," she finished. - -"It does seem too bad to have such a wonderful and historic piece of -property pass out of the family," Terry said. "One can hardly blame Miss -Viney." - -"And just to make a national park," added Dot. "Doesn't seem altogether -right." - -"Oh, we're all glad to have Jockey Hollow Park here in Pentville," Betty -was quick to say. "It will put us on the map," and she laughed prettily. -"And of course, if they decide to take in this cottage, which isn't quite -sure, Granny will get something from the state for that. But she would -get a lot more money, and so would Cousin Viney and Dick and I, if we -could find the papers that prove we are the rightful heirs to the old -Hall. As it is, it has reverted to the state. But I believe there is -something about holding the estimated value of the place in court for a -certain number of years to give us a chance to prove ownership. Only I'm -afraid we never can." - -"No," chimed in Granny entering the room just then with fresh tea, "I'm -afraid we never can. There was a time when I had hope, and I did all I -could to hold this man Callahan--who isn't a bad sort--from proceeding -with the demolishing of the Hall. But now I have about given up. Only I -don't dare tell Cousin Viney that," she added with a little laugh. "She -is a die-hard and last-ditcher." - -The girls enjoyed their visit, though they were a little anxious about -the return of Sim and Arden. After a while they decided they would walk -around and wait rather than stay indoors, for the air outside was -bracing. - -"Are you going back to look for those books, Betty?" asked Terry as she -and Dot took their leave. - -"Not alone!" was the answer, given with a little shrug of her shoulders. -Then, pleasantly thanking her, they left. - -Dot and Terry walked on, back toward the Hall. The afternoon was waning. -It would soon be dusk. They hoped Arden and Sim would not be too late. - -"What do you think of it all, Dot?" Terry asked. - -"You mean about the queer old lady? Potty, if you ask me." - -"Oh, yes, a bit eccentric. But I mean about things that have happened -here in Jockey Hollow." - -Dot did not answer for several seconds. Then she said: - -"Terry, I believe there is something mysterious here, but it isn't -ghosts, though that's what you can call them." - -Terry wondered what Dot meant. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - Jim Doesn't Know - - -Sim drove along as fast as she dared, with Arden sitting beside her, both -girls wondering, conjecturing, and trying in vain to guess what the -answer to the riddle of Jockey Hollow might be. - -Now and then one of the girls, to make sure all was well, would turn to -the man in the rumble seat holding his wounded friend in a slanting -position against his own dust-begrimed body; and Jim was begrimed, also. - -"Does he seem any better?" Arden asked once. - -"No, miss. Not yet." - -"He is still alive, isn't he?" asked Sim, wondering what they should do -if the answer were in the negative. - -"Oh, yes, miss, he's alive. I can feel his heart beating." - -"That's good. Is it much farther?" - -"Not much. Take the next left turn, please." - -Sim did this. Down a country road, lined on each side with bare trees, -they saw a small house. - -"There's the place, miss! That's where Jim lives," eagerly called the -helping man, who had said his name was Nate Waldon. "I'll be glad when we -get him home. I hope the doctor will come soon." - -"So do I," murmured Arden. - -"We certainly do manage to get into the most curious mix-ups," suggested -Sim as she ran the car around the bend and up as close as she could get -to the house, which had a drive on one side. There was a barn in the -rear, but no evidence that it was used as a garage. - -It was a small house; not unlike, Arden reflected, a picture of the huts -used by the soldiers of Washington's army when it was encamped in Jockey -Hollow so many years ago. - -At the sound of the stopping car, evidently something unusual in front of -that little house, a young woman, followed by a small girl about five -years old, quickly opened the door and looked out. Then, as she evidently -caught sight of her husband held in the arms of Nate, she ran out, -crying: - -"Oh, Jim! What has happened! Are you hurt? Oh, Jim!" - -Sim and Arden quickly alighted and helped Nate lift the still unconscious -Jim out of the rumble seat. It wasn't easy, for the limp form was heavy. - -"He's coming to, I think," said Arden in a low voice to Sim. "I saw his -eyelids flutter." - -"Oh, Jim! Jim!" sobbed his wife. The little girl was also sobbing now. -Sim, realizing that Arden knew more about first aid than she did, took -charge of the child. - -"He isn't hurt bad, Mrs. Danton, I'm sure he isn't," said Nate with the -ready sympathy of one worker for another's mate. "He just had a sort of a -fall and he got bruised a bit and cut up and a hit on the head. But he'll -come around. Mr. Callahan had one of the men telephone for a doctor. Is -he here yet?" - -"Not yet. Oh, Jim! Poor Jim!" wailed the excited woman. - -"Now, he's all right, didn't I tell you that, Mrs. Danton? Here, pull -yourself together. You've got to help this young lady and me carry him in -and put him to bed and then get ready for the doctor. Now don't be -fainting on us." Nate took charge promptly. - -"No! No. I won't faint. But what happened?" Mrs. Danton asked. - -"He just fell down an old ash-chute," Arden said as she and Nate, with -the help of the man's wife, carried him into the little cottage where -Sim, comforting the child, had already preceded them. - -Just how they managed, Sim and Arden never had any clear recollection -afterward. But they succeeded in getting poor Jim upon a bed in a room -downstairs opening out of a small but very neat little kitchen. Then, -when his wife was undressing him, with the help of Nate, while Sim, in -the neat kitchen, was telling the little girl a fairy story, Dr. Ramsdell -arrived. - -"What's going on here?" he asked in a bluff hearty voice. He did not -know, and had probably not seen before, any of those whom he addressed. -But he seemed, as Arden said afterward, "like one of the family." - -"Oh, doctor, it's my husband!" faltered Mrs. Danton, again on the verge -of tears. - -"Tut! Tut! None of that!" warned Dr. Ramsdell. "We'll soon be having your -husband on his feet again. A little accident, I was told," he remarked, -and his eyes swept in turn Arden and Nate. - -"He had a fall--at the--the ghost house," Nate answered. - -"Ghost house! What joke is that?" chuckled the physician, quickly taking -off his coat and gloves and picking up the black bag he had set down on a -chair. - -Out in the kitchen Sim was intoning to the little girl: - -"And when the Prince came riding by in his automobile----" - -"Didn't he have a horse?" questioned the child, smiling now. - -"No, he was a new sort of Prince--he had a car." - -"Oh, how queer! A fairy story with an auto. But I like it. Go on, -please." - -Dr. Ramsdell bent over the man on the bed. He felt his pulse, put his -hand on the heart, and pulled back the closed eyelids. - -"Why, he's not badly hurt!" he announced. "My goodness, this is no -accident at all! Just a little shock. Here, my man! How are you? Drink -this!" He had quickly mixed something in a glass of water that Arden, -with ready foresight, had in waiting for him. "That's better. Now tell me -the joke about the ghost house." - -"It's Sycamore Hall in Jockey Hollow, where he was working," Arden -supplied. - -"Oh, there. Yes, I know Sycamore Hall. Old Mrs. Howe claims she ought to -have it, but the Park Commission thinks differently. But this is the -first I've heard about ghosts. Never mind them. That's the joke. Now, let -me look you over." - -It did not take Dr. Ramsdell long to ascertain that Jim Danton was not -seriously hurt. He was cut and bruised, he had a very slight concussion -of the brain, but no fracture of the skull, and a week's rest would make -him well again, the physician announced. - -"Keep him quiet," the doctor ordered as he left. But Jim was roused now. -He seemed to want to talk. "Let him tell what's on his mind if he cares -to," the physician suggested as he left, having set out some medicine -from his bag and given orders as to its administration. - -And when the doctor had gone Jim falteringly told his story. - -"How did it happen?" asked his wife, having heard Nate's version. - -"I don't know, Minnie. I was up in the room with another man--I sort of -forget his name--and we were sizing it up--getting ready to rip it -apart----" - -"Why, I was there with you," interrupted Nate. - -"Oh, that's right--you were." Jim had to talk very slowly. "Well, I went -in the closet to get a crowbar I'd left there." - -"I saw you go in," Nate contributed. "But you didn't come out." - -"No," said Jim in a curiously dull voice. "I didn't come out. All I know -is that I reached for my crowbar that was leaning against the closet wall -and then, all of a sudden, it felt as though somebody hit me on the head. -I fell down, and that's all I know--until just now." He sighed gratefully -and pressed his wife's nervous hand. - -"But what really happened to him? Who hit him?" demanded Mrs. Danton. - -"That's what nobody knows," said Nate. "After Jim disappeared, we started -looking for him. All but gave up when one of these young ladies found him -in the cellar--unconscious." - -"Neither of us found him," Arden said. "It was the granddaughter of the -woman who claims to own Sycamore Hall--Betty Howe." - -"Oh, that terrible ghost house!" moaned Jim's wife. "We heard stories -about it before Jim went to work there--stories floating around Jockey -Hollow--told by the Negro and Italian workmen. A lot of them quit. Then -Mr. Callahan--Jim's worked for him before--sent out word for better men. -Jim has been sick, but he decided to go. - -"We needed the money so much. We are so poor--so much in debt." She had -come out of the sick-room and closed the door. Her husband appeared to be -sleeping. "And there was a bonus of a hundred dollars for any man who -would work a full week, ghost or no ghost. Jim said he would. He tried, -but--the ghost got him!" - -She hid her face in her folded arms on the table and sobbed. The little -girl looked frightened. - -"Stop!" commanded Arden. "You mustn't give way like this. Everything is -going to be all right. Your husband isn't badly hurt. He will get well!" - -"But how can we live, meanwhile?" She raised her tear-stained face. - -"I will see Mr. Callahan about that," said Sim determinedly. "He must -carry workmen's compensation insurance. My father does in his stores. You -will be looked after. Now, don't cry. See, you are frightening Suzanne." -The little girl had told her name. - -"Yes, I must be brave. But, oh, that terrible ghost house. It should be -burned down! It almost killed--Jim," Mrs. Danton sobbed. - -"It will soon be torn down now," Arden said. "And, really, I don't -believe it's a ghost house at all. Those are only silly stories. Your -husband's accident is explainable on perfectly natural grounds, I'm sure -we'll find out. Now we must go. But you will need help. Can't we get some -neighbor in?" - -"Yes, Mrs. Johnson--she lives in the next house down the road--she will -come in, I think." - -"I'll get her," offered Sim. "You wait here, Arden." - -Sim soon returned with the kind neighbor, and as the girls had done all -they could do, they said good-bye, promising to come again. - -"And tell me another fairy story!" stipulated Suzanne. - -"I will, my dear. You can tell your father the one I told you when he -gets better, as he soon will." - -"I'll do that--yes." Suzanne was cute and had fascinating dimples. - -Sim and Arden drove away as the sun was beginning to set. They must pick -up Terry and Dot. - -"Well," remarked Sim as she speeded the little roadster along, "we've got -something to think of now." - -"I think," said Arden seriously as she recalled the pathetic scene back -at Jim Danton's house, "that we have a stronger motive than ever in -finding out about this ghost business--I mean a stronger motive than just -trying to help Granny Howe prove her right to the place." - -"There is something queer under all this, Sim. Men shouldn't be hurt like -this just because, possibly, somebody is playing jokes. I'm going to find -out the secret of Jockey Hollow!" she declared now. - -"And we're all going to help you!" Sim added. "This isn't a ghost story, -it's a detective story now." - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - A Surprise - - -Thinking over what had taken place that afternoon, and reviewing their -own parts in the strange mystery, kept Sim and Arden rather silent on the -drive back from Jim Danton's home. Then, as they were almost back at the -Hall, where Terry and Dot were waiting, Sim remarked seriously: - -"I don't believe it's anyone playing jokes." - -"What do you mean--jokes?" asked Arden, her attention, which had wandered -far afield, snapping back to the girl beside her in the roadster. - -"You said," Sim replied, "that possibly somebody was playing a joke to -cause these manifestations. It's a pretty serious joke, if you ask me." - -"I agree with you," Arden answered. "But there are persons with a very -strange sense of humor." - -"I wish some of them had to fall down the ash-chute as Jim did!" Sim -exclaimed snappishly. "It would jar some of the humor out of them." - -"I don't really believe I meant that, about it being a joke," went on -Arden. "But I'm determined to find out what's at the bottom of it all. It -must be real and it must have humans in it." - -"And I'm with you!" declared Sim. "But I have a new thought, Arden!" - -"What, Mistress Sim?" asked Arden. "I declare I'm reverting to Colonial -talk, thinking so much about this ancient place," and she laughed. "But -let me have your thought." - -"Could it be labor troubles?" asked Sim. "I mean, could some other -contractor, who resented Mr. Callahan having the job of tearing down this -old mansion, be trying to scare his men off so Mr. Callahan would give up -the contract? Isn't that possible?" - -"Yes, possible." - -"You know," went on Sim, "while there may not be very much money for a -contractor in just pulling down an old mansion, this one is of -Revolutionary importance, and there may be what the boys would call -'pickings,' that would sell for a good sum." - -"You mean like those hand-forged hooks in the closet where Jim -disappeared from?" - -"Yes. So it may be that some rival contractor is trying to force Mr. -Callahan to give up by frightening his men away." - -"It's an idea," admitted Arden, after thinking it over. "But why haven't -some of these alleged jokers been caught?" - -"Because they have been working on the fears of ignorant men." - -"You can't exactly call Jim and his workers ignorant," Arden objected. - -"No. But this is the first time anything happened to them. And it was all -so mixed up, no proper search was made at the moment of the scare. If it -had been, something might have been found out." - -"Well, I hope _we_ can find out something," Arden suggested. "It's sad to -think of a poor man hurt on the first work he gets after months of -idleness. And that little family was in a sad state." - -"Yes. We must make sure that Mr. Callahan does something for -them--workmen's compensation relief or something like that." - -Arden nodded. She was very thoughtful, and Sim, noticing that her chum's -thoughts had evidently taken a new turn, asked: - -"Have you any other theory as to how this happened to Jim?" - -"I was just wondering if anyone could have slipped into that closet, -stolen up behind Jim, hit him on the head, and then put his unconscious -body down the ash-chute?" - -"I don't see how they could, with another man in the same room." - -"No, I suppose not. Well, it's baffling, certainly." - -As they made a turn in the road which would put them on the main highway -leading back to the Hall and Jockey Hollow, they saw a horseman leading a -riderless mount coming out of the woods. - -"It's Dick Howe!" exclaimed Arden. - -"Yes," Sim agreed. - -The young groom saw them at the same moment and held back his horses -until they could ride past, which they did, coming to a stop a little way -beyond him. - -"Hello, Dick!" Arden greeted. - -"Afternoon, ladies--or I might almost say evening," Dick answered. The -slanting rays of the fast-setting sun shone on his face, and the girls -were surprised to see that it was bleeding. He noticed their quick -attention drawn to him and, putting up a hand to wipe away some trickling -blood, remarked. "Yes, my horse got a bit skittish and ran me under a low -branch. I hope it doesn't leave a scar," and he laughed lightly. - -"Is it deep?" asked Sim anxiously. - -"Not at all--just a scratch. I've been taking an old gentleman out for a -canter--had to deliver a horse to him and lead it back--lead it both -ways, in fact. And Highboy," he patted his own mount, "is always -troublesome with a led critter near him. He tried to bolt with me more -than once. You girls going riding again soon?" - -"I hope so," Sim said. "But you know, with Christmas just around the -corner, we won't have much time until after that and then we'll have to -go back to school." - -"That's so," Dick agreed. "Well, turn all the business my way that you -can, or, rather, Ellery's way. We need it! And if I don't see you again, -why, Merry Christmas!" - -"The same to you," they answered. - -Arden waved to Dick as Sim stepped on the accelerator, and the car shot -away, leaving the young groom and his two horses bathed in the red sunset -light, the crimson rays matching the blood on his cheek. - -"Rather queer," remarked Sim as they made the last turn before reaching -the road that ran past the Hall. - -"What?" asked Arden. - -"Dick getting hurt that way. I mean he's such a good rider, you would -think he might have ducked the branch that hit him." - -"You can't tell what a horse will do," declared Arden. "What, just, did -you mean?" - -"Well," Sim went on, slowing down to avoid some ruts, "I was thinking it -would be queer if Dick had been around the old Hall when Jim was hurt and -maybe he got hurt the same way--or something like it." - -"But Dick wasn't there. He was off with an old gentleman going for a -ride." - -"Yes, I suppose so. Well, it was only a notion. But there are enough -queer things happening--this would only be one of them. Betty was there -at the house, you know." - -"But I'm sure Dick wasn't. Look, there are Terry and Dot waiting for us." - -They saw the two girls walking up and down in front of the Hall. The -afternoon was fast passing. They had spent more time than they realized. - -"So you finished your visit with Granny?" asked Sim. - -"Yes, we had tea again. Betty is very nice. So is Granny. But the -cousin--she's queer," related Terry. - -"Oh, so you met Viney Tucker?" asked Arden. - -"She poked herself in at us," said Dot. "But what happened to you?" - -Arden and Sim told, and said something about the strange closet. - -"Let's go in now and have a look at it while none of the workmen is -around," suggested Arden enthusiastically. - -"No, it's too dark!" objected Terry. "I don't believe in ghosts any more -than you do, but going in that queer old house when it's as dark as it's -going to be soon, doesn't appeal to me." - -"Nor me!" said Dot. - -She and Terry climbed into the rumble seat, and they were all soon back -at Sim's house. The way seemed short, for they had plenty to talk about. - -It was quite dark when they arrived. Moselle opened the door for them and -exclaimed: - -"I sure am glad you-all have come back!" There was a tone of relieved -anxiety in her voice. - -"Why?" drawled Sim. "Have you been seeing ghosts, too, Moselle?" - -"No. But a gentleman named Harry Pangborn has been telephonin' an' -telephonin' all the afternoon, wantin' to know when you-all would be -back. He seemed quite set up about it. I couldn't give him any -satisfaction. But he----" - -The telephone jingled smartly. - -"That must be him again!" exclaimed Moselle scurrying in. - -"Harry Pangborn!" cried Terry. - -"What a delightful surprise!" voiced Sim. - -"I wonder what he wants?" murmured Arden. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - Some Real Investigating - - -Moselle called from the telephone in the back hall: - -"Oh, Miss Sim! It's the gentleman again--Mr. Pangborn!" - -Sim hurried to the instrument while the other girls looked at one -another, laughter in their eyes and with hearts beating faster. - -"Our old friend of the orchard masquerade," said Arden. - -"Do you suppose he's going to vanish again--take another name and get -into some other mystery?" asked Terry. - -"I hope he's coming here to spend Christmas!" Dot was very frank in her -desires. "It would be a change from ghosts and musty old houses." - -"Hush!" warned Arden. "The phone is open--he'll hear us." - -They were chattering loudly near where Sim was speaking and listening -over the telephone. They heard her say: - -"Oh, but how nice! Of course!--Come right over. We'll have dinner in a -little while, and there'll be a place for you.--Oh, yes, we have been -very busy.--What?--I'll tell you when you come over. But what are you -doing in this part of the country?--We thought you were enjoying your -millions.--Oh, getting even with me, I see--you'll tell us when you get -here.--Yes, this place is easy to find. All the taxi men know it. See you -later!" - -Sim danced back through the hall to where her friends waited with anxiety -to hear the other half of the conversation. - -"Was it really Harry Pangborn?" demanded Arden. - -"Of course it was and is! He's coming over!" Sim laughed merrily. - -"But why?" - -"How?" - -"What for?" - -"Wait! Wait!" begged Sim, holding her hands up to ward off her -importunate chums. "He's going to explain it all when he comes over. It -seems he just arrived in Pentville this afternoon. He was nice enough to -say he remembered that we all lived here, and he's lonesome, so he's been -keeping our line busy. He almost gave up finding us in." - -"But what's he out here for?" asked Terry. - -"Came especially to see you, my dear," laughed Sim. - -"Oh, be serious!" begged Arden. - -"Well, I can safely wager he didn't come to see me," Dot put in. "I -really hardly met him. You three monopolized him at Cedar Ridge and then -got his thousand dollars' reward." - -"_We_ didn't get the thousand dollars," Sim said. "It was really the -college swimming pool." - -"And Arden solved that mystery," added Terry, referring to one told of in -_The Orchard Secret_. - -"If I can only solve this one of Jockey Hollow I'll go in for mystery -solving as a profession," Arden laughed. "I might major in it at Cedar -Ridge." - -"Perhaps," suggested Dot, "now that Harry Pangborn is here, he can help -you." - -Arden looked at the visitor. Was there anything sarcastic in the remark? -Hardly, for Dot smiled brightly. - -"I still can't guess why he has come here," said Terry. - -"You shall know very soon, child," mocked Sim. "Now we must get busy and -wash our faces. And, oh, I wonder what sort of a dinner Moselle can give -us? I must have a talk with her. Run along, girls, get painted and -powdered, and I'll follow as soon as I can." - -Shortly after this, Harry Pangborn drove up to the Westover home in a -"small but expensive car," as Dot remarked, catching a glimpse of its -gleaming lamps out on the drive. The young man came in, bronzed as to -complexion, smiling charmingly, and showing his white even teeth, and -greeted the girls with the comradeship of a co-ed. - -"So glad to see you again," he told them. "And now, as I heard Sim say -she wondered why I was here, I'll tell you. I'm here in this particular -place because I am lonesome for such company as yours." (That was being -gallant.) "And I'm in Pentville because I have a mission to perform in -Jockey Hollow." - -"Jockey Hollow!" cried the four girls together. - -"Do you mean you are going to try to rid Sycamore Hall of its ghosts?" -asked Arden a moment later. - -"Ghosts!" exclaimed young Mr. Pangborn. "I don't know anything about -ghosts and less about Sycamore Hall. What's the joke?" - -"Ever since they got me here," supplied Dot, who seemed rather "taken" by -the young fellow, "these girls have done nothing but discover -ghosts--ghostly noises, dead women on a bed, a man mysteriously missing -and found in a cellar--and it all happened at Sycamore Hall, an old -Revolutionary mansion in Jockey Hollow that is going to be torn down to -make room for a new road." - -"This is news to me," said Harry Pangborn. "I didn't count on this when I -was asked to come to Jockey Hollow. But it's--grand!" - -"Just why were you asked?" Sim wanted to know. - -"Well, you are familiar with the fact that I fell heir to my -grandfather's estate on Long Island," was the answer. "On it is a big -wooded park, and as I happen to be a nature lover, and a wild bird -enthusiast in a small way, I carried out some ideas started by my late -grandfather and have built up quite a bird sanctuary, as they are -called--a place for the conservation of all wild life; you know, of -course. I put some new ideas into my experiments. Word of it got around, -and I was asked by Dr. Max Thandu, the State Park Commissioner here in -your part of the country, to make a sort of survey of Jockey Hollow and -lay out a bird sanctuary there. I agreed, for I thoroughly believe in -this sort of thing." - -"You mean you are going to work around here?" Dorothy asked. - -"Work," echoed Arden. "What Harry does is never just--work." She had -called him "Harry," and a self-conscious flush made her look even -prettier. - -"I understand Jockey Hollow, with its Revolutionary associations, is to -be made a state or national park," Harry went on, smiling kindly at -Arden. "The bird sanctuary will only be incidental to its historic value. -But I am glad to do my little part there. So, having some leisure time, -and the Christmas season being rather a hectic time down our way, and -being fond of the woods in winter and solitude--in a way--I decided to -use my Christmas vacation by coming to Jockey Hollow and getting some -first-hand information." - -"What could be nicer for us?" Sim complimented. - -"Are you going to stay until after Christmas?" Arden inquired. - -"I hope to. I understand Jockey Hollow is rather a big place, and it will -take me several days to survey it, locate proper places for feeding -stations, and arrange for a water supply for the birds. When I told Dr. -Thandu I would come here, I suddenly happened to remember that you Cedar -Ridge girls lived out this way, and so I'm afraid I kept the operator -rather busy this afternoon giving her your number, Sim." - -"Oh, that, too, would have been kind of you. Central isn't ever very busy -here. I'm sure she rather enjoyed it. The girls listen in, you know." - -"She hasn't anything on me!" he laughed. "Well, now you know why I'm -here." They had all settled down comfortably, and it seemed, with Harry -there, their party was complete. - -"But I thought you said," remarked Dot, "that you wanted solitude for -Christmas," her eyes were mischievous. - -"Oh, well, there is solitude--and _solitude_!" he countered, his gaze -sweeping them all in turn, but lingering upon Arden. "But tell me about -the ghosts. Are they just too--too divine?" - -They told him at dinner, which was a success in every way, Moselle and -her daughter doing themselves proud in the viands and the serving -thereof. Moselle simply loved company, especially young men company. - -"Now, what do you think of it all?" Arden asked when the various phases -of the happenings at the Hall had been recounted. - -Harry Pangborn was silent for a moment as he crushed the ashes of his -cigarette on the plate. - -The girls waited, not a little anxiously, for his opinion. It was good to -have a man around--especially such a delightful young man as Harry -Pangborn--one whom they knew and could trust. - -"Well?" asked Sim, at length. - -"Well," he blew out a cloud of smoke, "it sounds to me like either one of -two things," came the answer, slowly given. "It's either a trick of some -mischievous person or persons, as you have hinted, perhaps engineered by -a rival contractor. Or--" again a pause--"there may be something in it." - -"Do you really mean--ghosts?" gasped Terry. - -"Well, perhaps what some persons call ghosts," the young man answered. -"Let us say natural manifestations that take on a weird meaning or -significance because they are not understood. I now have a double duty -here. I'm going to lay out the Jockey Hollow bird sanctuary and----" - -He lighted a fresh cigarette. - -"If you'll leave this to me," he continued as he inhaled the aromatic -smoke, "I'll do some real investigating, if you want me to." - -"It really ought to be done," said Arden gladly. "We want to help Granny -Howe if we can, to put her in a position where she can claim this -property; though it seems hopeless after all these years. And we also -want to help this Jim Danton. We'll be so grateful for your help, Harry, -and we are so relieved to have you here--just now." - -"Such as it is, you shall have it!" promised Mr. Pangborn. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - The Figure in Red - - -Arden Blake fairly jumped into her bedside slippers, drew on a dressing -gown, and in an instant was at the window. - -"What's the matter?" sleepily inquired Terry, who was in the other twin -bed. "Has anything happened?" - -"It's snowing again," Arden answered. "I awoke a little while ago and I -heard tiny tappings against the window. I wondered what it was and I -waited a decent time, so I shouldn't awaken you, to find out." - -"Nothing to do with the mystery, has it?" yawned Terry. - -"No, silly! It's just snowing. It's going to be a glorious storm, much -better than the other little fairy we had, I believe, and oh, don't you -just love snow for Christmas?" - -"That's so, Christmas is coming," Terry admitted as she sat up in her bed -and watched Arden, still at the window. "What time is it?" - -"Nearly eight. Too sleepy still to see the faithful clock right before -you," teased Arden. - -"Sim and Dot up yet?" - -"I haven't heard them moving." Arden inclined an ear toward the room -across the hall where their hostess and the other girl slept. - -"Well, then, come on back to bed," urged Terry. "No use getting up until -Sim does. And we stayed up so late last night, talking to Harry Pangborn, -that I'm sleepy yet." - -"I'm not, and I'm going to dress. I have something to do," declared Arden -with a purposeful look on her face. - -"What? Going to see Harry? I think he's awfully nice." - -"He is, but I'm not going to see him. I'm going to the woods to get some -holly branches. I noticed a lovely lot of bushes some distance back of -the old Hall when I was wandering around by the cellar door that time -Betty Howe popped up out of it." - -"With horror on her face, as they say in books," drawled Terry. - -"Yes, she was terrified all right," admitted Arden. "Who wouldn't be, -coming upon what looked like a dead man? And that's another thing we must -do." - -"My, aren't we the busy girls!" laughed Terry. "What else, for goodness' -sakes? I might as well get up and dress, I suppose. There'll be no sleep -for me now with you barging around." - -"Another thing we must do," said Arden as she began to dress, "is to see -to it that Jim Danton's poor little family gets some relief from Mr. -Callahan or somebody. He was hurt while working for the contractor, and -the contractor should pay. That's the law." - -"It wasn't exactly his fault, though," Terry argued. "Mr. Callahan might -claim, as they say they do in some insurance policies, that it was an act -of God, an unforeseen calamity, and so get out of it--I mean he might say -it was the ghost of Jockey Hollow." - -"I hardly believe he would do that," remarked Arden, brushing her hair -vigorously. "But it surely is puzzling. Well, we'll see what Harry -Pangborn can figure out of it, though I think, since we sort of promised, -in a way we should try and do something for the Danton family. There is -no social service agency around here." - -"Yes, somebody must help them, and they seem nice folks, too. But about -this holly, what are you going to do with it specially?" - -"Decorate this place for Christmas, of course. Coming with me?" - -"I suppose so. Dot and Sim will, I imagine." - -"Yes, we'll make a little party of it. Oh, I do love to walk in the snow, -and it's coming down beautifully!" raved Arden. "Do come and look, -Terry!" - -"Wait until I get this shoe on. Though if we're going to tramp in the -snow I suppose I'd better wear heavier ones." - -"You won't need them with arctics. But isn't it a glorious storm!" - -Terry agreed that it was. The two chums finished dressing and went out in -the hall to go down for breakfast, which was evidently being prepared by -Moselle and her dark daughter, as testified to by the rattling of dishes -and the aroma of bacon and coffee floating up. - -As Terry and Arden were walking toward the stairs, they heard the door of -Sim's room open, and Dot came out, wearing a robe. She held her finger on -her lips as a signal for silence. - -"What's the matter?" whispered Arden. - -"She has a bad headache," Dot replied. "She was awake a good part of the -night, and she's just fallen asleep. I thought I'd slip down and tell -Moselle not to make any more noise than she can help. Sim needs quiet." - -"Oh, that's too bad!" murmured Terry. "I wonder if there's anything we -can do?" - -"No, I gave her some aspirin. She'll be all right. If you're going down, -would you mind having that little slave bring me up some coffee? That's -all I want. I'll be waiting out in the hall so I won't disturb Sim by -opening the door too often." - -"It's too bad," murmured Terry again. "Can't you come down and have some -breakfast with us?" - -"No, coffee is all I'll take. Some storm, isn't it?" - -"Terry and I were going out for a walk in it," whispered Arden, "and to -gather some holly branches to decorate the place here for Christmas. We -hoped you and Sim would come, but if she has a headache I guess we'll -postpone the trip." - -"No reason why you should," Dorothy argued, walking to the head of the -stairs with the others to avoid whispering so much outside Sim's door. -"I'll stay here with her. I don't feel much like walking in the snow, -though I love fresh-grown holly. Get all you can, and by the time you -come back I'll be ready to help decorate, and perhaps Sim's head will be -better." - -"All right," agreed Arden. "I have my mind set on it, and I don't like to -change. You'll come, Terry?" - -"Oh, yes." - -Dot had her coffee, the other girls making a more substantial breakfast, -and then, leaving Sim still asleep and Dot on guard, Terry and Arden set -out into the storm. The flakes were coming down rapidly now, dry, small -flakes that seemed to presage a heavy fall. It was not yet deep, but -would be, as none was melting. - -"Oh, it's so lovely!" murmured Arden raising her face to let the -snowflakes melt on it. - -"You seem to have quite a yen on for storms," remarked Terry, laughing. - -"I always have had. Now we must step out. It's quite a distance to the -old Hall, and it's slow walking in the snow." - -"I'm equal to it," declared Terry, bracing up and dashing forward. - -They trudged along, laughing and talking--talking principally of the -advent of Harry Pangborn and his declaration that he would do some real -investigating of the mysterious happenings in Jockey Hollow. - -"I wonder if he'll really discover anything," said Terry as they neared -the place. - -"He might," was Arden's opinion. "He has a good head, I believe." - -"He has nice teeth, anyhow." - -"To bite ghosts with, I suppose!" laughed Arden. - -"Yep! Well, I can see the place now," remarked Terry as they topped a -little rise. "There doesn't seem to be any men working there, though--no -plaster dust floating out of the windows as usual when men are tearing -down an old building." - -"It is quiet," Arden admitted as they walked in front of the Hall. "I -suppose Mr. Callahan is wondering what sort of workmen to get next, since -his white-collar class has left, apparently." - -"Look!" Terry suddenly exclaimed, pointing. "Footprints in the snow. At -least one man has gone in there!" - -"That is very evident, Robinson Crusoe," laughed Arden. "As your man -Friday, I agree with you. Someone has gone in, and one man only, judging -by the footprints. And as these are plain footprints and not little -scratchy marks in the snow I think we may safely argue that it is no -ghost." - -"Who said it was?" countered Terry. "But what can one workman do in -tearing down such a big house?" - -At that moment a head was thrust out of an upper and partly demolished -window and a voice cheerily called: - -"Good-morning, girls!" - -"Oh, it's Harry Pangborn!" exclaimed Arden. - -"Hello, Harry!" greeted Terry. Since the episode at Cedar Ridge, the -friends had begun to call one another by their first names. - -"What are you doing in there?" Arden called back. - -"Investigating ghosts, as I promised. Want to help me?" - -"We're after holly," said Terry, "in the back woods." - -"Well, you have time for both ghosts and holly too, perhaps." - -"No, thank you," Arden decided, shaking some of the snow off her hat. "I -think you can do your investigating alone. I mean, you come to it with an -open mind. Terry or I might suggest something to you, in our eagerness, -and that would throw you off the track." They were so near the Hall they -could talk easily to the young man at the window above. - -"There is something in what you say," admitted Harry with an assumed -judicial air. "I shall take it under consideration. Well, then, I'll go -on investigating by myself, reserving the right to call at Sim's house to -see you all, later, and report." - -"Yes, do!" invited Terry. - -"Have you found anything yet?" Arden wanted to know. - -"I only arrived a few minutes ago. Well, on with the ghost hunt! Stop in -if you come past this way, and I'll help you carry the holly branches -home." - -"Oh, that will be fine!" called Terry. "I was wondering how we could -carry enough to make really satisfactory decorations." - -"But I draw the line at a Yule Log!" stipulated the young millionaire, -whose car, the girls now noticed, was parked near a big clump of lilac -bushes that nearly concealed it. He had driven in from a direction -opposite that which they had traversed and so they had not seen the tire -marks. - -"Did you come here this morning just to investigate?" pressed Arden as -young Pangborn started away from the window and she and Terry were about -to walk on. - -"Well, I came to look into the matter of bird-feeding stations for the -sanctuary Dr. Thandu wants to establish here, and so I decided I might -also take in the Hall. It's quite a place." - -"Killing two birds with one stone," quoted Terry tritely. - -"Exactly! See you later!" - -He waved a hand to them and disappeared back into the strange old house. - -It was a little farther to the small grove, where the holly trees and -bushes grew, than Arden realized and it was perhaps ten minutes after -their good-bye to the ghost-hunter that the two girls found a thicket -sufficiently large to ensure a good supply of branches with their lovely -red berries and dark, prickly, glossy leaves. Holly is always just holly; -hard, sharp, but magnificent on its trees. - -They had good pocket knives and soon cut off a quantity--more, Arden -suggested, than they could carry even with the help of Mr. Pangborn, when -Terry, glancing off toward a little clearing, suddenly cried: - -"Look!" - -There was something in the tone of her voice that startled Arden. But she -managed to ask, as she whirled quickly around: - -"What is it?" - -"A figure in red!" whispered Terry, pointing. "There--through the -trees--someone in red--moving. Oh, perhaps it's the ghost of Patience -Howe! She is always seen wearing a red cloak, you know!" - -Arden dropped the holly branches from her hand as she looked toward where -Terry pointed. - -Something was moving! Red, in all that deep, dark clump of evergreens! - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - Santa Claus - - -Terry and Arden drew closer together, instinctively, for mutual -protection. It was uncanny to see this strange, scarlet figure capering -about in the little clearing, seen through a screen of fir trees and -against a background of gleaming white snow. - -"The ghost of Patience Howe," murmured Arden, recalling the story Granny -had told--recalling what the men had said about seeing an apparently dead -woman, in a red cloak, on a bed in the old Hall. And that figure had -mysteriously vanished. - -Now it was in sight again--at least, some figure was there. There was no -mistaking it, for it was too plain to be anything else but a moving elfin -thing. - -"Oh," whispered Terry, "do you think, Arden, that Harry could have -disturbed it?" - -"Disturbed what?" - -"This ghost--I mean, perhaps he came upon the place where it hides in the -house and it ran out--no, ghosts don't run, they sort of float, like -smoke, don't they? Oh, Arden, I'm frightened!" - -Then, fascinated, they watched and saw the red-clad figure seemingly -capering about, doing a strange dance in the snow. And suddenly it -started toward where they were half hidden by bushes and trees. Coming -toward them! - -"Oh!" screamed Terry. "Come on, Arden!" She turned to run, uttered a -sudden cry of pain as she clutched her right ankle and sank down -helplessly in the snow. - -"Terry! What is it?" begged Arden, dropping to her side. - -"My ankle! I twisted it when I turned to run! Oh, how it hurts! I hope I -haven't broken it!" - -"I don't believe you did, my dear! Ankles don't break as easily as that. -Oh, I'm so sorry!" She took some snow up in her hand and pressed it on -Terry's forehead, now wrinkled with pain. It flashed into Arden's mind -that she was going to have trouble getting Terry back to Sim's -house--walking with even a slightly sprained ankle was out of the -question. Then, with a feeling of relief, she thought of Harry in the -ghost house. She would have to leave Terry there in the snow, however, to -go get him to come to the rescue. - -"I'm so sorry," Arden murmured. "Poor Terry!" - -"It was silly of me--making so much trouble. But, oh, Arden--the red -ghost! Look, it's coming right for us!" She was facing in the direction -of the strange red figure; Arden had her back toward it. But at Terry's -cry Arden looked around, and then she had to laugh, even with all the -trouble they seemed to be in. And a moment later Terry also laughed, in -spite of her pain. - -For it was no red-cloaked ghost of Patience Howe that was bouncing over -the snow toward the two girls. It was--Santa Claus! - -A rotund figure of a jolly little man with a real beard of lovely white -hair--no cotton whiskers on this St. Nicholas--came prancing through the -underbrush, scattering snow. He was no ghost, the girls were assured of -that in a moment, for he addressed them in very human accents. But even -with all this reality it was a puzzle. - -"Well, well, young ladies! I thought I heard somebody scream!" began the -little man. "I was over in that clearing, practising, and I saw you -behind the trees, and I sort of thought you'd think it queer, and I -turned to come and explain. Then I heard a scream and----" - -"My friend turned suddenly and sprained her ankle," Arden interposed. "It -is very painful--I'm afraid she can't walk." - -"Luckily I can take care of that," said Santa Claus. "It was partly my -fault, I reckon. Gave her a start, naturally--seeing me in this rig. -That's why I came out here to try it on. I knew it would look sort of -silly to anybody who didn't understand. I'm terrible sorry." - -"But why are you dressed up this way?" asked Arden. Terry was just about -able to stand and, resting with her head on her chum's shoulder, her face -showed she was suffering. Really the ankle was very painful. - -"It's easy explained," said the little man, pulling at his luxuriant -beard, a thing he never would have dared to do had he been wearing a -masquerade whiskers. "My name is Janson Henshot, I live over at Bayley -Corners, and I'm superintendent of the Sunday-school there. Up to this -year we always had, for the Sunday-school children, the little ones, you -know, a Santa Claus with a false beard. The part was played, off and on, -by Jake Heller or Sam Bendon. - -"But last year one of the little boys gave the beard of Santa Claus a -pull when he was handing out the presents, and the beard came off, and it -sort of spoiled things. So, when Christmas was talked of this year, -somebody said I'd do fine for Santa Claus, as my beard's real and it'll -stand a lot of pulling and won't come off!" He demonstrated, laughing. - -Even Terry smiled now, for she was listening and had opened her eyes. -This, truly, was a comical experience, to find a real Santa Claus in a -real wood. - -"So I said I'd be Santa Claus," went on Mr. Henshot. "All I needed was -the uniform, and my wife made this one. Not bad," and he looked proudly -at his red coat and trousers, trimmed with real white rabbit fur, and at -his glossy black boots. - -"It's perfect!" declared Arden. - -"Glad you like it! Well, after I got the uniform and I didn't have to -raise any beard, I decided I needed some practice to act right as Santa -Claus, me never having played the part before, though I've watched the -others. So I put the uniform in my old flivver and came out here in the -woods to rehearse, as you might say. This is the second time I've done -it. I act like I think the old fellow would act with a lot of happy -children around him--sort of skipping and prancing. Am I keeping you too -long? I wanted to get it down right before I went out into that -Sunday-school crowd. And that's what I was doing--rehearsing--when you -saw me. Guess you must have thought it sort of odd." - -"We--we thought you were a ghost!" murmured Terry. - -"Ghost! My stars!" - -"The ghost of Patience Howe, on account of the red," explained Arden. - -"Oh--Patience Howe--I see--her as is supposed to have been around -Sycamore Hall in the Revolution and hid her horse from the soldiers. Yes, -that's a story around here, but I don't know--ghosts--no such animals if -you ask me!" He laughed heartily. - -"I suppose you have heard," suggested Arden, "that the ghost of Patience, -in her red cloak, is said to wander around the old Hall at times." - -"Oh, yes, I've heard that story, but nobody I know ever saw any ghost -like that. Though, now you speak of it, I did hear that the contractor -who's tearing down the Hall has been having trouble with his men on -account of queer happenings. But I don't take any stock in 'em. Just -rantings of the Negro and Italian laborers, I reckon." - -"Some queer things have happened there," said Arden. "But now what are we -going to do? I must get Terry home as soon as possible--a doctor must -look at her ankle at once!" - -"I know--sprained ankles can kick up quite a fuss. But as I'm sort of to -blame for this, I'll do my best to remedy the trouble. I shouldn't have -kept you here so long talking, by golly! I've got my flivver parked over -near where I was rehearsing. I can run it here--no trouble at all--my -flivver'll go up the side of a barn. And we'll put your friend in and -I'll run her home in a jiffy, if you want me to." - -"I think that will be the best thing to do," said Arden. "We have a -friend in Sycamore Hall----" - -"You have!" cried Mr. Henshot. "Why, I was told Granny Howe couldn't -prove title to the place and she had to get out and it's being torn -down." - -"That's right," Arden assented. "But the friend I speak of is just in -there temporarily, looking for ghosts." - -"My stars!" exclaimed Santa Claus. "Well, I'll go get my flivver. Be back -right quick. Don't let her step on her ankle. I'm mighty, mighty sorry -this happened!" - -He ran away with surprising speed for such an elderly man, his white -beard flying in the wind, and almost before Arden could shift Terry to a -little easier position on her shoulder Mr. Henshot was back with his -creaking roadster. - -To Arden's surprise he still wore his Santa Claus suit. - -"Aren't you going to take that off?" she asked, for she knew he had it on -over his other clothes. - -"Got no time!" he said briskly. "We got to get this young lady to a -doctor right away. I'll drive you just as I am. I don't mind," he said -quickly. "It's in Pentville, and nobody'll know me there. I wouldn't want -to drive through Bayley Corners like this, for it would sort of spoil -things for the youngsters if they see me ahead of time. But it's all -right in Pentville. Drive you just the way I am!" - -Terry was feeling too miserable to object, and Arden realized it would be -useless. Besides, she knew Terry must have her injured ankle looked to as -soon as possible. After all, perhaps no one the girls knew would see -them. - -Terry managed to hobble on one foot and, assisted by Arden and Santa -Claus, was placed on the rear seat of the car with her chum to hold her -against the rough riding. For it would be rough getting out of the -stretch of woods and clearing. - -"Might as well take this holly you picked," said Mr. Henshot. "It'll look -right pretty in the car with me dressed like Santa Claus and all this -snow coming down. A regular white Christmas!" he chuckled. "Right -pretty!" He piled the branches in with the girls, putting some in the -empty seat beside him, and slid under the wheel. - -Then he started the car, driving carefully, after Terry gave a little -moan of pain at a sudden jolt. - -"I'll have to take a short cut," he explained, "so we can't go past the -Hall and pick up your ghost-hunting friend. Sorry, but I can't go that -way." - -"It's all right," said Arden. "He has a car." - -She wondered what those who saw the strange outfit would say, but this -held only a moment's interest. Terry's injury might mean a curtailment of -some of the Christmas festivities, besides all poor Terry's suffering. - -They were out of the woods at last and on a smoother road, not having -passed either Granny's cottage or the Hall. In a short time they were on -the outskirts of Pentville and entered the town by a back road. So not -many saw them, and those who did, while they smiled and laughed and -pointed, put it down to an advertising stunt. Arden saw no one she knew, -Terry saw nothing but Arden's kind shoulder which she leaned against. - -But when the auto of the modern Santa Claus drew up at Sim's house and -Moselle answered Mr. Henshot's ring at the door, she jumped back with -fright. - -"Mercy sakes alive! Whatever is this? A real live----" Moselle was most -eloquent when silence seized her. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - Harry Hears Something - - -Moselle's involuntary shout of surprise and alarm brought Dorothy on a -run to the front door. She gave one look at Terry and Arden seated in the -flivver, surrounded by holly branches, another look at Santa Claus, and -then laughingly demanded: - -"Where do you play the next performance?" - -"It isn't any play, Dot!" called Arden. "Terry's hurt!" - -"Hurt!" She was serious in a moment. - -"It's only a sprained ankle," said Terry, trying to speak with vigor. -"All my own fault." - -"No, it's my fault," insisted Santa Claus. - -Moselle, her eyes almost popping from her head, had retired to the back -hall, but was still peeking and listening. - -"This is Christmas and then some," said Dorothy. "But whatever happened?" - -Explanations were quickly made, amid contrite apologies from Mr. Henshot -for his part in Terry's accident. She was helped into the house and a -doctor summoned. Then, having asked several times if he could be of any -further service, aside from carrying in the holly branches, which he did, -and having been thanked for what he had done, further help being -graciously declined, the little man took himself away. - -"But first," he said, with a jolly laugh, "I'll take off my disguise--all -but my whiskers. I need them. And without my red suit there will be no -chance for the children of Bayley Corners to recognize me. - -"If you folks haven't anything else to do," he said to Arden and Dorothy -when Terry had been put to bed, with Sim (whose headache was better) to -sit beside her, "why, we'd be glad to have you over at the Bayley Corners -Sunday-school entertainment--me playing the part of Santa Claus after my -rehearsals," he chuckled. - -"Thank you," murmured Arden, trying to be cheerful about it. - -Dr. Ramsdell gave it as his opinion that Terry's ankle wasn't as bad as -she feared. It was strained, not sprained, and bound to be painful, but a -day or two of rest would make it all right, the physician said, and she -could get around, though she might want to use a cane for a while. - -"You can still go ghost-hunting," said Arden, when they were all gathered -in Terry's room to commiserate with her. - -"I'm getting sort of fed up with it," Terry said. "I believe it will all -turn out as this ghost of Patience Howe did--in a Santa Claus outfit." - -"Well, if we could play Santa Claus to Granny Howe," suggested Arden, -"and find some way to do something so she could get the money for this -property that has been taken by the state for Jockey Hollow Park, it -would be the best Christmas gift we could give her, I'm sure of that." - -"And it would help Dick to his college education and Betty to realize her -ambition to become an interior decorator," added Sim. - -"But I suppose it is too much to hope for," sighed Arden. "I imagine we -shall have to be content if we can find the troublesome old ghost." - -"Or even if Harry Pangborn finds it," said Terry. - -"Oh, yes, we saw him in the Hall," Arden exclaimed. "We forgot to tell -you. There are no workmen tearing the place down now and Harry had it to -himself." - -"I wonder if he heard anything or saw anything," spoke Dorothy -reflectively. - -The doorbell rang. It gave them a sudden start. - -"Wouldn't it be sort of--psychic if this was Harry now," exclaimed Sim. - -"You should more properly say, 'if this were he, my dear young lady,'" -corrected Arden, imitating one of their teachers at Cedar Ridge. - -"School is out!" declared Sim. "Yes, Moselle?" she inquired. - -"Mr. Pangborn," Moselle announced with dignity. - -The girls looked at one another but didn't dare laugh. The sounds might -carry downstairs. - -"Oh, I wish he might come up here and let me hear what happened!" begged -Terry as she saw her three friends rise as if to leave the room. - -"I don't see why he can't," spoke Dorothy quickly. "You are quite -'decent,' as mother's theatrical friends say when they mean they are -dressed enough to have gentlemen friends in their room--with plenty of -chaperons," and she laughed gayly. - -"Ask him to come up, Moselle!" Sim ordered with sudden decision. - -Harry was not at all abashed by coming into a girl's room while she was -reclining and with three other pretty girls seated around her. Young Mr. -Pangborn was not easily flustered. But he did look surprised. - -"Well, what happened?" he inquired anxiously as he bowed to each one in -turn and went over to Terry in the bed. "Did the bad old ghost get you?" - -"Almost," she smiled as he took her hand. "Only it turned out to be a -Santa Claus ghost; the real thing, too." - -"Tell me," he begged. - -They did. - -Harry laughed. He absent-mindedly took out his cigarette case and then -quickly put it back in his pocket, and almost as quickly took it out when -Sim said: "You may." - -"Well, I'm one up on you," he said to Terry and Arden. - -"What do you mean?" Arden asked as he blew out a cloud of smoke. - -"My ghost got away from me." - -"No!" - -"Really?" - -"Did you see anything?" - -This in turn from Arden, Sim, and Terry. Dorothy was getting him an ash -tray. - -"Oh, tell us!" - -This came in a most proper Greek chorus. - -"Well," he began, adjusting himself comfortably in the chair that gave -him a view of all the girls, "I began my investigation at the ghost house -this morning. Two of you were witnesses to that." He indicated Terry and -Arden. They bowed in answer. - -"I went all over the old place," the young millionaire resumed, "from -cellar to what was left of the fourth floor. And I found nothing except -the old furniture, the beds, a picture of a pretty girl in a green riding -habit, and some old chests that were locked so I didn't open them. I -understand they belong to Mrs. Howe." - -"Yes," Arden said. "But didn't you find any secret passage, anything to -explain how Jim Danton disappeared out of that closet and was found in -the cellar? Didn't you discover the remains of the ghost of the old -soldier, Nathaniel Greene--didn't you find any traces of Patience Howe?" -breathlessly Arden demanded to know. - -"Not a trace," and Harry shook his head. "I tried to find some secret -passage out of that closet, but I couldn't. My only explanation is that -Jim got mixed up and really fell down the big ash-chute. No, I really -didn't find a thing." - -"But you said," interposed Terry, "that you heard----" - -"Yes. That's inexplainable. As I was tramping around the old place, -pulling at loose boards here and there, suddenly, when I was in the room -where, you say, a dead woman was seen on the bed, I heard the most -unearthly groan, screech, yell, or scream. It was a combination of all -four. It gave even me a start, I assure you," he admitted. - -"What happened then?" - -"What did you do?" - -"Who screamed?" - -"Didn't you discover anything?" - -Dot joined in the questioning this time. - -It was a big moment, and Harry was making the most of it. - -What young man wouldn't have? - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - Rift in the Clouds - - -Harry helped himself to another cigarette before he answered the barrage -of inquiries. - -"As nearly as I could tell," said the ghost-hunter, "the scream came from -the room of the mysterious closet. At least, it sounded so to me. As I -say, I was in the room where the old four-poster bed was." - -"Where the workman said he saw the dead body," interposed Arden. - -"Exactly. Well, I left that room on the jump, you may be sure, when I -heard that terrible yell. I knew it hadn't come from the room where I -was, and I headed for the closet room, as we'll call it." - -The girls nodded their heads understandingly but did not interrupt. - -"But there was nothing there," young Pangborn said. "Not a thing that -could have screamed. There was nothing there. Absolutely!" - -"Whatever did you do?" asked Terry, her eyes brighter. Really, this was -all so eerily interesting that she almost forgot the pain of her bandaged -ankle. - -"I just looked around," was the answer. "That horrible scream seemed to -be still echoing through the big bare room, and to me it seemed to come -up out of the ash-chute of the fireplace." - -"That's what one of Jim's companions said," remarked Sim. "He said it -sounded like a dying cat, and he dropped a brick down." - -"If this was a cat it must have been a mountain lion," said Harry, -seriously enough. "I've hunted them, and those catamounts do yell, groan, -or scream in a most unearthly fashion at times. But there are none within -many miles of here, unless one has escaped from a menagerie. Of course, -that's possible." - -"Do you think," asked Dot, examining one of her pink nails, "that it -could be an animal who has been responsible for all the demonstrations?" - -"What a fade-out for our ghosts!" murmured Sim. - -"Not to be thought of!" declared Arden. - -"I did have the idea of an animal for a moment," was the young man's -answer. "But not after I investigated. I looked down the old ash-chute -and even threw some pieces of bricks down. There was no come-back. Then I -made another search of the old house, even going down cellar and looking -at the bottom of the chute, where, you say, Jim was found." - -Arden nodded in confirmation. - -"There was nothing there," went on the narrator, "not even a wild animal -smell, which is very characteristic, I assure you. So I went outside and -had a look around. I got positive evidence, then, that no one but myself -had entered the house." - -"How did you prove that?" pursued Terry. - -"By the footprints in the snow. Or, rather, by a lack of footprints. The -only marks were those I had made in entering and those Terry and Arden -left, but they did not come near the house. So I knew that there was no -one in the house with me." - -"And yet you heard that terrible yell!" whispered Terry. - -"Yes, I heard it. There was no mistake about it." - -"What is your explanation?" asked Arden after a rather long pause. - -Harry laughed, shrugged his shoulders, crushed his cigarette out on the -tray Dot had brought him, and said: - -"I haven't any! I'm as much up in the air as you girls are." - -They were rather wide-eyed at hearing this. - -"Of course," he went on, "this yell is the only manifestation that has -come to me. I understand you girls have both seen and heard things." - -"No." Arden shook her head. "We were never really in the house when -anything actually happened. We would arrive on the scene after the men -had run out, yelling that they had either seen or heard something. What -they heard, so they said, was a scream like the one you describe. Also -there was the sound of heavily booted feet tramping on the stairs. And I -think one man said he saw what he thought was a soldier in one of the -rooms. Then there was the figure on the bed. But we never saw either of -those." - -"And the last thing that happened," said Sim, "I mean just before what -you heard this afternoon, Harry, was the disappearance of Jim and his -subsequent discovery in the cellar." - -"He said something hit him on the head," suggested Dot. - -"Oh, yes, so he did," Arden recalled. - -"Then," stated the young man, "we have three sorts of ghostly -demonstrations: visible, audible, and manual, I might say, to describe -the assault on Mr. Jim. It's very odd. I can't account for it. I was -sure, after I heard that scream, that some prank-loving chap had slipped -into the house after me and was practising his college yell. But the snow -told a different story." - -They were silent a little while, and then Arden, in rather a small voice, -asked: - -"What are you going to do next, Harry?" - -"I don't know. What do you want me to do?" - -"Well, we'd like to have you help us find that ghost, if it's only to -satisfy ourselves that there's no such thing," said Sim. - -"And we want to help Granny Howe," suggested Terry. "It seems pathetic -that her Sycamore Hall, or what she claims is her ancestors' manor house -and ought to be hers, must be torn down, taken away, and she and the two -grandchildren get nothing for it." - -"Yes," admitted Mr. Pangborn. "Pass that, and I shall have something to -say on it in a moment. But can I do anything else to help you? I'll say -now, in between times of laying out the bird sanctuary, I'm going to keep -after the ghost." - -"There's one other thing," Arden said. "About Jim Danton's family. They -are in want and he was hurt while working for that contractor." - -"Oh, yes, I was going to tell you about that," Harry went on. "As I was -coming away, after my unsuccessful, mysterious-voice hunt, I met Mr. -Callahan. I had in mind what you told me last night about this Jim, and I -spoke about him. Callahan says he will see that he gets workman's -compensation all the while he is ill. The contractor carries insurance." - -"That's fine," exclaimed Arden. "Well, outside of finding the ghost, -which perhaps we can't do, and helping Granny--which seems -impossible----" - -"Perhaps not quite as impossible as you think," interrupted the -bird-sanctuary man with a smile, asking pardon for his interruption. "I -talked with my friend Dr. Thandu over the telephone after I left here -last night. I spoke of this case, the old ancestral hall being torn down -and no compensation being paid to the evident heirs, Granny, Dick, and -Betty. - -"Dr. Thandu said it was a very complicated case. It appears when the -state took over Jockey Hollow for a park Mrs. Howe and her grandchildren -lived in the Hall. She had lived there many years and always supposed it -was her property. But when, under the law known as the right of eminent -domain, the state took it to make a Revolutionary memorial park, Mrs. -Howe could produce no papers proving her claim. She never had occasion to -use them, she said, and had no idea where they might be. She surmised -that her father or grandfather had put them away, but a diligent search -failed to reveal them. - -"Well, the state waited a long time, and then, as she could show no legal -title, they asked her to move, which she did, as they were soon going to -start tearing down the place. However, Dr. Thandu and his fellow -commissioners did all they could. They had the Hall appraised and the -money was paid into court. It is there now, and whoever can prove title -to Sycamore Hall will get that money." - -"It should go to Granny Howe, and possibly some of it to her cousin -Viney," declared Arden, "and to Betty and Dick. Why doesn't the state or -Dr. Thandu or somebody give it to them? It's doing no good where it is -now!" Arden was indignant. - -"Granted," said Harry. "But here is the point. Suppose the state paid -this sequestered money to Granny Howe and her kin. Then, some time later, -suppose the real heirs appeared with the legal papers and showed that the -Hall was theirs. The state would have to pay all over again." - -"I suppose they couldn't do that," agreed Sim a little sadly. - -"That's why they have to be so careful," went on Mr. Pangborn. "It is a -complicated matter. The state doesn't want to cheat Granny, nor does it -want to be cheated itself. But there is a rift in the clouds." - -"Where?" asked Terry. - -"Dr. Thandu is willing and will urge that the whole case be reopened. The -Park Commission lawyers will go over it all again and take the matter to -court, seeing if it is possible, even without the missing papers, to pay -Mrs. Howe. And I may add that I am going to have my late grandfather's -lawyers--the ones who posted that reward circular about me," he said with -a smile to Arden--"I'm going to have them look into the case for Mrs. -Howe. They are clever fellows. So perhaps it may all come right after -all." - -"Oh, I do hope so!" cried Arden. "And in this connection I've just had -the most wonderful thought. I must tell you before I forget it. This is -going to be a happy Christmas for Granny Howe. Now, this is my plan." - -But before Arden could continue, there came a knock at the door. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - Arden's Idea - - -Arden was on the verge of disclosing something when that knock sounded. -So excited were the girls over what had happened and what Harry Pangborn -had told them that, for a moment, they were startled. - -Then Sim, the first, seemingly, to return to the very practical present, -called: - -"Come in!" - -Moselle entered. - -"'Scuse me," she said, "but the horse-boy is downstairs." - -"The horse-boy?" repeated Sim. - -"Do you mean somebody with a cold?" asked Arden mischievously glancing at -Harry. - -"No'm, Miss Arden. I means that boy you-all go riding with on horses." - -"Oh, Dick Howe!" said Terry. - -"Whom I have yet to have the pleasure of meeting," murmured Dot. - -"What can he want?" murmured Sim. - -"I wonder if anything could have happened to Granny--or at the Hall?" -questioned Arden. - -"Did he say what he wanted, Moselle?" Sim asked, and Moselle let her eyes -rove about the room containing the four pretty girls and the very -presentable Harry Pangborn. Perhaps Moselle wondered at a gentleman not a -physician visiting in Terry's room, but the cook said nothing about that. -She merely remarked: - -"He didn't say what he wanted--just asked to see one of the young -ladies." - -"Which one?" asked Terry, laughing, for her ankle pain was much relieved -by the comforting bandages and the liniment the doctor had used. - -"He didn't say, Miss Terry, but I 'spects he meant Miss Sim." - -"I'd better go down," Sim decided. - -"I hope," remarked Arden as Sim started downstairs, "that Dick's call has -nothing to do with Granny Howe being ill, or anything like that. What I -was just going to tell you has to do with Granny." - -"I had a glimpse of her near her little cottage as I was leaving the -Hall," said Harry. "She seemed to be all right, bustling about in the -snow like some Colonial housewife. Very picturesque." - -"Hurry back, Sim, and tell us," begged Dot. "I'm dying with curiosity, -and if he's good-looking and young and all that sort of thing, he might -come around oftener. You hinted there might be some young men when you -asked me out for the holidays," she said, mischief again sparkling in her -rather fascinating eyes. - -"What do you call this nice young man?" Arden pointed a slim pink finger -at Harry who bowed gallantly. - -"One among four?" questioned Dot with upraised eyebrows. - -"I know some chaps----" Harry began, but Arden interrupted with: - -"Don't pay any attention to Dot. She's too theatrical." - -Sim had gone down and was returning quickly. - -"It wasn't anything," she reported. "Dick just wanted to know when we -were going to ride again. He said business was rather slow at Ellery's, -and it was Dick's idea to start out and drum up a little trade. He does -get a commission, just as I expected. Shall we go riding again?" - -"I'd love it!" Dot declared. - -"But--Terry," Sim reminded them, going over to the bed and smoothing back -the invalid's hair, rather movie-like. - -"Oh, don't mind me!" Terry was quick to say. "I think a little rest and -quiet will do me good. I shall probably doze off after my ride with Santa -Claus, that was invigorating," and she laughed a little, just like -herself. - -"Well, what about it, girls?" asked Sim. "Dick is waiting for an answer. -I think a ride would do us good. He says he'll bring the horses around -here--he'll have another groom to help him." - -"I'm not very favorably disposed toward Mr. Ellery after that talk I -heard when Nick, or somebody, hinted that the liveryman had some -underhand connection with the old Hall," spoke Arden. "It may have been -nothing, but, somehow, I don't trust Mr. Ellery too far." - -"You can't blame what he does or says, or anything that the mysterious -Nick does, on the horses," Sim declared. "And it would mean something to -Dick. Besides, I would like a ride. Why not?" - -"I might come along as second groom," suggested Harry. - -"Oh, please do!" begged Dorothy impulsively. She, as Sim said to Arden -later, seemed fast making friends with the young man. Dorothy showed her -mother's theatrical influence. - -"Then I'll tell Dick to bring around four horses," decided Sim. "You're -sure you won't mind, Terry?" - -"Not a bit. But I do wish Arden would tell us the big secret before you -go. I'll have something to think about, then, while you're gone." - -"Oh, I think it will be the loveliest thing!" Arden said, her eyes -shining with enthusiasm. "I'm so glad I thought of it. The idea came to -me when Harry was telling about his plan, and the park commissioners, to -give Granny more time to prove her claim--or to help her with legal -advice or something like that. Anyhow, it looks like new hope for Granny. -And what I suggest is that we give her a little party, say on Christmas -Eve, and tell her the good news. I believe it will be the best present -she could want." - -"Say, that is an idea!" exclaimed Sim. - -"Just like you, Arden," said Dot. - -"Does that appeal to you, Harry?" Sim wanted to know. - -"Splendid!" - -"And my ankle will be enough better, then, so I can come to the party," -Terry murmured. - -"Would you have it here or at Granny's cottage?" Sim asked. "I think here -would be nice, as we have the holly now." - -"Why not have it in the Hall?" asked Dorothy. "I think that would be the -most appropriate place for such an announcement." - -"Good!" said Harry. - -"But could we?" Sim asked. "I mean, wouldn't it be bleak and cold? The -weather is likely to be stormy now for quite a while. It is still -snowing." - -"I love to ride in a snowstorm," was Dot's remark. "It would be just like -one of those funny old melodramas, riding back home." Dorothy was best -when she _was_ theatrical. - -"But about using the Hall for Granny's Christmas party," suggested Harry, -"I think nothing could be nicer. And from what I saw of the place in my -investigations today, I think that big lower room could be very well used -for it. By keeping the windows and doors closed and building a big fire -on the hearth it would be warm enough; simply swell. That hearth will -take in a whole fence rail. Then there are some old tables, chairs, -boxes, and chests scattered through the old mansion that we could bring -to that room and make it look like Christmas in the very old days. No -trouble at all." - -"Then we'll do it!" Sim decided. "Arden, you get the prize of a fur-lined -Santa Claus suit in which to make the announcement to Granny!" - -"Oh, won't it be fun!" sighed Terry. "How long until Christmas?" and she -began to count on her fingers. The ankle was now being all but forgotten. - -"Then we'll regard it as settled," said Arden. "I'm so glad I thought of -this, and so glad you mentioned having it in the Hall, Dot. Things are -looking distinctly brighter; in fact, they begin to shine!" - -"In spite of the fact that we haven't solved the mystery," added Sim. - -"But we shall!" predicted Harry. "I'm going to be around here for some -time after Christmas on that bird-sanctuary business, and the mystery is -going to be solved before the birds settle down." - -"Let us help," suggested Arden. "Don't forget we had 'firsties,'" she -finished, dimpling like a little girl. - -"I'll let you help, gladly," Harry answered. "In fact, I'm counting on -it." - -"Well, if we're going riding, let's go!" proposed Sim. "Poor Dick is -waiting. Probably he wants the commission he'll get out of our business -to buy Christmas presents with." - -The girls scurried out to get into riding togs. Harry Pangborn was -wearing what would be all right for his ride as the rig had been chosen -for his woodland work. He looked well in windbreaker coat, cap, leather -puttees, and his knickers were genuine Scotch plaid. - -Sim, before going to dress, sent Moselle to tell Dick to bring around -four horses and then supplied Terry with books to read in bed while she -would be alone. - -"Sure you won't be lonesome?" Sim asked, smoothing down the spread. - -"Not at all. I shall probably read myself to sleep," Terry promised. - -Dick and a younger helper were soon back with the mounts, and they all -started gayly out in the snow, which was falling faster than ever. But it -was a dry, fine snow that did not melt on one's garments or get in wet -around one's neck. Even the horses seemed to like it; this friendly snow. - -"Which way shall we take?" asked Sim as they started out. - -"Let's go round by way of the Hall and--have a look at the prospects," -suggested Arden, warning her companions with a look not to say too much -about Granny's Christmas party before Dick. The details were to be a sort -of surprise, though the old lady might have to be told that the young -people wanted to use that one big room in her former home for a little -festivity. The Hall being locally famous, that arrangement would be -reasonable enough. - -"We can bring Granny over from her cottage at the last minute," Arden had -said when discussing this angle of it. - -"There's nothing doing at the Hall now," said Dick when the horses had -been turned in the direction of Jockey Hollow. - -"What do you mean?" asked Sim. - -"I mean Callahan has called all the work off." - -"Why is that?" Arden wanted to know. - -"Perhaps new and worse ghosts," suggested Dorothy quizzically. - -"No, that isn't it," the young groom answered. "I believe he couldn't get -the right kind of men to work, it's so near Christmas. They would work -half a day and then want to stop. I didn't hear anything more about the -ghosts--not since my sister found what she thought was a dead man in the -cellar," and Dick laughed, recalling that incident. - -"That certainly was something to find," murmured Arden. "Poor Betty! She -was so frightened. I'll never forget how she shook." - -"She's all over it now, though," her brother declared. "But it did give -her quite a shock. She talked about it a lot afterwards. No, I don't -believe in that ghost business myself. It's just a lot of tricks those -workmen think funny," he suggested boyishly. - -"Tell him about the scream you heard, Harry," suggested Dorothy to the -young man she was riding beside. As if _that_ might change Dick's -opinion. - -"No, I think I'd better not," Harry answered. "I want to find that -screamer first. _Then_, I'll tell the big story." - -They broke into a brisk canter. It was a splendid ride in the friendly -snow, and in due time they reached the old Hall. - -"Hello!" exclaimed Dick as he saw the now almost obliterated footprints -leading into the mansion. "Somebody has been here after all. I wonder if -any of the men can be working, after what Callahan told me?" - -"Probably just some curiosity-seeker went in," suggested Harry with a -warning look at the girls. "Only one man, according to footprints," he -said. - -"I guess that's right," Dick agreed. "Well, it shouldn't worry me. This -place doesn't belong in our family any more." He could not repress a -little sigh of regret as they rode on past the historic place that had -been in the possession of the Howes so many years. - -"How does this ghost business affect your grandmother's cousin, Mrs. -Tucker?" asked Arden of Dick. - -"Oh, Cousin Viney? She just laughs at it. Doesn't believe in it at all. -She's bitter, though, at us losing the place. Rants about the -carelessness of some ancestor who either lost the deeds or else hid them -so well neither he nor anybody else was ever able to find them--deeds, a -missing will, or whatever papers are called for in a case like this," -Dick said, a little confused in attempting to make that complicated -speech. - -"So Cousin Viney doesn't believe in ghosts?" asked Harry in an offhand -sort of way. - -"No more than Granny does. Anyhow, Cousin Viney is away now. She goes and -comes, visiting around among various relatives. She went away this -morning--didn't say when she would come back." - -"It's just as well," said Sim to Dot. "Then we won't have to ask her to -Granny's little party. And I don't like Cousin Viney very much, anyhow." - -"She did rather give me the creeps," Dot said, "so sharp and 'sassy.'" - -They rode on into Jockey Hollow while the snowflakes continued to sift -down upon them, almost hiding the ghostly Hall behind a thin, shifting, -white curtain. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - Mistletoe - - -There were many historic spots in Jockey Hollow. Arden had found out some -facts from the library book, and Dick knew others gleaned in various -ways. As they rode along they talked about it all. - -Dick pointed out rows of chimney stones where once had stood the log huts -that housed the 10,000 men of Washington's army camped in the Hollow that -winter of 1779. Washington himself had a mansion in a near-by town long -famous in history, Dick took pleasure in reminding them. - -Dick located a grove of locust trees, shrouded now in white where, he -said, several hundred men of the unfortunate Continental Army had died -and were buried along the banks of Primrose Brook which now was frozen -over and covered with downy snow. - -"Well, when they get the park laid out and finished," suggested Arden, "I -suppose they'll put up a bronze tablet somewhere around here to -commemorate the valiant men." - -"A pity they can't keep the old Hall standing. That would be a fine -monument," suggested Sim. "It could be a memorial hall." - -"The Hall is doomed," said Dick sadly. "We have given up all hope." He -urged his horse ahead briskly. - -"He doesn't know what you are going to tell Granny!" whispered Dorothy to -Harry. - -"I hope something comes of it," he remarked in a low voice. "At least, -the whole matter will be thoroughly gone over, and if there is anything -in her claim, and any money due her that can be paid, my lawyers will -arrange it. They are smart men, I am sure of that." - -It was almost dark when the riders returned to Sim's house. Dick and the -other groom went back with the horses. The ride had been enjoyable for -all of them. - -"Don't forget to let me know when you want to go out again," Dick called -with gay freedom. "If I can get money enough for an education out of my -commissions from Ellery, that will be fine," he suggested as he rode -happily away. - -Terry was eagerly waiting for her friends when they got back. - -"What, no ghosts?" she exclaimed when they trooped in to tell her of -their ride. - -"Not a ghost--not even scolded by Viney Tucker. She should have told us -that we rode too long," laughed Arden. "Viney, by the way, is out of the -way." - -"Where?" Terry asked. - -"Off visiting, so Dick says. Oh, but I'm hungry!" cried Sim. "Where is -Moselle? You'll stay to dinner, of course, Harry?" - -"Thanks, but I'm afraid I can't. I want to get in touch with the lawyers -on the telephone, and Dr. Thandu, to make sure that there will be no -hitch in the plans for Granny's Christmas party. And I shall probably -need to put in calls and wait for answers. I'd be jumping up from the -table off and on. No, I'll go back to the hotel. I can phone nicely from -there. But I'll keep this invitation in reserve, if I may." - -"Of course. Any time. This will keep." - -Terry's ankle was much improved by morning, though the doctor said she -must not yet step on it. - -"In another day you may be able to hobble about the house on a cane," he -had said. - -"She will be an invalid with a most interesting limp," declared Dot. - -That day Harry telephoned to say that matters connected with the legal -aspects of Granny's case were coming along most satisfactorily. - -"You will be able to assure her at the Christmas party," he told Arden, -"that she has the best chance she ever had to get something out of the -estate. At any rate, if we fail, she will have the satisfaction of -knowing that all that could be done has been done." - -"And if it fails," asked Arden, "will she and the young folks have to -give up hope?" - -"I'm afraid so. But it's better to give up a hope than to have it linger -forever, isn't it?" - -"I suppose so. Oh, I do hope it turns out all right!" - -"So do I." - -Arden, who happened to answer the telephone to take the message from -Harry, reported to the other girls, and Sim said: - -"I think we ought to go over to the Hall and see whether Harry's idea of -a warm and cozy room can be carried out in this cold spell." - -"Not a bad idea," agreed Arden. - -"Oh, I wish I could go!" sighed Terry, looking at her bandaged foot. - -"Don't chance it!" warned Dorothy. "You'll want to be at the party. I'll -stay here with you, Terry, if Arden and Sim want to prance down to the -Hall and look it over." - -"Let's, Sim!" Arden exclaimed. "Only we won't prance. We'll go in the -car." - -To this Sim agreed and, the housekeeping plans for the day having been -disposed of, she and Arden started out in the sturdy little roadster. It -had stopped snowing, and the sun was shining brightly with a dazzling -luster on the white ground. It was snappy and cold, so the girls wore -furs and arctics, for they wanted to walk around near the Hall. That -opportunity always fascinated them. - -Reaching the Hall, they tramped up the steps. Sim and Arden pushed open -the heavy front door and stood with their heads just within the hall, -listening before venturing in all the way. - -"No use taking any chances," Sim remarked. - -"What chances?" Arden asked, though, as a matter of fact, the same -thought was in her own mind. - -"Well, ghosts or some irresponsible workmen who might be camping out in -here since they had the last sance." - -"Or tramps," suggested Arden. - -"Say, there's a thought!" Sim exclaimed. "Perhaps _tramps_ have been -creating all this disturbance." - -"Why would they?" Arden was discounting her own suggestion. - -"A band or bunch or school or congregation--whatever group tramps fit -into--might have picked this place as hide-out, hang-out, or rendezvous, -or whatever the proper term is," said Sim, laughing. "And they might -object to being dispossessed in the winter. They might even have hit upon -the plan of making ghostly noises and manifestations to scare away the -workmen. Then, if their scheme worked, they would be left in peaceful -possession." - -"But _we_ didn't find any tramps here," objected Arden. "And Harry didn't -find any. And surely they would have piled back in here after the workmen -had gone--if there _is_ a gang of tramps playing tricks." - -"Well, maybe I'm wrong," Sim admitted. "Anyhow, there seems to be no one -in here now, so let's have a look at the room where we are to have -Granny's Christmas party. I'm game." - -The old Hall echoed weirdly to their footsteps, echoes that always seemed -to dwell in untenanted houses. But the girls were not nervous. They were -only going into that one room which was close to the entrance, and if -anything happened they could run out quickly. - -But nothing happened. There were no screams, not even a sigh, except that -of the wind. There were no thumping boots coming down the stairs and no -rustling red cloaks. - -"I think we can very nicely use this room," said Arden, looking around -the big long double parlor containing the immense fireplace and the -picture of Patience Howe. "It can be closed off from the rest of the -house. Not a window or a door has been broken." - -"And with a roaring fire on the hearth," added Sim, "we shall be quite -cozy here. Anyhow, we shan't be here very long. But I think your idea of -telling Granny the good news here is just wonderful!" - -"Thanks," murmured Arden. "I hope it is a spectacular success." - -They did not wander through any other part of the house to see if they -could collect enough chairs or other pieces of furniture for seats. They -took it for granted that they could manage other details, and then, -having made sure that the old chimney was unobstructed--they looked up -and could see daylight--so the fire would not smoke, they finally left. - -"Let's walk around a bit," suggested Arden. - -"Why not?" agreed Sim. "Walking around here is our greatest outdoor -sport." - -They were well clothed and shod for tramping in the snow, so they began a -circuit of the strange mansion. There was no sign, anywhere, that anyone -but themselves had entered since Harry Pangborn made his investigation -the day before. - -They walked down what had once been a lane, arbored with grapevines and -hedged in now with ugly tall weeds that thrust themselves up through the -snow. In the distance were some gnarled trees and a small stone building. -They had not noticed it before, but now, against the white ground, it -stood up boldly. - -"I wonder what that is?" asked Sim. - -"Let's go see," suggested Arden. - -They passed into the little grove of apple trees, Arden remarking how -much some of them resembled those in the strange orchard at Cedar Ridge. -Then she suddenly uttered a cry of delight. - -"What is it?" Sim asked. - -"Mistletoe!" - -"No! Really?" - -"I think so. Anyhow, it's some sort of a bush with white berries on. -Look!" - -"It does seem like mistletoe," agreed Sim. "But I thought that was found -only down South." - -"I thought so too. But, anyhow, we can pretend this is mistletoe, it -looks so much like it," laughed Arden. - -"Why should we want to pretend? Let's be bold and say it _is_ mistletoe!" - -"Moselle might know the difference. But I'm with you to the hilt, -comrade! Mistletoe it is!" Arden began quickly to gather the -white-berried branches which, fortunately, broke off, making it -unnecessary to cut them, which the girls couldn't have done, as they had -brought no knife. - -Sim was pulling at a particularly large branch when they were suddenly -startled by hearing the creaking of a door on rusty hinges. Then a voice, -almost snarling in its tones, called loudly: - -"What are you doing here?" - -Arden and Sim had walked along until they were close to the small old -stone house. But they were so interested in gathering the mistletoe that -they had not noticed the slow opening of the door. - -Then came the challenge. - -The girls swung about in startled fear and heard the rasping voice demand -again: - -"What are you doing here?" - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - A Strange Woman - - -In real panic, Arden and Sim wheeled about, dropping some of the branches -they had treasured. Fairly glaring at them from the small stone building -was Viney Tucker. She wore a heavy black cloak and had on a black bonnet -from the edges of which had escaped several wisps of straggling gray -hair. What a startling picture she presented! - -"What do you want here?" she asked again. - -"Oh, how do you do!" greeted Sim, though the words were rather shaky. She -had heard about the queer cousin from the other girls and felt she knew -Viney well enough not to be afraid of her. - -"I'm as well as I ever expect to be," was the somewhat ungracious answer, -and she gave the old bonnet a vicious tug. - -"We thought you were away," Arden told her kindly. - -"Who told you that?" she snapped. - -"Dick." - -"Hum! Young folks know too much nowadays. It was different in my time. -Then children were seen and not heard!" - -"Do you--do you object to us taking some of this mistletoe?" asked Arden. - -"Mistletoe! That isn't mistletoe, though lots of folks think it is. No, I -can't say I object. This place isn't anybody's now. Do as you like. Turn -out the rightful owners!" Her voice was vindictive. - -"We aren't turning anyone out." Sim tried to make her voice very gentle. -Really she felt sorry for the old lady, who did not seem to have the -resigned spirit of Granny Howe. - -"Well, the state is doing it, and you're part of the state, aren't you? I -am, so you must be." - -"Yes, I suppose we can call ourselves citizens of the state," admitted -Arden. - -"Well, the state is turning me and my cousin out of our property. Making -a park of it for folks to ride horses in and birds to feed in. Bah! Don't -talk to me! The state! I'd state 'em if I had my way!" - -"Please don't blame us," urged Sim. "We really would love to help you and -Granny Howe get money for this place and perhaps----" - -"Ahem!" coughed Arden loudly. - -"Better get back home where you belong, not out here catching cold!" -snapped Viney Tucker. "Terrible weather! I hate snow!" - -"I guess she hates everything and everybody," thought Arden. - -The strange old woman stood in the open doorway of the old stone -building. From the footprints in the snow the girls could easily guess -that she had recently entered it. Also it was plain that she had come -from over a distant hill and not from Granny Howe's cottage, which -nestled in a little hollow about a quarter of a mile back of the old -Hall. - -"Then you don't mind if we take some of this mistletoe?" asked Sim, after -a pause. - -"No! Why should I? You can settle with the _state_," and she laughed -scornfully. "It doesn't belong to my folks any more. Only don't call it -_mistletoe_." - -"What is it?" asked Sim. - -"How should I know? I'm not a botanist or a bird-sanctuary teacher." - -Really Viney Tucker must have arisen from the wrong side of her bed that -morning, Sim reflected. She surely was cross. - -"So you didn't go away?" asked Arden, wondering what the next move would -be. - -"Yes, I did. Went to stay with Sairy Pendleton. But she and I never could -get along, so I came back. I came out here to the old smokehouse to get -away from everybody. Folks get on my nerves--more than often! This old -smokehouse sort of sets me up--better than the perfume you girls use. -Bah!" - -Sim and Arden were aware of a distinctly smoky odor floating out to them -above the head of Viney Tucker. They were aware, now, of the use to which -the small stone building had formerly been put. In the old days hams and -bacon were cured there over a fire of hickory branches and corncobs, and -that smoky smell always remained. It was a curious whim of the old lady -to come there for solitude; surely lonely and uncanny. - -"Well, if you've got all that wrongly called mistletoe you want," Viney -Tucker suggested after rather an awkward pause, "you might as well take -yourselves back home so you won't catch cold." - -"Won't you catch cold, staying out in this bleak place?" asked Sim. - -"No. I never catch cold. It's only this soft new generation that catches -colds. Silly of 'em. Good-bye!" - -She popped back into the smokehouse and closed the door. - -Sim and Arden stood there, looking at each other in astonishment. - -"Come on," Sim whispered after a pause. "We have enough--mistletoe and -smokehouses." - -"Yes," Arden agreed. "Let's go." - -"And enough of such a strange woman," added Sim as they walked away from -the smokehouse. - -"She is strange," Arden agreed. "But I feel sorry for her." - -"So do I, in a way. But I feel a lot more sorry for Granny Howe. She -takes it standing up. This creature whines and moans." - -"She does," Arden admitted. "But different people have a different way of -taking adversity. Granny is sweet and serene." - -"And Viney Tucker is bitter--but not sweet. Oh, well, it takes all sorts -to make a world. This will be something to tell Terry and Dot, won't it?" - -"Indeed it will." - -"I wonder why she comes to such a lonesome smelly place as the old -smokehouse to brood over her troubles?" - -"It must bring back the days when she was a girl," suggested Arden. "I've -heard my father, who was born on a farm, tell how they used to smoke hams -and bacon in a little house like that one." She looked back toward it. -There was no sign of Viney Tucker. She had shut herself in the strange -place. "Probably," went on Arden, "Viney used to help smoke the hams out -here. They must have had a delicious flavor." - -"Not like the chemically prepared hams _we_ have to eat," Sim surmised. -"Moselle was saying, only yesterday, that she wished she had a Smithfield -razor-back ham to bake with cloves for Christmas." - -"Maybe Mrs. Tucker could supply one," suggested Arden. - -"I wouldn't ask her." - -"No, I don't believe it would be wise. But isn't it queer of her to go -off visiting, and then return and go sit out in an old smokehouse?" - -"Very queer," agreed Sim. - -Carrying their "mistletoe," the girls went back to their parked car. As -they were passing the Hall, they noticed the front door was closed as -they had left it. There were no footprints in the snow other than those -they themselves had made. - -"Hark!" suddenly exclaimed Arden as they were at the edge of the sagging -old front porch. - -"What?" asked Sim. - -"Didn't you hear a noise?" - -"Where?" - -They stood still and listened. - -There was no doubt of it. Echoing footsteps were coming from the old -mansion. Faint but unmistakable. They floated out of one of the upper -windows, the frame of which had been torn away by the wreckers. - -"Someone is in there!" whispered Sim. - -"Well, they can stay there for all I'll ever do to get them out!" gasped -Arden. "Come on!" - -They ran back to the car, not pausing to listen any further. - -Tossing their branches into the rumble seat, the two girls climbed into -the roadster. Sim's trembling foot pressed the starter switch. - -"Oh, I'm so glad it went off with a bang like that," she murmured as the -motor chugged into service. Steering rather wildly, Sim shot up the hill -and out upon the main road and away from Jockey Hollow. - -"What do you think it was?" asked Arden when they had their hearts and -breaths under control. - -"Haven't the least idea." - -"We must tell Harry." - -"Of course. He may be able to figure out how noises can come from an old -house when there isn't a single mark in the snow to show that anyone has -entered." - -"The scream happened that same way; no one went in, but the scream came -out, he said." - -"Oh, it's all so mysterious!" sighed Sim. "Shall we ever be able to solve -it? Seems to me it gets worse." - -"I hope we can solve it," said her companion solemnly. - -They created quite a sensation when they reached Sim's house, not only -with the "mistletoe," over which Dot went into wild raptures, but with -their story of Viney Tucker and the strange noises. - -"What a queer old woman," said Dorothy. "I wouldn't want to meet her -alone in the dark." - -"Oh, I guess she's just a poor old crank whose troubles have gotten the -best of her," said Arden. "I feel sorry for her." - -"She must be a trial to Granny Howe," suggested Terry, who seemed much -improved. - -"Granny isn't the sort that gives way to trials," said Sim. "Oh, it will -be so wonderful if we can help her!" - -"Leave it to Harry," said Arden. "And, by the way, don't you think we had -better tell him the latest happening?" - -"Of course," said Dorothy quickly. "Shall I telephone him?" - -"Why--er--yes," said Sim slowly, with a quick look at Arden and Terry. - -"I'll tell him to come over to dinner, shall I?" Her eyes were shining. - -"Yes," said Sim, smiling a little. "Harry is always welcome." - -"And if he can make anything out of this latest development," said Arden, -"he's a wonder." - -"I think he's quite wonderful anyway," said Terry, snuggling a little -deeper down in the bed. "Wasn't he grand when he let us give him up and -collect the reward?" - -"Them was the happy days!" laughed Arden. - -"I'm going to phone," called Dot from the hall. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - The Christmas Party - - -Harry Pangborn came over to dinner and to spend the evening. It was a -most delightful meal, for Moselle and Althea had done their best, which -was very good indeed. But it was the talk, the banter and laughter that -lent spice to the food. Young folks are inimitable at that sort of thing. - -"It certainly is mystifying," Harry had to admit when he was told, more -in detail, what Dot had sketched to him over the telephone about the -"mistletoe" experience of Sim and Arden. "Very strange. You say there was -no more sign of other footprints than your own?" - -"Not a sign," declared Sim. - -"Could you gather why Viney Tucker was in the old smokehouse?" - -"Only that it was a queer whim," said Arden, "and she is queer." - -"Yes, such a character as hers would be whimmy." He lighted a cigarette. -Dinner was almost over. - -"Is this mistletoe?" asked Dot, bringing out a branch from those her -chums had gathered. "You might know, being a bird man." - -"I should think one would need to be a ladies' man to judge mistletoe," -said Mr. Pangborn, with a laugh and a glance at each of the girls in -turn. Terry was downstairs for the first time since her accident. - -"Not bad! Not half bad!" laughed Arden. "But do you confirm Viney's -denial? Is it or is it not--mistletoe?" - -"No, it isn't mistletoe," he said after an examination. "But I suppose it -will answer the same purpose. Where are you going to hang it? I should -like to know in advance." - -"_Wouldn't_ you like to know?" mocked Dorothy. - -"I must take a piece with me and put it in Granny Howe's hair the night -of the Christmas party," said Harry, handing back to Dot the plant she -had given him. "I shall claim the privilege on the eve of the holiday." - -"Like this?" Dot challenged with mischief in her eyes as she thrust the -clump of white berries into her own blonde hair and then ran laughing -from the room. - -It was a merry little group. Mr. Pangborn said everything was in -readiness to announce to Granny, with the sanction of the head of the -State Park Commission, that at least she would have a new chance to prove -her claim. - -"And about the party," suggested Arden. "Just what are we going to do at -it?" - -"We shall need some refreshments, I suppose," said Sim. "I can get -Moselle to arrange about that. We can pack them into my car and take them -to the Hall. Only we'll be a bit crowded in the roadster." - -"I'll bring my car," Harry said. "But, as there are quite a few things to -do, wouldn't it be wise to take Dick and Betty into our confidence?" - -"And let them help," spoke Terry. - -"Yes. Dick and I can get in the wood and put the chairs and other -furniture in place. I saw a table there for the food," said Harry. - -"Oh, it's going to be just--_grand_!" murmured Sim dramatically. - -"But tell Betty and Dick not to let Granny know about it," warned Arden. -"That would spoil the surprise." - -"I'll caution them," Harry promised. "I'll go see Dick at the livery -stable in the morning and also stop at the library and tell Betty. I've -been in there for books before." - -"What about Viney?" asked Sim. "Should she be told?" - -"I'll leave that to Dick and Betty," said Harry. "They can use their best -judgment. I only hope she doesn't break up the little affair. She's very -queer, you say?" - -"More than queer--vindictive," declared Arden. - -"But when she hears the big state news, things are going to ease up a -little, I think," said Sim. - -They talked over the plan, made some changes, and when Harry left that -evening all details were practically settled. - -He telephoned the next day, about noon, to say that he had seen Betty and -Dick and that they were delighted with the matter. They both said, Harry -reported, that Viney must be told or she might break out into a sudden -tantrum at the last moment when she learned about it. - -"She probably won't come to the party," Harry said. Betty had informed -him, but that would be all right, he added. The two grandchildren would -escort Mrs. Howe to the old mansion the evening of the affair, at a -predetermined hour, on pretense that it would probably be the last -Christmas she would ever see with the old house standing. - -It was the day before Christmas. Dick and Harry, with the help of a -stable boy, had brought much dry wood into the old Hall. The girls had, -each one, bought some little token for Granny and something for Viney, -"in case," Arden said, "she shows up at the last moment and starts a -fuss. We'll have to treat her like a child." - -Betty and Dick entered into the spirit of the affair and could not say -enough in praise of the girls who had thought of it. - -"Granny is going to be very happy about it all," said Betty gratefully. - -"I hope so," said Arden. "By the way, Betty, did you ever get those old -books you were looking for in the cellar?" - -"I never did. But I'm going in when the house is razed. It will be light -down there then. There may be some valuable volumes, the librarian says." - -In the days that passed between the one before Christmas and the episode -of the "mistletoe," nothing had happened at Sycamore Hall, as far as -Arden and her chums could learn. There were no more strange -manifestations. But then no workmen were engaged in tearing the place -apart. - -Dick and Betty decided not to say anything to Viney Tucker until the -afternoon of the party. Otherwise she might have too long a time to brood -over it and get some obstreperous notions busy in her old bonnet. - -All the preparations were finished. Moselle had made up a delightful -picnic lunch for an evening supper, with thermos bottles of coffee and -chocolate. The things were taken to the Hall by Harry in his car, and a -hearth fire was lighted early in the afternoon to drive the chill off the -big old room. - -Evening came, and after an early meal the girls and Harry went, in two -carloads, to the old Hall. Candles had been brought for illumination, and -there was quite a collection of flashlights for emergencies. - -Then Arden, her chums, and Harry trooped into the place. More wood was -piled on the fire. The hour approached when Dick and Betty were to bring -in Granny Howe. - -Footsteps were heard on the porch--voices--laughter. - -"What in the world are you tykes up to?" Granny could be heard asking of -Betty and Dick. Her voice was jovial. - -They brought in the dear old lady--into the candlelighted room, where the -roaring fire flickered on branches of holly that the girls, with a last -moment thought, had hung around the walls. - -"Oh--what--what is all this?" faltered Granny as she saw the little -throng of happy, smiling faces. "What does it mean?" - -"Merry Christmas, Granny! Merry Christmas!" cried the girls. - -And Granny, trembling a little, took the old squat rocker before the -hearth fire while the merry throng cheered around her. - -This was indeed a Christmas party! - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - Two Ghosts - - -Several rather tense seconds passed after the jolly holiday greetings -before Granny Howe recovered her usual poise. The smile that had been on -her cheery face when Dick and Betty led her into the fire-warmed and -candlelighted room of the old mansion, and she had seen the merry young -people, faded as she sank into the rocker. There was a puzzled expression -in her eyes. - -"Well, Granny," asked Betty, "don't you like it?" - -"Pretty fine, if you ask me," said Dick. - -"Oh, but what does it all mean?" murmured the old lady. "I can't -understand. They told me," she went on, looking from Betty to Dick, "that -someone here wanted to see me. They suggested it might be the last time I -could view this dear old room, as the contractor would probably rush the -work of tearing the house down after Christmas. So I came. Here I am. But -what does it mean?" She was bewildered. - -"We are the ones who wanted to see you, Granny Howe," said Sim. - -"We thought you would like a last little party in your old home," said -Terry, who managed to get along with only a slight limp now. "And here it -is!" She pulled aside a cloth that had been put over the food piled on an -old table. - -"How kind of you," Granny said. There was a suspicious brightness in her -eyes. - -"But it is going to be more than just a little party," spoke Arden. "We -have some good news for you." - -"News," supplemented Dorothy, "which we hope will make your Christmas -very happy." Doubtless Dorothy felt that, like some, of her actress -mother's experiences, this was a sort of play and all the actors must -contribute a line. - -"What news?" faltered Granny Howe. - -"Mr. Pangborn will tell you!" said Arden, pushing Harry forward, for he -had shifted about until he was behind Dorothy. "It was his idea, and he -must have the credit for it." - -"Oh, nonsense! I don't want any credit. And you girls are as much in it -as I am!" Harry protested. "You tell her, Arden!" - -"No. It requires a man's legal mind to go into the details. Go on, Harry. -Can't you see she is on the verge of a breakdown if you keep her in -suspense much longer?" she whispered. Indeed, the old lady was trembling -more than a little. Dick, too, seemed a little uncertain of what the next -move was to be. But Betty's eyes were very bright. Sim, Terry, and -Dorothy were smiling happily. - -"It will not take long to explain," said Harry. Then, as simply as he -could, he related the offer of the Park Commission. In effect it meant a -much better chance than Granny Howe had ever had to prove her claim, -assisted by the best legal minds that could be engaged. - -"Isn't that a wonderful Christmas present, Granny!" cried Betty. "Now -perhaps we shall get something from the estate and I can finish my -studies instead of slaving in that musty library. And Dick, too! He can -go to college now!" - -"Does it really mean," asked Dick, "that we will get some of the money -the state has set aside for the purchase of the old Howe property in -Jockey Hollow?" - -"I think you are pretty certain to get something," said Harry. "It may -take considerable time--it's a complicated legal matter--but at least you -are going to have your day in court, which you never had before." - -There was silence a moment, and Granny, looking from one to another, said -gently: - -"It is kind of you--more kind than I can appreciate now. I'm all in a -flutter!" She laughed a little. "But I have for so long a time given up -hope that now I don't just know how to get hopeful again. I don't want to -discourage any of you, especially Mr. Pangborn, for I realize all he has -done in getting this concession from the Park Commission. But doesn't it -all hinge on the fact that papers--deeds, wills, or something--are -necessary for me to prove my claim?" - -"Yes, I suppose it would be much easier if you had the missing papers," -said Harry. "But I understand they cannot be found, so we must do the -best we can without them." - -"They have been lost for many years," sighed Granny. "With them to prove -my claim and the claims of my grandchildren, everything would be easy. -Years ago I used to hunt day and night in this old house for those -papers, for I always felt they must be hidden here. But I have given up -that hope--long ago." - -Suddenly a change came over Granny Howe. She arose from the rocker and -with a bright smile exclaimed: - -"Now, enough of this! I am going to get back my hope! I thank you all -from the bottom of my heart--you have been wonderful! I must not be -gloomy and doubtful! Wasn't something said about a party?" she went on -with a bright glance at Arden. "And all the parties I ever attended were -jolly affairs. This must be the same!" - -"Hurrah for Granny!" cried Sim. "Now, on with the food!" - -Then the party really did begin, and in the intervals of eating, talking, -and piling more wood on the blaze, Harry sketched what he thought the -probable legal action would be. He offered to take charge for Granny, and -his offer was accepted with grateful thanks. - -"I suppose," he suggested to the old lady, "that you can't throw any -light on the so-called ghostly happenings here?" - -"Not the least in the world," laughed Granny. "None of them ever happened -in my sight or hearing. I just don't believe them. Though, I suppose, -there must be something queer, for there are many stories dating back a -long time. And surely those workmen wouldn't act as they did unless -something happened. And that one poor man wouldn't purposely slide down -an ash-chute, I think. But it's all a mystery to me." - -"Do you know any more stories about the place you haven't told us?" asked -Arden. "I mean a sort of ghost story that isn't about Patience Howe or -Nathaniel Greene?" - -"I might manage to remember one," smiled Granny. - -"Oh, do tell us!" begged Terry and Sim. - -Dorothy was on the outer edge of the little circle about Granny, who sat -near the crackling fire. Harry had wandered to a distant window, and -Dorothy followed him. - -"Are you game?" she whispered to him. - -"For what?" - -"To go and look for a ghost instead of sitting here listening to stories -about one. Come on! I dare you!" she challenged, her eyes sparkling in -the hearth glow. "We each can take a flashlight. Let's slip away while -the others are listening to Granny tell that story, and see if there -isn't a real ghost on some of the upper floors. Night and Christmas Eve -ought to be a proper time for a ghost, hadn't it? Will you come with me?" - -"I will!" said Harry without a moment of hesitation. - -They slipped out of the room, attracting no attention, and, flashing the -beams of their electric torches ahead of them, walked softly up the broad -stairs. It was cold and gloomy away from the gay Christmas room, but they -did not mind. The spirit of the quest was upon them. - -They walked the length of the long upper halls. In a far corner of the -second one, where the work of demolition had not started, half hidden by -old boards and trash, stood a cedar chest. - -"Perhaps," said Dorothy with a nervous little laugh, "the ghost lies in -there. If it were a closet we might look for the skeleton. But let's have -a look, anyhow." - -Harry raised the lid, which was covered with dust and white plaster dust. -Dorothy flashed her light within. Then she uttered a suppressed scream. -For the first glance seemed to show in the chest the body of a woman clad -in a red cloak resting beside the form of a Continental soldier with high -black boots. - -"The ghosts!" murmured Dorothy. - -"No, only their garments!" said Harry, laughing. "But I think, Dot, that -at last we are on the trail of the mystery!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - Frightened Screams - - -Harry tilted the lid of the chest back against the wall, and with both -hands now free was thus able to flash the beams of his torch into the -box, which was what Dorothy also was doing. The double illumination -revealed other garments in the long narrow box. Henry lifted out the old -Continental soldier uniform--coat, trousers, a hat, and the heavy boots. - -"They have been worn recently," he said. "Not much dust on them." - -"And the cloak?" asked Dorothy in a tense voice. - -"That, also, has very little dust on it," he said, lifting it out. - -Then a daring project came into Dorothy's mind. - -"I dare you," she said, "to dress up as the old soldier--just the coat, -hat, and boots--and walk with me, in masquerade, into the room where -Granny is telling a ghost story. I'll put on the red cloak--and this!" - -She reached in and lifted from the chest a white kerchief and a sort of -tam-o'-shanter cap. - -"Let's be two live ghosts," she proposed. "It will be a fitting end to -the Christmas party, and then--well, you said you thought we were near -the end of the ghost trail." - -"I really believe we are. Somebody has been using these garments to -create all this ghost atmosphere in the old Hall. Dorothy, I'll take your -dare, and after we have had our fun we will start a new investigation and -try to find out who has been responsible for all this." - -"This is going to be good!" murmured the girl, a natural actress, as she -threw the red cloak about her shoulders after adjusting the kerchief as -it might have been worn in Colonial days, crossed on her breast. With the -cap jauntily askew on her head, she looked very like the reputed ghost of -Patience Howe. - -Harry slipped off his shoes, put on the heavy boots, donned the coat and -hat, and they were ready. With flashlights held out in front of them to -illuminate the dark hall, they started for the lower room whence faintly -floated up the laughter following Granny Howe's story. - -"It's time we started back," whispered Dorothy. "They will miss us in -another moment." - -They were near the head of the stairs when, suddenly, the door of a room -opened slightly and a light gleamed through the crack. It was the room -containing the mysterious closet from which Jim Danton had so strangely -vanished, to be found in the cellar. - -The door opened wider. Then an old woman, an old woman with a wrinkled -face and straggling gray hair, looked out. In one hand she held a small -flashlight. - -She glared at Harry and Dorothy in their masquerade costumes, and then a -look of deadly fear came over her face. She uttered several wild and -piercing screams and turned back into the room, still gibbering and -gasping. - -A second later there was the sound of something wooden moving inside the -room--a sound followed by a resounding blow, as though the heavy lid of a -chest had fallen. - -Another wild scream and then silence. - -"Oh!" gasped Dorothy. "What is it? Who is she?" - -"Must be that Viney Tucker, cousin of Granny's," exclaimed Harry. "But -what was she doing up here? We must have frightened the wits out of her. -And I'm afraid something has happened." - -He hurried into the room, followed by Dorothy. The closet door was open -and their lights, flashing within it, revealed a square hole in the -floor--a square hole opening into a smooth wooden chute that curved -downward and into the darkness. And from that darkness now came up faint -moans. - -"This is awful!" cried Dorothy. "What have we done?" - -"We haven't done anything, but I think we have made a big discovery!" -said Harry. "This trapdoor explains how Jim got into the cellar and I -think that's where we'll now find Mrs. Tucker. She has been caught in her -own trap!" - -By this time the Christmas guests in the room below had come running out -with their flashlights, calling up to know what was going on. - -Harry hurried down the stairs, followed by Dorothy. - -"The ghosts!" screamed Terry, pointing a trembling finger at them. - -"No!" Harry shouted for he wanted to prevent any more hysterical -outbursts. "It's just a little joke Dorothy and I started, but I'm afraid -it is far from a joke now." - -"What do you mean?" asked Granny Howe in a strained voice. "And where did -you get those clothes?" - -"We'll explain it all in a moment," answered Harry. "But just now I think -we had better see about your cousin, Mrs. Howe." - -"You mean Viney Tucker? What's the matter with her? Who did that awful -screaming just now?" - -"Mrs. Tucker; and I am afraid she has fallen down a secret passage into -the cellar." - -"Oh, how terrible!" gasped Arden. - -"But what does it all mean?" Sim exclaimed. - -"I think," said Harry, "it means the end of the ghosts in the old Hall. -Come along, any of you who wish to--if you aren't afraid--but perhaps -Dick and I----" - -"We'll all come!" declared Granny bravely. "Poor Viney! She wouldn't -attend the Christmas party with me. She must have taken a sudden notion -and come over by herself--but a secret passage to the cellar--I don't -understand!" - -"We'll have it all cleared up soon, I think," Harry said. "There must be -an inside way into the cellar, isn't there?" - -"I'll show you," offered Granny. "It's at the back of the hall, and -there's also one leading out of the old kitchen. The hall way is nearer." - -They found Viney Tucker lying in about the same place where Betty had -discovered Jim Danton. The grim old lady in the black cloak was faintly -moaning. Harry bent over her and made a hasty examination. - -"Not badly hurt, I should say," was his verdict. "Just stunned--and very -badly frightened." - -"What frightened her?" asked Arden. - -"I'm afraid we did," Dorothy confessed. - -"What in the world possessed you two to sneak off and put on a -masquerading act like this?" asked Sim. - -"We'll explain everything in a few minutes," answered Harry. "Just now we -must get Mrs. Tucker upstairs. Here, Dick, you take this awkward -long-tailed coat," and he slipped off the one that had formerly covered a -soldier. "I'll carry Mrs. Tucker." - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - Falling Stones - - -Picking up the old lady in his arms (and now she appeared to be -reviving), Harry Pangborn, preceded by Sim and Betty with flashlights -gleaming to show the way, started for the stairs. The others followed, -Arden and Sim bringing up the rear. - -Suddenly from behind them sounded a grating, rumbling noise. They turned -in surprise and some fear, just in time to see several stones fall out of -the old chimney that was part of the fireplace above. The chimney had its -foundation on the bottom of the cellar. - -Out toppled the loose stones, falling with a crash that brought nervous -screams from Terry and Dorothy. - -"What happened?" Harry called back, pausing with his burden. - -"Looks as if the old place were falling apart," Dick answered. "The -chimney is crumbling. Perhaps we had too hot a fire on the hearth. I -guess we'd better get out of here." - -"That chimney will never fall!" declared Granny Howe. "It was built to -last forever, and will, unless it's torn down. There is no danger." - -Arden paused to flash her light within an opening revealed by the falling -stones. It was a smooth recess in the great stone chimney, not a rough -aperture such as might happen by accident if some of the stones had -merely crumbled away. It was only the few small outer stones, what, -virtually, constituted a door to the hidden chamber, that had toppled -away revealing a secret place. - -And a hiding place it was, as Arden discovered a moment later when her -light flashed and gleamed upon a small metal box within. - -"Oh, look! Look what I've found!" she cried. "It's a metal chest hidden -away." - -"Bring it upstairs and we'll have a look!" called Harry. - -Arden put her hand in and grasped the box. But it resisted her first -effort to wrench it out. - -"I'll help you," offered Dick. - -Together they pulled, and the box came forth. It was about a foot long, -eight inches in width and about six in depth. It was closed by a heavy -brass padlock. - -Their first care, on reaching the warm and light room where the Christmas -party had come to such a strange end, was to put Viney down on an -improvised couch and give her some hot coffee. She had regained her -senses, but a great fear and wonder seemed to be upon her. - -"Have they--have they gone?" she faltered. - -"Who?" asked Granny. - -"Those real ghosts--the ghosts I used to be myself." - -"Viney, have you been up to ghost tricks here in Sycamore Hall?" Granny's -voice was stern. - -Viney Tucker looked up, more defiant now. She was rapidly recovering from -her fall, which was not so much of a fall as a slide down a smooth wooden -chute. It wasn't the ash-chute, but one forming part of a secret passage, -as they learned later. - -"Yes," Viney confessed, "I was the ghosts. But I'll never be one again. I -did it to save the Hall for you, Hannah. I remembered the old stories of -Nathaniel Greene and Patience Howe. And when I found you were going to be -cheated out of the money you should have had for the sale of this -property I decided to stop it from being demolished if I could. So I -secretly made a red cloak, and from a masquerade costumer in a distant -city I got the Continental soldier's uniform. I hid them away here in the -chest. At times I would slip in here and scare the workmen, by pretending -to be either dead Patience on the bed or the tramping soldier, with a red -rag around my head and my hat pulled down over my face. It worked, too!" -she said, not a little proudly. - -"Yes, it worked," admitted Harry. "Especially the screams coming up out -of the fireplace. You are a good screamer, Mrs. Tucker." - -"I always was," she admitted with a grim smile. "Though I didn't know it -was you in the house that day. I thought it was one of the workmen. But I -meant no harm. I just wanted to delay the tearing down of this place. I -was always hoping the missing papers would be found." - -"Well, I think they have been," Arden said. "Let's open the box that I -found when the stones fell. I wonder what caused them to fall out and -open the hiding place?" - -"It might have been the heat, as Dick suggested. We had a pretty hot -fire," said Harry. "Though the concussion of Mrs. Tucker's slide down the -chute and the vibration caused by something slamming up in the closet may -have done the work. At any rate, let's see what the box holds." - -A heavy poker served to break the lock, though Betty said it was a shame -to destroy such an antique. But they could not wait to get a locksmith. -And when the lid was raised, there, covered with much dust, were a number -of legal-appearing documents. Harry glanced hastily through them. - -"Well, I think this settles everything," he said. "You won't need the -advantage of any long court delay, Mrs. Howe. These deeds, copies of -wills, and other papers, will easily prove, I think, your title to this -place, and the money paid for it by the Park Commission can now be -released to you and your relatives." - -"Viney shall have her share!" exclaimed the happy old lady. - -"I don't want any, Hannah! I only played ghost for you. I didn't want -anything myself." - -"You shall have your share, Viney, and so shall Dick and Betty." - -"Oh, how wonderful it all is!" Betty murmured. - -"Like a story book!" added Dick. - -"And to think," said Arden, "that if it hadn't been for the little prank -of Dot and Harry all this would never have been discovered." - -"My part as a ghost wouldn't have," said Viney grimly, "for I was -planning to keep on scaring those men away if I could. I wasn't going to -give up until the Hall was so torn apart I couldn't work my tricks any -more. But I didn't know anything about those hidden papers." - -"I guess no one did except the foolish man, now long dead, who hid them -there," said Granny. "Oh, why didn't he have sense enough to put them in -a bank or give them to a lawyer and then we wouldn't have had all this -trouble!" - -"It wasn't really trouble, Granny!" laughed Sim. - -"No, we've had a wonderful time!" agreed Terry. - -"I suppose you did play tricks in this ghost masquerade, Mrs. Tucker," -Harry said. "But how did you manage to get in and out of the house -without being seen--especially when there was snow on the ground." - -"I went in and out through a secret tunnel that ends here in an old wine -bin and outside in the smokehouse," Mrs. Tucker said with a smile at the -girls, who had once surprised her in the place where hams and bacon were -cured. - -"Oh, so you found the old secret passage, did you, Viney?" asked her -cousin. "I never could." - -"Well, I did!" Once more Viney smiled. "And I kept it secret. There are -two passages," she went on. "One the tunnel and the other the chute I -fell down just now." - -"That's a part of the mystery I don't yet understand," said Arden. "Why -did you come over here tonight? Was it to play a ghost when you knew we -were giving Granny a Christmas party?" - -"Oh, no, my dear! I'd never do a thing like that, cross and cranky as I -know I am. Forgive me--but I've been so worried about Hannah going to -lose the inheritance she should have had. I came over here tonight, -secretly, as I always come, to save any of you from harm." - -"Save us from harm?" - -"Yes. I thought some of you might take a notion to roam and wander around -the old house. I was afraid you would go in that closet through which a -person who knows the trick can slide down the smooth wooden chute to the -cellar. I was afraid lest someone might by accident work the spring of -the trapdoor and fall. But I was the one who fell. - -"You see it's this way. In the old days I suppose it was often necessary -for those who were enemies of the British king to escape in a hurry. So -Sycamore Hall, like many another old Colonial mansion, contained secret -passages. The one from the wine bin to the smokehouse is quite simple. -The other is more complicated. The closet has a false bottom. In it is a -trapdoor so well fitted into the floor that one not in the secret would -have difficulty in finding it. By pressing on a certain place in the -wall, the trapdoor opens, a person can jump or slide down the chute, -which is curved in such a way that no harm results from its use. Then the -trapdoor closes." - -"It didn't close after you slid down tonight," Harry said. - -"I realized something was wrong as soon as I pushed the spring," admitted -Viney. "Before I had hardly time to get into the chute, the trapdoor -closed and struck me a light blow on the head. But it must have sprung -open immediately afterward." - -"That's probably what happened to Jim Danton," said Arden. "Only he got a -severe blow, and the secret trapdoor remained closed." - -"Probably did," admitted Viney. "I wasn't there to see, but very likely -that man accidentally touched the spring and shot down the chute, getting -heavily struck by the trapdoor as he slid down. The wooden chute really -merges into the ash-chute at the lower end, so that's why they thought -this Jim fell down the ash-chute. But he didn't--he went down the secret -passage out of the closet." - -"No wonder it seemed like a real mystical disappearance," said Arden. - -"Tonight," went on Viney Tucker, "when I feared some of you would roam -about the place, I slipped over here through the tunnel to lock that -closet door so you couldn't get in. I heard footsteps up here. I looked -out in the hall and saw the two ghosts--ghosts whose parts I had often -played myself. I was so frightened that I screamed and ran back in here -to hide. I couldn't understand it. Then in my fright I touched the hidden -spring and fell down the chute. But the trapdoor, through some defect, -closed down on me and then sprang open again. And that ends the mystery. -I suppose the tearing down of the Hall can now go on, and the chute and -trapdoor will be destroyed with all the other things. Well, I don't care, -now that Hannah will get her money." - -"There is no further need for ghosts," said Arden. - -"Viney, I don't know what to say to you!" exclaimed Granny. Her face was -serious but not for long. She laughed and added: "What will people think -when all this comes out?" - -"There is no need for it to come out," said Harry. "There is no need for -anyone except ourselves knowing that Mrs. Tucker was the ghost. As for -the old stories, they will always be told, I suppose--stories of -Nathaniel Greene and Patience Howe. But they will gradually die down when -the Hall is gone. So there is no reason why Mrs. Tucker need be exposed. -We can keep the secret among ourselves." - -"I think that would be best," Granny said. "Oh, what a wonderful -Christmas this has been!" and again her eyes were suspiciously bright. -"Just wonderful! Thank you all, my dear friends. For it was you who -brought all this about. Thank you, so much!" - -The fire was dying. The simple little gifts had been presented. The -candles were spluttering down into the sockets. It was growing cold. The -party was over. - -Granny gave the precious papers to Harry Pangborn to keep for her. Then, -when Granny and her cousin, with Betty and Dick, had departed for the -little cottage, over the moonlit snow, just an hour before it would be -Christmas, Arden Blake and her friends left the old Hall. - -"There's only one thing I'm still puzzled over," Arden said as they -gathered in Sim's house to quiet down a bit. "Of course, I suppose we -all, at different times, suspected different persons of playing the -ghost--for we knew that's what the mystery was--some tricky human. But at -one time I heard some talk as I was passing some men in the street, which -made me think Mr. Ellery might be the guilty one. Mention was made of a -man named Nick." - -"I think I can explain that," said Harry. "I talked to Dick about it. It -seems that there were some rather valuable fittings, like hand-made -locks, closet hooks and other things, in the Hall that a contractor -would, very likely, save out to sell. Ellery was trying, as the boys say, -to double-cross Mr. Callahan and get some of these antiques. Nick was in -with him and once or twice tried his game with some cronies. But the -ghost scared them away as it did the contractor's honest workmen. So I -think it's all cleared up now." - -"Another mystery ended," sighed Arden Blake. "I wonder if it will be the -last in our lives?" - -"I hope not," said Sim. - -And Sim's wish came true, as is evidenced in the succeeding volume of -this series to be called: _Missing at Marshlands_. That will be another -Arden Blake mystery story. - -"Well, mystery or no mystery, I think it's time we all went to bed," said -Dorothy after much talk. - -Harry looked at his watch. He held it up for the girls to see. The hour -was past midnight. - -"Merry Christmas!" he cried. - -"Merry Christmas!" echoed the girls. - -Dorothy, with a characteristic mischievous gleam in her eyes, put a bit -of the "mistletoe" in her hair. And then, waving her hand at Harry, she -ran upstairs. - -"I'll catch you sometime!" laughed Harry. - -And then, while faintly from the churches came the peal of the Christmas -chimes, the girls said goodnight to their visitor and to one another. - -So was solved the secret of Jockey Hollow. - -There was no longer any need for Viney Tucker to play the ghost. - -Granny Howe removed such of her last belongings as she wanted to -preserve, giving some really valuable antiques to the girls and to Arden -the picture of Patience Howe. Harry asked for and was given the old brass -box in which were found the papers so long lost. - -For the papers in the box Arden Blake's eyes had lighted upon in the -chimney hole were the very ones needed to prove Granny Howe's claim to -the money. It was not necessary for the Pangborn lawyers or the Park -Commission to engage in any involved proceedings. - -The holidays passed all too quickly for Arden and her friends. They went -riding several times again, between Christmas and New Year's and in that -week work was again started on tearing down the Hall. But no longer did -men rush out yelling that they had seen a dead woman on a bed, and no -more was heard the tramp of the soldier's boots on the stairs. - -All the ghosts had vanished. And with them vanished much of Viney -Tucker's queerness. She let the better side of her nature show itself, -and now, when Granny had the girls in for tea, Viney joined them. - -Arden and her friends had tea with Granny the day before the holiday -season ended. She thanked them again and again, for it was through their -instrumentality that everything had happened as it did. - -"And to think," murmured Dot as they left Granny's little cottage, "that -we'll soon be back at Cedar Ridge. Nothing ever happens there!" - -"But think of all that did happen!" laughed Arden. - - - THE END - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Silently corrected a few typos (but left nonstandard spelling and - dialect as is). - ---Once corrected the doctor's name from "Blasdell" to "Ramsdell". - ---Rearranged front matter to a more-logical streaming order. - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Mystery of Jockey Hollow, by Cleo Garis - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF JOCKEY HOLLOW *** - -***** This file should be named 40667-8.txt or 40667-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/6/6/40667/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Mystery of Jockey Hollow - Arden Blake Mystery Series #2 - -Author: Cleo Garis - -Release Date: September 5, 2012 [EBook #40667] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF JOCKEY HOLLOW *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40667 ***</div> <div id="cover" class="img"> <img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="The Mystery of Jockey Hollow" width="500" height="729" /> @@ -6147,379 +6111,6 @@ Ridge. Nothing ever happens there!”</p> <li>Once corrected the doctor’s name from “Blasdell” to “Ramsdell”.</li> <li>Rearranged front matter to a more-logical streaming order.</li></ul> - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Mystery of Jockey Hollow, by Cleo Garis - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF JOCKEY HOLLOW *** - -***** This file should be named 40667-h.htm or 40667-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/6/6/40667/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Mystery of Jockey Hollow - Arden Blake Mystery Series #2 - -Author: Cleo Garis - -Release Date: September 5, 2012 [EBook #40667] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF JOCKEY HOLLOW *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - "Oh! Oh!" she screamed. "It's terrible! Down here--in the cellar----!" - (_Frontispiece_) (THE MYSTERY OF JOCKEY HOLLOW) - - - _The Arden Blake Mystery Series_ - - - - - MYSTERY OF - JOCKEY HOLLOW - - - _By_ - CLEO F. GARIS - - A. L. BURT COMPANY - _Publishers_ - New York Chicago - - - _The Arden Blake Mystery Series_ - - BY CLEO F. GARIS - - The Orchard Secret - Mystery of Jockey Hollow - Missing at Marshlands - - - COPYRIGHT, 1934, BY - A. L. Burt Company - - - Mystery of Jockey Hollow - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - - Contents - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I Fleeing in Alarm 7 - II The Ghost Mansion 20 - III Arden Wonders 30 - IV Seeing the Dead 42 - V Baffled 53 - VI Introducing Granny 61 - VII Trial by Jury 68 - VIII The Ghost of Patience 75 - IX A Warning 86 - X The Missing Man 91 - XI Callahan Collapses 98 - XII A Strange Discovery 103 - XIII Betty and the Books 113 - XIV How Did It Happen? 120 - XV Jim Doesn't Know 130 - XVI A Surprise 140 - XVII Some Real Investigating 148 - XVIII The Figure in Red 157 - XIX Santa Claus 168 - XX Harry Hears Something 178 - XXI Rift in the Clouds 185 - XXII Arden's Idea 193 - XXIII Mistletoe 205 - XXIV A Strange Woman 214 - XXV The Christmas Party 223 - XXVI Two Ghosts 230 - XXVII Frightened Screams 237 - XXVIII Falling Stones 243 - - - - - CHAPTER I - Fleeing in Alarm - - -The proud old house rang with excitement. Nor was there any attempt to -suppress it. When no one but the three girls, the faithful Moselle, and -her daughter Althea were in it, there seemed no reason to go all the way -up to Sim's room when a lusty shout up the stairs would answer the same -purpose. So Terry Landry stood with one foot on the bottom step, leaned -against the banister, and again tried to make Sim hear her above the -blatant music coming from the radio in the library where Arden Blake was -supposed to be listening, but Arden, instead, was curled up in a big -chair reading a book of ghost stories. - -"Oh, Arden! Will you please turn off that radio just a moment while I -call Sim?" Terry spoke in those evenly spaced, overly quiet tones -sometimes effectively used to prevent one's temper from taking flight. - -"Hu--u--um!" came from the library as the radio was switched off. "What's -the trouble?" - -"No trouble at all. Only I've shouted three times for Sim to come down -and get this letter. But she must be asleep or something." - -"Letter? Let's see!" Arden reluctantly closed the book she had been -reading, uncurled herself from the depths of the chair, and came out in -the hall to Terry, who said: - -"It just came, and it's postmarked New York. Look at the size of the -envelope. I wish Sim would answer!" Terry repeated peevishly. - -"Of course, you could go up, you know," Arden suggested with a superior -air. - -Terry did not answer but tapped her foot impatiently, bringing into play -a shining black patent-leather opera pump that was vaguely reflected in -the polished floor beneath. Terry wore lovely shoes. - -Arden took the letter and was examining it, front and back, feminine -fashion. A leading jurist once said that if a woman was given a letter or -any piece of paper she would, without fail, turn it over and look on the -other side. Arden, however, was rewarded, for on the reverse, in large -red letters, was the name "Rita Keene." - -"It's from Dot's mother," exclaimed Arden. "I suppose it says Dot can't -come. But I should think she'd be glad to have her daughter visit such -lovely girls as we are." Premeditated sarcasm here. - -"Are we lovely girls?" inquired a voice from the stair landing above. -"Seems to me I heard a little shouting." - -"Sim! Where were you? I've been shouting for ages!" Terry announced. - -"I know. I was phoning. I just called Ellery's. I thought we could go for -a ride through Jockey Hollow. It's such a nice day, and we have the -marketing done and everything." Sim, a rather small light-haired girl, -already dressed in riding clothes, was descending the stairs as she -spoke. - -"Open this letter first. It's addressed to you. From Dot's mother." Terry -handed over the missive as Arden made this demand on Sim. - -"You could have opened it," suggested Sim, carefully inserting a tiny -shell-pink nail under the flap, in no hurry at all. - -"It says," she began, "'My dear Miss Westover: I shall be most happy to -have Dorothy spend the Christmas holidays with you. I am rehearsing in a -new play and would have very little time to give her. I know you will -enjoy yourselves. Cordially, Rita Keene.' That's all. Oh, no, it isn't, -either. It says, also, that Dot will get here tomorrow on the eleven -o'clock train. We'll meet her," Sim concluded. - -"Will you ask her, in due time, of course, to take her turn at doing the -marketing?" Terry wanted to know. - -"A good thought," murmured Arden. - -While Sim's parents were spending Christmas in the South, Arden, Terry, -and Sim had been entrusted with the running of the big town house. Arden -and Terry were Sim's guests over the holidays until it should be time to -return to Cedar Ridge College, where they were freshmen. A last-moment -idea had been to invite Dot Keene, also a freshman, to make one of the -house party. Now, it appeared, Dot was coming. - -Although Arden and Terry had their own fine homes in Pentville, not far -removed from the Westover residence, they thought it much more fun to -come and live with Sim and help her manage over the Christmas vacation. -Like all girls, they were sure they could do it if once given the chance. -So when Mr. and Mrs. Westover decided to go South, and when it was -impracticable, because of the projected length of their stay, to take Sim -with them, they agreed to let the three girls try housekeeping. - -Moselle and her daughter Althea were there, of course, and would remain -to do the housework. Moselle had been in service with the Westover family -ever since Sim's baby days, and Althea, blacker, if possible, than her -mother, was learning the ways of a parlormaid and waitress. Henry, -husband of Moselle, was driving Sim's parents South in the big car. A -small roadster had been left for Sim's use. - -"I don't know," spoke Sim in response to the suggestion of Terry and its -seconding by Arden, "I think I'll have to wait until we are a little -better acquainted with Dot before suggesting marketing to her. I wouldn't -like to embarrass her so soon. Which reminds me--what did you order for -lunch, Terry?" - -"Lamb chops, baked potatoes, peas, salad, and some of Moselle's special -lemon meringue pie," Terry answered practically, licking her lips in -appetizing anticipation. - -"Good!" exclaimed Arden and Sim in unison. And it was good. - -"Did you make a date to ride today, or did I imagine it?" Arden next -asked, getting back to the original subject. - -"I nearly forgot. Yes, I did. For half-past ten. You two hurry and change -while I get the car out." Sim was already starting out of the front door, -while her companions, murmuring about Sim's habit of letting things go -until almost the last minute, dashed up the stairs to the bright pleasant -room they shared in Sim's home. - -It did not take them long to get into riding clothes; warm woollen -underwear (for the weather was cold), heavy gloves, and hats pulled well -down. Terry and Arden wore light tan trousers with darker coats, while -Sim sported a dark green coat with cocoa-colored trousers. Looking -"snappy" was the main idea. - -Soon the three were sitting in the little roadster, Sim's last year's -Christmas present. They soon covered the short distance to the Ellery -Riding School. - -The girls rode so frequently, every opportunity they had to be away from -Cedar Ridge, that their favorite horses were ready for them when they -arrived. Dick Howe, the young groom and helper around the stable, opened -the door of the car. - -"Good-morning," he greeted them pleasantly and with a smile that -displayed to advantage his white even teeth against the background of -well tanned cheeks. "Nice day for a ride. How long do you want to stay -out?" - -"About two hours. What do you say, girls?" Sim asked. "Is that all -right?" - -"Fine," answered Arden. "But couldn't we go a new way for a change?" - -"Yes, let's go by Sycamore Hall," suggested Terry. - -"Sycamore Hall?" questioned Dick. - -"Why not? We have time, and I like the hill there. It's so nice for a -canter," Terry went on. - -"Certainly. Whatever you say," Dick agreed, with just a shade of -reluctance, it would seem. - -Their horses were led out, and Dick gave each of the girls a "leg up." -Stirrups were adjusted, and away they cantered. - -Dick was a very proper young groom. He gave them a little trotting, some -walking, and just enough cantering. A good horseman, he sagely observed, -never allowed his animal to get overheated, but saw to it that there was -the proper amount of exercise for himself and his beast. - -Walking the horses, they reached the end of the paved highway and were -soon upon the dirt road that wound around through a stretch of woodland -into Jockey Hollow, a Revolutionary historic section just outside -Pentville, which, though it was so comparatively near, had seldom been -visited by Sim and her two chums. It was a lovely wooded place, -containing, now and then, a cleared field. With Jockey Hollow in -prospect, a pleasant ride was assured the little party, and, though they -did not know it, the girls were to begin a strange adventure. - -Now well out into the open, the horses suddenly, of their own accord, -broke into a trot with Sim and Terry in the lead. Arden followed with -Dick. The day was cool for December, and the horses seemed to feel -frisky. They liked it. - -"Don't let him get going too fast, Miss Westover," called the groom as he -watched Sim. "We take that left turn." - -Sim pulled her horse up, and Terry also stopped. They looked back at -Arden and Dick to make sure of the direction to take next. Dick smiled -and pointed to a lane leading down a hill. Sim and Terry went that way -but more slowly. - -"This is a new way," Arden said. "Do you know that road?" - -Dick smiled slyly as he said, "I ought to. I live down there." - -"In Sycamore Hall?" Arden was surprised. - -"No, not in the Hall, but in a little house near it. With my grandmother -and sister. The Hall is soon going to be torn down to make way for a new -road through this section. Jockey Hollow is going to be made into a -national park on account of it being connected in many ways with the -Revolution." - -"Oh, it is?" asked Arden, interested. This was news. But the truth of the -matter was that though she and her chums knew, in a vague way, about -Jockey Hollow, they had been, of late, so wrapped up in college life at -Cedar Ridge, they had lost track of local matters. - -Arden, suddenly occupied with guiding her horse, which evinced a desire -to shy, did not pursue the subject with Dick. Through the trees she now -caught a glimpse of the two-hundred-year-old mansion known as Sycamore -Hall. There were many stories about it, one or two concerned with the -more or less established fact that it still contained certain objects -supposed to belong to the descendants of the original owners, whoever -they were. No one now lived in the Hall, nor had it housed anyone for -some time. In spite of its age, the old mansion, though woefully lacking -paint, was well preserved. It was as strong and sturdy as some ancient -oak tree. - -Sim and Terry, in the lead, had approached Sycamore Hall and were waiting -for Arden and Dick to reach them. The two girls gazed, not without -interest, at the deserted mansion. There were evidences about it of some -new and strange life. There were dump carts, but no horses, some piles of -boards, and, near the drive, an old flivver that seemed impossible of -being used. - -From within the ancient mansion came dull blows, as of pounding, and out -of some open windows floated a fine dust, like smoke. - -"Is the place on fire?" asked Arden as she and Dick spurred their horses -forward. - -"No. But I guess they've already started to tear it down. A new road is -going right through the old place." Dick seemed to sigh a little. - -"What a shame," murmured Arden. "It's too bad such a historic place can't -be preserved." - -"I guess it's too old to preserve," Dick said. "Though they are going to -make a park of the Hollow and save some of the smaller houses that were -used by Washington or Mad Anthony Wayne or some of the Revolutionary -folks." - -"How interesting!" exclaimed Arden. "I wonder----" - -But she never finished that sentence. Just at that moment something -happened. - -Two big Negroes, one carrying a crowbar and the other an ax, came fairly -leaping out of the open front door of Sycamore Hall. They were mouthing -something unintelligible and seemed to be rushing straight for Sim and -Terry. - -"Oh! Oh!" gasped Arden. "Oh, Dick, what is this?" - -Straight for Sim ran the two Negroes, their ragged clothes white with -plaster dust. They were still mumbling and waving their hands in a -terrified way. This was too much for the nervous horse on which Sim was -mounted. He reared sharply, nearly throwing the girl off, though she had -a good seat, and then, wheeling, the beast ran wildly up the road past -Sycamore Hall. - -Terry managed to control her animal, though he too showed a desire to -bolt. - -"Oh, Dick!" cried Arden again. - -"I'll get her!" shouted the young groom, and spurring his mount he dashed -away after Sim. Left to themselves, Arden and Terry looked at each other -with frightened eyes. The two colored men ran into the woods across from -the Hall, still mumbling in a strange way and showing every evidence of -terrible fright. - -"Come on, Terry, we've got to follow!" called Arden. - -They urged their steeds after those of Sim and Dick. When they reached -the top of the hill they could see that Sim was safe. Dick had dismounted -and was holding her still frightened animal. Sim was soothing the -creature with neck-pattings and calming words. - -"Heavens, Sim! What happened?" gasped Arden. - -"Those men scared Teddy, rushing at him that way, though why, I don't -know. I wonder what the idea was, having them dash out in that wild way? -If I had been standing a little nearer they would have run right into -Teddy and me! They couldn't seem to turn off. They were wild with fright. -But why?" Sim was a little indignant. - -Dick smiled up at her. "Haven't you heard?" he asked. - -"Heard what?" - -The other girls listened with interest. - -"Why, this old place is said to have become suddenly haunted. Something -in Sycamore Hall has stirred up the spirits of the departed owners, and -more than once the Negroes and Italians hired to tear it down have been -scared away--frightened stiff. A lot have quit. I understand the -contractor has continually to get new men. And it looked as if those two -who ran out saw something--or thought they did," Dick concluded. "They -probably won't come back." - -"Haunted!" murmured Terry. - -"Ghosts--Revolutionary ghosts," whispered Sim. - -"How thrilling!" exclaimed Arden. "Tell us some more, Dick." - -"Well----" began the groom, but he got no further. - -Back up the hill came running the same two Negroes who had but a few -minutes before rushed out of the mansion in such a terrified way. Their -faces still bore signs of their fright. - - - - - CHAPTER II - The Ghost Mansion - - -Unable to understand what had caused the workmen to act as they had, and -sensing the possibility of a further fright to the horses, Arden and her -chums were about to wheel and ride away. But Dick called to them: - -"Steady; I think it will be all right. These men don't know what they're -doing. They are just frightened." - -"At what?" asked Arden. - -"That's what I'm going to try to discover," said the young groom. Then, -shouting to the running Negroes, he inquired: - -"What's the matter?" - -"Don't ask us, boss," answered one, dubiously shaking his head. "We sho' -am finished on dat job! I never could abide t' wuk in haunted houses!" - -"Dat goes fo' me, too!" echoed the other. "I don't laik ghosts!" - -Then they both ran on, disappearing into the woods. - -"Ghosts!" laughed Terry after a moment of silence. "They're just what we -need to brighten up our lives." - -"Let's go in the old mansion and look around," proposed Arden. - -"Have we time?" suggested Sim. - -They glanced at Dick for his verdict. - -"We have about half an hour," he said, looking at his watch. "Go on in if -you want to." - -When they urged their horses through the overgrown tangle that had once -been a front yard and came to a stop near the big broad porch, the -pillars of which were tilting, Dick helped the three girls to dismount. -Then, leading the horses to a tree with conveniently low branches, he -looped the reins so the animals would not stray. Horses in the East are -not trained like their Western cousins, to stand if the reins are left to -dangle on the ground. - -The girls held back a little before going up the four steps at the -entrance of the house. It was a combination Georgian-Colonial style, -squarely built, with a beautiful fanlight still intact over the center -door. - -"It is spooky, isn't it?" asked Sim with a pleased little shiver. - -"Did you ever see such a sorrowful house, though?" Arden wanted to know. - -"What do you mean, sorrowful? To me it seems very proud and stern," Terry -decided. - -"I don't think so. Look at the way the door hangs on its hinges. Ready to -fall off if it had a good push. And what lovely hinges they are, too. -Hand forged, I'll bet," Arden said, going a little closer to inspect. - -Sim, quickly sympathetic, fell under the spell of Arden's imagining. -"Poor old place," she murmured, "I don't blame it for haunting the -workmen. I suppose this house has been the scene of many an exciting -adventure. Do you know anything about it, Dick?" Sim turned to the boy, -who stood aside waiting for them to enter. - -He hesitated a moment before replying and then seemed reluctant to give -much information. - -"Yes," he said slowly, "I know a little bit about it. You see this place -once belonged to my ancestors." He looked down at his polished boots and -appeared rather bashful. - -"Really?" asked Sim. "Tell us, please," and she smiled disarmingly at -him. - -Arden and Terry waited hopefully for Dick to continue. - -"Suppose we go in and I'll show you the place," the young groom -suggested. - -"How about the ghosts?" Terry asked. - -"These ghosts aren't the common graveyard variety--that is, if the -stories are true. They all seem to be spirits of soldiers, farmers, and -sometimes there's the ghost of a lovely girl," Dick went on. "You see -this place was built during the Revolution. The Continental army 'dug in' -at Jockey Hollow, here, for the winter of 1779." - -Terry, growing bolder, preceded the others into the hall. Rooms very much -dilapidated were on either side. One room, probably a parlor, was -dominated by an enormous fireplace with a faded picture above it. - -"Oh, girls, come here!" Terry called. "Look at this! Is this your girl -ghost, Dick?" - -They hurried to Terry as she stood before the painting. Terry was in -sharp contrast to the charming scene above. Feet planted a little apart, -hands clasped behind her back, tall as she was, her head just came to the -old, high mantel. The girl in the picture was also in riding clothes, but -far different from Terry's. They looked like a tableau: "The Past and -Present." - -Terry wore smart riding trousers and a flaring coat. Her sandy hair was -just showing beneath a well blocked hat. - -The girl in the picture was dark-haired and tall. Her right arm was -thrust through the reins of a black horse. The panniers of her dark-green -riding costume seemed to melt into the leafy background of the painting. - -The picture girl was staring straight at Terry and perhaps it was not -entirely imagination that disclosed something akin in the two girls. - -"What a charming picture you make!" Arden remarked, and then, as she saw -that Terry was perhaps too delighted at the compliment, she added: "In -this dim light we can't see the freckles." - -Terry turned and, like a small boy, stuck a pink tongue out at Arden. - -Dick, in the meanwhile, was looking thoughtfully at the girls. Sim went -to him. - -"Dick," she said softly, "I can see that you somehow belong here. Won't -you tell us about it? We've been riding with you several seasons now, and -we won't repeat a thing if you don't want us to." - -"Please," begged Arden. "You look as sad as this house, Dick. What's the -matter?" - -"This place," Dick began with an including gesture, "once belonged in my -grandmother's family. But the deed, or some necessary paper, has been -lost, and now the state claims the estate, and the old house is to be -torn down to make way for a road. The march of progress, you know, must -not be halted." - -"But has it no historic interest?" Terry asked. "Couldn't it be preserved -as a shrine of some sort? I mean the house, for you said Jockey Hollow is -going to be a park." - -"I'm afraid not," continued Dick. "I guess it's about the only mansion -that George Washington never visited. Besides, the original house has -been added to so many times that now it is a combination of three or four -periods." - -"What would your grandmother do with this property if she could find the -deed?" asked Terry practically. - -"Sell it," answered Dick without any hesitation. "At least it would bring -enough money for me to give up this stable job that any half-wit could -hold and let me finish at college. Then Betty, she's my sister, could go -to New York and keep on with her work in costume design and interior -decoration. She's really talented," he added earnestly. - -"If this home were mine I should hate to part with it," Arden announced. -"I don't see how your grandmother can bear to give it up. Isn't there a -chance that she could keep it, Dick?" - -"Perhaps, if we could prove title. But even then we need the money its -sale would bring. Granny ought to have little comforts, though really -she's been swell about it all. Never complains. And the stories she -knows!" - -"What does she say about the ghosts?" Sim asked. - -"Just laughs. She says she'd sleep here on All Souls' Eve or any other -particularly ghostly time. I guess she likes ghosts." - -"I'd love to meet her sometime. Do you think we might? I wish we could -help some way," said Arden thoughtfully. - -"I'll ask her. I'm sure she would. She leads rather a lonely life," Dick -answered. "And she loves young folks." - -"Say, Dick, who is this girl in the picture? Isn't it too valuable a -painting to be left here?" Terry was studying the painting. - -"It's not worth much. It was probably painted by one of those traveling -artists who could do family portraits or barns, whichever might be -wanted. Granny has left a few things in here to sort of claim the place, -though the claim isn't recognized. And we live now in a little house -behind this one. It used to be the servants' quarters," Dick finished -bitterly. - -The little group fell silent. The girls had stumbled, it seemed, upon -something very private, and they felt embarrassed at learning of -someone's misfortune. - -"Like finding somebody crying when they thought they were alone," Terry -later remarked. - -No one knew what to say. Dick walked to a window that reached almost from -the ceiling to the floor, and stood looking out. Terry, always the first -to move, stepped over the fender around the fireplace and peered up the -chimney. For no reason except to break the trying silence, as far as she -knew. - -Barely perceptible at first, gradually a sound impressed itself on the -girls. Like footsteps on a stair, far away but coming nearer, the sound -approached. - -Terry pulled back her head from the dark corner of the fireplace and -looked at her friends. They stood like statues staring back at each -other, while Dick turned slowly from the window. - -"What's that?" Sim asked, cocking her head like a young puppy as if to -hear better. - -"Sounds like someone creeping down the stairs," Arden ventured. - -"Perhaps it's one of the workmen coming back," suggested Terry. - -At this Dick shook his head. "No," he said. "I happen to know that those -two men we saw a while ago were the only ones on the job today, and they -left in a hurry," he finished, grinning. - -"Well, then, there is only one explanation left." Arden was glowing with -excitement. "Ghosts!" - -"Oh, gosh!" exclaimed Sim. "Let's go! I like to read about ghosts but I -don't like to meet 'em. Come on!" Without waiting for the others, Sim ran -from the room. - -"Wait, Sim, wait!" Terry called. And when Sim did not return Terry added: -"Arden, we'll have to go too! I don't like it, either." Then she turned -traitor to the cause and ran after Sim. - -There was nothing left, then, for Arden and Dick to do but follow. But -Arden lingered a moment in the hall on her way out and listened. - -The measured sound above was slowly coming closer. Heavy steps, as though -the feet making the noise were encased in thick boots. - -"Thud! Thud! Thud!" - -Above the first landing all was in darkness, and even Arden, ghost-loving -as she was, decided to wait no longer to find out what might be coming -down the long stairs. - -With a last fearful look she also fled, calling to Dick for protection -and stumbling over a loose floor board in her haste. - - - - - CHAPTER III - Arden Wonders - - -Communing with herself, Arden Blake, as she dashed out of the strange old -mansion, was wondering just what it was all about and what, exactly, had -happened. - -Dick, anxious about the horses and doubtless believing there was no -danger to Arden, who had been left to be the last out of the house, did -not pause as she called to him. - -"She'll be in the open in another second," reflected the young groom. - -As she hastened out Arden had many conflicting thoughts. - -"Another mystery," she told herself, half whispering. "Can there be -ghosts? If ever there was a place made for them, Sycamore Hall is. But -ghosts in the daytime! Perhaps those men did it to annoy us for coming -around while they are working. But what object could they have in doing -that? Oh, if it's another mystery, I hope it turns out as well as the one -in the orchard did." - -At last she was away from the strange big house, and she fairly jumped -down the broad steps. With a sigh of relief she saw the girls and Dick. - -Outside, the horses were straining at their bridles. With ears laid back -and eyes frightened, every now and then one gave a nervous little tap on -the hard ground with dainty fore feet. - -Sim tried to mount Teddy unassisted, but every time she put her foot in -the stirrup the frisky animal wheeled about, leaving her hopping -helplessly. At last Dick had to hold him while Sim climbed up. Then -helping up Arden and Terry, Dick mounted his own horse with practised -ease, and they turned away from the ghost house. - -So nervous were the animals that the girls did little talking. They were -occupied in keeping them under control. Dick cautioned them about letting -the horses bolt. Headed to the stables as they were, once they got going -it would be difficult to stop them, and a dash across the heavy traffic -streets of Pentville would be dangerous. - -Arden did manage, when her horse settled down a bit and danced along -beside Dick's for a stretch, to ask him what had gotten into their -usually well behaved mounts. - -"They're frightened at something," he answered. "They were scared stiff -when we came out." - -"So were we all," Arden admitted. "Do you suppose the horses could feel -our fright?" - -"Some people claim that a horse feels his rider's every mood," Dick -answered. "I really don't know. But I surely believe these horses sensed -something, perhaps more than we did. But----" Then Dick's shining black -mare broke into a sudden trot, and he could not finish what he started to -say. - -But Arden was persistent. She urged her steed forward and was again -riding beside the groom while Terry and Sim pranced on ahead. - -"Do you believe in ghosts, Dick?" - -He hesitated a moment and then slowly answered: "I believe that people -often see just what they expect to see in haunted houses, so called, and -hear just what they want to hear." - -Arden was plainly disappointed at this matter-of-factness on Dick's part. -She had hoped for something more concrete than this. But remembering -Dick's, or, rather, his grandmother's, connection with Sycamore Hall, she -did not press her point. - -"Let's catch up to the others," she proposed, and Dick assenting, they -were soon close behind Terry and Sim, who were still talking soothingly -to their mounts to quiet the restless animals. After a ride of several -miles through woodland they reached a straight open stretch of road and -broke into a smart canter. The girls were a little breathless when they -dismounted at the stables. - -"Do you young ladies want to make another date for the end of the week?" -asked Titus Ellery, owner of the riding academy, as he came forward on -much-bowed legs. He was not an attractive man, but he knew horses. Rather -stingy and grasping was his reputation. "How about it?" He was respectful -enough but persistent. - -Sim spoke up. - -"Not just now. We'll phone." Telling Dick to "charge it," she and the -girls walked toward the waiting roadster. - -Dick opened the door. - -"Don't let this adventure scare you," he said in a low voice. "It was -probably nothing but those excited men imagining something." He seemed -worried lest they cancel further riding engagements during the holidays, -and Dick probably made a little commission. - -"Don't worry," Terry answered. "We loved it! See you later; and thanks, -Dick!" - -They were off, Sim driving with a little less than her usual abandon. -Arden was the first to notice it. - -"What's the matter?" she asked. "Scared?" - -"No, just thinking." - -"It was queer," murmured Terry. "I was really frightened." - -"The men were, anyhow," said Arden. "And when we heard those bumping -sounds coming out of an old uninhabited house----" She shivered a little. - -"Probably falling plaster!" laughed Sim. - -"I'm not so sure of that," said Arden. - -"She's thinking of what happened in the orchard," remarked Terry. - -"Well, something happened there all right," Arden responded. - -"Let's forget it a while," proposed Sim, and she stepped on the gas in -her usual manner. - -Home again, they were greeted at the door by the smiling Moselle who -answered their ring. - -"You-all have a nice ride?" she asked cheerfully. - -"Grand," answered Terry. "And we met up with some very fine ghosts, -Moselle." - -"_Ghosts?_" Moselle's eyes were wide. - -"Over by Sycamore Hall," Terry continued. - -"Um--uumm!" Moselle shook her head. "I don't know what your mother will -say, Miss Sim. Chasing after ghosts. You-all ought to keep away from that -place. I know it's dangerous. Plumb full of ha'nts, that what it is." - -"Why, Moselle! Do you know anything about it?" Sim asked, surprised. - -"Yes'm, Miss Sim, I sure does! Only las' night Brutus Jackson tole me he -was going to work there 'cause he needed a little change, and ain't half -hour ago he came dashing into my kitchen with Sam Brown and tell me they -done quit." - -"He did--why?" Arden frantically signaled Sim to let her continue the -questioning of Moselle. - -"Why, he say," went on the colored woman, "a funny old soldier with a -bloody bandage around his haid come clumping down the stairs and stood -pointing for Sam and him to get out the door and, yes, ma'am, he say they -sure did git!" Moselle made unbelieving noises. - -Terry turned to Sim. "Gosh, I'm sorry we didn't stay. What'd you run for, -Sim?" - -Sim started to reply, but seeing Moselle listening intently said -casually, "Oh, I just felt like it." Then, addressing the curious cook, -she asked: "How about lunch, Moselle?" - -"Yes'm, Miss Sim, in just a few minutes. You-all got time to change if -you like," she said, quick to realize she was being dismissed. - -"Good! Come on then, kids, let's go up;" and before Arden or Terry could -ask any more questions Sim, taking them by the elbows, steered them up -the stairs. - -By unspoken consent they gathered in Sim's room. - -"Gee, Arden, I was afraid Moselle would get all worked up, and then you -know what she'd do? Write to Mother and Dad and get them all excited. She -doesn't miss a thing. And she's very superstitious." - -"I forgot about her," Terry admitted pulling a turtle-necked sweater over -her head. "Wounded soldier! I guess that's what we heard. Certainly -sounded like footsteps to me. Don't you love it? What did Dick say, -Arden?" - -"Not much," Arden answered. "We were too busy with the horses. Did you -notice how scared they were?" - -"Say," interrupted Sim happily, "won't Dot love this! Bet she won't want -to sit around and play contract now." - -"Oh, contract--who wants to do that? There's something queer about that -place, and I'm going to find out what it is before I have to go back to -school," announced Arden emphatically. - -"We're with you, Arden! You can't leave us out of any such excitement as -that," Terry decided. "Can she, Sim?" - -"I should say not!" Sim said, and striking a dramatic pose sang out: "All -for one, one for all! Arden, Terry, and Sim!" - -"And Dorothy," supplemented Arden. "She'll be here tomorrow. Let's take -her out to see the house in the afternoon." - -"Yes," agreed Sim. "That will be fun, and maybe we'll see the soldier." - -At this point in their plans the dulcet tones of the luncheon bell could -be heard coming from below, and Terry was obliged to slip her sweater on -again. In the end they all ate in riding clothes and talked of subjects -far from their minds lest Althea, who was serving, should carry ghost -stories back to her mother in the kitchen. - -The lamb chops were done to a turn, and the peas were startling in their -lovely greenness. The pie, lemon meringue, was a fluffy dainty that -disappeared with remarkable quickness when put before the girls. - -Everything in its place was their motto; ghosts belonged to Jockey -Hollow, and food came under Moselle's supervision. After a half year of -college fare, food was, after all, important. - -Arden Blake, Terry Landry, and Sim Westover had been schoolmates and -chums ever since they started in Vincent Prep. They were graduated at the -same time and went to Cedar Ridge College for their freshman year -together. The first term of the college had just ended and they were home -for the Christmas holidays. - -As told in the first volume of this Arden Blake mystery series, entitled -_The Orchard Secret_, almost as soon as the three freshmen signed in at -Cedar Ridge things began happening. There was something strange about the -college orchard, where so many gnarled, weird, black trees stretched up -their waving branches in the night. And when Arden saw the poster of the -missing and rich Henry Pangborn, there was another complication. - -But Arden and her two chums solved the puzzle, much to the benefit of the -college swimming pool, which had had to be abandoned because there was no -money to repair it. And thus Sim remained at college, for she was -determined to become an expert swimmer and diver, and when she had found -the swimming pool was so sadly out of commission, she had threatened to -leave. But Arden's success in solving the mystery had made everything all -right. - -When the three girls had finished lunch in Sim's beautiful home on the -outskirts of Pentville, a few miles from Jockey Hollow, Arden went to the -library across the hall and began to scan the shelves impatiently. - -"Know anything about these books, Sim?" she asked. - -"Yes, of course I do. What do you want to know?" - -"I want to find out something about our Revolution. Perhaps we can get a -volume that will tell who really lived in Sycamore Hall in Jockey -Hollow." - -"That's a great idea, Arden! At times you seem almost brilliant," laughed -Sim. - -"Well, suppose you help me to shine a bit," Arden proposed. - -"Let me help," begged Terry. - -They delved among the books but though they found some American history -lore and much about the Revolution, there was nothing on Jockey Hollow or -Sycamore Hall. - -"I'll have to try somewhere else," Arden sighed. - -The girls spent most of the afternoon talking over their strange -adventure, at times hardly believing it had happened, again with a little -thrill of fear mingled with doubt as to what it all meant. - -"Well, I'm going to find out something," finally announced Arden the -impetuous. - -"How?" drawled Sim. - -"I'm going to the library. They ought to have something there about -Jockey Hollow. Goodness knows it was important enough!" - -"Tell us when you come back," begged Terry. - -"Don't you want to come with me?" - -"No. I'm for a nap. Riding always makes me drowsy." - -"I'm with you, Terry," announced Sim. "Come on." - -She led the way upstairs, where she and Terry changed from riding clothes -to lounging pajamas. But Arden donned a polo coat and low-heeled shoes -and started out. - -"Don't you want my car?" sleepily called Sim, lolling on her bed. - -"No, I'm going to walk, thank you." - -She was on her way, though she scarcely realized it, to the beginning of -another strange mystery. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - Seeing the Dead - - -Arden felt sure there must be some historical books in the town library -that would throw light on the legends of Jockey Hollow. By studying these -legends, Arden decided, she might strike a clue to the traditions that -had built up the Sycamore Hall ghost stories. - -Hurrying to the library, determined to get at that angle without delay, -she was disappointed when she saw a girl standing at the entrance and -shaking the heavy door handle to make sure it was locked. - -"That must be Dick's sister, Betty," she decided. "He said she worked in -the library. But why is she closing it so early?" - -Reaching the door, Arden asked about the early closing. The girl, pretty -and friendly, explained that lack of funds and the holiday season made it -more practical to close early. She was Betty Howe, she admitted, smiling -at Arden's question. And she said her brother Dick had mentioned the -girls from the Westover house having gone riding with him. - -"I'm sorry, but all the lights are out now," the girl continued. "We open -at nine in the morning, you know," she smiled, putting away her keys and -pulling on her gloves. - -"Oh, thank you. Then I'll come back in the morning." - -"Yes, do. I hope it was nothing important?" - -"No, indeed," Arden answered smiling. "Tomorrow will do nicely." - -But as she hurried along to Sim's she did feel disappointed. - -"Did you find out anything?" Sim promptly asked, while Arden sank down -rather wearily. - -"No. The library was closed. But I had a nice walk," Arden tried to -persuade herself as well as Sim. - -"Well, let's forget the ghosts," suggested Terry. "It's been a long day, -and tomorrow we'll have Dot with us." - -"And so, to bed!" yawned Sim, and those who didn't yawn certainly felt -like it. - -Their night was undisturbed by "witches, warlocks or lang-nebbied -things," in spite of what had happened, or was thought to have happened, -at the Hall. Not even a bad dream threw its shadow on the healthy girls -sleeping serenely at Sim's. - -Perhaps that grand feeling of being able to lie abed as long as they -wished was too much for them; at any rate, when Terry breezily wished -Moselle a cheery good-morning, the maid made no attempt at hiding her -surprise. - -"'Mornin', Miss Terry. You-all sleep well?" she inquired. - -"'Morning, Moselle," Terry replied. "Yes, thank you. And now I'm ready -for a big breakfast." - -Moselle grinned her delight. She loved to cook, and nothing pleases a -cook more than knowing her art is appreciated. - -Arden and Sim were not long behind Terry, and the girls made a pretty -picture in their gay dresses against the background of dark paneled walls -in the dining room. - -It was Arden's day to do the marketing, but because they were to drive to -the station and meet Dorothy Keene, shortly after breakfast, they agreed, -"just for this once," to leave the planning of the day's meals to -Moselle. They were still determined to run the house efficiently and -well, on a smaller budget than Sim's mother had allowed; furthermore, -Terry and Arden agreed not to telephone home for advice. Of course, the -routine of cleaning and washing went on as before: the girls could not -improve on that. So Moselle was instructed to call up the stores and have -something very special for the coming guest, whose mother was "in the -movies," which fact thrilled Moselle to the cockles of her heart. - -When the train pulled into the suburban station, the three girls, with -the car parked as close as possible to the platform, had no trouble in -finding Dorothy. Although Terry, perched on the car top, which was folded -down, had thought she could see better from that vantage point and locate -her chum more quickly, Dorothy, it developed, was the only passenger who -alighted at Pentville. So they saw her at once. She was wearing a smart -fur coat cut on swagger lines and a ridiculously small hat pulled over -one eye. She waved a greeting. - -"Hello, Dot!" Sim ran to meet her. "Awfully glad you could come." They -hugged affectionately. "We're having specially nice weather just for -you." - -"Sim dear," the girl replied, "and Terry and Arden, it's great to see -you. I've been in a penthouse in New York with a lot of stage-struck -people, and I feel a bit struck myself," she laughed. "This lovely -country and you kids are just what I need," declared the visitor. - -They walked toward the car, each trying to show her own particular brand -of pleasure at Dot's arrival. - -"And we need you, too," Arden put in with a little tug at Dot's arm. -"Don't we, girls?" - -"Now, look here!" and Dot pulled them all to a sudden halt. "You are up -to something, I'm sure. What is it? Any new mysteries thrusting -themselves upon you?" - -"Dot, my child," Arden answered, "you are positively psychic! That's -exactly what we're bursting to tell you!" - -"Ghosts! Nice hundred-year-old ones! All hoary and bloody, with pointing -fingers!" Terry supplied. - -"And a poor old lady and two orphan grandchildren," grunted Sim, as she -tried to turn the wheel of the car. All four were in the front seat, a -feat accomplished by Sim, Arden, and Terry squeezing into a row and Dot -sitting on Terry's lap. That Dot's head was much higher than the -windshield and unsheltered from the wind bothered them not at all. With -so much to say, they simply couldn't split up the group by using the -rumble seat. Dot's grips were there, anyway, and for the two weeks of her -visit she would be well supplied with clothes--at least, judging by the -size of the bags. - -"Go on, my dear Watsons," chuckled Dot laughing. "Isn't there a -nice-looking young man any place in this mystery?" - -"Of course there is," replied Terry, "and a girl, too." - -"But the house, Dot--it's perfect! We heard the ghostly footsteps -ourselves, and in broad daylight, too!" Sim surprisingly stated. - -Dorothy shook her head. "You're all sleeping idiots! Well, I won't arouse -you. I suppose country people must have some amusement." - -"Country people!" Three voices sang out together. It never failed. A -suggestion that they in Pentville were not as metropolitan as their New -York chum was always a disputed point. - -"A ghost couldn't live in New York," Arden said sarcastically. "You have -to get out where there is some room for ghosts. Like Pentville or Jockey -Hollow." - -"Don't you believe us, Dot?" Terry asked. Dot just smiled. - -"We'll show you. What do you say, girls--shall we go over to Jockey -Hollow before we go home? The bags will be safe. Our ghost isn't a -thief." Sim slowed down at the junction where one road led to the Hollow, -which they would pass as they went to Sim's house, though at some -distance. - -"Yes! Let's go, Sim. If you're not afraid of the car on those roads," -Terry said, plainly anxious to go back to Sycamore Hall. - -Sim needed no urging, and going into second she turned the wheel and very -carefully started down the narrow dirt road. On the brow of the hill she -stopped and pointed out the faded stone walls of the house which could -clearly be seen through the bare trees. - -"That's it, unbeliever," Sim told her guest. "We'll take you inside, if -we can get in, and show you things your eyes have never before beheld." - -"Lead on MacDuff," Dorothy laughed. "Whom have you hired to jump out on -me and cry 'Boo'?" - -"Word of honor, Dot," Arden insisted, "it isn't a joke. You'll see! Go -on, Sim," she prompted. - -Bouncing and rolling from side to side, the little roadster neared the -house. The old lane that once approached prosperous farm lands, but was -now overgrown and stony, led almost to the door. But knowing she must -turn around again to go home, Sim stopped so they could back out. - -Shutting off the motor, she turned to her friends. - -"I hope he shows up," Sim whispered to Arden and Terry. - -"Who?" asked Dot. - -"The old soldier with a wounded head, all bandaged in bloody rags. He -wears very heavy boots and was hidden and sheltered from the British in -this old house during the Revolution," Terry guessed facetiously. - -"But how did you find out all this?" Dot was plainly interested but also -a little incredulous. - -"We were riding here in Jockey Hollow yesterday," Sim explained, "when -our horses were frightened, and we were, also, by some Negro workmen -rushing out of the place, crying, 'Ghost!' Oh, it was startling!" and she -related, in her most convincing way the details of their strange -adventure. - -"Oh!" said Dorothy after a little pause. "Oh!" That was all. - -The four sat in the car, no one speaking for a while. Their own -imaginings had gotten the best of them, evidently, though no one would -admit it. - -Then, suddenly, the quiet and peace surrounding the old Hall was broken, -by the loud squeaking of ancient nails being pulled from hundred-year-old -wood, and the shrill sounds were like the shrieks of frightened women. It -startled the girls into activity. - -"The workmen are back!" Arden said disappointedly. "I guess the ghost -won't dare come out." - -"Too bad, girls. You almost had me believing you. But let's go in and -look around, anyway. I like old houses, with or without ghosts." Dot was -still skeptical. - -So they climbed out of the car and picked their way over the tangled -vines and low bushes to the door: a dignified, paneled old piece -decorated with a handsomely discolored brass knocker. - -Dorothy, in a spirit of bravado, lifted the knocker up and rapped it down -smartly. They waited a second and, still defiant, Dorothy put her hand on -the bronze knob to open the door. - -No one knew just how it happened. Dorothy said she had not yet tried to -open the door when it swung back of its own motion, and instantly the dim -old hallway stretched before them. At that the reassuring sound of -hammering suddenly stopped and, gathering courage, the girls were about -to enter when a shout--half scream, half moan--echoed through the old -mansion. - -The girls stood transfixed with terror, almost breathless. Another cry -quickly followed, and then the sound of loud, hurrying footsteps could be -heard. There was a rush of bodies, and three men in working clothes, -powdered white with plaster dust, literally jumped down the last few -steps of the great staircase and continued their maddened race out of the -big front door, brushing by the astonished girls without a word. - -"There!" cried Sim triumphantly. "Something's happening now!" - -"I should say so!" gasped Terry, looking at Dot, whose eyes showed wonder -and who seemed too surprised to speak. - -"Hey! Wait!" Arden shouted, and she turned to pursue the last of the -three frightened men still wildly running away. "Wait! Tell us what's the -matter!" - -The workman, beating his hands on his trousers to knock out some of the -dust, barely hesitated. - -"Lady, I can't wait!" he exclaimed. "We saw the dead body of an old woman -stretched out on a bed. We saw her in a room below where we were -working--saw her through a hole I tore in the floor and that went into -the ceiling of her room. We saw her plain! I'm finished on this job!" He -had to wait to say all that, but then turned and ran on. - -"Oh, please!" begged Arden. "Just where did you see her? Tell us! Is she -really dead?" - -"I didn't go near her," he said breathlessly. "I don't want to get mixed -up in no murder case. But she sure looked dead to me--lying flat on her -back--in a red dress--or something--and pale--pale as----" He looked -toward his retreating companions, now some distance down the road, and -then, with a frightened glance up at the old Hall, he turned again and -ran away. - -"Well, what do you think of this?" demanded Sim. "Shall we go in?" She -turned to Dorothy as though asking her permission. - -"I--er--why, of course!" the visitor decided, perhaps a bit hesitantly. -"If there's anything wrong we ought to notify the police. Yes, we must do -that." - -It was a bold decision. It rather pleased Arden and her chums. - - - - - CHAPTER V - Baffled - - -Still, no one wanted to be the first to enter, and they stood on the -step, frightened but intensely curious. - -Arden gave Terry a little push, hinting that she should lead, but Terry -sidestepped. Sim sneaked around the others until she was on the edge of -the step, nearer the car. - -"Do you think it could be so terrible?" she questioned. - -"We ought to find out. Besides, if it's someone dead--" Dorothy -stopped--"it couldn't hurt us anyway." - -She started cautiously just a few steps, but at least they had begun to -move. The other three, in close formation, followed. At the foot of the -stairs they stopped; listened. There was not a sound. The daylight -filtering in through a stained-glass window at the first landing cast -eerie shadows and even made the girls' faces take on a sickish pale -color. - -Dorothy put her hand on the worn old stair rail and slid it up ahead of -her as though to pull herself after it. A deep indentation checked the -sliding hand and acted like a brake. - -Then Terry, growing a little braver, deliberately went up a few steps, -and in this fashion, by starting and stopping every second or two, and -listening, cautiously they reached the first landing. - -There they halted. But only for a second, for something drew them on; -some power they could not resist urged them up almost against all reason, -until they were on the second floor of the weird old house. - -There the hall ran the length of the house. All furnishing was gone from -the hall except an old dusty chest that stood in a dark, dingy corner. - -Rooms were on either side of the passage, but the doors were all closed -except one. Somehow Dorothy felt this was The Room. But to look in would -be another matter. What was in there? Nothing at all or----? - -They must find out. The old adage, "safety in numbers," came back to -Dorothy. She motioned to the other frightened girls. They crept forward -on tiptoe. - -Now in line with the opened doorway, Dorothy forced herself to look in. -She saw a large square room with shuttered windows through which the -morning light barely seeped in splintered blades. There was the bed. - -The bed! That dreadful possibility! - -How could she look? No longer brave, she shut her eyes. Her buzzing head -seemed not to belong to her. But the next moment, of its own accord, it -turned again to that dreadful resting place. A deep sigh, a gasp, from -one of the girls behind Dorothy startled her further, and she could delay -no longer. She opened her eyes. - -The bed was empty! - -A four-poster that must once have boasted a canopied top, the huge old -bed stood stark and sinister. A dark bedraggled cloth covered the -mattress, but happily--and how glad they were--nothing else was there. - -"Whew!" Terry ran a trembling hand across her forehead. "I feel as if I -had just gone through a clothes wringer." - -"Such suspense! I lived a hundred years coming up those stairs," declared -Sim. "Is my face white?" - -Arden did not feel like joking. She went closer to the bed. - -"Absolutely empty! Those men must have very vivid imaginations," she -declared with a little laugh. "Seeing things, that way." - -"This time three men saw the same thing, or claim they did. The other -time it was two who saw and who also claimed they heard the thudding of -the soldier's boots. Some complications even for ghosts," Sim remarked. - -"It's very queer. The spirits of the departed owners of the Hall must be -rising in protest against the invasion of the wreckers," Terry suggested, -not too merrily. - -"Are you sure, my dear friends, you had nothing to do with this?" Dorothy -asked, once more skeptical. - -That question brought a storm of protest. - -"Dorothy!" exclaimed Arden, "do you really think _we_ could have scared -away those workmen?" - -"Well, if you feel that way, Dot," began Terry. But she didn't; she told -them so. And once more it was a united party that looked for further -evidence of ghosts, real or imaginary. - -The inevitable fireplace was built in the wall not far from the suspected -bed. An old squat rocker stood lonely and forlorn in the center, and a -packing box had gathered dust under a window--that was all. The floor was -also dusty, but Dorothy stooped down and, with royal disregard, swept a -spot clean with a dainty lace-trimmed handkerchief. - -"Look at the floor, girls," she said. "See how wide the boards are and -the pegs to hold them down. They don't make floors that way any more. All -these boards were cut and planed and the pegs made and fitted in by -hand." - -"I wish I knew more about such things," Terry remarked, inspecting the -floor. "All I know is that this must have been a fine old house, and I -wish it wasn't going to be torn down." - -"It reminds me of an impending execution." Sim sighed. "It did its duty, -and now it has to give up its life for its country." That trite remark -brought on a giggle, but Sim didn't mind. - -Arden and Dorothy were snooping about, looking through the cracks in the -shutters, and even peered under the bed. - -"If they succeed in demolishing the Hall, I'm going to try and buy the -picture of that girl downstairs," announced Terry. "She fascinates me! -I'd like to find out more about her." - -"Probably Dick's grandmother could tell you. We must look her up," said -Arden, dusting her hands. "Who's that?" she asked suddenly as voices in -dispute were heard from somewhere. - -"Someone downstairs," Dorothy answered. They listened. One voice, a -man's, seemed just very ordinary, not the least bit ghost-like. - -"Let's go down and see what's happening," Terry suggested. "We're not -afraid of workmen." - -They all trooped down in much different spirits than they had come up in. -Now, like weather vanes turning in the wind, their interest was veering -to the commotion below. - -In the hallway stood the three workmen who had so recently rushed out of -the old mansion. There was another, an older man, obviously their -employer, with them now. - -"Are you men telling me that you're quitting, too?" asked the boss -sharply. - -"Yes, sir," the leader of the three stated emphatically. "I don't like -this place. I'd rather chop down trees all winter than go up on the top -floor for a day and start tearing this place down." - -"But, man, you're wrong! There's nothing there. You told me this same -story last week, and when I looked in, the room was empty," the wrecking -contractor declared. - -The girls were on the landing above, and he turned to them, seemingly -surly and surprised. - -"That your car outside? What are you doing in here?" he asked bruskly. - -"Yes," answered Sim. "We heard someone shout as we were going past and -stopped to see--if we could help." - -"Well--what did you find?" the contractor asked, apparently hoping that -the statement of disinterested young ladies would impress the frightened -men favorably. - -"Nothing," Arden admitted. "The room was empty when we looked in. -Although _he_ said," Arden indicated the man she had questioned, "that -there was an old lady up there, dead on the bed." - -"Yeah--_he_ said," the contractor shrugged. "I know! He had the same -story last week. All right," he continued, now addressing the men, "go to -the office and get your pay. You're finished! But this house comes down -if I have to pull it down myself!" - -The laborers turned away and, talking among themselves, gathered up their -lunch boxes and coats and hurriedly walked away. - -"You girls want to be careful in here," the contractor warned. "Not that -I worry about ghosts, but you might get hurt if something fell on you. -They were working on the roof today. This is the second time men have -laid down on this job. But I'll have this place leveled to the ground if -I have to get my own family to help me." He looked angrily at the ceiling -above him and then, taking a big black cigar from his pocket, he bit the -end savagely. Glancing about once more he finally strode after the men, -leaving the little group of wondering girls to puzzle it out. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - Introducing Granny - - -The girls just stood there, shocked by the wrecker's vehement manner. The -door was still open, and suddenly, without warning, a face appeared -there. - -"Oh!" came in a surprised murmur from Arden and her chums as they huddled -closer. - -Then the brown, weather-beaten countenance of an old woman broke into a -queer wrinkled smile. It was an old woman--not a ghost. The girls now -realized this. - -"Are they gone?" The voice was young and full of amusement as an old -lady, wearing a dress which was neat but quaint and old-fashioned, -stepped inside the hall. - -"Yes, they're gone," answered Sim, the first to fall under the charm of -Granny Howe, for it was she coming to investigate, apparently. - -"I came up to see what the trouble was, but I didn't want to meet that -Callahan man," she declared. "He's got such a temper, always having -trouble with his men." Then, as though she had just thought of it, she -asked who the girls were, what they were doing there, and scarcely giving -them time to answer, she told them who she was. Then, still interrupting, -Granny Howe guessed they were the "young ladies who had been riding with -Dick: he had told her one of them had red hair," she quaintly revealed. - -Terry blushed a little at that and then smiled; it was impossible to take -offense at Granny's gentle ways. - -"Yes, Dick took us in here yesterday," Terry answered. "We were -frightened away by----" - -"Ghosts, I suppose," the old lady chuckled. "Dick told me about it." She -laughed heartily. "Everybody but me seems to think this place is haunted. -Nonsense!" - -"But there is something queer about it, isn't there?" pressed Arden. -"I'll be so disappointed if you can explain it all naturally. We have -just got to be thrilled, you know." - -"My dear," Granny answered, "you're just like Betty, my granddaughter. -She loves to think that Nathaniel Greene or Patience Howe has come back -in spirit form to defend the old place." - -"Who were they?" Dorothy stepped forward. "Won't you tell us something -about them? I'm studying architecture, and, even with the little I know, -I can tell that Sycamore Hall must have been designed by a fine artist." - -"Dick told us it would soon all be torn down," Sim supplemented. "We're -awfully sorry, and we're not just curious. If there is anything we could -do to help----" - -Granny's blue eyes swam with tears; she shook her head and looked at each -of them in turn, pathetically. - -"You're dear young things. I can see that. But I'm afraid we'll have to -let Sycamore Hall go." She sighed and patted the wall beside her. "My -grandfather and his father before him were queer men. Never had much -faith in banks. If they had, the deed or whatever claim papers we need, -would not be missing today, and Betty could go on gallivanting around -like you girls, instead of sitting cooped up all day in the town library. -And Dick could be in college----" She left the sentence unfinished and -looked away sadly. - -Terry decided to change the subject. The old lady seemed so broken. It -was too bad, really, that no one could help her. - -"Who was the girl in the picture downstairs? I think she is lovely," -Terry pointed out brightly. - -"She was Patience Howe, an ancestor of mine. She lived here in -Washington's time. She was a modern girl for those times: brave and -strong. She kept that horse of hers right in this house when some of the -Continental soldiers tried to steal it," Granny answered Terry, her head -high now with a touch of ancestral pride. - -"Could we--would you--" Sim faltered--"would you let us come to see you -sometime--just to talk? Or would you rather not tell us things? I can -understand that the present condition of this old place must make you -very sad, and if you can't bear to think about it, we'll know just how -you feel." Sim was trying to be diplomatic, but at the same time she -hoped the old lady would answer "yes." - -"Dick told us a little of your misfortune, though we had to drag it out -of him," Terry added. "That was yesterday, when we heard the footsteps." - -"Footsteps!" echoed Granny. "That would be Nathaniel Greene walking in -his delirium from the wound in his head. Poor fellow! He loved Patience, -and she nursed him a long time, but he died." The old lady was once more -lost in ancient memories. - -The girls didn't know how to proceed now. Sim's request was still -unanswered, and they did so want to learn more. In their hearts they all -wanted to help this charming lady and save Sycamore Hall. That would aid -Betty and Dick also. - -With a brave effort, Granny checked her dreaming, and putting a tanned -old hand on Sim's arm said: "Of course you may come to see me--if your -parents will let you. I'm considered somewhat of a recluse by many folk -around here. But I'll be glad to have you to tea tomorrow afternoon. All -of you. You'll be perfectly safe, and it will brighten things up for me. -Do you know where I live?" she asked briskly. - -The girls said that they did not and began thanking her and assuring her -that no one would in the least object to their visit. They were all -talking at once, so Granny smiled and held up a gentle restraining hand. - -"You sound so alive and gay--I know what you're trying to tell me. It's -all right. I'll enjoy having you. But now I must go back. We are baking -today, and I stayed longer than I should have." She stood at the door as -if indicating to them that they too must leave. - -The girls were glad enough to walk out into the sunshine, and presently -they climbed back into the car. Granny chuckled as they squeezed in and -waved "good-bye" as Sim backed away. - -"There, Dot, how did that strike you?" Arden breathlessly asked when they -were safely on their way. "Do you still think it's a put-up job on our -part?" - -"Arden, I'm sorry," answered the girl. "I'm entirely convinced, and I'm -on your side. Wasn't she fascinating?" - -"Just like someone out of a play," Terry exclaimed. "Isn't it a shame? -Taking her own house and land away from her! If I were a ghost I'd come -to her rescue, too! Even if I did have to break up a wrecking gang." - -"What could those men have seen?" Sim wondered aloud. "They certainly -were scared." - -"When we get home we'll have to consider each person, the way detectives -do, and reason out who would be likely to know, or be responsible for -those manifestations," Arden suggested. "Shall we? Let's write it -out--and see if we can solve the mystery systematically." - -This suggestion met with whole-hearted approval, and all the rest of the -way home the girls talked of the best method of "detecting." Sim stepped -on the gas and bounced the girls unmercifully, she was so anxious to get -home, but they clung together and didn't complain. - -They had something new to do now and could hardly wait to begin. A -first-rate mystery to be unraveled, in the most up-to-date detective -fashion. It would be through the method of clues and eliminations of -clues, and the girls were "all for it." - - - - - CHAPTER VII - Trial by Jury - - -Sim's library was an ideal room for the girls to carry out their plan. -Seated at a large desk, where Sim's father often worked at night, Arden -assumed the role of judge, or lawyer, they were not quite sure which. -Sim, Terry, and Dot, in varying positions of comfort, were perched around -her. - -Events had been too exciting to warrant "time out" for Dorothy to change -from her traveling clothes, so she simply kicked off her shoes and gave -Althea the keys to her bags. The unpacking would be accomplished swiftly -and skillfully with everything put neatly away and any wrinkles -completely ironed out. - -Arden sat with pen poised and her face alight with eagerness, a -dark-haired, blue-eyed Portia. - -"Now we'll begin," she said. "Who was the first person to mention -Sycamore Hall, and how can we connect him with the mystery?" - -"I was," answered Terry. "I suggested that we ride by. I was tired of the -old roads." - -"Theodosia Landry, student," Arden wrote in a schoolgirl's hand, -"suggested visiting spot. Of course, Terry, you knew nothing about the -legend that the place was haunted?" - -"I object." Sim sprang up. "That's a leading question. How do we know she -didn't? Remember, we are all guilty until proven innocent." - -"I'll ask it another way, then," Arden agreed. "Did you have any -knowledge of ghost stories emanating from Sycamore Hall, the house in -question?" - -Arden was well pleased at the businesslike way in which she was -conducting the investigation. - -"Absolutely none, it was merely a coincidence," Terry replied and Arden -penned her answer. - -"Who next mentioned the house?" Arden resumed her role of detective. - -"Richard Howe," Terry supplied. "He seemed surprised that we wanted to go -there and didn't seem anxious to take us." - -"Yes, and it was he who told us the house was haunted!" chimed in Sim. - -Arden wrote down Dick's name and occupation and the charge against him. - -"Next come the men running from the house when they frightened Sim's -horse. Sim, what did they say they had seen?" Arden asked, busily -writing, her head on one side and the tip of her tongue showing between -her white teeth as she worked. - -"Dick asked them what was the matter, and one said he wouldn't work there -any longer. That he wouldn't stay where there were ghosts," Terry -supplied promptly. - -"What happened after that?" Arden asked. "I'm a little confused, things -happened so quickly." - -"I'll testify again," Terry exclaimed eagerly. "This is lots of fun. Then -we went back to the house after calming our horses, and entered the -living room." - -"Where was Richard Howe then?" asked Dorothy from a deep armchair. "It -seems to me you're losing sight of him. After all, he is the one who -would want to keep the house standing." - -"I don't remember whether he went in first or after we did," Terry -answered, "but we were all together in the living room when we heard the -noise." - -"Dick said there were no workmen in the house when I suggested it might -be they who were responsible for the manifestations, so apparently he -knew we were alone there," Sim said. "It does seem as though he knows -more than we think." - -"We will each have to report what we were doing and what we heard as we -were in the house. Your story comes later in the course of events, Dot. -You check up on us and ask questions when we leave anything out. Now----" -Arden took a deep breath. "Sim Westover, or, rather, Bernice," she -corrected herself with a little giggle, "how about you?" - -"I was standing near the door of the parlor leading to the hall when I -heard a bump--bump--like someone coming downstairs. I became frightened -and ran out," Sim stated simply. - -"Terry?" questioned the youthful inquisitor. - -"I was looking at the picture of the girl over the fireplace, and Dick -was looking out the window. He had his back to the room," Terry told her -story. - -"And I," said Arden, "was near Terry, also looking at the picture when -the noise came. My recollection is that Sim ran out first, then Terry and -Dick, and I last. The noise was definitely louder when we left." - -"But you didn't actually see anything?" Dorothy asked practically. - -"No," Arden resumed, "we only heard it. When we got home, Moselle told us -that she knew the men who had been working there and that they told her -they had seen the figure. Do you suppose real detectives would consider -that?" - -"If we want to be very thorough we ought to look those men up and -interview them," Dorothy decided. "But let's go on for the time being. -Don't I come next?" - -"Dorothy Keene," Arden wrote and added: "student." - -"I heard from the car hammering that suddenly stopped and then a cry. The -men rushed out of the house. When I went upstairs I saw nothing," she -remarked. - -"The next people were the men who returned and the contractor. We can -almost rule them out. It's Callahan's job to tear the place down," Arden -went on, pushing a stray lock of dark hair out of her eye. - -"Granny Howe appeared after that," Sim added. "Let me report about her, -Arden." - -"Proceed," Arden said with dignity. - -"She poked her head in at the door and asked what the trouble was," began -Sim. "Then she came in and asked if the men had gone and laughed when we -told her they had," she finished. - -"That covers everyone and everything," Arden remarked putting the top on -the fountain pen she had been using. "And from it all, the only -conclusion we can come to is that two separate sets of workmen were -frightened away by something they claim they saw or didn't see. While we -only heard sounds." - -"You'll have to admit, though, that it was very strange that the horses -should be so frightened _before_ we came out. That is, we are -_reasonably_ certain that we did not frighten them ourselves," Terry -suggested smartly. - -"There's something in that," agreed Sim, "and also don't forget the -number of people who heard the same kind of noises and claim they saw the -same thing at the same time." - -Arden stacked the sheets of paper containing the history of "The Jockey -Hollow Case," as she had called it, and suggested that they be put in a -safe place so more could be added. All the girls felt that there was much -more to come and hoped to get new evidence from Granny Howe when they -took tea with her. - -Sim took the papers, locked them in a small drawer in the desk, and took -the key. - -"I'll put the key on a chain and wear it around my neck. Then it will be -safe." She looked at her friends with shining eyes. It was so exciting to -be in the very center of a thrilling mystery. - -The girls nodded their approval and began talking brightly of all they -had done and seen as though they might have forgotten something -important. But on the whole they were well pleased with their work and -agreed it was very clever of Arden to suggest it; one useful fact -remembered from reading countless detective tales had come their way. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - The Ghost of Patience - - -"Move over, Terry, give me a look!" demanded Sim, elbowing her way nearer -to the long mirror before which Terry was admiring herself. - -"There's plenty of room and at least two more mirrors within easy walking -distance," Terry replied. "Why we all have to congregate in here, I don't -know." - -"It's more fun, that's why," Arden crisply replied. "And we can talk -better. Moselle can hear every word we say if we call to each other from -room to room. Don't forget _she's_ under suspicion too." - -"As far as I can see, the only person who isn't is Dorothy Keene, -daughter of Rita Keene the distinguished comedienne," Terry remarked, -successfully maneuvering Sim away from the glass again. "We saw her get -off the train ourselves. You're the only innocent one among us, Dot, but -you don't look it in that swanky dress." - -"Do you think we're dressing up too much? We wouldn't want to embarrass -Granny Howe," Dorothy considered. - -The girls were all in Sim's big blue-and-white bedroom, laughing and -talking as they dressed. It was the afternoon following the "trial by -jury." Sim had lately gone "modern," and the room showed it. The walls -were a cream-white edged in dark blue; light fixtures were star shaped, -and the twin beds were covered with a dark-blue satin spread with Sim's -monogram in white-satin letters on the fold. It was all glorious. - -Fooling around until the last possible minute, they were now making up -for lost time by all hurriedly dressing in Sim's room; getting ready for -the visit to Granny Howe. - -After talking it over they had decided that the old lady, though she was -spry and active, might better enjoy the little party if they did put on a -little style and dressed up. So they were wearing soft dresses and -high-heeled shoes and had put on other dainty accessories. - -The day was rather dark, a slate-colored sky promising snow before night, -but the balmy air contradicted the warning, and Sim, with the top of the -roadster down, urged the girls to hurry. A glance at her watch showed -three-thirty, and their first call should not keep Granny waiting. - -They were ready at last and piled in the car, Sim letting the clutch in -so fast that the sudden start snapped their heads back and jerked the car -forward as though Sim was just learning to drive. They went off in a gale -of laughter but not in a cloud of dust, for the frozen ground of the -driveway refused to part with any of its surface. - -Sim drove as near as she could to the little white house where Hannah -Howe lived. The cottage-like place was behind the more stately Sycamore -Hall and to the left of the lane. The lane was a mere path just tunneled -with trees. - -Four small pillars, more like posts, supported the shingled roof of the -low porch, and behind it were two square windows with a door in between. - -The girls stood in dignified silence waiting for Granny to answer Arden's -knock, but she didn't keep them long. - -"Come in, my dears!" exclaimed the elderly lady like a grandmother in a -fairy tale. "I'm glad to see you all looking so well and happy." - -Granny herself looked well and at least temporarily happy. She wore a -long-sleeved, high-necked dress, dark-blue color with little pink flowers -dotted over it. At her throat, precisely in the middle, glowed with -sullen brightness the soft purple of an antique amethyst brooch. Her -thick white hair accentuated the smooth tan of her skin, as she smiled a -welcome. - -The party trooped inside the little old house, and they were at once -struck by the charm and quaintness of the little place. - -With admiring "Ohs!" and "Ahs!" the visitors looked eagerly about, and -Granny, pleased with their young enthusiasm, explained and pointed out -the interesting features. - -The fireplace, with a pot in place and hooks for holding others, was -especially fascinating. - -"Imagine cooking over an open fire!" exclaimed Sim, "and Moselle -complains about the oven in our new gas range." - -"Years ago the fireplace served a double purpose," Granny explained: -"that of heat and a stove. And as someone has said, they were truly the -heart of the home. Many a lone winter night Patience Howe sat by this -one, keeping the fire alive, wondering would she ever see her father and -brothers again." - -On a low maple table in front of the old Colonial davenport, Granny was -putting out the "best china": thin cups and saucers with a pink wild-rose -pattern. With unfeigned interest, Arden watched her dainty movements. She -seemed as much a part of the place as did the pewter plates on the -mantel. The little company had settled down to chat with the abruptness -of old friends. After the first greetings were over, they all felt they -had known this little lady all their lives. But it was Sim who first -broached the subject uppermost in the minds of all. - -"It was Patience who hid the wounded soldier, wasn't it?" she asked, -nibbling at a tiny bread-and-butter sandwich. - -"Her picture still hangs in the Hall, doesn't it?" Terry inquired, -following Sim's lead. - -"What a brave girl she must have been," remarked Arden, hoping Granny -would take the cue and tell them about her. - -Handing Dorothy a cup of tea and settling herself in a quaint high-backed -rocker, the old lady nodded her head and smiled. - -"I can see you are all burning with curiosity," she laughed. "Of course, -I'll tell you about her, I'm very proud of her, and as you say, my dear, -she was indeed very brave." Granny glanced at the girls sitting around -her, sipping their tea and patiently waiting for her story. Then she -began: - -"In the year when Washington's troops were retreating from New York, -Patience refused to leave her home to seek shelter with relatives at -Philadelphia. This was her home: the big house, I mean, of course," she -explained. "This tiny place was for the servants. But Patience decided to -stay and help with the work of the farm; so many of the working men had -joined the troops. There was plenty of work, and it was bitter cold, too. -One day, as the poor, tired army was forced to go still farther back -beyond the advancing British troops, a wounded soldier was carried into -the house. Nathaniel Greene, his name was, and his comrades begged -Patience to take him in and keep him, for he would surely die if made to -march in the bitter cold. Patience hid him in her own room, disguised -herself as an old servant, and moved out here to live." - -"What a--girl!" breathed Arden, as Granny paused a moment. - -"Imagine waiting on a wounded soldier," followed up Terry. - -"And imagine the danger she was in," concluded Sim. - -Granny, gratified that the story of her famous relative should gain so -much honor through her own simple telling, finally continued. - -"When the British took possession of the house Patience declared the -wounded man was a raving lunatic, and so she kept him out of harm's way. -Until spring she hid him successfully, and by that time the soldier and -the maid had fallen in love." - -The girls waited while Granny shook her head sorrowfully. - -"But he contracted pneumonia and died," she murmured. "Patience never -married but gave herself up to her country's cause and became a nurse for -wounded soldiers. That was her candle holder; she used it to light her -way along a secret passage from the big house to this one." - -Granny indicated a pewter candlestick on the mantel between two plates. -Their eyes lingered on it lovingly. A moment later Granny went on with -her story. - -"I have an old letter telling about it, but when the place was remodeled -the passage must have been walled up. Dick and Betty have never been able -to find any trace of it. Although, I dare say, it will come to light when -the house is torn down." Granny finished her recital and sat looking -straight before her, her bright eyes dimmed with tears. She sighed and -attempted a little smile. - -Arden's heart skipped a beat, and a lump rose in her throat. - -"Oh, it's monstrous to think that dear old place should come down!" she -exclaimed bitterly. "Can't something be done to save it? Is there no way -of buying it in?" - -"I'm afraid we couldn't keep it, even if we could save it," Granny -replied. "We need the money it would bring. But as it is now, we are -unable to prove title to it, and it will go and be forgotten," she sighed -pathetically. "I can stay here while I live, they have allowed me that, -but Dick and Betty will be left homeless when----" - -She did not finish that prophecy, but they all knew what she meant, and -instantly they secretly determined to help her some way; how, they did -not know. - -But in a flash Sim imagined herself handing the long lost deeds to Granny -Howe and then becoming a heroine. The plot had magic influence on them -all. - -It was Dorothy who brought them back to the present. "Was it Nathaniel -Greene the workmen thought they saw the other day? But it couldn't have -been Patience on the bed," she demurred. "Of course, the workmen didn't -know anything about these war stories." - -"There is an old tradition," Granny resumed, "that Nathaniel appears in -his tattered uniform and with his head bandaged whenever the old house, -or anyone in it, is in danger. - -"Sometimes, so the story goes, and you may believe it or not, as you -choose," Granny smiled whimsically, "the ghost of Patience Howe is seen -wandering about the old house. Certainly she would have good reason to -come back here now. Not that _I_ believe in such things," she hurried to -declare, rather unreasonably. - -The girls politely agreed, but did not want to interrupt the stirring -narrative. Patience Howe's story was simply fascinating. - -"As for the figure on the bed, Patience died there when she was an old -woman. Her horse fell, breaking his leg, and she was mortally injured. -She died in her red cloak there on the old four-poster." A reverent pause -followed that statement. "But we are becoming too sad. All those things -are over and done with. Won't you have some more tea, my dear?" Granny -quickly asked, addressing Sim. - -"The story holds such strange historic interest," Sim replied, accepting -her second cup of tea. "May we go through the Hall sometime?" - -"Whenever you like," Granny consented. "But I advise you to do it soon. -That Callahan will have a new batch of workmen here by the end of the -week, and you won't have the house to yourselves after that. I must say -he is very determined. Don't let those ghost stories frighten you--the -house is really very interesting, and the door is always open ... to -you," and the hostess included them all with a bright smile and a -graceful wave of her gentle hand. - -It was almost dark now, and the girls, realizing this, drew themselves up -with a start. - -"We want to thank you for a most pleasant afternoon," said Sim smilingly. -"We must be going now; Moselle will be worried to death, and look--it's -beginning to snow!" - -The first feather-like flakes were floating down to be lost in the brush -below. Arden sprang up and impulsively kissed the old lady they had all -come to love. She gave Arden a little hug in return, and asked them all -to stop and see her whenever they could, declaring she had had a -wonderful afternoon, herself. Then, gathering their things quickly, they -left the little white house behind them. As they drove away the merry -snowflakes were making little jabs at their happy, willing faces. - -"Oh, wasn't it great!" sighed Arden. - -"I feel like a live history of the American Revolution," declared Sim. - -"And I feel like the latest authority on military ghosts. But I hated to -have the soldier die before he married Patience," sighed romantic Terry. - -"We might even be able to fix that up if we get friendly enough with the -ghosts," teased Arden, which seemed like a very good idea to all of them. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - A Warning - - -The air was brisk now, and the countryside had taken on that hushed -feeling that comes just before a snowstorm. At the moment the roads -seemed quite deserted, and their little roadster hummed along with all -its prideful speed and importance. - -Suddenly Arden spoke. "Let me off near the library, Sim, will you?" she -asked. "I'll get a cab back. I'm going to see if I can't find a book with -something about Jockey Hollow. I've heard so much, I'm greedy for more." - -"We can wait for you, Arden," Sim answered. "It's not so very late, and -it's only beginning to snow. You might not get a cab handy." - -"No, I'd rather you didn't," Arden objected. "I want to take my time. -Besides, you've got the top down, and Moselle will be worried. You go -along and I'll come later," she insisted, pulling her collar up closer -around her neck. - -Sim finally agreed and turned toward the village, where she dropped Arden -at the corner nearest the library, so she wouldn't have to turn around. -Sim was not yet an expert driver and often went blocks out of her way to -avoid turning. Arden stood at the corner and waved goodbye as her friends -continued on their way. The corner drugstore was brilliantly lighted, and -the usual group of men was hanging about the entrance, leaning up against -the window, talking and laughing. They were the least desirable element -in the town, lazy and shiftless and, somehow, they always gathered -together. - -Titus Ellery was in this group, Arden noticed, as she hurried along. A -thin man, unshaven and carelessly dressed, Arden gave him a glance out of -the corner of her eye. His booming voice rang out on the night air, for -he made no effort to control it, and Arden could not help hearing him -say: - -"Swears he don't know a thing about it. But there's a chance to pick up -some easy money. If we can do it. Thing is to find the stuff. It's around -there some place, I'll bet. That old Mrs. Howe ain't as dumb as she -looks. You got the job all right, Nick?" - -Arden started. Could she stop and learn some more, or would they become -suspicious and stop talking? She thought suddenly of a plan and, entering -the store, bought some powder she did not need, emerging just in time to -hear the man called "Nick" laugh rancorously and say: "That Callahan's -got his job cut out for him. Every darky in Pentville's scared to death. -I didn't have no trouble gettin' him to hire me." - -"Good!" exclaimed Ellery. "Then tomorrow----" - -But Arden could linger no longer and so continued reluctantly down the -street to the library, although she was now anxious to get back and tell -the others what she had heard. She reasoned nothing could be done that -night, so she would try again to locate the books in which she hoped to -find important details. - -It was almost closing time when she reached the library, and the place -was deserted except for a young girl putting books back on the shelves. - -Arden approached her. "Are you Betty Howe?" she asked impulsively. - -The girl looked at her coldly. "No, she's not here this afternoon. May I -help you?" She flashed a brief professional library smile. - -Arden felt rebuffed and explained that she had come for a book on the -history of Jockey Hollow. - -"We haven't very much on the subject. Most of the papers and maps telling -about it were destroyed in a fire years ago. There is this book, though," -she said, and going to a shelf took a thin red book from it. "They say -Richard Howe, the old one, that is, refused to trust his papers to anyone -but himself and they were lost when a fire broke out in Sycamore Hall -while he was still living. Betty says the deeds to the old place were -lost then also." - -Arden took the book eagerly. It was pitifully small, she thought -regretfully, but thanked the librarian and, after having it stamped, left -to get one of the rickety village cabs and tell the girls all about it. - -It was odd though that Betty Howe was not there, and she had not appeared -at tea, either. "Oh, well," thought Arden, "perhaps she's gone into New -York or some place." And holding the precious book close to her, she -climbed into old Pop Warner's car and told him to take her to Sim's -house. He was a talkative old man, and he knew Arden and her friends -quite well. He seemed to know a lot about them, in fact, and asked her -question after question as he drove her to Sim's. She squirmed with -impatience and then sat bolt upright as he asked in his squeaky voice: - -"Heard you was chased by a ghost in Sycamore Hall! What would your dad -say if he knew you was galavantin' around there? No place for young -ladies, I'll say! Stay on your own side of the railroad tracks." Then he -lapsed into silence as he turned into the driveway. - -"What do you mean, Mr. Warner?" Arden asked quickly. "Who told you we -were there?" - -"I hear things in this business. People always talk when they're riding -along. There's bound to be fire where there's smoke," he chuckled. "If I -was you, I'd let well enough alone. Hannah Howe is a smart woman," he -managed to say as the car stopped with a jerk. "That'll be fifty cents." -He took the money and started away after a curt, "G'afternoon." - -Arden felt rather suffused with the day's adventures. There had been -Granny's story; then the overheard remarks from those men at the -drugstore, and last but not least, the insinuations of the old cab -driver. - -At any rate, she had news for the girls, and she hurried up the drive and -into the house to give it to them. This historical study was fast -becoming a deep-dyed mystery, decided Arden. - - - - - CHAPTER X - The Missing Man - - -Sim, Terry, and Dot were gathered in the big living room quietly talking -over their visit with Granny Howe, when Arden burst in on them in great -excitement and blurted out her newest and latest story. - -The "crime sheet," as they had come to call the history of the Jockey -Hollow ghost story, was hurriedly taken from the locked drawer of their -desk, and Arden wrote in the three new suspicious characters: Titus -Ellery, Pop Warner, and the mysterious dark man mentioned as Nick. - -"We'll have to go over to the Hall the first thing in the morning: they -begin work early," Arden decided as she finished entering her report. -"Something is going to happen, I'm sure, and we don't want to miss it. -Those men at the drugstore seemed ready to pop." - -"Suppose that Callahan person just tells us to go away--what then?" -questioned Sim. - -"Granny told us we could go through the house, and if he says anything -contrary we'll tell him Mrs. Howe gave us permission. I guess he won't -put up any objections then," Terry said decidedly. - -So the next morning the girls tumbled out of their warm beds and dressed -quickly in riding clothes, that sort of outfit being most practical for -the day ahead. The dead white snow covered everything, rounding out sharp -stones and smoothing corners like a layer of lovely new downy cotton. -Apparently it had continued snowing for some time during the night, but -now the sun was shining with a dazzling brightness and a deep blue sky -promised fair weather for the day. - -The girls ate a big breakfast, which pleased Moselle. She was also -pleased to make sure that the girls had suddenly become too busy to -bother with the house, so the precious task was all her own. - -Sim got the little car out and waited impatiently while Terry went back -for a woolly scarf, but she nearly exploded when Arden, as soon as Terry -returned, discovered she had forgotten her gloves and had to go back for -them. Eventually they got going, only to stop when Sim noticed the -gasoline gage showed nearly "empty." She decided she would have to drive -to town for gas. - -"Oh, Sim!" exclaimed Dot impatiently, "we've got enough to go out to the -Hall and back. It will only take more time to go to a station." - -"Yes, Sim, we won't be driving any place else. Don't go now," Terry -begged. - -But Sim was firm, and they headed toward town and stopped at a filling -station, the other girls glaring at their little blonde chauffeur while -the tank was being filled. - -"I believe in being prepared," Sim lectured, paying the service man. "How -do you know where we'll be before night?" - -The words were prophetic, though Sim didn't realize it, for they were -destined to have a queer experience that very day. - -When they reached the road that led down to Sycamore Hall, the Hollow now -being covered with snow, they saw tire tracks stretching before them. The -workmen were there, of course. And they were late! - -Parked in the spot they thought of as their own special place was an open -truck with the name "Callahan--Contractor" painted on the back. Knowing -what that meant, they looked at each other with questioning dismay. -Callahan himself must be there and would not be likely to leave at once. -Even as they wondered, he came marching out of the Hall, a smile on his -broad ruddy face, and nonchalantly came over to their car. - -Giving a tug at the brim of his shapeless soft hat he said jovially: -"Well, we're back on the job again, ya' see. I've got a fine bunch of men -there now. Not ordinary laborers. These men don't believe in ghosts," and -taking a big black cigar from a pocket he bit off the end and searched in -his pockets for a match. - -Sim reached over Terry's knees, took the detachable cigarette lighter -from the dash board, and smilingly handed it to the man. They watched to -see what that might do. - -The girls could hear the men stamping the snow off their feet in the -empty house, now and then a loud crash as an iron bar or tool was -carelessly dropped. The voices of the men, in good-natured badinage, -floated out on the brisk air; then came shouts of laughter. Peal on peal, -deep rumbling laughter, and the lighter sounds mingling together. What -could this mean? - -Mr. Callahan turned a pleased face to Sim as he handed back the lighter. -"There! These men didn't run. I guess they're onto the trick." He started -toward the house, then stopped and said: "If you girls want to see the -ghost you may as well. Come in with me, I'll show you what's been scaring -my men." There was a bragging tone in his hearty voice, and a confident -tread in his heavy stride. - -The girls needed no urging, quickly getting out of the car and following -the triumphant lead of the contractor through the light snow. Once -inside, he went straight to the top of the house, walking with a -precision that showed his determination. Now he would "tell the world," -his attitude seemed to declare. - -Reaching the third floor they found the men still merry. They were in a -room similar to that where the suspected ghostly bed was, on the floor -below. As the boss, with the girls, came in, it was clear the men were -trying to look businesslike. - -"What's the joke?" asked Callahan bruskly. "What's all the laughing -about?" - -A young man wearing a windbreaker jacket and awkwardly holding a crowbar -spoke first. - -"We heard groans coming from the chimney, and Pete opened the chute in -the fireplace and threw down a brick. I guess we hit the ghost, the noise -stopped so quick," chuckled the workman. - -"Ghost, my eye!" exclaimed another man. "Probably it was a cat or -something caught in there. Well, you finished him anyway, Pete," and they -were ready to laugh again. - -Arden and the girls drew closer together. "There is that Nick," whispered -Arden to Dot, indicating a man in the group who alone showed no -amusement. He was covertly glancing at his companions, and suddenly he -left the room. - -In an instant he was back, bringing with him another man. Both were -seriously excited. - -"Any of you guys seen Jim? He was working with me across the hall, but he -ain't here now," declared the new man. - -"He didn't come here," answered the man who had spoken before. "What's -the matter? You look worried." - -Callahan stood facing the newcomer, dismay slowly blotting out the -pleased expression on his face. Was this more trouble? Was ever a man so -followed by bad luck? What was going on in this old house, anyway? - -"What's your trouble?" Callahan was once more the boss contractor. - -"I can't find Jim. He was with me, and we were sizin' up the room, -figurin' on how she would tear apart. I was at one end and Jim at -another, near a closet. I saw him go in. Then I heard a funny noise, sort -of groan, and when I turned around--Jim wasn't there!" - - - - - CHAPTER XI - Callahan Collapses - - -"Nonsense!" snorted Callahan, chewing on the end of his cigar. "He's -probably downstairs." - -"No, sir, I looked! Jim ain't so well. He's been sick, and this is the -first time he's been out on a job in quite a while," the workman said. -"He's a swell feller. I've known him a long time. I'm afraid he's hurt." - -"How could he be hurt? He hasn't even begun to work. Show me the room you -were in." The contractor spoke disgustedly. - -They all started for the room across the hall. The men were in various -kinds of working clothes, one or two wearing ordinary business suits. -These were the better class, who needed the work. Then there were regular -house-wreckers in stout shoes and overalls. As a background there were -the girls in their smart riding habits and bright scarfs following -Callahan, whose cigar was now reduced to a soggy brown mass. - -In the room from which the man Jim Danton had disappeared was a -conglomeration of furniture. Old chairs and a rickety table piled in a -group in one corner, a huge wicker clothes hamper that had been turned -upside down, perhaps in the hope that Jim would fall out. - -The girls could not suppress a giggle, it was so silly, and some of the -men snickered too. But Jim was nowhere to be seen. - -"Here's where I last saw him standing. Right here; but he wasn't there -when I looked." The man who had been about to begin work with the missing -Jim indicated the far end of the room. - -Callahan strode over with Napoleon-like firmness. A door was closed, -there; a closet door. With a huge red hand the contractor grasped the -knob and wrenched it open. There was an expectant silence, then Callahan -took a step forward to see better. The closet was empty! - -The group pressed nearer. Three sides of dark wood but nothing more. The -contractor thumped the walls vigorously. - -"You're crazy, man!" he said to the puzzled wrecker. "Jim never -disappeared from here." - -"Well, he disappeared from some place. He's not here now," insisted the -friend of Jim. - -Callahan was clearly disgusted. Just when everything seemed to be going -well at last, something new had to crop up. What silly persons these men -were. Like a bunch of sheep. Because a few not too intelligent Negroes -claimed they had seen a ghost, these men, who ought to have more sense, -were already showing signs of fright because one of their group could not -be found. The contractor pulled his battered gray hat down over one eye -and produced a new cigar from an apparently endless supply. Then began -the slapping of his pockets for matches. He looked vaguely at Sim as -though remembering that she had come to his rescue before, but this time -she stared back at him uncomprehending. - -Callahan went to the head of the stairs and shouted over the banister. -"Danton!" he called, his powerful voice booming through the house. "Jim -Danton!" - -But not even an echo answered him and, giving the cigar a vicious bite, -he strode over to the window. "Hey, you, Danton, come here!" he shouted, -but the result was the same as before. - -"Maybe he got sick and started home," timidly suggested Sim in a voice -that sounded ridiculously small after the Gargantuan tones of Mr. -Callahan. - -"Oh, no, miss," answered the worried worker. "He couldn't go back till -the truck came to take him and all of us out the main road. He lives too -far. Besides, this job meant a lot to Jim. It's the first work he's had -in months." - -There was a discontented murmur growing among the men, and Arden could -see the man whom Titus Ellery called "Nick" circulating among them and -saying something in an insistent low tone. They were talking in a little -group near the door of the room while Callahan questioned Jim's -particular friend more closely. - -Arden stepped to the open door of the closet and peered inside. Then she -stooped down, and when she straightened up again she held up a small -grimy object. - -She turned and faced the awe-struck company, for what she was displaying -was a glove such as workmen wear, of a dull white color with a dark-blue -knitted band at the wrist. - -"That's his glove!" exclaimed the man near Mr. Callahan. "I was with him -when he bought the pair. Jim said his hands were soft from not working in -so long; he needed gloves." - -At this discovery the men who had been talking quietly now showed open -revolt. One fellow dropped a crowbar he had been carrying. It fell with a -crash and seemed to startle them all into activity. - -"Not quitting, are you?" the contractor asked, sneering. "Fine bunch of -men, you are!" - -"We sure are quitting, Mr. Callahan! We don't mind ghosts; but when a man -disappears in broad daylight, that's too much." It was the sinister Nick -who spoke. Arden thought he seemed pleased at his announcement. - -The men near by shook their heads in agreement, and some put on their -coats as they prepared to leave. - -The weary Callahan sank helplessly down on a pile of boards and pushed -his hat back on his head. This, surely, was the last straw! The men -straggled out of the old house. The girls followed them. In a little -while the contractor also came out. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - A Strange Discovery - - -There appeared to be a spirit of uncertainty among the workmen. They were -not like the Negroes and Italians who had previously "seen ghosts." These -new workmen were not superstitious. But even they, white-collar-class, as -they were called, seemed suddenly given to some strange and nerve-racking -fear. They wanted to hurry away from the old Hall where such a strange -thing had seemingly just happened, but felt they owed a certain -allegiance to their missing fellow worker if not to the burly and baffled -boss, Callahan. - -"I say, fellows," one of the men began, "I wonder if we shouldn't do -something about Jim before we leave." - -"What can we do?" faltered the man who had dropped the heavy bar. - -It was here that Arden Blake saw her opportunity. Stepping forward with a -manner and air that her girl friends warmly complimented her about, she -called: - -"Are you going to leave without trying to find that missing man?" - -"But how can we find him?" a voice from the huddled group asked. "He just -disappeared. We can't find him. There's nowhere even to look." - -"But have you searched?" Arden demanded. - -They seemed confused at that straightforward question. - -"No," one finally murmured. - -"Then come back to the house with me!" insisted Arden. "We girls will go -with them, Mr. Callahan," she promised. "We'll have another good look all -around. There is nothing in that house to harm anyone. And we don't -believe in ghosts, so the man must be found." - -"If it comes to a question of ghosts, miss," said a tall, lanky man, "I -don't believe in 'em myself. But when a man is snatched away, you might -say, right from under your nose, why, that's something different." - -"Sure is," his friends muttered. - -"Could it not very well be," asked Sim, "that this Jim Danton might have -gone to some other part of the house without telling any of you, and have -been hurt there?--his hammer may have slipped and hit him on the head, -knocking him unconscious. That could have happened." - -"And he may be up in one of the old rooms now, injured, suffering," added -Terry. - -"This certainly is getting interesting, to say the least," spoke Dorothy. -"I must give you girls credit for getting up some good theatrical effects -in this mystery. That's quite a mob scene," and she pointed a rather -languid finger at the group of workers. - -"Don't make fun, Dot," said Terry in a low voice. "This may be serious." -Dot was inclined to be theatrical at the wrong time. - -"It is serious," declared Sim. - -Arden still held the center of the stage. She felt the need of prompt, -effective action. - -"Well, let's go make another search," she proposed. "And don't waste -time." - -"We'll do that with you," said a young fellow. "But Jim didn't go to any -isolated room and hit himself on the head with his hammer. In the first -place, he didn't have any hammer. He was using a crowbar." - -"That's right," came in a murmur, a proper mob-scene murmur, Dorothy -thought, though she did not dare mention it. - -"And in the second place," went on the same young fellow, "he was in that -closet. I saw him go in." - -"And nobody saw him come out, and there isn't even a rat-hole in that -closet yet," declared another. "We haven't started ripping there." - -It looked as though the fear and mystery would start all over again. But -Arden was not going to give up. - -"Let's go have a look," she proposed. - -"That's the idea!" boomed Mr. Callahan. He was getting hopeful once more. -"The girls'll put you fellows to shame! Let's all go in." - -The Hall was quickly invaded with more persons than it had housed in many -a long day. On the two lower floors no work of demolishing the place was -visible. The men had first started tearing out the top or fourth floor. -It was from the third floor that Jim Danton had disappeared. - -"I wonder how much longer Mrs. Howe is going to leave some of her -possessions in here?" said Sim as they reentered the big lower entrance. - -"She'll have to be getting it all out pretty soon," threatened the -contractor, "or I'll have to set it out for her. I don't want to damage -anything of hers and have her sue me, for she's a determined woman, -though, in ways, as nice as my own mother. But she sort of feels that she -is being cheated. It's none of my doing. She claims this place, and she -told me she was going to leave stuff in here to enforce her claim. But -it'll have to be got out of here pretty quick now. The men'll soon be -down to the second floor. There's hardly any of Mrs. Howe's stuff on the -third floor now. She took it away before I began my work this week." He -was saying this as they tramped into the echoing old hall. - -The party, scattering, though the girls kept together, looked all over -the first floor. There was no sign of any missing man, though it took -some little time to establish this fact, for there were many nooks, -corners, passages, closets, and rooms in the lower part of the rambling -old place. - -The second floor, where the "ghosts" had been said to appear, was -likewise devoid of any missing person, man or otherwise. They looked, one -after another, calling back and forth like scouts in the woods. - -"Well, he isn't here," Mr. Callahan finally announced. - -"No," Arden was forced to agree, with a sense of disappointment. She had -really hoped to find the man and so dispel the unreasoning fears about -the place as well as to save Jim Danton. - -"Now, we'll try once more to see how it could happen that Jim could -possibly have vanished out of a closet that you say hasn't even a -rat-hole," spoke the contractor, as they all went up to the third floor -like some awkward brigade. Some of the rooms there were open to the -weather, their outer walls having been torn away in uneven patches. - -"There's where he went in but where he didn't come out!" said the man who -claimed to have heard the weird ghostly howling through the ash-chute. - -One by one the men, the girls, and the contractor looked and stepped -inside the closet. As before, it seemed as solid as any such place always -seems. There were rows of old hand-forged iron hooks on the two side -walls and the back, but it appeared solid; unbroken in walls and, as had -been said, there wasn't even a rat-hole for escape. - -"A collector would give a good deal for those hooks," said Dot. "They're -real antiques." - -"We're looking for a man, not antiques," said Sim, under her breath. - -Mr. Callahan and some of the men stamped on the floor and kicked at the -baseboards. Everything was solid. The door was the only visible means of -egress. - -"And Jim didn't come out of the door!" declared several of his -companions, at which all of them shook their heads in positive agreement. - -"Well, it sure is queer," the contractor had to admit when they had -finished inspecting the third floor, including a big room next to the one -containing the closet that seemed to be the starting point of the -mystery. This room had an immense fireplace, and one of the men even -stooped within it and peered up the chimney. - -"He isn't up there," he announced, scraping some soot and dirt down the -uncovered ash-chute with his foot. "Jim isn't there." - -This was terrifying. Workmen might be familiar with accidents, but the -girls could hardly stand such suspense. - -The entire third floor, at least the undemolished rooms, was thoroughly -searched, with no result. The fourth floor and the roof over it were so -nearly destroyed that it required but the briefest of inspections to make -sure no missing man was there. - -Baffled, the party went down to the lower hall, Mr. Callahan becoming -more serious and even showing alarm now that his workman could not be -traced or located. - -"What do you think now, Arden?" asked Terry in a low voice. - -"I don't know what to think, but he must be some place." - -"There's no use in our staying here any longer, is there?" asked Dorothy. - -"I can't see what good we can do," agreed Sim. - -The contractor was talking to his men off a little to one side. He was -arguing against their desire to quit. - -"If you go," he threatened, "you'll lose the bonus I promised to -everybody who'd work a week straight here and not be scared away by silly -stories. Besides, we've got to keep on looking for Jim." - -"A man vanishing isn't a silly story," snarled one man. - -Sim, Terry, and Dorothy were interested in the efforts of the contractor -and realized that he was trying desperately to keep his force together. -It was a sort of last stand with him, since so many of the more ignorant -workers had left previously. Arden, hardly knowing why, wandered out and -around to the rear of the old Hall. She was tired of the confusion but -did not want to give up. - -"I wonder if I could think this out?" she reasoned. "There must be some -answer." - -In a sort of mental fog, Arden walked on a little farther into the field. -She found herself in a tangle of weeds where once had been beds of -flowers. There was one of the entrances to the great cellar under the old -mansion, just under a little back porch. - -Arden peered down the crumbling stone steps and looked past the sagging, -rotting, open door into the blackness. A damp, musty smell floated up to -her; perhaps the remains of the aroma that must have clung to the cellar -since its days of full and plenty. - -As Arden stood there, she was surprised to see a little flickering light -in the darkness of the cellar. Suddenly the light, which was bobbing -about like a will-o'-the-wisp, came to a stop. - -"Somebody's down there!" gasped Arden. "Oh----" - -A moment later she heard a scream. It was the high-pitched and frightened -voice of a girl. - -Then, out of the black cellar, with horror showing on her face, came -running--Betty Howe! - -"Oh! Oh!" she screamed. "It's terrible! Down there--in the cellar--a dead -man!" - -"A dead man!" repeated Arden, her mind now working fast. She wanted to be -sure of her ground. "Are you sure, Betty?" she asked. - -"Yes! Oh, yes! I saw him--as plain as anything!" - -Betty rushed toward Arden, all but falling upon her, the flashlight still -glowing. At the same moment Arden became aware of the approach of an old -woman from around the corner of the house, at the rear. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - Betty and the Books - - -Arden Blake, for a moment, did not know which to attend to first, the -strange old woman or the nervous and excited Betty Howe with her gasping -declaration of a dead man in the cellar. - -Then, in a flash, Arden decided if there was a dead man there he must be -the missing Jim. And if he were dead he would remain there. Also Arden -knew Betty, but she did not know this strange woman who had so suddenly, -and seemingly mysteriously, appeared on the scene. - -"Don't be afraid, Betty!" Arden told the trembling girl. "We are here -with you--the other girls are around in front, and so is the contractor -and his men. But who is this--lady?" - -The strange woman was regarding Arden with malevolent eyes, and her mouth -seemed to be muttering words. Betty, who, up to this moment, did not -appear to have been aware of the other's presence, now turned and looked. -She showed no surprise. - -"Oh," she said in a low voice to Arden, "that is Granny's cousin, Viney -Tucker. She lives with us. I guess Granny didn't mention her before, -because, well--she is a little----" - -Betty did not need to add the word "queer," Arden could see that for -herself. But there was nothing abnormal about Viney Tucker. She had once -been a handsome woman, Arden reasoned, perhaps even more so than Granny -Howe. - -"Cousin Viney helps Granny with the work, as she used to do when we all -lived in the Hall," Betty hurried to say. "But don't bother about her. -She goes and comes as and when she pleases. But the man in the -cellar--the dead man. Oh, I was so frightened! What shall we do?" - -"This probably explains the whole mystery," said Arden. - -"What mystery?" - -"About the missing workman, Jim Danton. Didn't you hear all the -excitement about him, Betty?" - -"No, I only just got here a few minutes ago. What do you mean about a -missing man?" - -"First tell me," suggested Arden, "what you were doing in the cellar." - -"I was there looking for some old books that were stored down there when -we moved out and over to the cottage. I happened to mention them to our -librarian the other day, and he suggested that I bring some in for him to -examine. He said there might be some valuable volumes among them. So I -took a little time off from my work, and I came directly here--with a -flashlight." This was all said in breathless haste. - -"Yes," said Arden, "I see you have a flashlight." - -"It's the only way to find things in the cellar--it's so dark down there -with all the lights off now. And if it hadn't been for my light I -wouldn't have seen the dead man." She actually leaned against Arden and -was trembling still. - -"Let's hope he isn't dead," suggested Arden. "Come! We must tell the -others quickly." - -Up to this time Viney Tucker had neither moved nor spoken since her -arrival on the scene. She stood at the corner of the house and fairly -glared at the girls. Now she exclaimed: - -"Ha! So there's a dead man, is there? I knew murder would be done before -they finished tearing down our house! I knew it!" - -"It isn't murder, Cousin Viney," said Betty. - -"Well, there will be murder before this business is finished," sniffed -the old woman. "And I don't like murder being done in our old house." - -"And it isn't our house any more, Cousin Viney," said Betty. "That's just -the trouble--we can't prove it is ours." - -"If we could only find the papers! If we could only find the papers!" -muttered Viney Tucker as she hurried away in the direction of the -cottage. Evidently the excited woman was suffering from the wrongs she, -as well as her family, felt had been done them about the Hall. - -"Now we must hurry!" cried Arden. "This man you think is dead--I'm sure -he's the missing Jim, and he may not be dead at all; he must be looked -after. If he's injured, he'll need a doctor. Come and tell the others all -about it! They're right out here." - -"But I don't _know_ anything about him," Betty objected as Arden fairly -dragged her around to the front of the house. - -"You found him--that's enough!" - -The conference between the contractor and his men was still on, but Sim -and the others seemed on the point of leaving. They had just become aware -of the fact that Arden was not in sight when she came into view with -Betty. - -"We've found the missing man. Or, rather, Betty did when she went in the -cellar after books!" cried Arden all in a breath. Quickly she introduced -Betty to her chums. - -"You mean Jim?" shouted Mr. Callahan. - -"I think so," Arden answered. - -"Come on, men!" cried the contractor leading a rush around to the side -cellar door. "But it'll be dark down there. We'll need some lanterns. Get -one, some of you." - -"Take my flashlight," offered Betty. - -Mr. Callahan did, fairly snatching it away but begging her pardon a -moment later. - -"You can't know how upset I am," he explained. "So many things have -happened today and other days. Poor Jim! How in the world did he get down -in the cellar? Is he badly hurt, do you think?" - -"He seemed to be unconscious," Betty answered. "But I didn't give more -than a look, and I thought he was dead, so I screamed and rushed out." - -"And I met her as I was wandering around that way trying to think up some -reason for all this," Arden explained. - -"Well, we must get help to him quickly if he's alive!" decided the -contractor, and he led his hurrying men while the girls followed. - -"How long were you in the cellar, Betty?" asked Arden. - -"Only a few minutes. I couldn't find the box of books at first. It must -have been moved. And then I saw--him!" - -"And you didn't hear anything of the search we have been conducting for -the last half hour?" asked Sim. - -"Not the least sound. But then I was away down cellar, and the floors are -very heavy." - -"And we were searching the upper floors," said Terry. "Of course you -couldn't hear, Betty." - -Up out of the cellar, sliding and slipping on the crumbling stone steps, -came the men carrying an apparently lifeless form. They had found it by -means of Betty's electric torch. - -"Is it the missing man?" called Arden. - -"Yes, it's Jim Danton," someone answered. - -"Is he--dead?" - -"We don't know yet," said Mr. Callahan. "We've got to get him to a doctor -pretty quick." - -"Well, at any rate," said Dorothy, "the mystery of the poor man's -disappearance is solved, and I hope he isn't seriously injured." - -One of the men who was standing near the girls turned to answer Dorothy. - -"That doesn't explain it," he said. "Jim was working on the third floor, -but _how_ did he get down in that cellar?" - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - How Did It Happen? - - -Having carried the unconscious man out of the cellar, the men stood at -the top of the steps leading down into the darkness, awkwardly holding -their burden. The girls had a momentary glimpse of Jim Danton's face. -There was blood on it. With a little shudder and murmur of horror Dorothy -turned away. - -"Poor fellow!" murmured Sim. - -"Can't we do something to help?" asked Terry. - -"You ought to put him down--lay him down flat!" commanded Arden. "There -may be broken bones! It isn't doing him any good to hold him all crumpled -that way." - -"He ought to have a doctor!" declared the contractor. "I wonder if it's -best to try to get him home and have the doctor there or get a doctor -here? Where's a telephone?" - -"There isn't one anywhere near here," Betty volunteered. - -"Then we'd best take him home," decided Mr. Callahan. "But how to do it? -I let my partner take my car after he dropped me off here, and I don't -know when he'll be back." - -"I have a car!" Sim quickly interposed. "If one of you men will sit in -the rumble seat and hold this man, I'll drive him home--if it isn't too -far." - -"Oh, he lives right here in Jockey Hollow," said the tall thin worker. -"About two miles from here, down by Primrose Brook." - -"I'll take him in my car, then," decided Sim. "One of you girls had -better ride with me," she added in a lower voice. - -"I will," Arden offered. "And I know a little about first aid, so maybe -we can be of some help when we get this man home--before the doctor -comes." The unfortunate man hadn't moved, nor did he seem even to -breathe. - -"That's right," agreed Sim. "But about a doctor?" she asked, turning to -the contractor and the men gathered about him. "How are you going to get -a doctor?" - -"I'll run to the nearest telephone, miss, as soon as you start with Jim," -the tall thin man offered. "I know the location of Jim's house. I can -direct the doctor there." - -"All right," Sim assented. "Take him to my car. Come on, Arden. We -certainly have run into something all right--whether or not it's a -mystery will develop later. But about you girls?" she asked, looking at -Dot and Terry and, incidentally, at Betty. - -"We'll wait here until you two come back," Terry suggested. - -"Please come with me and have some tea at our cottage," invited Betty. -"You can wait there." - -"That will be better," Arden accepted. As the men started to carry Jim to -Sim's car, she inquired, of no one in particular: "Where did you find -him, and is there any explanation of how he got into the cellar?" - -"He was at the bottom of an old ash-chute," said Mr. Callahan. "It opens -into the cellar and connects with that big fireplace on the third floor, -in the room next to the one with the closet in--the closet they say Jim -disappeared from, only he couldn't. It's a very big ash-chute--big enough -for a man to slide down. They must have burned whole trees in the old -days, in that fireplace. And when the fire was out, instead of carting -the ashes downstairs in a hod, they just opened a sort of trapdoor on the -bottom of the hearth and dumped the ashes down. Only the trapdoor is -rusted away now, and, somehow, Jim must have got into the ash-chute and -he slid down to the cellar, bumping his head, cutting himself and -knocking himself out on the way. That's all there is to the mystery. And -I'm glad of it." - -His men looked relieved. One of them said: - -"Then I guess Jim couldn't have gone into that closet like Nate thought -he did. Though he may have gone in there, and have come out without Nate -seeing him. Next he went into the fireplace room and, somehow or other, -he slipped down the ash-chute." - -"That's the way of it," said Mr. Callahan. "It explains everything, boys, -and tomorrow we'll get on this job and clean it up. The mystery is all -solved." - -"In my eye!" someone muttered. - -"What makes you say that, Nate Waldon?" asked the contractor. - -"Because Jim did disappear right out of the closet. I know it. I didn't -see him disappear, of course, but he didn't come out and go in the -fireplace room." - -"This is worse and more of it!" sighed the contractor. He looked at the -men carefully getting Jim into the rumble seat of Sim's car and asked: -"Well, what do _you_ say happened, Nate?" - -"All I know is I saw Jim go in that closet. I heard a noise. I heard him -yell, and when I ran to the closet he wasn't to be seen. He didn't slip -out into the other room. I was close enough to have seen him if he'd done -that. And we didn't find any holes in the closet. The next we know we -find Jim in the cellar. Talk about mysteries being cleared up--this one -isn't; not at all!" - -"Oh, well, don't let's talk about it!" begged Mr. Callahan. "All of you -report for work tomorrow. We'll knock off now. And I'm a thousand times -obliged to you young ladies for all you've done--and are doing," he added -as he saw Arden and Sim getting into the car, while in the rumble seat a -man was carefully holding the still unconscious Jim, supporting his head -very gently as the car started. - -"We'll be back as soon as we can," Sim called to Terry and Dot as they -walked, with Betty, toward the little cottage. - -"Don't hurry," was the answer. "We'll be all right. And do all you can -for the poor man." - -"This will be a surprise for Granny," said Betty as she led the way to -the cottage. - -"It must have been a surprise for you," suggested Terry, "coming upon -what you thought was a dead man in the cellar." - -"Oh, I was scared stiff!" admitted Betty. "And I was so glad when I ran -up and saw Arden. I suppose it seems presuming on such a short -acquaintance to call you girls by your first names," she added with a -little smile, "but, somehow, I feel as if I had known you a long time." - -"Of course," Terry agreed, "we feel that way about you, too." - -"Excitement makes time pass rapidly," declaimed Dot. "And there certainly -has been a lot of excitement since I arrived here." - -"Indeed there has been," Terry agreed. - -At the cottage Granny welcomed them with her usual happy smile but asked -at once: - -"What has happened?" - -"How did you know anything had happened?" asked Betty. - -"I can tell by your faces." - -"Well, I believe we do show something of it," her granddaughter admitted. -"But nothing a cup of your nice tea will not help to straighten out, -Granny. You know Terry and Dot?" - -"Oh, yes. And we shall have tea at once. Now tell me." - -They told her. Granny listened with an enigmatic look on her face, now -and then her eyes showing flecks of pity as the wounded man was spoken -of. - -"Very strange!" she said at the end. "I can't understand it. There must -be secrets about the Hall I never dreamed of. Perhaps when it is all torn -down some of the secrets will come to light." - -"There is some as will never see the light!" suddenly exclaimed a sharp -voice from somewhere back of the hall. A woman, hard featured as to face -and with straggling gray hair, suddenly poked her head out. She quite -startled the girls, but Betty smiled reassuringly. - -"Oh, Cousin Viney!" murmured Betty, "why do you say such things?" as if -dismissing this woman. - -"Did you want anything, my dear?" asked Granny kindly. - -"I only want to tell you that you're having too many visitors, Hannah -Howe!" was the answer. "Too many altogether! You know tea costs money, -and so does cream and sugar, though I never use either." - -"Won't you sit down with my company, Viney, and have a cup of tea--clear, -as you always like it?" invited Granny sincerely. - -"No. I've got other things to do. There's lots of work in this cottage. -Not as much as there was in the Hall--but enough!" - -At that she flounced herself out, slamming the door. - -Granny and Betty exchanged glances. So did Dot and Terry: it was their -introduction to Viney Tucker. Arden had already met her, as Betty -announced. She added: - -"Don't mind her. She's Granny's cousin--just a little odd--though I don't -need to tell you that. But she's kind and good," she explained as Mrs. -Howe went out to get more hot water. "She thinks the world and all of -Granny and of Dick and me. But there is no use denying she is a bit -trying at times, and she often embarrasses us when we have company--which -isn't as often as I'd like," and Betty smiled at her two new friends to -make them sure of their welcome. - -"I believe," she continued, "that Cousin Viney feels and resents, as one -has a right in the circumstances, our loss of Sycamore Hall, more than -even Granny does. She is a creature always given to solitude and--well, -you know how lonely women can be," she finished. - -"It does seem too bad to have such a wonderful and historic piece of -property pass out of the family," Terry said. "One can hardly blame Miss -Viney." - -"And just to make a national park," added Dot. "Doesn't seem altogether -right." - -"Oh, we're all glad to have Jockey Hollow Park here in Pentville," Betty -was quick to say. "It will put us on the map," and she laughed prettily. -"And of course, if they decide to take in this cottage, which isn't quite -sure, Granny will get something from the state for that. But she would -get a lot more money, and so would Cousin Viney and Dick and I, if we -could find the papers that prove we are the rightful heirs to the old -Hall. As it is, it has reverted to the state. But I believe there is -something about holding the estimated value of the place in court for a -certain number of years to give us a chance to prove ownership. Only I'm -afraid we never can." - -"No," chimed in Granny entering the room just then with fresh tea, "I'm -afraid we never can. There was a time when I had hope, and I did all I -could to hold this man Callahan--who isn't a bad sort--from proceeding -with the demolishing of the Hall. But now I have about given up. Only I -don't dare tell Cousin Viney that," she added with a little laugh. "She -is a die-hard and last-ditcher." - -The girls enjoyed their visit, though they were a little anxious about -the return of Sim and Arden. After a while they decided they would walk -around and wait rather than stay indoors, for the air outside was -bracing. - -"Are you going back to look for those books, Betty?" asked Terry as she -and Dot took their leave. - -"Not alone!" was the answer, given with a little shrug of her shoulders. -Then, pleasantly thanking her, they left. - -Dot and Terry walked on, back toward the Hall. The afternoon was waning. -It would soon be dusk. They hoped Arden and Sim would not be too late. - -"What do you think of it all, Dot?" Terry asked. - -"You mean about the queer old lady? Potty, if you ask me." - -"Oh, yes, a bit eccentric. But I mean about things that have happened -here in Jockey Hollow." - -Dot did not answer for several seconds. Then she said: - -"Terry, I believe there is something mysterious here, but it isn't -ghosts, though that's what you can call them." - -Terry wondered what Dot meant. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - Jim Doesn't Know - - -Sim drove along as fast as she dared, with Arden sitting beside her, both -girls wondering, conjecturing, and trying in vain to guess what the -answer to the riddle of Jockey Hollow might be. - -Now and then one of the girls, to make sure all was well, would turn to -the man in the rumble seat holding his wounded friend in a slanting -position against his own dust-begrimed body; and Jim was begrimed, also. - -"Does he seem any better?" Arden asked once. - -"No, miss. Not yet." - -"He is still alive, isn't he?" asked Sim, wondering what they should do -if the answer were in the negative. - -"Oh, yes, miss, he's alive. I can feel his heart beating." - -"That's good. Is it much farther?" - -"Not much. Take the next left turn, please." - -Sim did this. Down a country road, lined on each side with bare trees, -they saw a small house. - -"There's the place, miss! That's where Jim lives," eagerly called the -helping man, who had said his name was Nate Waldon. "I'll be glad when we -get him home. I hope the doctor will come soon." - -"So do I," murmured Arden. - -"We certainly do manage to get into the most curious mix-ups," suggested -Sim as she ran the car around the bend and up as close as she could get -to the house, which had a drive on one side. There was a barn in the -rear, but no evidence that it was used as a garage. - -It was a small house; not unlike, Arden reflected, a picture of the huts -used by the soldiers of Washington's army when it was encamped in Jockey -Hollow so many years ago. - -At the sound of the stopping car, evidently something unusual in front of -that little house, a young woman, followed by a small girl about five -years old, quickly opened the door and looked out. Then, as she evidently -caught sight of her husband held in the arms of Nate, she ran out, -crying: - -"Oh, Jim! What has happened! Are you hurt? Oh, Jim!" - -Sim and Arden quickly alighted and helped Nate lift the still unconscious -Jim out of the rumble seat. It wasn't easy, for the limp form was heavy. - -"He's coming to, I think," said Arden in a low voice to Sim. "I saw his -eyelids flutter." - -"Oh, Jim! Jim!" sobbed his wife. The little girl was also sobbing now. -Sim, realizing that Arden knew more about first aid than she did, took -charge of the child. - -"He isn't hurt bad, Mrs. Danton, I'm sure he isn't," said Nate with the -ready sympathy of one worker for another's mate. "He just had a sort of a -fall and he got bruised a bit and cut up and a hit on the head. But he'll -come around. Mr. Callahan had one of the men telephone for a doctor. Is -he here yet?" - -"Not yet. Oh, Jim! Poor Jim!" wailed the excited woman. - -"Now, he's all right, didn't I tell you that, Mrs. Danton? Here, pull -yourself together. You've got to help this young lady and me carry him in -and put him to bed and then get ready for the doctor. Now don't be -fainting on us." Nate took charge promptly. - -"No! No. I won't faint. But what happened?" Mrs. Danton asked. - -"He just fell down an old ash-chute," Arden said as she and Nate, with -the help of the man's wife, carried him into the little cottage where -Sim, comforting the child, had already preceded them. - -Just how they managed, Sim and Arden never had any clear recollection -afterward. But they succeeded in getting poor Jim upon a bed in a room -downstairs opening out of a small but very neat little kitchen. Then, -when his wife was undressing him, with the help of Nate, while Sim, in -the neat kitchen, was telling the little girl a fairy story, Dr. Ramsdell -arrived. - -"What's going on here?" he asked in a bluff hearty voice. He did not -know, and had probably not seen before, any of those whom he addressed. -But he seemed, as Arden said afterward, "like one of the family." - -"Oh, doctor, it's my husband!" faltered Mrs. Danton, again on the verge -of tears. - -"Tut! Tut! None of that!" warned Dr. Ramsdell. "We'll soon be having your -husband on his feet again. A little accident, I was told," he remarked, -and his eyes swept in turn Arden and Nate. - -"He had a fall--at the--the ghost house," Nate answered. - -"Ghost house! What joke is that?" chuckled the physician, quickly taking -off his coat and gloves and picking up the black bag he had set down on a -chair. - -Out in the kitchen Sim was intoning to the little girl: - -"And when the Prince came riding by in his automobile----" - -"Didn't he have a horse?" questioned the child, smiling now. - -"No, he was a new sort of Prince--he had a car." - -"Oh, how queer! A fairy story with an auto. But I like it. Go on, -please." - -Dr. Ramsdell bent over the man on the bed. He felt his pulse, put his -hand on the heart, and pulled back the closed eyelids. - -"Why, he's not badly hurt!" he announced. "My goodness, this is no -accident at all! Just a little shock. Here, my man! How are you? Drink -this!" He had quickly mixed something in a glass of water that Arden, -with ready foresight, had in waiting for him. "That's better. Now tell me -the joke about the ghost house." - -"It's Sycamore Hall in Jockey Hollow, where he was working," Arden -supplied. - -"Oh, there. Yes, I know Sycamore Hall. Old Mrs. Howe claims she ought to -have it, but the Park Commission thinks differently. But this is the -first I've heard about ghosts. Never mind them. That's the joke. Now, let -me look you over." - -It did not take Dr. Ramsdell long to ascertain that Jim Danton was not -seriously hurt. He was cut and bruised, he had a very slight concussion -of the brain, but no fracture of the skull, and a week's rest would make -him well again, the physician announced. - -"Keep him quiet," the doctor ordered as he left. But Jim was roused now. -He seemed to want to talk. "Let him tell what's on his mind if he cares -to," the physician suggested as he left, having set out some medicine -from his bag and given orders as to its administration. - -And when the doctor had gone Jim falteringly told his story. - -"How did it happen?" asked his wife, having heard Nate's version. - -"I don't know, Minnie. I was up in the room with another man--I sort of -forget his name--and we were sizing it up--getting ready to rip it -apart----" - -"Why, I was there with you," interrupted Nate. - -"Oh, that's right--you were." Jim had to talk very slowly. "Well, I went -in the closet to get a crowbar I'd left there." - -"I saw you go in," Nate contributed. "But you didn't come out." - -"No," said Jim in a curiously dull voice. "I didn't come out. All I know -is that I reached for my crowbar that was leaning against the closet wall -and then, all of a sudden, it felt as though somebody hit me on the head. -I fell down, and that's all I know--until just now." He sighed gratefully -and pressed his wife's nervous hand. - -"But what really happened to him? Who hit him?" demanded Mrs. Danton. - -"That's what nobody knows," said Nate. "After Jim disappeared, we started -looking for him. All but gave up when one of these young ladies found him -in the cellar--unconscious." - -"Neither of us found him," Arden said. "It was the granddaughter of the -woman who claims to own Sycamore Hall--Betty Howe." - -"Oh, that terrible ghost house!" moaned Jim's wife. "We heard stories -about it before Jim went to work there--stories floating around Jockey -Hollow--told by the Negro and Italian workmen. A lot of them quit. Then -Mr. Callahan--Jim's worked for him before--sent out word for better men. -Jim has been sick, but he decided to go. - -"We needed the money so much. We are so poor--so much in debt." She had -come out of the sick-room and closed the door. Her husband appeared to be -sleeping. "And there was a bonus of a hundred dollars for any man who -would work a full week, ghost or no ghost. Jim said he would. He tried, -but--the ghost got him!" - -She hid her face in her folded arms on the table and sobbed. The little -girl looked frightened. - -"Stop!" commanded Arden. "You mustn't give way like this. Everything is -going to be all right. Your husband isn't badly hurt. He will get well!" - -"But how can we live, meanwhile?" She raised her tear-stained face. - -"I will see Mr. Callahan about that," said Sim determinedly. "He must -carry workmen's compensation insurance. My father does in his stores. You -will be looked after. Now, don't cry. See, you are frightening Suzanne." -The little girl had told her name. - -"Yes, I must be brave. But, oh, that terrible ghost house. It should be -burned down! It almost killed--Jim," Mrs. Danton sobbed. - -"It will soon be torn down now," Arden said. "And, really, I don't -believe it's a ghost house at all. Those are only silly stories. Your -husband's accident is explainable on perfectly natural grounds, I'm sure -we'll find out. Now we must go. But you will need help. Can't we get some -neighbor in?" - -"Yes, Mrs. Johnson--she lives in the next house down the road--she will -come in, I think." - -"I'll get her," offered Sim. "You wait here, Arden." - -Sim soon returned with the kind neighbor, and as the girls had done all -they could do, they said good-bye, promising to come again. - -"And tell me another fairy story!" stipulated Suzanne. - -"I will, my dear. You can tell your father the one I told you when he -gets better, as he soon will." - -"I'll do that--yes." Suzanne was cute and had fascinating dimples. - -Sim and Arden drove away as the sun was beginning to set. They must pick -up Terry and Dot. - -"Well," remarked Sim as she speeded the little roadster along, "we've got -something to think of now." - -"I think," said Arden seriously as she recalled the pathetic scene back -at Jim Danton's house, "that we have a stronger motive than ever in -finding out about this ghost business--I mean a stronger motive than just -trying to help Granny Howe prove her right to the place." - -"There is something queer under all this, Sim. Men shouldn't be hurt like -this just because, possibly, somebody is playing jokes. I'm going to find -out the secret of Jockey Hollow!" she declared now. - -"And we're all going to help you!" Sim added. "This isn't a ghost story, -it's a detective story now." - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - A Surprise - - -Thinking over what had taken place that afternoon, and reviewing their -own parts in the strange mystery, kept Sim and Arden rather silent on the -drive back from Jim Danton's home. Then, as they were almost back at the -Hall, where Terry and Dot were waiting, Sim remarked seriously: - -"I don't believe it's anyone playing jokes." - -"What do you mean--jokes?" asked Arden, her attention, which had wandered -far afield, snapping back to the girl beside her in the roadster. - -"You said," Sim replied, "that possibly somebody was playing a joke to -cause these manifestations. It's a pretty serious joke, if you ask me." - -"I agree with you," Arden answered. "But there are persons with a very -strange sense of humor." - -"I wish some of them had to fall down the ash-chute as Jim did!" Sim -exclaimed snappishly. "It would jar some of the humor out of them." - -"I don't really believe I meant that, about it being a joke," went on -Arden. "But I'm determined to find out what's at the bottom of it all. It -must be real and it must have humans in it." - -"And I'm with you!" declared Sim. "But I have a new thought, Arden!" - -"What, Mistress Sim?" asked Arden. "I declare I'm reverting to Colonial -talk, thinking so much about this ancient place," and she laughed. "But -let me have your thought." - -"Could it be labor troubles?" asked Sim. "I mean, could some other -contractor, who resented Mr. Callahan having the job of tearing down this -old mansion, be trying to scare his men off so Mr. Callahan would give up -the contract? Isn't that possible?" - -"Yes, possible." - -"You know," went on Sim, "while there may not be very much money for a -contractor in just pulling down an old mansion, this one is of -Revolutionary importance, and there may be what the boys would call -'pickings,' that would sell for a good sum." - -"You mean like those hand-forged hooks in the closet where Jim -disappeared from?" - -"Yes. So it may be that some rival contractor is trying to force Mr. -Callahan to give up by frightening his men away." - -"It's an idea," admitted Arden, after thinking it over. "But why haven't -some of these alleged jokers been caught?" - -"Because they have been working on the fears of ignorant men." - -"You can't exactly call Jim and his workers ignorant," Arden objected. - -"No. But this is the first time anything happened to them. And it was all -so mixed up, no proper search was made at the moment of the scare. If it -had been, something might have been found out." - -"Well, I hope _we_ can find out something," Arden suggested. "It's sad to -think of a poor man hurt on the first work he gets after months of -idleness. And that little family was in a sad state." - -"Yes. We must make sure that Mr. Callahan does something for -them--workmen's compensation relief or something like that." - -Arden nodded. She was very thoughtful, and Sim, noticing that her chum's -thoughts had evidently taken a new turn, asked: - -"Have you any other theory as to how this happened to Jim?" - -"I was just wondering if anyone could have slipped into that closet, -stolen up behind Jim, hit him on the head, and then put his unconscious -body down the ash-chute?" - -"I don't see how they could, with another man in the same room." - -"No, I suppose not. Well, it's baffling, certainly." - -As they made a turn in the road which would put them on the main highway -leading back to the Hall and Jockey Hollow, they saw a horseman leading a -riderless mount coming out of the woods. - -"It's Dick Howe!" exclaimed Arden. - -"Yes," Sim agreed. - -The young groom saw them at the same moment and held back his horses -until they could ride past, which they did, coming to a stop a little way -beyond him. - -"Hello, Dick!" Arden greeted. - -"Afternoon, ladies--or I might almost say evening," Dick answered. The -slanting rays of the fast-setting sun shone on his face, and the girls -were surprised to see that it was bleeding. He noticed their quick -attention drawn to him and, putting up a hand to wipe away some trickling -blood, remarked. "Yes, my horse got a bit skittish and ran me under a low -branch. I hope it doesn't leave a scar," and he laughed lightly. - -"Is it deep?" asked Sim anxiously. - -"Not at all--just a scratch. I've been taking an old gentleman out for a -canter--had to deliver a horse to him and lead it back--lead it both -ways, in fact. And Highboy," he patted his own mount, "is always -troublesome with a led critter near him. He tried to bolt with me more -than once. You girls going riding again soon?" - -"I hope so," Sim said. "But you know, with Christmas just around the -corner, we won't have much time until after that and then we'll have to -go back to school." - -"That's so," Dick agreed. "Well, turn all the business my way that you -can, or, rather, Ellery's way. We need it! And if I don't see you again, -why, Merry Christmas!" - -"The same to you," they answered. - -Arden waved to Dick as Sim stepped on the accelerator, and the car shot -away, leaving the young groom and his two horses bathed in the red sunset -light, the crimson rays matching the blood on his cheek. - -"Rather queer," remarked Sim as they made the last turn before reaching -the road that ran past the Hall. - -"What?" asked Arden. - -"Dick getting hurt that way. I mean he's such a good rider, you would -think he might have ducked the branch that hit him." - -"You can't tell what a horse will do," declared Arden. "What, just, did -you mean?" - -"Well," Sim went on, slowing down to avoid some ruts, "I was thinking it -would be queer if Dick had been around the old Hall when Jim was hurt and -maybe he got hurt the same way--or something like it." - -"But Dick wasn't there. He was off with an old gentleman going for a -ride." - -"Yes, I suppose so. Well, it was only a notion. But there are enough -queer things happening--this would only be one of them. Betty was there -at the house, you know." - -"But I'm sure Dick wasn't. Look, there are Terry and Dot waiting for us." - -They saw the two girls walking up and down in front of the Hall. The -afternoon was fast passing. They had spent more time than they realized. - -"So you finished your visit with Granny?" asked Sim. - -"Yes, we had tea again. Betty is very nice. So is Granny. But the -cousin--she's queer," related Terry. - -"Oh, so you met Viney Tucker?" asked Arden. - -"She poked herself in at us," said Dot. "But what happened to you?" - -Arden and Sim told, and said something about the strange closet. - -"Let's go in now and have a look at it while none of the workmen is -around," suggested Arden enthusiastically. - -"No, it's too dark!" objected Terry. "I don't believe in ghosts any more -than you do, but going in that queer old house when it's as dark as it's -going to be soon, doesn't appeal to me." - -"Nor me!" said Dot. - -She and Terry climbed into the rumble seat, and they were all soon back -at Sim's house. The way seemed short, for they had plenty to talk about. - -It was quite dark when they arrived. Moselle opened the door for them and -exclaimed: - -"I sure am glad you-all have come back!" There was a tone of relieved -anxiety in her voice. - -"Why?" drawled Sim. "Have you been seeing ghosts, too, Moselle?" - -"No. But a gentleman named Harry Pangborn has been telephonin' an' -telephonin' all the afternoon, wantin' to know when you-all would be -back. He seemed quite set up about it. I couldn't give him any -satisfaction. But he----" - -The telephone jingled smartly. - -"That must be him again!" exclaimed Moselle scurrying in. - -"Harry Pangborn!" cried Terry. - -"What a delightful surprise!" voiced Sim. - -"I wonder what he wants?" murmured Arden. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - Some Real Investigating - - -Moselle called from the telephone in the back hall: - -"Oh, Miss Sim! It's the gentleman again--Mr. Pangborn!" - -Sim hurried to the instrument while the other girls looked at one -another, laughter in their eyes and with hearts beating faster. - -"Our old friend of the orchard masquerade," said Arden. - -"Do you suppose he's going to vanish again--take another name and get -into some other mystery?" asked Terry. - -"I hope he's coming here to spend Christmas!" Dot was very frank in her -desires. "It would be a change from ghosts and musty old houses." - -"Hush!" warned Arden. "The phone is open--he'll hear us." - -They were chattering loudly near where Sim was speaking and listening -over the telephone. They heard her say: - -"Oh, but how nice! Of course!--Come right over. We'll have dinner in a -little while, and there'll be a place for you.--Oh, yes, we have been -very busy.--What?--I'll tell you when you come over. But what are you -doing in this part of the country?--We thought you were enjoying your -millions.--Oh, getting even with me, I see--you'll tell us when you get -here.--Yes, this place is easy to find. All the taxi men know it. See you -later!" - -Sim danced back through the hall to where her friends waited with anxiety -to hear the other half of the conversation. - -"Was it really Harry Pangborn?" demanded Arden. - -"Of course it was and is! He's coming over!" Sim laughed merrily. - -"But why?" - -"How?" - -"What for?" - -"Wait! Wait!" begged Sim, holding her hands up to ward off her -importunate chums. "He's going to explain it all when he comes over. It -seems he just arrived in Pentville this afternoon. He was nice enough to -say he remembered that we all lived here, and he's lonesome, so he's been -keeping our line busy. He almost gave up finding us in." - -"But what's he out here for?" asked Terry. - -"Came especially to see you, my dear," laughed Sim. - -"Oh, be serious!" begged Arden. - -"Well, I can safely wager he didn't come to see me," Dot put in. "I -really hardly met him. You three monopolized him at Cedar Ridge and then -got his thousand dollars' reward." - -"_We_ didn't get the thousand dollars," Sim said. "It was really the -college swimming pool." - -"And Arden solved that mystery," added Terry, referring to one told of in -_The Orchard Secret_. - -"If I can only solve this one of Jockey Hollow I'll go in for mystery -solving as a profession," Arden laughed. "I might major in it at Cedar -Ridge." - -"Perhaps," suggested Dot, "now that Harry Pangborn is here, he can help -you." - -Arden looked at the visitor. Was there anything sarcastic in the remark? -Hardly, for Dot smiled brightly. - -"I still can't guess why he has come here," said Terry. - -"You shall know very soon, child," mocked Sim. "Now we must get busy and -wash our faces. And, oh, I wonder what sort of a dinner Moselle can give -us? I must have a talk with her. Run along, girls, get painted and -powdered, and I'll follow as soon as I can." - -Shortly after this, Harry Pangborn drove up to the Westover home in a -"small but expensive car," as Dot remarked, catching a glimpse of its -gleaming lamps out on the drive. The young man came in, bronzed as to -complexion, smiling charmingly, and showing his white even teeth, and -greeted the girls with the comradeship of a co-ed. - -"So glad to see you again," he told them. "And now, as I heard Sim say -she wondered why I was here, I'll tell you. I'm here in this particular -place because I am lonesome for such company as yours." (That was being -gallant.) "And I'm in Pentville because I have a mission to perform in -Jockey Hollow." - -"Jockey Hollow!" cried the four girls together. - -"Do you mean you are going to try to rid Sycamore Hall of its ghosts?" -asked Arden a moment later. - -"Ghosts!" exclaimed young Mr. Pangborn. "I don't know anything about -ghosts and less about Sycamore Hall. What's the joke?" - -"Ever since they got me here," supplied Dot, who seemed rather "taken" by -the young fellow, "these girls have done nothing but discover -ghosts--ghostly noises, dead women on a bed, a man mysteriously missing -and found in a cellar--and it all happened at Sycamore Hall, an old -Revolutionary mansion in Jockey Hollow that is going to be torn down to -make room for a new road." - -"This is news to me," said Harry Pangborn. "I didn't count on this when I -was asked to come to Jockey Hollow. But it's--grand!" - -"Just why were you asked?" Sim wanted to know. - -"Well, you are familiar with the fact that I fell heir to my -grandfather's estate on Long Island," was the answer. "On it is a big -wooded park, and as I happen to be a nature lover, and a wild bird -enthusiast in a small way, I carried out some ideas started by my late -grandfather and have built up quite a bird sanctuary, as they are -called--a place for the conservation of all wild life; you know, of -course. I put some new ideas into my experiments. Word of it got around, -and I was asked by Dr. Max Thandu, the State Park Commissioner here in -your part of the country, to make a sort of survey of Jockey Hollow and -lay out a bird sanctuary there. I agreed, for I thoroughly believe in -this sort of thing." - -"You mean you are going to work around here?" Dorothy asked. - -"Work," echoed Arden. "What Harry does is never just--work." She had -called him "Harry," and a self-conscious flush made her look even -prettier. - -"I understand Jockey Hollow, with its Revolutionary associations, is to -be made a state or national park," Harry went on, smiling kindly at -Arden. "The bird sanctuary will only be incidental to its historic value. -But I am glad to do my little part there. So, having some leisure time, -and the Christmas season being rather a hectic time down our way, and -being fond of the woods in winter and solitude--in a way--I decided to -use my Christmas vacation by coming to Jockey Hollow and getting some -first-hand information." - -"What could be nicer for us?" Sim complimented. - -"Are you going to stay until after Christmas?" Arden inquired. - -"I hope to. I understand Jockey Hollow is rather a big place, and it will -take me several days to survey it, locate proper places for feeding -stations, and arrange for a water supply for the birds. When I told Dr. -Thandu I would come here, I suddenly happened to remember that you Cedar -Ridge girls lived out this way, and so I'm afraid I kept the operator -rather busy this afternoon giving her your number, Sim." - -"Oh, that, too, would have been kind of you. Central isn't ever very busy -here. I'm sure she rather enjoyed it. The girls listen in, you know." - -"She hasn't anything on me!" he laughed. "Well, now you know why I'm -here." They had all settled down comfortably, and it seemed, with Harry -there, their party was complete. - -"But I thought you said," remarked Dot, "that you wanted solitude for -Christmas," her eyes were mischievous. - -"Oh, well, there is solitude--and _solitude_!" he countered, his gaze -sweeping them all in turn, but lingering upon Arden. "But tell me about -the ghosts. Are they just too--too divine?" - -They told him at dinner, which was a success in every way, Moselle and -her daughter doing themselves proud in the viands and the serving -thereof. Moselle simply loved company, especially young men company. - -"Now, what do you think of it all?" Arden asked when the various phases -of the happenings at the Hall had been recounted. - -Harry Pangborn was silent for a moment as he crushed the ashes of his -cigarette on the plate. - -The girls waited, not a little anxiously, for his opinion. It was good to -have a man around--especially such a delightful young man as Harry -Pangborn--one whom they knew and could trust. - -"Well?" asked Sim, at length. - -"Well," he blew out a cloud of smoke, "it sounds to me like either one of -two things," came the answer, slowly given. "It's either a trick of some -mischievous person or persons, as you have hinted, perhaps engineered by -a rival contractor. Or--" again a pause--"there may be something in it." - -"Do you really mean--ghosts?" gasped Terry. - -"Well, perhaps what some persons call ghosts," the young man answered. -"Let us say natural manifestations that take on a weird meaning or -significance because they are not understood. I now have a double duty -here. I'm going to lay out the Jockey Hollow bird sanctuary and----" - -He lighted a fresh cigarette. - -"If you'll leave this to me," he continued as he inhaled the aromatic -smoke, "I'll do some real investigating, if you want me to." - -"It really ought to be done," said Arden gladly. "We want to help Granny -Howe if we can, to put her in a position where she can claim this -property; though it seems hopeless after all these years. And we also -want to help this Jim Danton. We'll be so grateful for your help, Harry, -and we are so relieved to have you here--just now." - -"Such as it is, you shall have it!" promised Mr. Pangborn. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - The Figure in Red - - -Arden Blake fairly jumped into her bedside slippers, drew on a dressing -gown, and in an instant was at the window. - -"What's the matter?" sleepily inquired Terry, who was in the other twin -bed. "Has anything happened?" - -"It's snowing again," Arden answered. "I awoke a little while ago and I -heard tiny tappings against the window. I wondered what it was and I -waited a decent time, so I shouldn't awaken you, to find out." - -"Nothing to do with the mystery, has it?" yawned Terry. - -"No, silly! It's just snowing. It's going to be a glorious storm, much -better than the other little fairy we had, I believe, and oh, don't you -just love snow for Christmas?" - -"That's so, Christmas is coming," Terry admitted as she sat up in her bed -and watched Arden, still at the window. "What time is it?" - -"Nearly eight. Too sleepy still to see the faithful clock right before -you," teased Arden. - -"Sim and Dot up yet?" - -"I haven't heard them moving." Arden inclined an ear toward the room -across the hall where their hostess and the other girl slept. - -"Well, then, come on back to bed," urged Terry. "No use getting up until -Sim does. And we stayed up so late last night, talking to Harry Pangborn, -that I'm sleepy yet." - -"I'm not, and I'm going to dress. I have something to do," declared Arden -with a purposeful look on her face. - -"What? Going to see Harry? I think he's awfully nice." - -"He is, but I'm not going to see him. I'm going to the woods to get some -holly branches. I noticed a lovely lot of bushes some distance back of -the old Hall when I was wandering around by the cellar door that time -Betty Howe popped up out of it." - -"With horror on her face, as they say in books," drawled Terry. - -"Yes, she was terrified all right," admitted Arden. "Who wouldn't be, -coming upon what looked like a dead man? And that's another thing we must -do." - -"My, aren't we the busy girls!" laughed Terry. "What else, for goodness' -sakes? I might as well get up and dress, I suppose. There'll be no sleep -for me now with you barging around." - -"Another thing we must do," said Arden as she began to dress, "is to see -to it that Jim Danton's poor little family gets some relief from Mr. -Callahan or somebody. He was hurt while working for the contractor, and -the contractor should pay. That's the law." - -"It wasn't exactly his fault, though," Terry argued. "Mr. Callahan might -claim, as they say they do in some insurance policies, that it was an act -of God, an unforeseen calamity, and so get out of it--I mean he might say -it was the ghost of Jockey Hollow." - -"I hardly believe he would do that," remarked Arden, brushing her hair -vigorously. "But it surely is puzzling. Well, we'll see what Harry -Pangborn can figure out of it, though I think, since we sort of promised, -in a way we should try and do something for the Danton family. There is -no social service agency around here." - -"Yes, somebody must help them, and they seem nice folks, too. But about -this holly, what are you going to do with it specially?" - -"Decorate this place for Christmas, of course. Coming with me?" - -"I suppose so. Dot and Sim will, I imagine." - -"Yes, we'll make a little party of it. Oh, I do love to walk in the snow, -and it's coming down beautifully!" raved Arden. "Do come and look, -Terry!" - -"Wait until I get this shoe on. Though if we're going to tramp in the -snow I suppose I'd better wear heavier ones." - -"You won't need them with arctics. But isn't it a glorious storm!" - -Terry agreed that it was. The two chums finished dressing and went out in -the hall to go down for breakfast, which was evidently being prepared by -Moselle and her dark daughter, as testified to by the rattling of dishes -and the aroma of bacon and coffee floating up. - -As Terry and Arden were walking toward the stairs, they heard the door of -Sim's room open, and Dot came out, wearing a robe. She held her finger on -her lips as a signal for silence. - -"What's the matter?" whispered Arden. - -"She has a bad headache," Dot replied. "She was awake a good part of the -night, and she's just fallen asleep. I thought I'd slip down and tell -Moselle not to make any more noise than she can help. Sim needs quiet." - -"Oh, that's too bad!" murmured Terry. "I wonder if there's anything we -can do?" - -"No, I gave her some aspirin. She'll be all right. If you're going down, -would you mind having that little slave bring me up some coffee? That's -all I want. I'll be waiting out in the hall so I won't disturb Sim by -opening the door too often." - -"It's too bad," murmured Terry again. "Can't you come down and have some -breakfast with us?" - -"No, coffee is all I'll take. Some storm, isn't it?" - -"Terry and I were going out for a walk in it," whispered Arden, "and to -gather some holly branches to decorate the place here for Christmas. We -hoped you and Sim would come, but if she has a headache I guess we'll -postpone the trip." - -"No reason why you should," Dorothy argued, walking to the head of the -stairs with the others to avoid whispering so much outside Sim's door. -"I'll stay here with her. I don't feel much like walking in the snow, -though I love fresh-grown holly. Get all you can, and by the time you -come back I'll be ready to help decorate, and perhaps Sim's head will be -better." - -"All right," agreed Arden. "I have my mind set on it, and I don't like to -change. You'll come, Terry?" - -"Oh, yes." - -Dot had her coffee, the other girls making a more substantial breakfast, -and then, leaving Sim still asleep and Dot on guard, Terry and Arden set -out into the storm. The flakes were coming down rapidly now, dry, small -flakes that seemed to presage a heavy fall. It was not yet deep, but -would be, as none was melting. - -"Oh, it's so lovely!" murmured Arden raising her face to let the -snowflakes melt on it. - -"You seem to have quite a yen on for storms," remarked Terry, laughing. - -"I always have had. Now we must step out. It's quite a distance to the -old Hall, and it's slow walking in the snow." - -"I'm equal to it," declared Terry, bracing up and dashing forward. - -They trudged along, laughing and talking--talking principally of the -advent of Harry Pangborn and his declaration that he would do some real -investigating of the mysterious happenings in Jockey Hollow. - -"I wonder if he'll really discover anything," said Terry as they neared -the place. - -"He might," was Arden's opinion. "He has a good head, I believe." - -"He has nice teeth, anyhow." - -"To bite ghosts with, I suppose!" laughed Arden. - -"Yep! Well, I can see the place now," remarked Terry as they topped a -little rise. "There doesn't seem to be any men working there, though--no -plaster dust floating out of the windows as usual when men are tearing -down an old building." - -"It is quiet," Arden admitted as they walked in front of the Hall. "I -suppose Mr. Callahan is wondering what sort of workmen to get next, since -his white-collar class has left, apparently." - -"Look!" Terry suddenly exclaimed, pointing. "Footprints in the snow. At -least one man has gone in there!" - -"That is very evident, Robinson Crusoe," laughed Arden. "As your man -Friday, I agree with you. Someone has gone in, and one man only, judging -by the footprints. And as these are plain footprints and not little -scratchy marks in the snow I think we may safely argue that it is no -ghost." - -"Who said it was?" countered Terry. "But what can one workman do in -tearing down such a big house?" - -At that moment a head was thrust out of an upper and partly demolished -window and a voice cheerily called: - -"Good-morning, girls!" - -"Oh, it's Harry Pangborn!" exclaimed Arden. - -"Hello, Harry!" greeted Terry. Since the episode at Cedar Ridge, the -friends had begun to call one another by their first names. - -"What are you doing in there?" Arden called back. - -"Investigating ghosts, as I promised. Want to help me?" - -"We're after holly," said Terry, "in the back woods." - -"Well, you have time for both ghosts and holly too, perhaps." - -"No, thank you," Arden decided, shaking some of the snow off her hat. "I -think you can do your investigating alone. I mean, you come to it with an -open mind. Terry or I might suggest something to you, in our eagerness, -and that would throw you off the track." They were so near the Hall they -could talk easily to the young man at the window above. - -"There is something in what you say," admitted Harry with an assumed -judicial air. "I shall take it under consideration. Well, then, I'll go -on investigating by myself, reserving the right to call at Sim's house to -see you all, later, and report." - -"Yes, do!" invited Terry. - -"Have you found anything yet?" Arden wanted to know. - -"I only arrived a few minutes ago. Well, on with the ghost hunt! Stop in -if you come past this way, and I'll help you carry the holly branches -home." - -"Oh, that will be fine!" called Terry. "I was wondering how we could -carry enough to make really satisfactory decorations." - -"But I draw the line at a Yule Log!" stipulated the young millionaire, -whose car, the girls now noticed, was parked near a big clump of lilac -bushes that nearly concealed it. He had driven in from a direction -opposite that which they had traversed and so they had not seen the tire -marks. - -"Did you come here this morning just to investigate?" pressed Arden as -young Pangborn started away from the window and she and Terry were about -to walk on. - -"Well, I came to look into the matter of bird-feeding stations for the -sanctuary Dr. Thandu wants to establish here, and so I decided I might -also take in the Hall. It's quite a place." - -"Killing two birds with one stone," quoted Terry tritely. - -"Exactly! See you later!" - -He waved a hand to them and disappeared back into the strange old house. - -It was a little farther to the small grove, where the holly trees and -bushes grew, than Arden realized and it was perhaps ten minutes after -their good-bye to the ghost-hunter that the two girls found a thicket -sufficiently large to ensure a good supply of branches with their lovely -red berries and dark, prickly, glossy leaves. Holly is always just holly; -hard, sharp, but magnificent on its trees. - -They had good pocket knives and soon cut off a quantity--more, Arden -suggested, than they could carry even with the help of Mr. Pangborn, when -Terry, glancing off toward a little clearing, suddenly cried: - -"Look!" - -There was something in the tone of her voice that startled Arden. But she -managed to ask, as she whirled quickly around: - -"What is it?" - -"A figure in red!" whispered Terry, pointing. "There--through the -trees--someone in red--moving. Oh, perhaps it's the ghost of Patience -Howe! She is always seen wearing a red cloak, you know!" - -Arden dropped the holly branches from her hand as she looked toward where -Terry pointed. - -Something was moving! Red, in all that deep, dark clump of evergreens! - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - Santa Claus - - -Terry and Arden drew closer together, instinctively, for mutual -protection. It was uncanny to see this strange, scarlet figure capering -about in the little clearing, seen through a screen of fir trees and -against a background of gleaming white snow. - -"The ghost of Patience Howe," murmured Arden, recalling the story Granny -had told--recalling what the men had said about seeing an apparently dead -woman, in a red cloak, on a bed in the old Hall. And that figure had -mysteriously vanished. - -Now it was in sight again--at least, some figure was there. There was no -mistaking it, for it was too plain to be anything else but a moving elfin -thing. - -"Oh," whispered Terry, "do you think, Arden, that Harry could have -disturbed it?" - -"Disturbed what?" - -"This ghost--I mean, perhaps he came upon the place where it hides in the -house and it ran out--no, ghosts don't run, they sort of float, like -smoke, don't they? Oh, Arden, I'm frightened!" - -Then, fascinated, they watched and saw the red-clad figure seemingly -capering about, doing a strange dance in the snow. And suddenly it -started toward where they were half hidden by bushes and trees. Coming -toward them! - -"Oh!" screamed Terry. "Come on, Arden!" She turned to run, uttered a -sudden cry of pain as she clutched her right ankle and sank down -helplessly in the snow. - -"Terry! What is it?" begged Arden, dropping to her side. - -"My ankle! I twisted it when I turned to run! Oh, how it hurts! I hope I -haven't broken it!" - -"I don't believe you did, my dear! Ankles don't break as easily as that. -Oh, I'm so sorry!" She took some snow up in her hand and pressed it on -Terry's forehead, now wrinkled with pain. It flashed into Arden's mind -that she was going to have trouble getting Terry back to Sim's -house--walking with even a slightly sprained ankle was out of the -question. Then, with a feeling of relief, she thought of Harry in the -ghost house. She would have to leave Terry there in the snow, however, to -go get him to come to the rescue. - -"I'm so sorry," Arden murmured. "Poor Terry!" - -"It was silly of me--making so much trouble. But, oh, Arden--the red -ghost! Look, it's coming right for us!" She was facing in the direction -of the strange red figure; Arden had her back toward it. But at Terry's -cry Arden looked around, and then she had to laugh, even with all the -trouble they seemed to be in. And a moment later Terry also laughed, in -spite of her pain. - -For it was no red-cloaked ghost of Patience Howe that was bouncing over -the snow toward the two girls. It was--Santa Claus! - -A rotund figure of a jolly little man with a real beard of lovely white -hair--no cotton whiskers on this St. Nicholas--came prancing through the -underbrush, scattering snow. He was no ghost, the girls were assured of -that in a moment, for he addressed them in very human accents. But even -with all this reality it was a puzzle. - -"Well, well, young ladies! I thought I heard somebody scream!" began the -little man. "I was over in that clearing, practising, and I saw you -behind the trees, and I sort of thought you'd think it queer, and I -turned to come and explain. Then I heard a scream and----" - -"My friend turned suddenly and sprained her ankle," Arden interposed. "It -is very painful--I'm afraid she can't walk." - -"Luckily I can take care of that," said Santa Claus. "It was partly my -fault, I reckon. Gave her a start, naturally--seeing me in this rig. -That's why I came out here to try it on. I knew it would look sort of -silly to anybody who didn't understand. I'm terrible sorry." - -"But why are you dressed up this way?" asked Arden. Terry was just about -able to stand and, resting with her head on her chum's shoulder, her face -showed she was suffering. Really the ankle was very painful. - -"It's easy explained," said the little man, pulling at his luxuriant -beard, a thing he never would have dared to do had he been wearing a -masquerade whiskers. "My name is Janson Henshot, I live over at Bayley -Corners, and I'm superintendent of the Sunday-school there. Up to this -year we always had, for the Sunday-school children, the little ones, you -know, a Santa Claus with a false beard. The part was played, off and on, -by Jake Heller or Sam Bendon. - -"But last year one of the little boys gave the beard of Santa Claus a -pull when he was handing out the presents, and the beard came off, and it -sort of spoiled things. So, when Christmas was talked of this year, -somebody said I'd do fine for Santa Claus, as my beard's real and it'll -stand a lot of pulling and won't come off!" He demonstrated, laughing. - -Even Terry smiled now, for she was listening and had opened her eyes. -This, truly, was a comical experience, to find a real Santa Claus in a -real wood. - -"So I said I'd be Santa Claus," went on Mr. Henshot. "All I needed was -the uniform, and my wife made this one. Not bad," and he looked proudly -at his red coat and trousers, trimmed with real white rabbit fur, and at -his glossy black boots. - -"It's perfect!" declared Arden. - -"Glad you like it! Well, after I got the uniform and I didn't have to -raise any beard, I decided I needed some practice to act right as Santa -Claus, me never having played the part before, though I've watched the -others. So I put the uniform in my old flivver and came out here in the -woods to rehearse, as you might say. This is the second time I've done -it. I act like I think the old fellow would act with a lot of happy -children around him--sort of skipping and prancing. Am I keeping you too -long? I wanted to get it down right before I went out into that -Sunday-school crowd. And that's what I was doing--rehearsing--when you -saw me. Guess you must have thought it sort of odd." - -"We--we thought you were a ghost!" murmured Terry. - -"Ghost! My stars!" - -"The ghost of Patience Howe, on account of the red," explained Arden. - -"Oh--Patience Howe--I see--her as is supposed to have been around -Sycamore Hall in the Revolution and hid her horse from the soldiers. Yes, -that's a story around here, but I don't know--ghosts--no such animals if -you ask me!" He laughed heartily. - -"I suppose you have heard," suggested Arden, "that the ghost of Patience, -in her red cloak, is said to wander around the old Hall at times." - -"Oh, yes, I've heard that story, but nobody I know ever saw any ghost -like that. Though, now you speak of it, I did hear that the contractor -who's tearing down the Hall has been having trouble with his men on -account of queer happenings. But I don't take any stock in 'em. Just -rantings of the Negro and Italian laborers, I reckon." - -"Some queer things have happened there," said Arden. "But now what are we -going to do? I must get Terry home as soon as possible--a doctor must -look at her ankle at once!" - -"I know--sprained ankles can kick up quite a fuss. But as I'm sort of to -blame for this, I'll do my best to remedy the trouble. I shouldn't have -kept you here so long talking, by golly! I've got my flivver parked over -near where I was rehearsing. I can run it here--no trouble at all--my -flivver'll go up the side of a barn. And we'll put your friend in and -I'll run her home in a jiffy, if you want me to." - -"I think that will be the best thing to do," said Arden. "We have a -friend in Sycamore Hall----" - -"You have!" cried Mr. Henshot. "Why, I was told Granny Howe couldn't -prove title to the place and she had to get out and it's being torn -down." - -"That's right," Arden assented. "But the friend I speak of is just in -there temporarily, looking for ghosts." - -"My stars!" exclaimed Santa Claus. "Well, I'll go get my flivver. Be back -right quick. Don't let her step on her ankle. I'm mighty, mighty sorry -this happened!" - -He ran away with surprising speed for such an elderly man, his white -beard flying in the wind, and almost before Arden could shift Terry to a -little easier position on her shoulder Mr. Henshot was back with his -creaking roadster. - -To Arden's surprise he still wore his Santa Claus suit. - -"Aren't you going to take that off?" she asked, for she knew he had it on -over his other clothes. - -"Got no time!" he said briskly. "We got to get this young lady to a -doctor right away. I'll drive you just as I am. I don't mind," he said -quickly. "It's in Pentville, and nobody'll know me there. I wouldn't want -to drive through Bayley Corners like this, for it would sort of spoil -things for the youngsters if they see me ahead of time. But it's all -right in Pentville. Drive you just the way I am!" - -Terry was feeling too miserable to object, and Arden realized it would be -useless. Besides, she knew Terry must have her injured ankle looked to as -soon as possible. After all, perhaps no one the girls knew would see -them. - -Terry managed to hobble on one foot and, assisted by Arden and Santa -Claus, was placed on the rear seat of the car with her chum to hold her -against the rough riding. For it would be rough getting out of the -stretch of woods and clearing. - -"Might as well take this holly you picked," said Mr. Henshot. "It'll look -right pretty in the car with me dressed like Santa Claus and all this -snow coming down. A regular white Christmas!" he chuckled. "Right -pretty!" He piled the branches in with the girls, putting some in the -empty seat beside him, and slid under the wheel. - -Then he started the car, driving carefully, after Terry gave a little -moan of pain at a sudden jolt. - -"I'll have to take a short cut," he explained, "so we can't go past the -Hall and pick up your ghost-hunting friend. Sorry, but I can't go that -way." - -"It's all right," said Arden. "He has a car." - -She wondered what those who saw the strange outfit would say, but this -held only a moment's interest. Terry's injury might mean a curtailment of -some of the Christmas festivities, besides all poor Terry's suffering. - -They were out of the woods at last and on a smoother road, not having -passed either Granny's cottage or the Hall. In a short time they were on -the outskirts of Pentville and entered the town by a back road. So not -many saw them, and those who did, while they smiled and laughed and -pointed, put it down to an advertising stunt. Arden saw no one she knew, -Terry saw nothing but Arden's kind shoulder which she leaned against. - -But when the auto of the modern Santa Claus drew up at Sim's house and -Moselle answered Mr. Henshot's ring at the door, she jumped back with -fright. - -"Mercy sakes alive! Whatever is this? A real live----" Moselle was most -eloquent when silence seized her. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - Harry Hears Something - - -Moselle's involuntary shout of surprise and alarm brought Dorothy on a -run to the front door. She gave one look at Terry and Arden seated in the -flivver, surrounded by holly branches, another look at Santa Claus, and -then laughingly demanded: - -"Where do you play the next performance?" - -"It isn't any play, Dot!" called Arden. "Terry's hurt!" - -"Hurt!" She was serious in a moment. - -"It's only a sprained ankle," said Terry, trying to speak with vigor. -"All my own fault." - -"No, it's my fault," insisted Santa Claus. - -Moselle, her eyes almost popping from her head, had retired to the back -hall, but was still peeking and listening. - -"This is Christmas and then some," said Dorothy. "But whatever happened?" - -Explanations were quickly made, amid contrite apologies from Mr. Henshot -for his part in Terry's accident. She was helped into the house and a -doctor summoned. Then, having asked several times if he could be of any -further service, aside from carrying in the holly branches, which he did, -and having been thanked for what he had done, further help being -graciously declined, the little man took himself away. - -"But first," he said, with a jolly laugh, "I'll take off my disguise--all -but my whiskers. I need them. And without my red suit there will be no -chance for the children of Bayley Corners to recognize me. - -"If you folks haven't anything else to do," he said to Arden and Dorothy -when Terry had been put to bed, with Sim (whose headache was better) to -sit beside her, "why, we'd be glad to have you over at the Bayley Corners -Sunday-school entertainment--me playing the part of Santa Claus after my -rehearsals," he chuckled. - -"Thank you," murmured Arden, trying to be cheerful about it. - -Dr. Ramsdell gave it as his opinion that Terry's ankle wasn't as bad as -she feared. It was strained, not sprained, and bound to be painful, but a -day or two of rest would make it all right, the physician said, and she -could get around, though she might want to use a cane for a while. - -"You can still go ghost-hunting," said Arden, when they were all gathered -in Terry's room to commiserate with her. - -"I'm getting sort of fed up with it," Terry said. "I believe it will all -turn out as this ghost of Patience Howe did--in a Santa Claus outfit." - -"Well, if we could play Santa Claus to Granny Howe," suggested Arden, -"and find some way to do something so she could get the money for this -property that has been taken by the state for Jockey Hollow Park, it -would be the best Christmas gift we could give her, I'm sure of that." - -"And it would help Dick to his college education and Betty to realize her -ambition to become an interior decorator," added Sim. - -"But I suppose it is too much to hope for," sighed Arden. "I imagine we -shall have to be content if we can find the troublesome old ghost." - -"Or even if Harry Pangborn finds it," said Terry. - -"Oh, yes, we saw him in the Hall," Arden exclaimed. "We forgot to tell -you. There are no workmen tearing the place down now and Harry had it to -himself." - -"I wonder if he heard anything or saw anything," spoke Dorothy -reflectively. - -The doorbell rang. It gave them a sudden start. - -"Wouldn't it be sort of--psychic if this was Harry now," exclaimed Sim. - -"You should more properly say, 'if this were he, my dear young lady,'" -corrected Arden, imitating one of their teachers at Cedar Ridge. - -"School is out!" declared Sim. "Yes, Moselle?" she inquired. - -"Mr. Pangborn," Moselle announced with dignity. - -The girls looked at one another but didn't dare laugh. The sounds might -carry downstairs. - -"Oh, I wish he might come up here and let me hear what happened!" begged -Terry as she saw her three friends rise as if to leave the room. - -"I don't see why he can't," spoke Dorothy quickly. "You are quite -'decent,' as mother's theatrical friends say when they mean they are -dressed enough to have gentlemen friends in their room--with plenty of -chaperons," and she laughed gayly. - -"Ask him to come up, Moselle!" Sim ordered with sudden decision. - -Harry was not at all abashed by coming into a girl's room while she was -reclining and with three other pretty girls seated around her. Young Mr. -Pangborn was not easily flustered. But he did look surprised. - -"Well, what happened?" he inquired anxiously as he bowed to each one in -turn and went over to Terry in the bed. "Did the bad old ghost get you?" - -"Almost," she smiled as he took her hand. "Only it turned out to be a -Santa Claus ghost; the real thing, too." - -"Tell me," he begged. - -They did. - -Harry laughed. He absent-mindedly took out his cigarette case and then -quickly put it back in his pocket, and almost as quickly took it out when -Sim said: "You may." - -"Well, I'm one up on you," he said to Terry and Arden. - -"What do you mean?" Arden asked as he blew out a cloud of smoke. - -"My ghost got away from me." - -"No!" - -"Really?" - -"Did you see anything?" - -This in turn from Arden, Sim, and Terry. Dorothy was getting him an ash -tray. - -"Oh, tell us!" - -This came in a most proper Greek chorus. - -"Well," he began, adjusting himself comfortably in the chair that gave -him a view of all the girls, "I began my investigation at the ghost house -this morning. Two of you were witnesses to that." He indicated Terry and -Arden. They bowed in answer. - -"I went all over the old place," the young millionaire resumed, "from -cellar to what was left of the fourth floor. And I found nothing except -the old furniture, the beds, a picture of a pretty girl in a green riding -habit, and some old chests that were locked so I didn't open them. I -understand they belong to Mrs. Howe." - -"Yes," Arden said. "But didn't you find any secret passage, anything to -explain how Jim Danton disappeared out of that closet and was found in -the cellar? Didn't you discover the remains of the ghost of the old -soldier, Nathaniel Greene--didn't you find any traces of Patience Howe?" -breathlessly Arden demanded to know. - -"Not a trace," and Harry shook his head. "I tried to find some secret -passage out of that closet, but I couldn't. My only explanation is that -Jim got mixed up and really fell down the big ash-chute. No, I really -didn't find a thing." - -"But you said," interposed Terry, "that you heard----" - -"Yes. That's inexplainable. As I was tramping around the old place, -pulling at loose boards here and there, suddenly, when I was in the room -where, you say, a dead woman was seen on the bed, I heard the most -unearthly groan, screech, yell, or scream. It was a combination of all -four. It gave even me a start, I assure you," he admitted. - -"What happened then?" - -"What did you do?" - -"Who screamed?" - -"Didn't you discover anything?" - -Dot joined in the questioning this time. - -It was a big moment, and Harry was making the most of it. - -What young man wouldn't have? - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - Rift in the Clouds - - -Harry helped himself to another cigarette before he answered the barrage -of inquiries. - -"As nearly as I could tell," said the ghost-hunter, "the scream came from -the room of the mysterious closet. At least, it sounded so to me. As I -say, I was in the room where the old four-poster bed was." - -"Where the workman said he saw the dead body," interposed Arden. - -"Exactly. Well, I left that room on the jump, you may be sure, when I -heard that terrible yell. I knew it hadn't come from the room where I -was, and I headed for the closet room, as we'll call it." - -The girls nodded their heads understandingly but did not interrupt. - -"But there was nothing there," young Pangborn said. "Not a thing that -could have screamed. There was nothing there. Absolutely!" - -"Whatever did you do?" asked Terry, her eyes brighter. Really, this was -all so eerily interesting that she almost forgot the pain of her bandaged -ankle. - -"I just looked around," was the answer. "That horrible scream seemed to -be still echoing through the big bare room, and to me it seemed to come -up out of the ash-chute of the fireplace." - -"That's what one of Jim's companions said," remarked Sim. "He said it -sounded like a dying cat, and he dropped a brick down." - -"If this was a cat it must have been a mountain lion," said Harry, -seriously enough. "I've hunted them, and those catamounts do yell, groan, -or scream in a most unearthly fashion at times. But there are none within -many miles of here, unless one has escaped from a menagerie. Of course, -that's possible." - -"Do you think," asked Dot, examining one of her pink nails, "that it -could be an animal who has been responsible for all the demonstrations?" - -"What a fade-out for our ghosts!" murmured Sim. - -"Not to be thought of!" declared Arden. - -"I did have the idea of an animal for a moment," was the young man's -answer. "But not after I investigated. I looked down the old ash-chute -and even threw some pieces of bricks down. There was no come-back. Then I -made another search of the old house, even going down cellar and looking -at the bottom of the chute, where, you say, Jim was found." - -Arden nodded in confirmation. - -"There was nothing there," went on the narrator, "not even a wild animal -smell, which is very characteristic, I assure you. So I went outside and -had a look around. I got positive evidence, then, that no one but myself -had entered the house." - -"How did you prove that?" pursued Terry. - -"By the footprints in the snow. Or, rather, by a lack of footprints. The -only marks were those I had made in entering and those Terry and Arden -left, but they did not come near the house. So I knew that there was no -one in the house with me." - -"And yet you heard that terrible yell!" whispered Terry. - -"Yes, I heard it. There was no mistake about it." - -"What is your explanation?" asked Arden after a rather long pause. - -Harry laughed, shrugged his shoulders, crushed his cigarette out on the -tray Dot had brought him, and said: - -"I haven't any! I'm as much up in the air as you girls are." - -They were rather wide-eyed at hearing this. - -"Of course," he went on, "this yell is the only manifestation that has -come to me. I understand you girls have both seen and heard things." - -"No." Arden shook her head. "We were never really in the house when -anything actually happened. We would arrive on the scene after the men -had run out, yelling that they had either seen or heard something. What -they heard, so they said, was a scream like the one you describe. Also -there was the sound of heavily booted feet tramping on the stairs. And I -think one man said he saw what he thought was a soldier in one of the -rooms. Then there was the figure on the bed. But we never saw either of -those." - -"And the last thing that happened," said Sim, "I mean just before what -you heard this afternoon, Harry, was the disappearance of Jim and his -subsequent discovery in the cellar." - -"He said something hit him on the head," suggested Dot. - -"Oh, yes, so he did," Arden recalled. - -"Then," stated the young man, "we have three sorts of ghostly -demonstrations: visible, audible, and manual, I might say, to describe -the assault on Mr. Jim. It's very odd. I can't account for it. I was -sure, after I heard that scream, that some prank-loving chap had slipped -into the house after me and was practising his college yell. But the snow -told a different story." - -They were silent a little while, and then Arden, in rather a small voice, -asked: - -"What are you going to do next, Harry?" - -"I don't know. What do you want me to do?" - -"Well, we'd like to have you help us find that ghost, if it's only to -satisfy ourselves that there's no such thing," said Sim. - -"And we want to help Granny Howe," suggested Terry. "It seems pathetic -that her Sycamore Hall, or what she claims is her ancestors' manor house -and ought to be hers, must be torn down, taken away, and she and the two -grandchildren get nothing for it." - -"Yes," admitted Mr. Pangborn. "Pass that, and I shall have something to -say on it in a moment. But can I do anything else to help you? I'll say -now, in between times of laying out the bird sanctuary, I'm going to keep -after the ghost." - -"There's one other thing," Arden said. "About Jim Danton's family. They -are in want and he was hurt while working for that contractor." - -"Oh, yes, I was going to tell you about that," Harry went on. "As I was -coming away, after my unsuccessful, mysterious-voice hunt, I met Mr. -Callahan. I had in mind what you told me last night about this Jim, and I -spoke about him. Callahan says he will see that he gets workman's -compensation all the while he is ill. The contractor carries insurance." - -"That's fine," exclaimed Arden. "Well, outside of finding the ghost, -which perhaps we can't do, and helping Granny--which seems -impossible----" - -"Perhaps not quite as impossible as you think," interrupted the -bird-sanctuary man with a smile, asking pardon for his interruption. "I -talked with my friend Dr. Thandu over the telephone after I left here -last night. I spoke of this case, the old ancestral hall being torn down -and no compensation being paid to the evident heirs, Granny, Dick, and -Betty. - -"Dr. Thandu said it was a very complicated case. It appears when the -state took over Jockey Hollow for a park Mrs. Howe and her grandchildren -lived in the Hall. She had lived there many years and always supposed it -was her property. But when, under the law known as the right of eminent -domain, the state took it to make a Revolutionary memorial park, Mrs. -Howe could produce no papers proving her claim. She never had occasion to -use them, she said, and had no idea where they might be. She surmised -that her father or grandfather had put them away, but a diligent search -failed to reveal them. - -"Well, the state waited a long time, and then, as she could show no legal -title, they asked her to move, which she did, as they were soon going to -start tearing down the place. However, Dr. Thandu and his fellow -commissioners did all they could. They had the Hall appraised and the -money was paid into court. It is there now, and whoever can prove title -to Sycamore Hall will get that money." - -"It should go to Granny Howe, and possibly some of it to her cousin -Viney," declared Arden, "and to Betty and Dick. Why doesn't the state or -Dr. Thandu or somebody give it to them? It's doing no good where it is -now!" Arden was indignant. - -"Granted," said Harry. "But here is the point. Suppose the state paid -this sequestered money to Granny Howe and her kin. Then, some time later, -suppose the real heirs appeared with the legal papers and showed that the -Hall was theirs. The state would have to pay all over again." - -"I suppose they couldn't do that," agreed Sim a little sadly. - -"That's why they have to be so careful," went on Mr. Pangborn. "It is a -complicated matter. The state doesn't want to cheat Granny, nor does it -want to be cheated itself. But there is a rift in the clouds." - -"Where?" asked Terry. - -"Dr. Thandu is willing and will urge that the whole case be reopened. The -Park Commission lawyers will go over it all again and take the matter to -court, seeing if it is possible, even without the missing papers, to pay -Mrs. Howe. And I may add that I am going to have my late grandfather's -lawyers--the ones who posted that reward circular about me," he said with -a smile to Arden--"I'm going to have them look into the case for Mrs. -Howe. They are clever fellows. So perhaps it may all come right after -all." - -"Oh, I do hope so!" cried Arden. "And in this connection I've just had -the most wonderful thought. I must tell you before I forget it. This is -going to be a happy Christmas for Granny Howe. Now, this is my plan." - -But before Arden could continue, there came a knock at the door. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - Arden's Idea - - -Arden was on the verge of disclosing something when that knock sounded. -So excited were the girls over what had happened and what Harry Pangborn -had told them that, for a moment, they were startled. - -Then Sim, the first, seemingly, to return to the very practical present, -called: - -"Come in!" - -Moselle entered. - -"'Scuse me," she said, "but the horse-boy is downstairs." - -"The horse-boy?" repeated Sim. - -"Do you mean somebody with a cold?" asked Arden mischievously glancing at -Harry. - -"No'm, Miss Arden. I means that boy you-all go riding with on horses." - -"Oh, Dick Howe!" said Terry. - -"Whom I have yet to have the pleasure of meeting," murmured Dot. - -"What can he want?" murmured Sim. - -"I wonder if anything could have happened to Granny--or at the Hall?" -questioned Arden. - -"Did he say what he wanted, Moselle?" Sim asked, and Moselle let her eyes -rove about the room containing the four pretty girls and the very -presentable Harry Pangborn. Perhaps Moselle wondered at a gentleman not a -physician visiting in Terry's room, but the cook said nothing about that. -She merely remarked: - -"He didn't say what he wanted--just asked to see one of the young -ladies." - -"Which one?" asked Terry, laughing, for her ankle pain was much relieved -by the comforting bandages and the liniment the doctor had used. - -"He didn't say, Miss Terry, but I 'spects he meant Miss Sim." - -"I'd better go down," Sim decided. - -"I hope," remarked Arden as Sim started downstairs, "that Dick's call has -nothing to do with Granny Howe being ill, or anything like that. What I -was just going to tell you has to do with Granny." - -"I had a glimpse of her near her little cottage as I was leaving the -Hall," said Harry. "She seemed to be all right, bustling about in the -snow like some Colonial housewife. Very picturesque." - -"Hurry back, Sim, and tell us," begged Dot. "I'm dying with curiosity, -and if he's good-looking and young and all that sort of thing, he might -come around oftener. You hinted there might be some young men when you -asked me out for the holidays," she said, mischief again sparkling in her -rather fascinating eyes. - -"What do you call this nice young man?" Arden pointed a slim pink finger -at Harry who bowed gallantly. - -"One among four?" questioned Dot with upraised eyebrows. - -"I know some chaps----" Harry began, but Arden interrupted with: - -"Don't pay any attention to Dot. She's too theatrical." - -Sim had gone down and was returning quickly. - -"It wasn't anything," she reported. "Dick just wanted to know when we -were going to ride again. He said business was rather slow at Ellery's, -and it was Dick's idea to start out and drum up a little trade. He does -get a commission, just as I expected. Shall we go riding again?" - -"I'd love it!" Dot declared. - -"But--Terry," Sim reminded them, going over to the bed and smoothing back -the invalid's hair, rather movie-like. - -"Oh, don't mind me!" Terry was quick to say. "I think a little rest and -quiet will do me good. I shall probably doze off after my ride with Santa -Claus, that was invigorating," and she laughed a little, just like -herself. - -"Well, what about it, girls?" asked Sim. "Dick is waiting for an answer. -I think a ride would do us good. He says he'll bring the horses around -here--he'll have another groom to help him." - -"I'm not very favorably disposed toward Mr. Ellery after that talk I -heard when Nick, or somebody, hinted that the liveryman had some -underhand connection with the old Hall," spoke Arden. "It may have been -nothing, but, somehow, I don't trust Mr. Ellery too far." - -"You can't blame what he does or says, or anything that the mysterious -Nick does, on the horses," Sim declared. "And it would mean something to -Dick. Besides, I would like a ride. Why not?" - -"I might come along as second groom," suggested Harry. - -"Oh, please do!" begged Dorothy impulsively. She, as Sim said to Arden -later, seemed fast making friends with the young man. Dorothy showed her -mother's theatrical influence. - -"Then I'll tell Dick to bring around four horses," decided Sim. "You're -sure you won't mind, Terry?" - -"Not a bit. But I do wish Arden would tell us the big secret before you -go. I'll have something to think about, then, while you're gone." - -"Oh, I think it will be the loveliest thing!" Arden said, her eyes -shining with enthusiasm. "I'm so glad I thought of it. The idea came to -me when Harry was telling about his plan, and the park commissioners, to -give Granny more time to prove her claim--or to help her with legal -advice or something like that. Anyhow, it looks like new hope for Granny. -And what I suggest is that we give her a little party, say on Christmas -Eve, and tell her the good news. I believe it will be the best present -she could want." - -"Say, that is an idea!" exclaimed Sim. - -"Just like you, Arden," said Dot. - -"Does that appeal to you, Harry?" Sim wanted to know. - -"Splendid!" - -"And my ankle will be enough better, then, so I can come to the party," -Terry murmured. - -"Would you have it here or at Granny's cottage?" Sim asked. "I think here -would be nice, as we have the holly now." - -"Why not have it in the Hall?" asked Dorothy. "I think that would be the -most appropriate place for such an announcement." - -"Good!" said Harry. - -"But could we?" Sim asked. "I mean, wouldn't it be bleak and cold? The -weather is likely to be stormy now for quite a while. It is still -snowing." - -"I love to ride in a snowstorm," was Dot's remark. "It would be just like -one of those funny old melodramas, riding back home." Dorothy was best -when she _was_ theatrical. - -"But about using the Hall for Granny's Christmas party," suggested Harry, -"I think nothing could be nicer. And from what I saw of the place in my -investigations today, I think that big lower room could be very well used -for it. By keeping the windows and doors closed and building a big fire -on the hearth it would be warm enough; simply swell. That hearth will -take in a whole fence rail. Then there are some old tables, chairs, -boxes, and chests scattered through the old mansion that we could bring -to that room and make it look like Christmas in the very old days. No -trouble at all." - -"Then we'll do it!" Sim decided. "Arden, you get the prize of a fur-lined -Santa Claus suit in which to make the announcement to Granny!" - -"Oh, won't it be fun!" sighed Terry. "How long until Christmas?" and she -began to count on her fingers. The ankle was now being all but forgotten. - -"Then we'll regard it as settled," said Arden. "I'm so glad I thought of -this, and so glad you mentioned having it in the Hall, Dot. Things are -looking distinctly brighter; in fact, they begin to shine!" - -"In spite of the fact that we haven't solved the mystery," added Sim. - -"But we shall!" predicted Harry. "I'm going to be around here for some -time after Christmas on that bird-sanctuary business, and the mystery is -going to be solved before the birds settle down." - -"Let us help," suggested Arden. "Don't forget we had 'firsties,'" she -finished, dimpling like a little girl. - -"I'll let you help, gladly," Harry answered. "In fact, I'm counting on -it." - -"Well, if we're going riding, let's go!" proposed Sim. "Poor Dick is -waiting. Probably he wants the commission he'll get out of our business -to buy Christmas presents with." - -The girls scurried out to get into riding togs. Harry Pangborn was -wearing what would be all right for his ride as the rig had been chosen -for his woodland work. He looked well in windbreaker coat, cap, leather -puttees, and his knickers were genuine Scotch plaid. - -Sim, before going to dress, sent Moselle to tell Dick to bring around -four horses and then supplied Terry with books to read in bed while she -would be alone. - -"Sure you won't be lonesome?" Sim asked, smoothing down the spread. - -"Not at all. I shall probably read myself to sleep," Terry promised. - -Dick and a younger helper were soon back with the mounts, and they all -started gayly out in the snow, which was falling faster than ever. But it -was a dry, fine snow that did not melt on one's garments or get in wet -around one's neck. Even the horses seemed to like it; this friendly snow. - -"Which way shall we take?" asked Sim as they started out. - -"Let's go round by way of the Hall and--have a look at the prospects," -suggested Arden, warning her companions with a look not to say too much -about Granny's Christmas party before Dick. The details were to be a sort -of surprise, though the old lady might have to be told that the young -people wanted to use that one big room in her former home for a little -festivity. The Hall being locally famous, that arrangement would be -reasonable enough. - -"We can bring Granny over from her cottage at the last minute," Arden had -said when discussing this angle of it. - -"There's nothing doing at the Hall now," said Dick when the horses had -been turned in the direction of Jockey Hollow. - -"What do you mean?" asked Sim. - -"I mean Callahan has called all the work off." - -"Why is that?" Arden wanted to know. - -"Perhaps new and worse ghosts," suggested Dorothy quizzically. - -"No, that isn't it," the young groom answered. "I believe he couldn't get -the right kind of men to work, it's so near Christmas. They would work -half a day and then want to stop. I didn't hear anything more about the -ghosts--not since my sister found what she thought was a dead man in the -cellar," and Dick laughed, recalling that incident. - -"That certainly was something to find," murmured Arden. "Poor Betty! She -was so frightened. I'll never forget how she shook." - -"She's all over it now, though," her brother declared. "But it did give -her quite a shock. She talked about it a lot afterwards. No, I don't -believe in that ghost business myself. It's just a lot of tricks those -workmen think funny," he suggested boyishly. - -"Tell him about the scream you heard, Harry," suggested Dorothy to the -young man she was riding beside. As if _that_ might change Dick's -opinion. - -"No, I think I'd better not," Harry answered. "I want to find that -screamer first. _Then_, I'll tell the big story." - -They broke into a brisk canter. It was a splendid ride in the friendly -snow, and in due time they reached the old Hall. - -"Hello!" exclaimed Dick as he saw the now almost obliterated footprints -leading into the mansion. "Somebody has been here after all. I wonder if -any of the men can be working, after what Callahan told me?" - -"Probably just some curiosity-seeker went in," suggested Harry with a -warning look at the girls. "Only one man, according to footprints," he -said. - -"I guess that's right," Dick agreed. "Well, it shouldn't worry me. This -place doesn't belong in our family any more." He could not repress a -little sigh of regret as they rode on past the historic place that had -been in the possession of the Howes so many years. - -"How does this ghost business affect your grandmother's cousin, Mrs. -Tucker?" asked Arden of Dick. - -"Oh, Cousin Viney? She just laughs at it. Doesn't believe in it at all. -She's bitter, though, at us losing the place. Rants about the -carelessness of some ancestor who either lost the deeds or else hid them -so well neither he nor anybody else was ever able to find them--deeds, a -missing will, or whatever papers are called for in a case like this," -Dick said, a little confused in attempting to make that complicated -speech. - -"So Cousin Viney doesn't believe in ghosts?" asked Harry in an offhand -sort of way. - -"No more than Granny does. Anyhow, Cousin Viney is away now. She goes and -comes, visiting around among various relatives. She went away this -morning--didn't say when she would come back." - -"It's just as well," said Sim to Dot. "Then we won't have to ask her to -Granny's little party. And I don't like Cousin Viney very much, anyhow." - -"She did rather give me the creeps," Dot said, "so sharp and 'sassy.'" - -They rode on into Jockey Hollow while the snowflakes continued to sift -down upon them, almost hiding the ghostly Hall behind a thin, shifting, -white curtain. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - Mistletoe - - -There were many historic spots in Jockey Hollow. Arden had found out some -facts from the library book, and Dick knew others gleaned in various -ways. As they rode along they talked about it all. - -Dick pointed out rows of chimney stones where once had stood the log huts -that housed the 10,000 men of Washington's army camped in the Hollow that -winter of 1779. Washington himself had a mansion in a near-by town long -famous in history, Dick took pleasure in reminding them. - -Dick located a grove of locust trees, shrouded now in white where, he -said, several hundred men of the unfortunate Continental Army had died -and were buried along the banks of Primrose Brook which now was frozen -over and covered with downy snow. - -"Well, when they get the park laid out and finished," suggested Arden, "I -suppose they'll put up a bronze tablet somewhere around here to -commemorate the valiant men." - -"A pity they can't keep the old Hall standing. That would be a fine -monument," suggested Sim. "It could be a memorial hall." - -"The Hall is doomed," said Dick sadly. "We have given up all hope." He -urged his horse ahead briskly. - -"He doesn't know what you are going to tell Granny!" whispered Dorothy to -Harry. - -"I hope something comes of it," he remarked in a low voice. "At least, -the whole matter will be thoroughly gone over, and if there is anything -in her claim, and any money due her that can be paid, my lawyers will -arrange it. They are smart men, I am sure of that." - -It was almost dark when the riders returned to Sim's house. Dick and the -other groom went back with the horses. The ride had been enjoyable for -all of them. - -"Don't forget to let me know when you want to go out again," Dick called -with gay freedom. "If I can get money enough for an education out of my -commissions from Ellery, that will be fine," he suggested as he rode -happily away. - -Terry was eagerly waiting for her friends when they got back. - -"What, no ghosts?" she exclaimed when they trooped in to tell her of -their ride. - -"Not a ghost--not even scolded by Viney Tucker. She should have told us -that we rode too long," laughed Arden. "Viney, by the way, is out of the -way." - -"Where?" Terry asked. - -"Off visiting, so Dick says. Oh, but I'm hungry!" cried Sim. "Where is -Moselle? You'll stay to dinner, of course, Harry?" - -"Thanks, but I'm afraid I can't. I want to get in touch with the lawyers -on the telephone, and Dr. Thandu, to make sure that there will be no -hitch in the plans for Granny's Christmas party. And I shall probably -need to put in calls and wait for answers. I'd be jumping up from the -table off and on. No, I'll go back to the hotel. I can phone nicely from -there. But I'll keep this invitation in reserve, if I may." - -"Of course. Any time. This will keep." - -Terry's ankle was much improved by morning, though the doctor said she -must not yet step on it. - -"In another day you may be able to hobble about the house on a cane," he -had said. - -"She will be an invalid with a most interesting limp," declared Dot. - -That day Harry telephoned to say that matters connected with the legal -aspects of Granny's case were coming along most satisfactorily. - -"You will be able to assure her at the Christmas party," he told Arden, -"that she has the best chance she ever had to get something out of the -estate. At any rate, if we fail, she will have the satisfaction of -knowing that all that could be done has been done." - -"And if it fails," asked Arden, "will she and the young folks have to -give up hope?" - -"I'm afraid so. But it's better to give up a hope than to have it linger -forever, isn't it?" - -"I suppose so. Oh, I do hope it turns out all right!" - -"So do I." - -Arden, who happened to answer the telephone to take the message from -Harry, reported to the other girls, and Sim said: - -"I think we ought to go over to the Hall and see whether Harry's idea of -a warm and cozy room can be carried out in this cold spell." - -"Not a bad idea," agreed Arden. - -"Oh, I wish I could go!" sighed Terry, looking at her bandaged foot. - -"Don't chance it!" warned Dorothy. "You'll want to be at the party. I'll -stay here with you, Terry, if Arden and Sim want to prance down to the -Hall and look it over." - -"Let's, Sim!" Arden exclaimed. "Only we won't prance. We'll go in the -car." - -To this Sim agreed and, the housekeeping plans for the day having been -disposed of, she and Arden started out in the sturdy little roadster. It -had stopped snowing, and the sun was shining brightly with a dazzling -luster on the white ground. It was snappy and cold, so the girls wore -furs and arctics, for they wanted to walk around near the Hall. That -opportunity always fascinated them. - -Reaching the Hall, they tramped up the steps. Sim and Arden pushed open -the heavy front door and stood with their heads just within the hall, -listening before venturing in all the way. - -"No use taking any chances," Sim remarked. - -"What chances?" Arden asked, though, as a matter of fact, the same -thought was in her own mind. - -"Well, ghosts or some irresponsible workmen who might be camping out in -here since they had the last seance." - -"Or tramps," suggested Arden. - -"Say, there's a thought!" Sim exclaimed. "Perhaps _tramps_ have been -creating all this disturbance." - -"Why would they?" Arden was discounting her own suggestion. - -"A band or bunch or school or congregation--whatever group tramps fit -into--might have picked this place as hide-out, hang-out, or rendezvous, -or whatever the proper term is," said Sim, laughing. "And they might -object to being dispossessed in the winter. They might even have hit upon -the plan of making ghostly noises and manifestations to scare away the -workmen. Then, if their scheme worked, they would be left in peaceful -possession." - -"But _we_ didn't find any tramps here," objected Arden. "And Harry didn't -find any. And surely they would have piled back in here after the workmen -had gone--if there _is_ a gang of tramps playing tricks." - -"Well, maybe I'm wrong," Sim admitted. "Anyhow, there seems to be no one -in here now, so let's have a look at the room where we are to have -Granny's Christmas party. I'm game." - -The old Hall echoed weirdly to their footsteps, echoes that always seemed -to dwell in untenanted houses. But the girls were not nervous. They were -only going into that one room which was close to the entrance, and if -anything happened they could run out quickly. - -But nothing happened. There were no screams, not even a sigh, except that -of the wind. There were no thumping boots coming down the stairs and no -rustling red cloaks. - -"I think we can very nicely use this room," said Arden, looking around -the big long double parlor containing the immense fireplace and the -picture of Patience Howe. "It can be closed off from the rest of the -house. Not a window or a door has been broken." - -"And with a roaring fire on the hearth," added Sim, "we shall be quite -cozy here. Anyhow, we shan't be here very long. But I think your idea of -telling Granny the good news here is just wonderful!" - -"Thanks," murmured Arden. "I hope it is a spectacular success." - -They did not wander through any other part of the house to see if they -could collect enough chairs or other pieces of furniture for seats. They -took it for granted that they could manage other details, and then, -having made sure that the old chimney was unobstructed--they looked up -and could see daylight--so the fire would not smoke, they finally left. - -"Let's walk around a bit," suggested Arden. - -"Why not?" agreed Sim. "Walking around here is our greatest outdoor -sport." - -They were well clothed and shod for tramping in the snow, so they began a -circuit of the strange mansion. There was no sign, anywhere, that anyone -but themselves had entered since Harry Pangborn made his investigation -the day before. - -They walked down what had once been a lane, arbored with grapevines and -hedged in now with ugly tall weeds that thrust themselves up through the -snow. In the distance were some gnarled trees and a small stone building. -They had not noticed it before, but now, against the white ground, it -stood up boldly. - -"I wonder what that is?" asked Sim. - -"Let's go see," suggested Arden. - -They passed into the little grove of apple trees, Arden remarking how -much some of them resembled those in the strange orchard at Cedar Ridge. -Then she suddenly uttered a cry of delight. - -"What is it?" Sim asked. - -"Mistletoe!" - -"No! Really?" - -"I think so. Anyhow, it's some sort of a bush with white berries on. -Look!" - -"It does seem like mistletoe," agreed Sim. "But I thought that was found -only down South." - -"I thought so too. But, anyhow, we can pretend this is mistletoe, it -looks so much like it," laughed Arden. - -"Why should we want to pretend? Let's be bold and say it _is_ mistletoe!" - -"Moselle might know the difference. But I'm with you to the hilt, -comrade! Mistletoe it is!" Arden began quickly to gather the -white-berried branches which, fortunately, broke off, making it -unnecessary to cut them, which the girls couldn't have done, as they had -brought no knife. - -Sim was pulling at a particularly large branch when they were suddenly -startled by hearing the creaking of a door on rusty hinges. Then a voice, -almost snarling in its tones, called loudly: - -"What are you doing here?" - -Arden and Sim had walked along until they were close to the small old -stone house. But they were so interested in gathering the mistletoe that -they had not noticed the slow opening of the door. - -Then came the challenge. - -The girls swung about in startled fear and heard the rasping voice demand -again: - -"What are you doing here?" - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - A Strange Woman - - -In real panic, Arden and Sim wheeled about, dropping some of the branches -they had treasured. Fairly glaring at them from the small stone building -was Viney Tucker. She wore a heavy black cloak and had on a black bonnet -from the edges of which had escaped several wisps of straggling gray -hair. What a startling picture she presented! - -"What do you want here?" she asked again. - -"Oh, how do you do!" greeted Sim, though the words were rather shaky. She -had heard about the queer cousin from the other girls and felt she knew -Viney well enough not to be afraid of her. - -"I'm as well as I ever expect to be," was the somewhat ungracious answer, -and she gave the old bonnet a vicious tug. - -"We thought you were away," Arden told her kindly. - -"Who told you that?" she snapped. - -"Dick." - -"Hum! Young folks know too much nowadays. It was different in my time. -Then children were seen and not heard!" - -"Do you--do you object to us taking some of this mistletoe?" asked Arden. - -"Mistletoe! That isn't mistletoe, though lots of folks think it is. No, I -can't say I object. This place isn't anybody's now. Do as you like. Turn -out the rightful owners!" Her voice was vindictive. - -"We aren't turning anyone out." Sim tried to make her voice very gentle. -Really she felt sorry for the old lady, who did not seem to have the -resigned spirit of Granny Howe. - -"Well, the state is doing it, and you're part of the state, aren't you? I -am, so you must be." - -"Yes, I suppose we can call ourselves citizens of the state," admitted -Arden. - -"Well, the state is turning me and my cousin out of our property. Making -a park of it for folks to ride horses in and birds to feed in. Bah! Don't -talk to me! The state! I'd state 'em if I had my way!" - -"Please don't blame us," urged Sim. "We really would love to help you and -Granny Howe get money for this place and perhaps----" - -"Ahem!" coughed Arden loudly. - -"Better get back home where you belong, not out here catching cold!" -snapped Viney Tucker. "Terrible weather! I hate snow!" - -"I guess she hates everything and everybody," thought Arden. - -The strange old woman stood in the open doorway of the old stone -building. From the footprints in the snow the girls could easily guess -that she had recently entered it. Also it was plain that she had come -from over a distant hill and not from Granny Howe's cottage, which -nestled in a little hollow about a quarter of a mile back of the old -Hall. - -"Then you don't mind if we take some of this mistletoe?" asked Sim, after -a pause. - -"No! Why should I? You can settle with the _state_," and she laughed -scornfully. "It doesn't belong to my folks any more. Only don't call it -_mistletoe_." - -"What is it?" asked Sim. - -"How should I know? I'm not a botanist or a bird-sanctuary teacher." - -Really Viney Tucker must have arisen from the wrong side of her bed that -morning, Sim reflected. She surely was cross. - -"So you didn't go away?" asked Arden, wondering what the next move would -be. - -"Yes, I did. Went to stay with Sairy Pendleton. But she and I never could -get along, so I came back. I came out here to the old smokehouse to get -away from everybody. Folks get on my nerves--more than often! This old -smokehouse sort of sets me up--better than the perfume you girls use. -Bah!" - -Sim and Arden were aware of a distinctly smoky odor floating out to them -above the head of Viney Tucker. They were aware, now, of the use to which -the small stone building had formerly been put. In the old days hams and -bacon were cured there over a fire of hickory branches and corncobs, and -that smoky smell always remained. It was a curious whim of the old lady -to come there for solitude; surely lonely and uncanny. - -"Well, if you've got all that wrongly called mistletoe you want," Viney -Tucker suggested after rather an awkward pause, "you might as well take -yourselves back home so you won't catch cold." - -"Won't you catch cold, staying out in this bleak place?" asked Sim. - -"No. I never catch cold. It's only this soft new generation that catches -colds. Silly of 'em. Good-bye!" - -She popped back into the smokehouse and closed the door. - -Sim and Arden stood there, looking at each other in astonishment. - -"Come on," Sim whispered after a pause. "We have enough--mistletoe and -smokehouses." - -"Yes," Arden agreed. "Let's go." - -"And enough of such a strange woman," added Sim as they walked away from -the smokehouse. - -"She is strange," Arden agreed. "But I feel sorry for her." - -"So do I, in a way. But I feel a lot more sorry for Granny Howe. She -takes it standing up. This creature whines and moans." - -"She does," Arden admitted. "But different people have a different way of -taking adversity. Granny is sweet and serene." - -"And Viney Tucker is bitter--but not sweet. Oh, well, it takes all sorts -to make a world. This will be something to tell Terry and Dot, won't it?" - -"Indeed it will." - -"I wonder why she comes to such a lonesome smelly place as the old -smokehouse to brood over her troubles?" - -"It must bring back the days when she was a girl," suggested Arden. "I've -heard my father, who was born on a farm, tell how they used to smoke hams -and bacon in a little house like that one." She looked back toward it. -There was no sign of Viney Tucker. She had shut herself in the strange -place. "Probably," went on Arden, "Viney used to help smoke the hams out -here. They must have had a delicious flavor." - -"Not like the chemically prepared hams _we_ have to eat," Sim surmised. -"Moselle was saying, only yesterday, that she wished she had a Smithfield -razor-back ham to bake with cloves for Christmas." - -"Maybe Mrs. Tucker could supply one," suggested Arden. - -"I wouldn't ask her." - -"No, I don't believe it would be wise. But isn't it queer of her to go -off visiting, and then return and go sit out in an old smokehouse?" - -"Very queer," agreed Sim. - -Carrying their "mistletoe," the girls went back to their parked car. As -they were passing the Hall, they noticed the front door was closed as -they had left it. There were no footprints in the snow other than those -they themselves had made. - -"Hark!" suddenly exclaimed Arden as they were at the edge of the sagging -old front porch. - -"What?" asked Sim. - -"Didn't you hear a noise?" - -"Where?" - -They stood still and listened. - -There was no doubt of it. Echoing footsteps were coming from the old -mansion. Faint but unmistakable. They floated out of one of the upper -windows, the frame of which had been torn away by the wreckers. - -"Someone is in there!" whispered Sim. - -"Well, they can stay there for all I'll ever do to get them out!" gasped -Arden. "Come on!" - -They ran back to the car, not pausing to listen any further. - -Tossing their branches into the rumble seat, the two girls climbed into -the roadster. Sim's trembling foot pressed the starter switch. - -"Oh, I'm so glad it went off with a bang like that," she murmured as the -motor chugged into service. Steering rather wildly, Sim shot up the hill -and out upon the main road and away from Jockey Hollow. - -"What do you think it was?" asked Arden when they had their hearts and -breaths under control. - -"Haven't the least idea." - -"We must tell Harry." - -"Of course. He may be able to figure out how noises can come from an old -house when there isn't a single mark in the snow to show that anyone has -entered." - -"The scream happened that same way; no one went in, but the scream came -out, he said." - -"Oh, it's all so mysterious!" sighed Sim. "Shall we ever be able to solve -it? Seems to me it gets worse." - -"I hope we can solve it," said her companion solemnly. - -They created quite a sensation when they reached Sim's house, not only -with the "mistletoe," over which Dot went into wild raptures, but with -their story of Viney Tucker and the strange noises. - -"What a queer old woman," said Dorothy. "I wouldn't want to meet her -alone in the dark." - -"Oh, I guess she's just a poor old crank whose troubles have gotten the -best of her," said Arden. "I feel sorry for her." - -"She must be a trial to Granny Howe," suggested Terry, who seemed much -improved. - -"Granny isn't the sort that gives way to trials," said Sim. "Oh, it will -be so wonderful if we can help her!" - -"Leave it to Harry," said Arden. "And, by the way, don't you think we had -better tell him the latest happening?" - -"Of course," said Dorothy quickly. "Shall I telephone him?" - -"Why--er--yes," said Sim slowly, with a quick look at Arden and Terry. - -"I'll tell him to come over to dinner, shall I?" Her eyes were shining. - -"Yes," said Sim, smiling a little. "Harry is always welcome." - -"And if he can make anything out of this latest development," said Arden, -"he's a wonder." - -"I think he's quite wonderful anyway," said Terry, snuggling a little -deeper down in the bed. "Wasn't he grand when he let us give him up and -collect the reward?" - -"Them was the happy days!" laughed Arden. - -"I'm going to phone," called Dot from the hall. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - The Christmas Party - - -Harry Pangborn came over to dinner and to spend the evening. It was a -most delightful meal, for Moselle and Althea had done their best, which -was very good indeed. But it was the talk, the banter and laughter that -lent spice to the food. Young folks are inimitable at that sort of thing. - -"It certainly is mystifying," Harry had to admit when he was told, more -in detail, what Dot had sketched to him over the telephone about the -"mistletoe" experience of Sim and Arden. "Very strange. You say there was -no more sign of other footprints than your own?" - -"Not a sign," declared Sim. - -"Could you gather why Viney Tucker was in the old smokehouse?" - -"Only that it was a queer whim," said Arden, "and she is queer." - -"Yes, such a character as hers would be whimmy." He lighted a cigarette. -Dinner was almost over. - -"Is this mistletoe?" asked Dot, bringing out a branch from those her -chums had gathered. "You might know, being a bird man." - -"I should think one would need to be a ladies' man to judge mistletoe," -said Mr. Pangborn, with a laugh and a glance at each of the girls in -turn. Terry was downstairs for the first time since her accident. - -"Not bad! Not half bad!" laughed Arden. "But do you confirm Viney's -denial? Is it or is it not--mistletoe?" - -"No, it isn't mistletoe," he said after an examination. "But I suppose it -will answer the same purpose. Where are you going to hang it? I should -like to know in advance." - -"_Wouldn't_ you like to know?" mocked Dorothy. - -"I must take a piece with me and put it in Granny Howe's hair the night -of the Christmas party," said Harry, handing back to Dot the plant she -had given him. "I shall claim the privilege on the eve of the holiday." - -"Like this?" Dot challenged with mischief in her eyes as she thrust the -clump of white berries into her own blonde hair and then ran laughing -from the room. - -It was a merry little group. Mr. Pangborn said everything was in -readiness to announce to Granny, with the sanction of the head of the -State Park Commission, that at least she would have a new chance to prove -her claim. - -"And about the party," suggested Arden. "Just what are we going to do at -it?" - -"We shall need some refreshments, I suppose," said Sim. "I can get -Moselle to arrange about that. We can pack them into my car and take them -to the Hall. Only we'll be a bit crowded in the roadster." - -"I'll bring my car," Harry said. "But, as there are quite a few things to -do, wouldn't it be wise to take Dick and Betty into our confidence?" - -"And let them help," spoke Terry. - -"Yes. Dick and I can get in the wood and put the chairs and other -furniture in place. I saw a table there for the food," said Harry. - -"Oh, it's going to be just--_grand_!" murmured Sim dramatically. - -"But tell Betty and Dick not to let Granny know about it," warned Arden. -"That would spoil the surprise." - -"I'll caution them," Harry promised. "I'll go see Dick at the livery -stable in the morning and also stop at the library and tell Betty. I've -been in there for books before." - -"What about Viney?" asked Sim. "Should she be told?" - -"I'll leave that to Dick and Betty," said Harry. "They can use their best -judgment. I only hope she doesn't break up the little affair. She's very -queer, you say?" - -"More than queer--vindictive," declared Arden. - -"But when she hears the big state news, things are going to ease up a -little, I think," said Sim. - -They talked over the plan, made some changes, and when Harry left that -evening all details were practically settled. - -He telephoned the next day, about noon, to say that he had seen Betty and -Dick and that they were delighted with the matter. They both said, Harry -reported, that Viney must be told or she might break out into a sudden -tantrum at the last moment when she learned about it. - -"She probably won't come to the party," Harry said. Betty had informed -him, but that would be all right, he added. The two grandchildren would -escort Mrs. Howe to the old mansion the evening of the affair, at a -predetermined hour, on pretense that it would probably be the last -Christmas she would ever see with the old house standing. - -It was the day before Christmas. Dick and Harry, with the help of a -stable boy, had brought much dry wood into the old Hall. The girls had, -each one, bought some little token for Granny and something for Viney, -"in case," Arden said, "she shows up at the last moment and starts a -fuss. We'll have to treat her like a child." - -Betty and Dick entered into the spirit of the affair and could not say -enough in praise of the girls who had thought of it. - -"Granny is going to be very happy about it all," said Betty gratefully. - -"I hope so," said Arden. "By the way, Betty, did you ever get those old -books you were looking for in the cellar?" - -"I never did. But I'm going in when the house is razed. It will be light -down there then. There may be some valuable volumes, the librarian says." - -In the days that passed between the one before Christmas and the episode -of the "mistletoe," nothing had happened at Sycamore Hall, as far as -Arden and her chums could learn. There were no more strange -manifestations. But then no workmen were engaged in tearing the place -apart. - -Dick and Betty decided not to say anything to Viney Tucker until the -afternoon of the party. Otherwise she might have too long a time to brood -over it and get some obstreperous notions busy in her old bonnet. - -All the preparations were finished. Moselle had made up a delightful -picnic lunch for an evening supper, with thermos bottles of coffee and -chocolate. The things were taken to the Hall by Harry in his car, and a -hearth fire was lighted early in the afternoon to drive the chill off the -big old room. - -Evening came, and after an early meal the girls and Harry went, in two -carloads, to the old Hall. Candles had been brought for illumination, and -there was quite a collection of flashlights for emergencies. - -Then Arden, her chums, and Harry trooped into the place. More wood was -piled on the fire. The hour approached when Dick and Betty were to bring -in Granny Howe. - -Footsteps were heard on the porch--voices--laughter. - -"What in the world are you tykes up to?" Granny could be heard asking of -Betty and Dick. Her voice was jovial. - -They brought in the dear old lady--into the candlelighted room, where the -roaring fire flickered on branches of holly that the girls, with a last -moment thought, had hung around the walls. - -"Oh--what--what is all this?" faltered Granny as she saw the little -throng of happy, smiling faces. "What does it mean?" - -"Merry Christmas, Granny! Merry Christmas!" cried the girls. - -And Granny, trembling a little, took the old squat rocker before the -hearth fire while the merry throng cheered around her. - -This was indeed a Christmas party! - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - Two Ghosts - - -Several rather tense seconds passed after the jolly holiday greetings -before Granny Howe recovered her usual poise. The smile that had been on -her cheery face when Dick and Betty led her into the fire-warmed and -candlelighted room of the old mansion, and she had seen the merry young -people, faded as she sank into the rocker. There was a puzzled expression -in her eyes. - -"Well, Granny," asked Betty, "don't you like it?" - -"Pretty fine, if you ask me," said Dick. - -"Oh, but what does it all mean?" murmured the old lady. "I can't -understand. They told me," she went on, looking from Betty to Dick, "that -someone here wanted to see me. They suggested it might be the last time I -could view this dear old room, as the contractor would probably rush the -work of tearing the house down after Christmas. So I came. Here I am. But -what does it mean?" She was bewildered. - -"We are the ones who wanted to see you, Granny Howe," said Sim. - -"We thought you would like a last little party in your old home," said -Terry, who managed to get along with only a slight limp now. "And here it -is!" She pulled aside a cloth that had been put over the food piled on an -old table. - -"How kind of you," Granny said. There was a suspicious brightness in her -eyes. - -"But it is going to be more than just a little party," spoke Arden. "We -have some good news for you." - -"News," supplemented Dorothy, "which we hope will make your Christmas -very happy." Doubtless Dorothy felt that, like some, of her actress -mother's experiences, this was a sort of play and all the actors must -contribute a line. - -"What news?" faltered Granny Howe. - -"Mr. Pangborn will tell you!" said Arden, pushing Harry forward, for he -had shifted about until he was behind Dorothy. "It was his idea, and he -must have the credit for it." - -"Oh, nonsense! I don't want any credit. And you girls are as much in it -as I am!" Harry protested. "You tell her, Arden!" - -"No. It requires a man's legal mind to go into the details. Go on, Harry. -Can't you see she is on the verge of a breakdown if you keep her in -suspense much longer?" she whispered. Indeed, the old lady was trembling -more than a little. Dick, too, seemed a little uncertain of what the next -move was to be. But Betty's eyes were very bright. Sim, Terry, and -Dorothy were smiling happily. - -"It will not take long to explain," said Harry. Then, as simply as he -could, he related the offer of the Park Commission. In effect it meant a -much better chance than Granny Howe had ever had to prove her claim, -assisted by the best legal minds that could be engaged. - -"Isn't that a wonderful Christmas present, Granny!" cried Betty. "Now -perhaps we shall get something from the estate and I can finish my -studies instead of slaving in that musty library. And Dick, too! He can -go to college now!" - -"Does it really mean," asked Dick, "that we will get some of the money -the state has set aside for the purchase of the old Howe property in -Jockey Hollow?" - -"I think you are pretty certain to get something," said Harry. "It may -take considerable time--it's a complicated legal matter--but at least you -are going to have your day in court, which you never had before." - -There was silence a moment, and Granny, looking from one to another, said -gently: - -"It is kind of you--more kind than I can appreciate now. I'm all in a -flutter!" She laughed a little. "But I have for so long a time given up -hope that now I don't just know how to get hopeful again. I don't want to -discourage any of you, especially Mr. Pangborn, for I realize all he has -done in getting this concession from the Park Commission. But doesn't it -all hinge on the fact that papers--deeds, wills, or something--are -necessary for me to prove my claim?" - -"Yes, I suppose it would be much easier if you had the missing papers," -said Harry. "But I understand they cannot be found, so we must do the -best we can without them." - -"They have been lost for many years," sighed Granny. "With them to prove -my claim and the claims of my grandchildren, everything would be easy. -Years ago I used to hunt day and night in this old house for those -papers, for I always felt they must be hidden here. But I have given up -that hope--long ago." - -Suddenly a change came over Granny Howe. She arose from the rocker and -with a bright smile exclaimed: - -"Now, enough of this! I am going to get back my hope! I thank you all -from the bottom of my heart--you have been wonderful! I must not be -gloomy and doubtful! Wasn't something said about a party?" she went on -with a bright glance at Arden. "And all the parties I ever attended were -jolly affairs. This must be the same!" - -"Hurrah for Granny!" cried Sim. "Now, on with the food!" - -Then the party really did begin, and in the intervals of eating, talking, -and piling more wood on the blaze, Harry sketched what he thought the -probable legal action would be. He offered to take charge for Granny, and -his offer was accepted with grateful thanks. - -"I suppose," he suggested to the old lady, "that you can't throw any -light on the so-called ghostly happenings here?" - -"Not the least in the world," laughed Granny. "None of them ever happened -in my sight or hearing. I just don't believe them. Though, I suppose, -there must be something queer, for there are many stories dating back a -long time. And surely those workmen wouldn't act as they did unless -something happened. And that one poor man wouldn't purposely slide down -an ash-chute, I think. But it's all a mystery to me." - -"Do you know any more stories about the place you haven't told us?" asked -Arden. "I mean a sort of ghost story that isn't about Patience Howe or -Nathaniel Greene?" - -"I might manage to remember one," smiled Granny. - -"Oh, do tell us!" begged Terry and Sim. - -Dorothy was on the outer edge of the little circle about Granny, who sat -near the crackling fire. Harry had wandered to a distant window, and -Dorothy followed him. - -"Are you game?" she whispered to him. - -"For what?" - -"To go and look for a ghost instead of sitting here listening to stories -about one. Come on! I dare you!" she challenged, her eyes sparkling in -the hearth glow. "We each can take a flashlight. Let's slip away while -the others are listening to Granny tell that story, and see if there -isn't a real ghost on some of the upper floors. Night and Christmas Eve -ought to be a proper time for a ghost, hadn't it? Will you come with me?" - -"I will!" said Harry without a moment of hesitation. - -They slipped out of the room, attracting no attention, and, flashing the -beams of their electric torches ahead of them, walked softly up the broad -stairs. It was cold and gloomy away from the gay Christmas room, but they -did not mind. The spirit of the quest was upon them. - -They walked the length of the long upper halls. In a far corner of the -second one, where the work of demolition had not started, half hidden by -old boards and trash, stood a cedar chest. - -"Perhaps," said Dorothy with a nervous little laugh, "the ghost lies in -there. If it were a closet we might look for the skeleton. But let's have -a look, anyhow." - -Harry raised the lid, which was covered with dust and white plaster dust. -Dorothy flashed her light within. Then she uttered a suppressed scream. -For the first glance seemed to show in the chest the body of a woman clad -in a red cloak resting beside the form of a Continental soldier with high -black boots. - -"The ghosts!" murmured Dorothy. - -"No, only their garments!" said Harry, laughing. "But I think, Dot, that -at last we are on the trail of the mystery!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - Frightened Screams - - -Harry tilted the lid of the chest back against the wall, and with both -hands now free was thus able to flash the beams of his torch into the -box, which was what Dorothy also was doing. The double illumination -revealed other garments in the long narrow box. Henry lifted out the old -Continental soldier uniform--coat, trousers, a hat, and the heavy boots. - -"They have been worn recently," he said. "Not much dust on them." - -"And the cloak?" asked Dorothy in a tense voice. - -"That, also, has very little dust on it," he said, lifting it out. - -Then a daring project came into Dorothy's mind. - -"I dare you," she said, "to dress up as the old soldier--just the coat, -hat, and boots--and walk with me, in masquerade, into the room where -Granny is telling a ghost story. I'll put on the red cloak--and this!" - -She reached in and lifted from the chest a white kerchief and a sort of -tam-o'-shanter cap. - -"Let's be two live ghosts," she proposed. "It will be a fitting end to -the Christmas party, and then--well, you said you thought we were near -the end of the ghost trail." - -"I really believe we are. Somebody has been using these garments to -create all this ghost atmosphere in the old Hall. Dorothy, I'll take your -dare, and after we have had our fun we will start a new investigation and -try to find out who has been responsible for all this." - -"This is going to be good!" murmured the girl, a natural actress, as she -threw the red cloak about her shoulders after adjusting the kerchief as -it might have been worn in Colonial days, crossed on her breast. With the -cap jauntily askew on her head, she looked very like the reputed ghost of -Patience Howe. - -Harry slipped off his shoes, put on the heavy boots, donned the coat and -hat, and they were ready. With flashlights held out in front of them to -illuminate the dark hall, they started for the lower room whence faintly -floated up the laughter following Granny Howe's story. - -"It's time we started back," whispered Dorothy. "They will miss us in -another moment." - -They were near the head of the stairs when, suddenly, the door of a room -opened slightly and a light gleamed through the crack. It was the room -containing the mysterious closet from which Jim Danton had so strangely -vanished, to be found in the cellar. - -The door opened wider. Then an old woman, an old woman with a wrinkled -face and straggling gray hair, looked out. In one hand she held a small -flashlight. - -She glared at Harry and Dorothy in their masquerade costumes, and then a -look of deadly fear came over her face. She uttered several wild and -piercing screams and turned back into the room, still gibbering and -gasping. - -A second later there was the sound of something wooden moving inside the -room--a sound followed by a resounding blow, as though the heavy lid of a -chest had fallen. - -Another wild scream and then silence. - -"Oh!" gasped Dorothy. "What is it? Who is she?" - -"Must be that Viney Tucker, cousin of Granny's," exclaimed Harry. "But -what was she doing up here? We must have frightened the wits out of her. -And I'm afraid something has happened." - -He hurried into the room, followed by Dorothy. The closet door was open -and their lights, flashing within it, revealed a square hole in the -floor--a square hole opening into a smooth wooden chute that curved -downward and into the darkness. And from that darkness now came up faint -moans. - -"This is awful!" cried Dorothy. "What have we done?" - -"We haven't done anything, but I think we have made a big discovery!" -said Harry. "This trapdoor explains how Jim got into the cellar and I -think that's where we'll now find Mrs. Tucker. She has been caught in her -own trap!" - -By this time the Christmas guests in the room below had come running out -with their flashlights, calling up to know what was going on. - -Harry hurried down the stairs, followed by Dorothy. - -"The ghosts!" screamed Terry, pointing a trembling finger at them. - -"No!" Harry shouted for he wanted to prevent any more hysterical -outbursts. "It's just a little joke Dorothy and I started, but I'm afraid -it is far from a joke now." - -"What do you mean?" asked Granny Howe in a strained voice. "And where did -you get those clothes?" - -"We'll explain it all in a moment," answered Harry. "But just now I think -we had better see about your cousin, Mrs. Howe." - -"You mean Viney Tucker? What's the matter with her? Who did that awful -screaming just now?" - -"Mrs. Tucker; and I am afraid she has fallen down a secret passage into -the cellar." - -"Oh, how terrible!" gasped Arden. - -"But what does it all mean?" Sim exclaimed. - -"I think," said Harry, "it means the end of the ghosts in the old Hall. -Come along, any of you who wish to--if you aren't afraid--but perhaps -Dick and I----" - -"We'll all come!" declared Granny bravely. "Poor Viney! She wouldn't -attend the Christmas party with me. She must have taken a sudden notion -and come over by herself--but a secret passage to the cellar--I don't -understand!" - -"We'll have it all cleared up soon, I think," Harry said. "There must be -an inside way into the cellar, isn't there?" - -"I'll show you," offered Granny. "It's at the back of the hall, and -there's also one leading out of the old kitchen. The hall way is nearer." - -They found Viney Tucker lying in about the same place where Betty had -discovered Jim Danton. The grim old lady in the black cloak was faintly -moaning. Harry bent over her and made a hasty examination. - -"Not badly hurt, I should say," was his verdict. "Just stunned--and very -badly frightened." - -"What frightened her?" asked Arden. - -"I'm afraid we did," Dorothy confessed. - -"What in the world possessed you two to sneak off and put on a -masquerading act like this?" asked Sim. - -"We'll explain everything in a few minutes," answered Harry. "Just now we -must get Mrs. Tucker upstairs. Here, Dick, you take this awkward -long-tailed coat," and he slipped off the one that had formerly covered a -soldier. "I'll carry Mrs. Tucker." - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - Falling Stones - - -Picking up the old lady in his arms (and now she appeared to be -reviving), Harry Pangborn, preceded by Sim and Betty with flashlights -gleaming to show the way, started for the stairs. The others followed, -Arden and Sim bringing up the rear. - -Suddenly from behind them sounded a grating, rumbling noise. They turned -in surprise and some fear, just in time to see several stones fall out of -the old chimney that was part of the fireplace above. The chimney had its -foundation on the bottom of the cellar. - -Out toppled the loose stones, falling with a crash that brought nervous -screams from Terry and Dorothy. - -"What happened?" Harry called back, pausing with his burden. - -"Looks as if the old place were falling apart," Dick answered. "The -chimney is crumbling. Perhaps we had too hot a fire on the hearth. I -guess we'd better get out of here." - -"That chimney will never fall!" declared Granny Howe. "It was built to -last forever, and will, unless it's torn down. There is no danger." - -Arden paused to flash her light within an opening revealed by the falling -stones. It was a smooth recess in the great stone chimney, not a rough -aperture such as might happen by accident if some of the stones had -merely crumbled away. It was only the few small outer stones, what, -virtually, constituted a door to the hidden chamber, that had toppled -away revealing a secret place. - -And a hiding place it was, as Arden discovered a moment later when her -light flashed and gleamed upon a small metal box within. - -"Oh, look! Look what I've found!" she cried. "It's a metal chest hidden -away." - -"Bring it upstairs and we'll have a look!" called Harry. - -Arden put her hand in and grasped the box. But it resisted her first -effort to wrench it out. - -"I'll help you," offered Dick. - -Together they pulled, and the box came forth. It was about a foot long, -eight inches in width and about six in depth. It was closed by a heavy -brass padlock. - -Their first care, on reaching the warm and light room where the Christmas -party had come to such a strange end, was to put Viney down on an -improvised couch and give her some hot coffee. She had regained her -senses, but a great fear and wonder seemed to be upon her. - -"Have they--have they gone?" she faltered. - -"Who?" asked Granny. - -"Those real ghosts--the ghosts I used to be myself." - -"Viney, have you been up to ghost tricks here in Sycamore Hall?" Granny's -voice was stern. - -Viney Tucker looked up, more defiant now. She was rapidly recovering from -her fall, which was not so much of a fall as a slide down a smooth wooden -chute. It wasn't the ash-chute, but one forming part of a secret passage, -as they learned later. - -"Yes," Viney confessed, "I was the ghosts. But I'll never be one again. I -did it to save the Hall for you, Hannah. I remembered the old stories of -Nathaniel Greene and Patience Howe. And when I found you were going to be -cheated out of the money you should have had for the sale of this -property I decided to stop it from being demolished if I could. So I -secretly made a red cloak, and from a masquerade costumer in a distant -city I got the Continental soldier's uniform. I hid them away here in the -chest. At times I would slip in here and scare the workmen, by pretending -to be either dead Patience on the bed or the tramping soldier, with a red -rag around my head and my hat pulled down over my face. It worked, too!" -she said, not a little proudly. - -"Yes, it worked," admitted Harry. "Especially the screams coming up out -of the fireplace. You are a good screamer, Mrs. Tucker." - -"I always was," she admitted with a grim smile. "Though I didn't know it -was you in the house that day. I thought it was one of the workmen. But I -meant no harm. I just wanted to delay the tearing down of this place. I -was always hoping the missing papers would be found." - -"Well, I think they have been," Arden said. "Let's open the box that I -found when the stones fell. I wonder what caused them to fall out and -open the hiding place?" - -"It might have been the heat, as Dick suggested. We had a pretty hot -fire," said Harry. "Though the concussion of Mrs. Tucker's slide down the -chute and the vibration caused by something slamming up in the closet may -have done the work. At any rate, let's see what the box holds." - -A heavy poker served to break the lock, though Betty said it was a shame -to destroy such an antique. But they could not wait to get a locksmith. -And when the lid was raised, there, covered with much dust, were a number -of legal-appearing documents. Harry glanced hastily through them. - -"Well, I think this settles everything," he said. "You won't need the -advantage of any long court delay, Mrs. Howe. These deeds, copies of -wills, and other papers, will easily prove, I think, your title to this -place, and the money paid for it by the Park Commission can now be -released to you and your relatives." - -"Viney shall have her share!" exclaimed the happy old lady. - -"I don't want any, Hannah! I only played ghost for you. I didn't want -anything myself." - -"You shall have your share, Viney, and so shall Dick and Betty." - -"Oh, how wonderful it all is!" Betty murmured. - -"Like a story book!" added Dick. - -"And to think," said Arden, "that if it hadn't been for the little prank -of Dot and Harry all this would never have been discovered." - -"My part as a ghost wouldn't have," said Viney grimly, "for I was -planning to keep on scaring those men away if I could. I wasn't going to -give up until the Hall was so torn apart I couldn't work my tricks any -more. But I didn't know anything about those hidden papers." - -"I guess no one did except the foolish man, now long dead, who hid them -there," said Granny. "Oh, why didn't he have sense enough to put them in -a bank or give them to a lawyer and then we wouldn't have had all this -trouble!" - -"It wasn't really trouble, Granny!" laughed Sim. - -"No, we've had a wonderful time!" agreed Terry. - -"I suppose you did play tricks in this ghost masquerade, Mrs. Tucker," -Harry said. "But how did you manage to get in and out of the house -without being seen--especially when there was snow on the ground." - -"I went in and out through a secret tunnel that ends here in an old wine -bin and outside in the smokehouse," Mrs. Tucker said with a smile at the -girls, who had once surprised her in the place where hams and bacon were -cured. - -"Oh, so you found the old secret passage, did you, Viney?" asked her -cousin. "I never could." - -"Well, I did!" Once more Viney smiled. "And I kept it secret. There are -two passages," she went on. "One the tunnel and the other the chute I -fell down just now." - -"That's a part of the mystery I don't yet understand," said Arden. "Why -did you come over here tonight? Was it to play a ghost when you knew we -were giving Granny a Christmas party?" - -"Oh, no, my dear! I'd never do a thing like that, cross and cranky as I -know I am. Forgive me--but I've been so worried about Hannah going to -lose the inheritance she should have had. I came over here tonight, -secretly, as I always come, to save any of you from harm." - -"Save us from harm?" - -"Yes. I thought some of you might take a notion to roam and wander around -the old house. I was afraid you would go in that closet through which a -person who knows the trick can slide down the smooth wooden chute to the -cellar. I was afraid lest someone might by accident work the spring of -the trapdoor and fall. But I was the one who fell. - -"You see it's this way. In the old days I suppose it was often necessary -for those who were enemies of the British king to escape in a hurry. So -Sycamore Hall, like many another old Colonial mansion, contained secret -passages. The one from the wine bin to the smokehouse is quite simple. -The other is more complicated. The closet has a false bottom. In it is a -trapdoor so well fitted into the floor that one not in the secret would -have difficulty in finding it. By pressing on a certain place in the -wall, the trapdoor opens, a person can jump or slide down the chute, -which is curved in such a way that no harm results from its use. Then the -trapdoor closes." - -"It didn't close after you slid down tonight," Harry said. - -"I realized something was wrong as soon as I pushed the spring," admitted -Viney. "Before I had hardly time to get into the chute, the trapdoor -closed and struck me a light blow on the head. But it must have sprung -open immediately afterward." - -"That's probably what happened to Jim Danton," said Arden. "Only he got a -severe blow, and the secret trapdoor remained closed." - -"Probably did," admitted Viney. "I wasn't there to see, but very likely -that man accidentally touched the spring and shot down the chute, getting -heavily struck by the trapdoor as he slid down. The wooden chute really -merges into the ash-chute at the lower end, so that's why they thought -this Jim fell down the ash-chute. But he didn't--he went down the secret -passage out of the closet." - -"No wonder it seemed like a real mystical disappearance," said Arden. - -"Tonight," went on Viney Tucker, "when I feared some of you would roam -about the place, I slipped over here through the tunnel to lock that -closet door so you couldn't get in. I heard footsteps up here. I looked -out in the hall and saw the two ghosts--ghosts whose parts I had often -played myself. I was so frightened that I screamed and ran back in here -to hide. I couldn't understand it. Then in my fright I touched the hidden -spring and fell down the chute. But the trapdoor, through some defect, -closed down on me and then sprang open again. And that ends the mystery. -I suppose the tearing down of the Hall can now go on, and the chute and -trapdoor will be destroyed with all the other things. Well, I don't care, -now that Hannah will get her money." - -"There is no further need for ghosts," said Arden. - -"Viney, I don't know what to say to you!" exclaimed Granny. Her face was -serious but not for long. She laughed and added: "What will people think -when all this comes out?" - -"There is no need for it to come out," said Harry. "There is no need for -anyone except ourselves knowing that Mrs. Tucker was the ghost. As for -the old stories, they will always be told, I suppose--stories of -Nathaniel Greene and Patience Howe. But they will gradually die down when -the Hall is gone. So there is no reason why Mrs. Tucker need be exposed. -We can keep the secret among ourselves." - -"I think that would be best," Granny said. "Oh, what a wonderful -Christmas this has been!" and again her eyes were suspiciously bright. -"Just wonderful! Thank you all, my dear friends. For it was you who -brought all this about. Thank you, so much!" - -The fire was dying. The simple little gifts had been presented. The -candles were spluttering down into the sockets. It was growing cold. The -party was over. - -Granny gave the precious papers to Harry Pangborn to keep for her. Then, -when Granny and her cousin, with Betty and Dick, had departed for the -little cottage, over the moonlit snow, just an hour before it would be -Christmas, Arden Blake and her friends left the old Hall. - -"There's only one thing I'm still puzzled over," Arden said as they -gathered in Sim's house to quiet down a bit. "Of course, I suppose we -all, at different times, suspected different persons of playing the -ghost--for we knew that's what the mystery was--some tricky human. But at -one time I heard some talk as I was passing some men in the street, which -made me think Mr. Ellery might be the guilty one. Mention was made of a -man named Nick." - -"I think I can explain that," said Harry. "I talked to Dick about it. It -seems that there were some rather valuable fittings, like hand-made -locks, closet hooks and other things, in the Hall that a contractor -would, very likely, save out to sell. Ellery was trying, as the boys say, -to double-cross Mr. Callahan and get some of these antiques. Nick was in -with him and once or twice tried his game with some cronies. But the -ghost scared them away as it did the contractor's honest workmen. So I -think it's all cleared up now." - -"Another mystery ended," sighed Arden Blake. "I wonder if it will be the -last in our lives?" - -"I hope not," said Sim. - -And Sim's wish came true, as is evidenced in the succeeding volume of -this series to be called: _Missing at Marshlands_. That will be another -Arden Blake mystery story. - -"Well, mystery or no mystery, I think it's time we all went to bed," said -Dorothy after much talk. - -Harry looked at his watch. He held it up for the girls to see. The hour -was past midnight. - -"Merry Christmas!" he cried. - -"Merry Christmas!" echoed the girls. - -Dorothy, with a characteristic mischievous gleam in her eyes, put a bit -of the "mistletoe" in her hair. And then, waving her hand at Harry, she -ran upstairs. - -"I'll catch you sometime!" laughed Harry. - -And then, while faintly from the churches came the peal of the Christmas -chimes, the girls said goodnight to their visitor and to one another. - -So was solved the secret of Jockey Hollow. - -There was no longer any need for Viney Tucker to play the ghost. - -Granny Howe removed such of her last belongings as she wanted to -preserve, giving some really valuable antiques to the girls and to Arden -the picture of Patience Howe. Harry asked for and was given the old brass -box in which were found the papers so long lost. - -For the papers in the box Arden Blake's eyes had lighted upon in the -chimney hole were the very ones needed to prove Granny Howe's claim to -the money. It was not necessary for the Pangborn lawyers or the Park -Commission to engage in any involved proceedings. - -The holidays passed all too quickly for Arden and her friends. They went -riding several times again, between Christmas and New Year's and in that -week work was again started on tearing down the Hall. But no longer did -men rush out yelling that they had seen a dead woman on a bed, and no -more was heard the tramp of the soldier's boots on the stairs. - -All the ghosts had vanished. And with them vanished much of Viney -Tucker's queerness. She let the better side of her nature show itself, -and now, when Granny had the girls in for tea, Viney joined them. - -Arden and her friends had tea with Granny the day before the holiday -season ended. She thanked them again and again, for it was through their -instrumentality that everything had happened as it did. - -"And to think," murmured Dot as they left Granny's little cottage, "that -we'll soon be back at Cedar Ridge. Nothing ever happens there!" - -"But think of all that did happen!" laughed Arden. - - - THE END - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Silently corrected a few typos (but left nonstandard spelling and - dialect as is). - ---Once corrected the doctor's name from "Blasdell" to "Ramsdell". - ---Rearranged front matter to a more-logical streaming order. - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Mystery of Jockey Hollow, by Cleo Garis - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF JOCKEY HOLLOW *** - -***** This file should be named 40667.txt or 40667.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/6/6/40667/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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