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diff --git a/old/53774-0.txt b/old/53774-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 57a9125..0000000 --- a/old/53774-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5255 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Mercer Boys in the Ghost Patrol, by -Capwell Wyckoff - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The Mercer Boys in the Ghost Patrol - - -Author: Capwell Wyckoff - - - -Release Date: December 20, 2016 [eBook #53774] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MERCER BOYS IN THE GHOST -PATROL*** - - -E-text prepared by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 53774-h.htm or 53774-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53774/53774-h/53774-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53774/53774-h.zip) - - -Transcriber’s note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - - - - -[Illustration: FALCON BOOKS] - - - * * * * * * - - _The Mercer Boys in the Ghost Patrol_ - - - BY CAPWELL WYCKOFF - -The summer camp of Woodcrest Military Institute was always an exciting -event to the Mercer boys and Terry Mackson. But when the cadets camped -near Rustling Ridge, the boys ran into a series of startling -occurrences: a horse stampede, a mysterious fire, the disappearance of a -little girl, and most frightening of all, the Ghost of Rustling Ridge, -who seemed determined to drive the cadets away. - -Don and Jim, along with Terry, were appointed to the camp’s Ghost -Patrol, and how they solved the mystery of the ghost makes one of the -most exciting adventures in the Mercer Boys Series. - - Other books in the _Mercer Boys Series_ - - THE MERCER BOYS’ CRUISE IN THE LASSIE - THE MERCER BOYS AT WOODCREST - THE MERCER BOYS ON A TREASURE HUNT - THE MERCER BOYS’ MYSTERY CASE - THE MERCER BOYS WITH THE COAST GUARD - - * * * * * * - - -[Illustration: _The mass of flame moved quickly down the hill._] - - -THE MERCER BOYS IN THE GHOST PATROL - -by - -CAPWELL WYCKOFF - - - - - - - -[Illustration: FALCON BOOKS] - -The World Publishing Company -Cleveland and New York - -Falcon Books -are published by the World Publishing Company -2231 West 110th Street · Cleveland 2 · Ohio - -WP 651 -Copyright 1951 by the World Publishing Company -Manufactured in the United States of America - - - - -Contents - - 1 Terry Comes to Grief 9 - 2 The “Gossip” Runs Wild 21 - 3 At Rustling Ridge 30 - 4 Strange Tales from the Ridge 41 - 5 A Fight and a Stampede 51 - 6 The Trouble Bug Bites Deep 61 - 7 The Old Man of the Ridge 71 - 8 Moving Flame 83 - 9 Sharp Work as Fire Fighters 93 - 10 Emergency Service 103 - 11 The Ghost Patrol 114 - 12 A Brush with the Sheriff 124 - 13 The Shape in the Moonlight 134 - 14 Disobedience Loses the Game 144 - 15 Dawning Light 153 - 16 Listening In 164 - 17 Breaking Up Hydes’ Party 174 - 18 The Last of the Ghost 190 - - - - - THE Mercer Boys - IN THE Ghost Patrol - - - - - 1 - Terry Comes to Grief - - -A number of young men in the gray uniforms which formed the ordinary -dress of the cadets at Woodcrest Military Institute stood around the -counter in the school supply room. It was early in July and the summer -encampment was at hand. It was the custom at Woodcrest for the third and -second classmen to go to summer camp, while the younger classmen and the -seniors went home for their vacation. The score or more of young -soldiers who were in the supply room this July afternoon were busy -getting their camping uniforms. - -During the school year the neat, distinguished gray uniforms were worn, -but on the encampment the more serviceable campaign uniforms, patterned -after those worn by the United States Army, were required. - -A tall, red-headed cadet, with twinkling eyes and a humorous expression -perpetually on his good-natured, freckled face, was at the moment the -next one to be waited on. He gave the sizes of his garments and then -grinned. - -“If it is convenient, I’d like a uniform in a shade to match my hair!” -he requested. This grin was answered by half a dozen others, for Terry -Mackson was a great favorite with his classmates in the new second -class, into which he and his pals, the Mercer boys, had just graduated. - -“We have nothing as red as all that,” the cadet clerk grinned in return. -“Would something in deep orange do?” - -“Possibly it would, if you are careful to get something that won’t -conflict with my beauty!” returned the cadet. - -“We haven’t a thing in stock that would conflict with or detract from -your beauty,” said the clerk, gravely. “These uniforms are ugly in the -extreme, and I’m sure you won’t find them a drawback in the least, Mr. -Mackson!” - -“Well spoken, my lad!” approved Terry. “Let’s have the plainest uniform -you have. Natural beauty ennobles whatever enshrines it, so bring out -whatever you have!” - -“Why bother with a uniform at all?” laughed the cadet clerk. “The -colonel and the rest of us will be so busy admiring your looks that we -won’t notice anything else!” - -There was a general laugh at this, as Dick Rowen, the cadet in charge of -the commissary department, stepped to the counter, a frown on his face. - -Rowen was a handsome young man with glossy black hair. He had never been -popular with the cadet body, however, for he continually reminded -everyone of the wealth and prestige of his family. But he was a very -capable cadet and was respected though not popular. He had been placed -in charge of the commissary department much to his annoyance, for he -considered it beneath him. Rowen was striving for an officer’s -commission, and it did not please him to be “dud chucker,” as the cadets -called the commissary clerks. All day the endless routine of passing out -uniforms, blouses, hats and shoes had galled him, and at the present -moment his temper was ragged. - -“What is the trouble here?” Cadet Rowen demanded crisply. - -The clerk who was waiting on Terry turned to stare at him. “There’s no -trouble, Rowen,” he said. - -Rowen looked across the counter at Terry. “Is there any trouble, Mr. -Mackson?” - -Terry shook his head gravely. “No, Mr. Rowen. I am simply trying to draw -a uniform that will match my beauty, that’s all!” - -Rowen frowned more deeply. “Have the goodness to understand, Mr. -Mackson, that we are very busy here, and that such infant’s prattle -merely wastes our time!” - -“All right, Papa!” returned Terry sedately. The others snickered and -Rowen grew angry. - -“Please don’t be funny, Mackson! That comes natural to some people, and -others work hard all their lives without ever managing to be really -humorous!” - -Terry turned to the others back of him. “Gentlemen,” he observed, “Mr. -Rowen has turned philosopher! Some of you fellows are naturally funny, -ask Mr. Rowen!” - -A dull red flush mounted in the other’s cheeks. “How long are you going -to waste our time?” - -“Look here!” exclaimed the redhead. “If I’m not mistaken, you are -wasting your own time! Here I am, waiting with the patience of an angel -for my uniform, and are you getting it? No, twenty times no! Don’t you -know that time wasted can never be recovered, Mr. Rowen?” - -“I’ll tell you what I do know!” Rowen fairly hissed. “I know that you -and those Mercer brothers are too confounded stuck on yourselves! You -are the colonel’s own particular pets!” - -“Well, well, the Mercer brothers get a tongue lashing, too!” commented a -brown-haired, good-looking youth back of Terry. “Brother Don, weep on my -shoulder!” - -“I cry better outdoors,” grinned Don Mercer, behind his brother Jim. -“Gee, how distressing this conversation is getting!” - -“You are making us feel dreadful, really, Mr. Rowen!” Terry told the -clerk mournfully. At the laugh that went up Rowen lost his temper. - -“I’ll make you feel dreadful, all right,” snapped the disagreeable -cadet, and before anyone could guess as to his purpose he hit Terry on -the point of the jaw, knocking him to the floor. - -There was a moment of hushed expectancy while Terry stared up at the -supply clerk in surprise. Most of the good-natured grin had faded from -his face, and a slight redness had suffused his cheeks. He jumped to his -feet. But at that moment Colonel Morrell walked into the office. - -Colonel Morrell was a little fat man with gray hair, laughing gray eyes -and the air of a real man’s man about him. By the cadet corps he was -beloved greatly, and to a man they respected him thoroughly. His keen -eye swept over the cadets and he noted that something unusual was in the -wind, but with characteristic rare judgment he made no comment on it. - -“Is everything going smoothly?” he asked the nearest clerk. - -“Yes, sir,” answered the cadet, saluting. The colonel returned the -salute, turned on his heel and left the room. They heard his footsteps -echo down the hall. - -“Now, Mr. Rowen,” murmured Terry. “This is what you need most of all!” - -With that he seized the unprepared cadet by the collar, hauling him -bodily over the counter. Rowen was unprepared for the act and flopped -across the boards, his head hanging over the side. Although he struggled -furiously Terry managed to hold him down while he administered a sound -spanking to the surly one. Then he pushed him backward. The assembled -cadets had enjoyed every moment of it. - -“That’s for you,” said Terry, unheeding the sputtering of the other. “If -you act like a baby someone will have to play papa and spank you! I -happened to be the nearest one. Next time be careful who you punch on -the jaw. It might be somebody who’ll lose his temper and muss you up!” - -“You—you red-headed calf!” cried the enraged Rowen. “I’ve—I’ve half a -mind to thrash you!” - -“Well, if you have half a mind, that means that your whole mind is busy -on the one subject, because sometimes I think you have only half a mind. -Now, you’re wasting my time! One uniform, if you please!” - -With very bad grace the uniform was handed to him and the line moved on. -As Terry stepped away Rowen spoke to him between half-shut teeth. - -“I’ll fix you for this yet, Mackson!” - -Jim Mercer halted at the counter. “Was there some complaint about the -Mercer brothers, Rowen?” he asked quietly. - -“I just said that you two were the colonel’s pets,” replied the clerk. -“Just because you two once helped the colonel out of a mess he bows down -before you.” - -“With all due respect to the colonel,” drawled Don Mercer, “he is a -little too fat to bow down! Calm down, Dick.” - -“Aw, you guys give me a pain!” roared the clerk. - -Terry impishly picked up the telephone, carefully holding down the hook. -“Hello, is this the nurse?” he spoke into the transmitter. “If you have -time I wish you’d stop in at the commissary department. Mr. Rowen has a -very bad pain. I beg your pardon? Oh, it seems to be a Mackson-Mercer -pain, if you know what that is! It seems to be——” - -Laughing, Jim Mercer caught him by the arm. “Come on, get out of here, -you!” he admonished his friend. “Come on up to the room.” - -The three boys were devoted pals, having been friends from childhood. -They had been in many scrapes and adventures together, sharing their fun -and dangers on land and sea. In the first volume of this series, _The -Mercer Boys’ Cruise in the Lassie_, they had gone on a long cruise, and -from there they had come to Woodcrest, their fun and adventure at that -time being related in _The Mercer Boys at Woodcrest_. On their following -summer vacation they had encountered some strange events in _The Mercer -Boys on a Treasure Hunt_ and later on had worked together on a school -mystery, details of which will be found in _The Mercer Boys’ Mystery -Case_. Early in the spring of that same year the boys had faced a man’s -task on the Massachusetts coast, all of which will be found in the fifth -volume, _The Mercer Boys with the Coast Guard_. Now, after a few months -of uneventful school life, they were preparing for their first -encampment. - -Once in their own room the three boys hung up the new uniforms that they -would wear the next day. There were no lessons and they had nothing to -do except wait until morning, when they would set off for camp. All of -the boys looked forward eagerly to it. - -“I hear that we are going to a new camping ground this year,” Jim said, -as he sat on the edge of his bed. “Rustling Ridge, they call it.” - -“Yes,” nodded Don. “Other years they have held the encampment at -Perryville, but the colonel hunted up new grounds this time. I heard -that there had been quite a bit of building going on near the old camp -and the colonel wants to get as far away from civilization as he can.” - -“Rustling Ridge is none too far, at that,” observed Terry. - -“No, it isn’t,” agreed Jim. “But it is far enough away for camping -purposes. Even the colonel doesn’t know much about this new location.” - -“About thirty miles from here, isn’t it?” Don asked. - -“I heard that it was,” returned Terry. “Well, the whole outlook suits me -perfectly. I wouldn’t have known what to do with myself this vacation, -anyway.” - -“We might have made a cruise,” Don suggested. “We haven’t been sailing -on the good old _Lassie_ for so long that I’m afraid I’ve forgotten how -to manage it!” - -“Camping might bring us some good adventures,” Jim put in. Don shrugged -his shoulders. - -“I rather doubt that. What adventures can we run across on a camping -trip? We’ll have a lot of fun, I grant you that, but I don’t look for -anything out of the way. We’ll be very busy drilling and practicing all -sorts of tactics.” - -“We might have some excitement with Mr. Rowen!” Terry grinned. - -“Rowen is a natural sorehead,” said Don briefly. “The best thing we can -do is to let him alone. That kind isn’t made any better by stirring up, -and he isn’t worth getting into trouble over. We can just be decent to -him and let it go at that.” - -“I guess you’re right,” nodded Terry. - -Supper that night was a slightly unruly affair, tempered only by the -presence of the colonel and the other officers. The young soldiers -themselves were in high spirits. - -Rowen, after the meal, went into conference with his two roommates, -young men who had borrowed from the unpopular cadet and, therefore, felt -obligated to him. What went on in that conference was not designed for -Terry Mackson’s peace. - -When the orders of the day were read that evening all cadets were -commanded to be in place at bugle call in the morning, with full -equipment and ready to march. It was announced that no excuses would be -accepted for failure to report on time. - -When the bugle sounded the next morning the cadets sprang from bed, -dressed and ate a hearty breakfast. There was still half an hour before -assembly and the cadets were at leisure. Just as Terry was turning away -from the table a member of the kitchen force approached him. In his hand -he had a note. - -“This is for you, Mr. Mackson,” he said. - -“Thanks, Pete,” said Terry, accepting the note. “Who gave it to you?” - -“Jack Olson,” replied the cook. “He said Captain Rush gave it to him, -but he didn’t have time to give it to you himself.” - -Terry nodded and read the note. Captain Rush was the leader of the -artillery division to which Terry belonged. The note was brief and to -the point. - - Mr. Mackson: - - Go to the storage room in the barn and get out the extra harness that - you will find there. - - Rush, Captain. - -“Funny he didn’t tell me, instead of sending me a note,” reflected -Terry. “Well, orders are orders, and I’m ready as it is. I’ll go out -there now.” - -He made his way to the barn, finding it quite empty. He knew that there -was a small storage room at one side and he made his way to it, opening -the door and peering in. There was a pile of harness on the floor and he -went toward it. - -At that moment the door back of him closed with a bang. A bolt on the -outside was shot at the same moment. Terry rushed to the door, pushing -against it. - -“Hey!” he shouted. “Open this door, whoever you are!” - -His only answer was the sound of retreating footsteps and the point of -it all came to him in a rush. He kicked against the door, finding it -solid and then looked around the cell. But there was no window and no -opening of any kind. - -“Tumbled right into the trap!” he groaned, grinding his teeth. “If I -don’t get out of here before assembly it will be too bad for me!” - - - - - 2 - The “Gossip” Runs Wild - - -The whole trick was clear to him now. In the general orders of the day, -read to the cadets on the previous day, the fact that no excuse would be -accepted had been sternly emphasized. Terry was not the kind who would -carry tales even if he thought they would excuse him and win him -sympathy, and as he realized how badly fooled he had been his eyes -flashed in anger. - -“I see the whole business, now,” he reflected. “Jack Olson is a crony of -Rowen’s and he carried that note supposedly signed by Rush. They know I -won’t tell Rush about it, and there isn’t any use in thumping Olson, -because he probably had to take his orders from Rowen. But I sure would -like my hands on that surly guy!” - -Realizing that every moment counted the red-headed youth looked around -the small room, his eyes having grown used to the darkness. He hoped -that there might be some instrument that would make it possible for him -to pry up a board and so make his escape, but the only thing in sight -was the pile of harness. There was not even a piece of metal on the -harness and although he examined every corner of the little cell he was -unable to find a single object that would aid him. - -“Guess I’ll just have to use my hands and feet, if that will do any -good,” he reflected. - -Dropping on his hands and knees he examined the floor carefully to see -if any of the boards were loose, but all of them were securely fastened -to the huge beams that made up the framework of the barn. The boards -were very thick and any thought of escaping under the barn was out of -the question. From there he went to the door, feeling carefully along -the sides to see if any signs of weakness existed here, but once again -he was disappointed. Like the rest of the barn the door and the frame -had been strongly constructed and it did not even quiver under his -hearty kicks. - -“About the only thing I can do—if I can do it—is to kick a board off the -side of the wall,” he decided. - -With this thought in mind he raised his foot, but then a sound reached -his ears, a sound that made his blood chill. - -With a clarity and snap the call of assembly rang out on the morning -air! - -“Good night!” groaned Terry, the sweat breaking out on his forehead. -“There goes the call to assemble! If I’m ever going to get out of here -in time, now is the moment!” - -With desperation Terry kicked stoutly at the wall boards, but with the -first kick the bitter truth was forced upon him. The sides of the barn -were as strongly composed as the rest of the building, and all the -kicking in the world would not get him out of the room in which he was -held prisoner. To further worry him certain sounds told him that the -process of assembly was going forward rapidly. - -Doors slammed, running footsteps sounded on the parade grounds, voices -rang out as the assembling cadets gathered. The butt of a rifle cracked -on the pavement, and the noise of stamping horses reached his ears. The -cavalrymen, of which Jim Mercer was the chief, were leading out the -spirited mounts, and the creaking of leather, the snorts of the horses, -and the cries of the young soldiers, reached the ears of the unfortunate -young cadet. Hoping to attract their attention he pounded and yelled at -the top of his voice, but no response came back to him. They were making -too much noise themselves to hear him. - -Closer at hand there was a deeper rumble and Terry groaned in spirit. It -was the members of his own division, the artillery, taking out the field -guns that they were to take with them for the summer practice. He was -the chief gunner on the sleek steel monster which he had named the -“Gossip” and he knew that the others of his crew must be wondering where -he was. Just as soon as the guns were in formation and the roll call -sounded he would be officially marked absent from duty and held guilty -of disobeying orders. As he heard the guns roll out of the barracks and -heard the noise of the towing cables being connected he knew it was too -late. - -From the barracks to the parade ground there was a slight hill and the -trucks began to pull the weapons up the grade. He heard them go up one -by one and then something seemed to go wrong. There was a snap, a rumble -and somebody cried out. - -“Look out!” he heard Captain Rush bellow. “Number One gun is loose!” - -That gun was Terry’s own piece of equipment. From the cries that arose -he gathered that the gun had broken from the cable and was rolling down -the hill. There was an increasing rumble that seemed suddenly close at -hand, and before his brain had time to realize what had happened there -was a tremendous crash, the boards of his cell burst open like -matchwood, and the butt of the “Gossip” halted a scant foot from his -stomach! - -For a single instant Terry was stunned. The sudden glare of morning -sunlight made him blink, the dust filled his mouth and the echoes of the -crash remained in his ears. But it did not take him long to regain his -composure and spring forward. He placed affectionate hands on the gun. - -“Good old ‘Gossip,’” he whooped. “You wouldn’t go on parade without me, -would you? Talk about luck!” - -A half dozen artillerymen appeared at the opening, led by Captain Rush. -At the sight of Terry they halted and stared in amazement. - -“Where have you been?” Cadet Emerson, Terry’s mate, shouted. - -“Waiting for the old ‘Gossip’ to let me out!” retorted Terry gleefully. - -Rush approached him. “Where have you been, Mr. Mackson?” he inquired -formally. - -“Someone locked me in here and I couldn’t get out, captain,” returned -Terry. - -“Then the accident was a lucky one for you,” nodded the captain. He -turned to the young artillerymen. “We have only a few minutes to make -the parade grounds. Snap to it!” - -Terry threw himself into the work, rejoicing in the chance to be busy. -The truck was backed down the hill and the broken cable was stripped -from it and new material substituted. A loose pin was driven into the -shaft and when the “Gossip” was harnessed it was drawn up to the top of -the hill in safety and wheeled swiftly into position. And on the rear -box sat Terry, grinning from ear to ear. - -When his name was called he answered brightly, stealing a look across -the parade ground to the infantry, where Rowen stood in the second rank. -The face of the sullen one was a study in amazement. - -In accordance with previous instructions the cavalry swung out first, -taking the long, dusty road that led to Rustling Ridge. Next in line -marched the infantry and the artillery rumbled in the rear. Terry sat on -his gun, happy and thankful for the good fortune he had had. He smiled -frequently, but there was a grim set to his jaw nevertheless. - -All through the morning they marched and it was noon before they paused -to make temporary camp. Just as soon as the long column came to a halt -and broke up Terry made his way to where Rowen and his few friends sat -on a grassy bank. He halted directly in front of the other. - -“Didn’t work, did it?” Terry asked. - -Rowen looked at him with a haughty frown. “I don’t know what you are -talking about,” he said. - -“Yes, you do. Your plan to lock me in the barn until I was late for camp -didn’t turn out very well, did it?” - -“I don’t know anything about it, and you can’t prove that I do,” snapped -the dark-haired boy. - -“Don’t be silly!” growled Terry. “I can do that easily. All I have to do -is to give that little sneak Jack Olson a good, stiff beating and he’ll -tell. Look at how pale he is! Or I can ask Captain Rush about it and -we’d have you in a fine mess. But I don’t intend to do anything like -that, Rowen, and you know it. I would have been blacklisted by my -captain if I had been late for encampment, and you figured on that. Now, -look here! Just one more piece of freshness out of you and I’ll give you -the peachiest licking you ever saw, right in front of the cadet corps. -Don’t forget it, my friend!” - -Turning on his heel Terry walked off, his eyes dancing slightly. There -was no word spoken by the ones back of him, and perhaps it was just as -well. The redhead was dynamite and ready to go. - -In that brief period he encountered Don. Jim was far ahead with the -supply corps but Don, who was a lieutenant in the infantry, was close at -hand. He was delighted to see his pal. - -“Where in the world were you at assembly?” Don demanded. “Jim and I -nearly turned the building upside down looking for you.” - -Terry explained briefly and Don approved of his recent charge to Rowen. -“That fellow certainly has a grudge against you,” said Don. “You -couldn’t exactly call him a bully, because he isn’t big enough or strong -enough, but his surly nature makes him anything but trustworthy. A fine -mess you would have had if you had been several days late for -encampment. As far as that goes, you might have been a prisoner in that -storage room for a long time.” - -“That’s right,” agreed Terry. “And to anyone who likes to eat as well as -I do that would have meant something!” - -After an afternoon of leisurely marching the cadets came to an open -meadow where the cavalry and the supply corps had set up tents. Here -they spent the night and the next morning they pushed on to Rustling -Ridge, arriving there about noontime. - -Rustling Ridge was a long slope that rose gradually from a flat meadow. -It was in the heart of delightful country, and here and there solitary -farmhouses could be seen. Close beside the camp there was a deep -swimming hole, which the cadets welcomed with unrestrained delight. The -camp itself was pitched in a grove about a quarter way up the slope, the -white tents rising in somewhat irregular lines between the trees. The -wide glades on either side of the camp permitted the creation of natural -centers for the horses and the supply wagons and guns. By midafternoon -the camp was in first-class order and the tired cadets enjoyed their -first swim in the near-by swimming hole. - -After supper large fires were lighted, but the cadets did not linger -long around them. Even before taps many of them had sought their cots, -falling asleep as soon as they crawled in between their blankets. -Sentries were posted and soon the camp was quiet except for the stamping -of horses and the tramp of the sentries. - - - - - 3 - At Rustling Ridge - - -The clear, thrilling strains of the bugle made scores of cadets -cordially hate Bugler Howes on the following morning. Many a young -soldier considered defying orders and sleeping on in peace and comfort, -but wisdom prevailed in the long run. With a snap and many groans the -camp came to life. - -“Oh, boy!” sighed Terry, casting his blankets to one side. “I never felt -less like getting up in all my life!” - -“I don’t see why you or Jim should kick,” Don said, as he pulled on his -clothes. “You two rode out here but I had to march all the way!” - -“I’m tired just the same,” said Terry. - -Once awake the cadets came alive to the glories of camp life. A rush was -made to the near-by brook where they washed, and then dressing was -speedily finished. Before long they had fallen in for inspection, the -reading of orders and the march to breakfast. - -A long tent had been erected for meals in bad weather, but during the -clear and warm weather they were permitted to eat outside around the -kitchen tent. - -Before long they were all hard at work. On a flat plain at the bottom of -the hill they were all required to drill and take routine exercises -during the morning. This took up their time until noon. Then, in the -afternoon, the units took up the tactics of their own particular -division. The infantry was busy that day with setting up range targets -for practice in the near future. After that was over they worked -steadily fixing the camp. Tents were made more inviting by the addition -of wooden floors, pegs were put in with a view toward real strength and -service, and trenches were dug to carry off the rain water when it fell -from the sloping canvas. A permanent kitchen was constructed and the -long tables for the mess tent were built and put in place. Benches then -were hammered into place along the tables, the wagons set in proper -formation and the camp looked vastly improved. - -The cavalry escaped this task but was busy with tactics of its own. -Under Jim, who was its chief, it was required to drill and go for a -canter across the country. That used up most of the afternoon and the -sun was beginning to sink when they returned. At school, during the -term, the cavalrymen got quite a bit of practice, but it was the plan of -the colonel to teach his boys to ride every day during the encampment, -so that they might become used to having horses under them a good many -hours at a stretch. Many a young man found himself stiff and sore before -the end of the week. - -The artillery was busy with what they called “silent drill.” Artillery -practice was always pretty expensive and only during the fall and the -last few weeks of summer encampment did the colonel allow any firing of -the fieldpieces. During the summer the artillerymen were instructed in -the art of finding the range, wheeling the guns into position, -effectively concealing them from an enemy, especially an enemy in the -air, and tearing down and rebuilding the guns. - -With all of these activities the first day in camp sped by with -astonishing rapidity. This first day was different from the ones that -followed, for once the camp was settled the work decreased materially. -So busy had the boys been that there was no time for a swim or any fun -on that initial day of camp life. A few hardy souls managed to stay -awake and talk and sing songs around the campfires, but most of the -young men stumbled to bed at the first possible moment. - -The three friends had not had much of a chance to see each other that -day, and at night they were too tired to do much in the way of talking. -In common with many others they sought their beds before taps. - -“If I’m going to be as tired as this every night I’ll never enjoy this -camping trip,” Jim grumbled as he undressed. - -“You won’t be,” Don observed. “This was an unusual day for all of us, -but we’ll get used to it. With all our outdoor life, this systematic -drill, exercise, and work makes us feel the grind.” - -“I don’t see why we have to take regular exercises.” Terry yawned and -stretched out on his cot. “Seems to me that we get enough to keep us -physically fit as it is.” - -“Yes, but the kind of routine exercises that we get help to keep us -limbered up,” Don returned. “Otherwise, we’d get a whole lot of one kind -of training and not much of another. You and I get plenty of leg and arm -exercise but Jim would be riding all day if he stuck to his particular -branch of the corps.” - -“That’s true,” agreed Terry. “Well, I suppose the colonel and the -officers know what we need most of. If anybody asked me right now, -though, I’d say it was sleep.” - -On the second day things came more easily to the active young soldiers. -At first, stiff and sore muscles cried out in protest and glum faces -characterized the corps. But as the day went on their hearts cheered and -slowly the joy of camping evidenced itself. - -That afternoon they finished drill and maneuvers at three o’clock and -from then on the time was their own. A dozen games of baseball were -quickly organized but most of the boys preferred to make a rush for the -big swimming hole. Before many minutes a score of the boys splashed in. - -One cadet had dropped in first to test the depth of the stream, and -finding that it was up to the average boy’s shoulder at the bank and -about ten feet deep in the center, a number of boys had dived joyfully -in. Don and Terry were among the first, with Jim following a little -later. - -“This is a dandy pool,” gasped Jim, shaking the water from his eyes and -floating close beside Don. “I like snappy fresh water even better than I -do the salt water.” - -“I don’t,” returned his brother. “I like the rush and the sting of the -green sea water. But this woodland water makes you work to keep afloat.” - -There was no springboard and the cadets were diving from the bank. In -time this proved disappointing. As they clambered up the sides, the -water running in streams from their dripping bathing trunks made the -bank muddy and then dangerously slippery. More than one sloppy fall -plastered a swimmer with mud and caused gleeful laughter, until a few -cadets ran into camp, brought out some long boards and some thick -supports, and in a very short time a fairly good diving board had been -placed on the bank. - -“This is some improvement,” smiled Harry Douglas, as he tried the board -out. - -The diving then became general and was enjoyed. One of the best divers -was Dick Rowen. His summers had been spent largely in summer resorts -where swimming was the principal attraction and he had become quite -expert at it. Knowing that the eyes of many of his comrades were upon -him Rowen performed a good many fancy dives, all of which were very well -done. Some of the cadets, with quiet generosity, complimented him upon -his prowess. - -“Oh, diving comes easily to me,” answered Rowen, poising for another, in -answer to a word of praise from a cadet. “This is one of my best.” - -He jumped to the springboard, attempted to turn around and over, but his -twist did not work and his feet slipped. Truth to tell, the cadets were -growing tired of his posing and a delighted shout went up as he slapped -the water with a sound that echoed over the camp. - -Thoroughly angry, Rowen bobbed up out of the water and scrambled ashore, -turning a resentful ear to the good-natured teasing of his mates. Jim -was the next one to follow Rowen out on the board, and he prepared for -his dive. - -“Going to give us an exhibition of your best dive, Jim?” Cadet Vench -called out, laughing. - -Jim grinned. “Yes, this is my best,” he answered, and sprang away. But -his foot slipped and he hit the water in the same way that Rowen had. -Instantly a roar of laughter went up and Rowen’s face flushed a dull -red. - -Jim made his way out of the water. “That wasn’t so good at that,” he -remarked, as he gained the bank. Then he came face to face with Rowen. - -“Think you’re pretty smart, don’t you, Mercer?” hissed the cadet. - -Jim looked surprised. “Why, no, not especially. Not after that dive, -anyway. What do you mean, Dick?” - -“Don’t call me Dick!” snapped Rowen. “I’m only Dick to my friends, and -that doesn’t include you. I said you think you’re funny because you -ridiculed me in that dive!” - -“Oh, don’t be silly!” retorted Jim. “I had no intention of imitating -you, Rowen. My foot honestly slipped, that’s all.” - -“I don’t believe you, Mercer,” said Rowen, at a white heat. - -There was a moment’s pause and the gathered cadets looked on with -interest. Jim’s jaw had set and he thought a moment before replying. - -“Listen, Rowen,” he said, when he had gained sufficient control of -himself. “I want you to understand one thing. I only joke with a man who -is enough of a man to take a joke. If I were picking out anyone to have -some fun with I wouldn’t pick a sorehead like you. As for my not being a -friend of yours, Rowen, that is your own fault.” - -“Fault!” shrilled Rowen, trembling. “Jeepers! Do you think I care that -you aren’t my friend?” - -“Whatever you like,” nodded Jim, and turned away. Unheeding the -statement that “some fellows made him sick” Jim went back into the -water, to enjoy himself and forget Rowen. - -That evening the cadets remained up until taps, which came at -nine-thirty. A number of fires formed convenient places for them to -gather and chat. Just before taps the three friends went to their tents. - -“I didn’t notice Rowen around tonight,” remarked Don, as they began to -prepare for bed. - -“Might have been sulking in his tent,” grinned Terry. “Now, the only -thing that remains is for him to pick a fight with you, Don!” - -“I don’t know if I could be as patient as you two have been,” mused Don. -“I think I should be tempted to punch his nose for him!” - -“Don’t worry,” smiled Jim, “we were tempted, all right!” - -“Who took my bayonet?” questioned Terry, suddenly. - -All of the cadets, including the artillerymen and cavalrymen, were -required to have guns and bayonets, and Terry had looked aimlessly at -his equipment, to note that the bayonet was gone. In a moment Don -reported the loss of his. - -“Mine’s gone, too,” announced Jim. “This looks funny to me.” - -Terry threw the blankets off his bed. “Not under the covers,” he -murmured. “Now, where—hey!” - -He dropped to his knees and looked under the cot. Then he reached under -and brought out his weapon. - -“Look under your cots,” he directed. Don and Jim did so and uttered a -sharp cry. - -“Sticking upright, so that when we lay down on the bed the point would -prod us,” Don growled. - -“And that explains where Rowen was this evening,” guessed Terry. - -“Say, this is going a little too far!” cried Jim. “That’s a dangerous -trick.” - -“Well, not especially dangerous,” said Don slowly. “The point wasn’t in -such a position that it would have actually run into us. But he figured -that we’d come in just at taps and jump into bed, landing on the points -with enough force to make us squirm. The worst part of it all is that we -can’t prove who did it.” - -“From now on,” said Terry, his eyes narrowing, “we have got to keep a -wary eye on that guy.” - -“Yes,” nodded Don. “I guess he placed all three bayonets so that one of -the disliked boys would be sure to get it. It would be funny if it had -been me, who so far has done nothing to antagonize him.” - -“If I catch him in any funny business I’ll sail right into him,” -promised Jim, as they replaced the bayonets in the scabbards. - -Taps rang out and the camp quieted down. In a moment the three boys -drifted off to sleep. - - - - - 4 - Strange Tales from the Ridge - - -Three shots sounded from the east side of the camp. Almost on top of -them three shots sounded from a point close by. - -With the first shots the three friends stirred and woke up, listening -while half asleep. But with the second three shots they rose up in their -beds, wide awake. - -Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, -accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs. Something metallic bumped and -banged. A voice called out: “Corporal of the guard! Post Number Three!” - -The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their -clothes. - -“Something wrong with the sentries,” cried Don. - -“Who is at Number Three post?” asked Jim. - -“Anderson,” answered Terry, fumbling with his shoes. - -The camp was in motion. Lights flashed at various points and voices -sounded. Past the tent went running feet. But the bugle did not sound, -so they knew that it was not a fire or any similar emergency. - -“I’m ready. How about you two?” Don called. - -“Right with you,” was the response and the three soldiers burst out of -the tent. - -A central fire was burning and at this point the colonel was standing, -half-clad and with mussed-up hair, his eyes heavy with sleep. The other -cadets were clustering around him there, and the sentries were -straggling in to that center. Just as the three boys reached the spot -the sentries from Number Three and Number Four posts came up and -saluted. - -Number Three post was at a point up the Ridge and Number Four was right -at the edge of camp. The shots from Number Four had followed so closely -to those from Number Three that they knew the same thing had caused both -signals. - -“Sentries to report, sir,” announced the corporal of the guard, -saluting. - -The colonel saluted and faced the sentries. “Make your report, -gentlemen,” he ordered. - -Anderson, from Number Three post spoke up. “While patrolling my post I -heard a wagon coming along that dirt road just above the camp on the -Ridge. It appeared to be coming at a great rate of speed and just as it -reached a point above my post it left the road and cut right down -through the bushes toward me. It had a man and a boy in it and I -challenged them, but without slacking speed a single bit the wagon tore -right past me toward the camp. I then fired the shots to warn the camp -and the next sentry.” - -“Very good,” nodded the colonel. “Mr. Simms?” - -“I heard the shots, though I had heard the thrashing of the wagon -previously,” spoke up the second sentry. “I turned to find the wagon -bearing down on me, swinging from side to side, and with a man and boy -hanging onto the seat. It cut straight across the lower end of the camp -grounds, down the slope and across the drill grounds. I fired to bear -out Mr. Anderson.” - -“Very good, gentlemen,” said the colonel, with a puzzled frown on his -forehead. In the momentary silence that followed they could hear the -mysterious wagon bumping and banging across the country, apparently at -top speed. - -Now that the official reports had been given the talk became general. -The incident was extremely puzzling. Both sentries remarked that the man -and boy had been huddled together much as though pretty badly -frightened, and the sight of the cadets with guns had not seemed to -reassure them any. Neither sentry had been able to see what had been in -the wagon because it had passed them in too great a hurry, but from the -sound they judged the rattling was caused by pots and pans. A single -horse had pulled the cart. - -“Strangest thing I ever heard of,” murmured the new senior captain, -Henry Jordan. - -“I can’t figure out why the party in the wagon left the dirt road,” said -the colonel to Major Rhodes, the drill instructor. “That road runs -parallel with the Ridge and works gradually down to the level of the -countryside. For some reason or other that pair in the wagon wanted to -get off the Ridge and out on the open meadow.” - -“It is possible that they were fleeing from some crime,” suggested -Rhodes. - -“True enough,” assented the colonel. “And when they saw the cadets the -vision didn’t reassure them any. Well, it goes beyond my understanding.” -He turned once more to the attentive soldiers. “Corporal of the guard, -restation the sentries. Everyone back to his bed.” - -The sentries were reposted and the other cadets straggled back to their -cots. Once in their tent Jim looked at his watch. - -“A quarter past three,” he announced. “Quite an uncanny hour out here in -the country. I’ll bet there is something behind that wild wagon flight.” - -“Funny they should cut right across the camp,” remarked Don. - -“I agree with Rhodes that those fellows were probably fleeing from -something like a crime,” advanced Terry. - -“That may be the explanation,” agreed Don. “I can’t think of any other -reason for such a wild flight. Well, me for some more sleep.” - -The rest of that night was quiet and in the morning the cadets discussed -the event further. The details of the day then took up all of their -attention and the night adventure was pushed from their minds. - -Late in the afternoon Don and Terry hastened into the tent to get their -baseball gloves. Jim was in the tent at the time. - -“Going to play some ball?” Terry hailed. - -Jim shook his head. “I’m out of luck today,” he announced. “Six of us -have to go to a near-by farmhouse and buy some eggs and butter. The -colonel told me to try and strike a bargain with a farmer for eggs, -butter, milk and meat.” - -“Don’t forget to wait for your change after you pay the farmer!” advised -Terry. - -“Go chase yourself!” flung back Jim. “I guess I know enough for that.” - -While the other two went off to play ball Jim rounded up his five -companions and they set off on horseback for the farmhouses that lay -scattered over the Ridge. Two of the farms they passed did not look very -promising but at last they came to a neat-looking one which had a large -sign on the front fence. This sign announced that chickens, eggs and -butter were on sale and into this yard the six cavalrymen turned their -horses. An uproar of barking dogs announced their presence and a farmer -appeared, scanning their uniforms with great interest. To him Jim -explained their errand. - -The farmer was more than pleased and hastened to bring out several dozen -fresh eggs and a dozen pounds of butter. In the meantime some children -and two farmhands had gathered about the soldiers, staring at them -curiously. When the supplies had been paid for Jim asked the farmer to -come to camp and confer with the colonel concerning future food -supplies. The farmer was delighted beyond words. - -“You bet your boots I’ll come down,” he cried. “Business is mighty poor, -and this is a big boost to me. My name’s Carson.” - -A little boy named Jimmie was particularly interested in the cadets, and -they took an instant liking to him. He was a bright and sturdy little -boy, and some of the cadets invited him to visit the camp, an invitation -which he willingly accepted. - -Just before they rode off the farmer spoke to Jim. “Ain’t see nothing of -the ghost, have you?” he asked. - -Jim shook his head. “No. Have you one?” - -The farmer nodded solemnly. “Haven’t you heard about the ghost of -Rustling Ridge?” he asked. - -“No, we haven’t,” laughed Lieutenant Thompson. - -“There is a sure-enough ghost that prowls this Ridge,” said the farmer, -gravely. “Every once in a while it walks and scares people half to -death. More than one family’s up and moved away just on account of him.” - -“So far we haven’t been lucky enough to see him,” returned Jim, -distributing the packages. “If we do, we’ll try and take him apart and -look at him.” - -The farmer shook his head. “Very bad business, that ghost. Look out he -doesn’t turn up in your camp some night.” - -With more jests about the ghost the cadets swung out of the yard and -headed back toward camp, carrying their packages carefully. - -“So there is a ghost on the Ridge, is there?” Thompson said to Jim. - -“I’m not greatly surprised,” Jim said. “Most of these country places -have room for at least one good ghost. They wouldn’t be quite happy if -they didn’t.” - -The colonel was pleased at their success and planned to buy more things -from the farmer in the future. The provisions, with the exception of the -canned goods which they had brought with them from school, had been all -used up, for the invigorating outdoor life gave all the cadets ravenous -appetites. - -The cadets had been asleep perhaps two hours that night when a medley of -shots rang out from post Number One, deep in the woods. As on the -previous night the three boys hopped out of bed immediately. - -“Golly, this is getting to be an epidemic,” snorted Terry. - -“But this must be something different,” remarked Don. “I don’t hear any -wagon crashing through the bushes.” - -“There aren’t any more shots, either,” mentioned Jim. - -Once outside the corporal of the guard brought in Douglas from the post. -The colonel asked for a report. - -“While standing at my post I saw a white shape pass me about ten yards -away!” was Harry’s startling statement. “I challenged it, but it just -glided on past me. At my shots it flashed into the trees and was gone. I -was unable to find any trace of it.” - -“A shape, Mr. Douglas?” frowned the colonel. “What sort of a shape?” - -“Well, it looked like someone in a sheet,” explained Douglas. “I -couldn’t see any head on the object, and it seemed to glide along the -ground!” - -“Hmm, our ghost of the Ridge!” said Jim to Thompson. - -“What was that, Mr. Mercer?” the colonel cried, alertly. - -Jim explained the story which the farmer had told to them that -afternoon. “We didn’t say anything about it, because we put it down for -a lot of nonsense,” he wound up. - -“I see,” replied the colonel. “Captains and lieutenants go to post -Number One and look around.” - -The others waited a long half-hour until the officers came back. There -was no news. - -“We found no traces of anything,” Senior Captain Jordan reported. - -Puzzled over the events of the past two nights the colonel ordered the -boys back to bed. It was a long time before a good many of them fell -asleep. In their own tent the three pals talked quietly of the -situation, but could not puzzle it out. - -“If this business doesn’t stop pretty soon,” Terry concluded the talk, -“we won’t get enough sleep on this camping trip!” - - - - - 5 - A Fight and a Stampede - - -Captain Jim made his way around the last of the tents that formed the A -Company row and then paused. With a motion that combined speed with -caution he stepped out of sight behind the slope of the tent, his eyes -narrowed, senses alert. - -He was on his way to the section of the camp allotted to the cavalry -horses. It was midafternoon and active drill was over for the day. Most -of the young soldiers were in swimming, a few played baseball out in the -blazing sun, and a few with less energy lay in the shade. Jim had -dismounted rather hurriedly to make a report and he was on his way to -see that the cadet orderlies had properly taken care of his horse. - -The horses were just before him at the present moment, a score or more -of restless, high-strung mounts. No orderly or cavalryman was with them -at the moment and no one save one cadet could be seen. This cadet was -acting queerly, and Jim’s attention was the more quickly attracted when -he saw that the lone cadet was Dick Rowen. - -Rowen’s campaign hat was in his crooked arm and he was standing directly -in front of Jim’s horse, Squall. From time to time Rowen looked -furtively around the camp to see if anyone was observing him, but he -failed to see the cavalry captain. The lone cadet dipped his hand into -the hat and extended something to the horse. Squall appeared to reach -out eagerly for whatever it was each time, but the neck of another horse -obscured from Jim what it was that Rowen was feeding his horse. - -“Now, what the dickens can that fellow be doing?” Jim puzzled. “He seems -to be unusually kind to my horse, and it looks suspicious to me. Of -course, it is possible that Rowen likes horses and is feeding them, but -he knows that one is mine. Maybe he doesn’t carry his grudges as far as -the animals!” - -One of the objects that Rowen was feeding to the horse dropped to the -ground, rolling a short distance. As soon as Jim recognized it he became -indignant. - -“A green apple! A lot he knows about horses! If he wants to be kind to -them he should pick something else beside—” - -He stopped short in his thought. Rowen looked right and left again and -then moved off a few paces to the left, reaching down for a bucket of -water. With this in his hand he walked back to the horse, raised it to -his eager lips, and tilted the bucket. - -Jim Mercer waited to see no more. The whole cowardly trick was plain to -him now. Each cavalryman was required to keep his mount in perfect -condition and no excuse would be accepted for failure to do so. He could -picture Squall after his meal of green apples and his drink of cold -water, rolling in agony for hours, and himself severely blamed for -criminal neglect. The boy’s eyes blazed in fury as he hurled himself in -Rowen’s direction. - -He was on top of the boy before Rowen was aware of him. Rowen turned -startled eyes in his direction, his face paling swiftly. The tongue of -the horse had just touched the water’s surface when Jim landed his fist -with all his force on the cheek of the cadet. - -Rowen went down promptly, the bucket of water spilling all over his -uniform. A dull red spot showed where Jim’s fist landed, and Rowen -rolled over with a faint bleat. With bulging eyes he looked up to where -Jim towered over him. - -“Why, you contemptible, sneaking coward!” Jim, his voice trembling, -exploded with emotion. “You intended to bloat my horse so that I would -do ‘growl duty’ for neglect, did you? How about the hours of agony that -the horse would suffer? Did you think of that? Get on your feet, because -I’m going to thrash you until you won’t be able to walk for the rest of -the summer!” - -“If you lay your hands on me, Mercer, I’ll report you to the colonel,” -cried Rowen, cowed at Jim’s attitude. The captain was ablaze with wrath. - -“Tell the colonel all you want to, but I’m going to put you in the -infirmary for a month,” promised Jim, reaching for the collar of the -fallen cadet. - -At that moment Terry, Jordan, Don and Vench came around the end of the -tent row. They had been playing ball and were on their way to change -clothes for a swim. They saw the two before them and hurried over. - -“Look here, gentlemen,” commanded Jordan, briskly. “You can’t fight in -camp. What’s the row, anyway?” - -“Mercer knocked me down,” complained Rowen, while Don pulled Jim away. -Don was surprised to feel how violently Jim was trembling. - -“Why did you knock Rowen down, Mercer?” Jordan asked. - -Jim did not in the least mind Jordan’s commanding tone. Although they -were both captains of divisions, and Jim was therefore an equal as an -officer, Jordan nevertheless claimed a slight privilege as the senior -captain of the school. In the following year, their last one at -Woodcrest, Jim would be senior captain of the cavalry, with the unusual -record of having held that post for three years. His heroism at Hill 31, -when he rescued Vench, had won him that rank. But in the final year Don -would be promoted from the infantry lieutenant to Senior Cadet Captain -of the Corps, thus ranking a step higher than Jim, for all the latter’s -three years of captaincy in the cavalry. - -Jim readily related the story of the short fight. He felt that the -action was so cowardly and sneaking that Rowen did not deserve to have -it hushed up. The faces of the cadets described their feelings as the -story was told. Rowen turned white to red-faced as he saw the looks cast -in his direction. - -“I don’t care so much about the punishment I would have received,” Jim -said in conclusion, “but how any guy in the world with a grain of common -decency in him would stoop to give a horse hours of agony is more than I -can see. You fellows can see the evidences of his guilt on the ground, -the pail and the apple. When you came along I was about to give him the -biggest licking he ever got in his life!” - -“Get up, Rowen!” commanded the senior captain, sternly. “We are not on -duty, or I’d put up with this trick just long enough to order you under -arrest! I don’t mind telling you frankly that you won’t last long enough -in the corps to ever graduate if this story gets out!” - -“I don’t care a hang about the corps!” snapped Rowen. “How about Mercer -here? Don’t forget that he struck me.” - -“I won’t forget him for doing it, instead I will remember him gratefully -for doing it. Perhaps it was too bad that we arrived just as we did.” - -Rowen looked up at Jordan shamefaced yet still belligerent. “I’ll get -even with you boys! Just wait and see. And you can’t prove I harmed your -old horse, either, Mercer.” With these remarks, Rowen turned on his heel -and strode away, his chin high in the air. - -“Gee! How do you like that?” Terry exclaimed. “He sure has some nerve -carrying a grudge after what’s happened just now!” - -“I thought I had met up with a lot of the mean, tricky people!” -exclaimed Jordan. “But that beats me!” - -“What about the horse, Jim?” Don asked. - -“I’ll have to duck over to the canteen and get out some of the horse -medicine and then run him around until he gets over the effects of the -green apples,” replied the cavalry captain. “No water for you, Squall -old boy, until you have lost the effects of your unexpected meal.” - -While Jim was looking after the horse the others walked over to the -tents, talking the matter over. All of them were deeply upset by the -total unjustness of it all. - -“Just because Jim slipped on the springboard and made a dive like -Rowen’s!” said Vench. “I can’t understand some fellows.” - -“Well, I’ll tell you,” replied Don, slowly. “For a long time Rowen has -had a grouch against all of us; for no particular reason at all. He’s -the kind of boy who just seems to have trouble wherever he goes.” - -It was not until they were preparing for bed that evening that the three -boys had an opportunity to further discuss the afternoon’s incident. - -“Is your horse OK?” Terry asked, kicking off his shoes. - -“Yes,” Jim answered. “As long as he didn’t get a big drink of water -he—Oh, golly!” - -“What’s the matter?” the other two asked, aroused at the dismay in Jim’s -tone. - -“I’ve lost my belt,” Jim returned. “I had it on when I went to the -corral, and I guess I must have dropped it there. I’ll have to go back -and find it.” - -“You’ve got to have it for inspection tomorrow,” said Don. “Wait a -shake, and I’ll go back with you.” - -“No, you won’t,” vetoed Jim. “I can sneak out myself and make the trip -in record time. No use in running the risk of having you reported with -me. Douglas is patrolling post Number Five and I can slip through him.” - -“Yes, but the guard will have been changed by the time you get back,” -Terry reminded him. “Then what are you going to do?” - -“I’ll just have to take my chances and slip through while he is at the -far end of the patrol,” replied Jim, putting his shirt on again. “I -should have seen to it that I didn’t drop my belt, that’s all. You -fellows go to sleep, and I’ll soon be back.” - -“OK,” agreed Don. “Good luck, kid!” - -“Thanks,” murmured Jim, looking carefully from the flap of the tent. -“See you later.” - -With that he was gone, slipping back of the tents and keeping well in -the shadows. At the edge of the camp he waited until he saw Douglas -standing with his back toward him. Then Jim slipped by him and plunged -into the woods. - -It didn’t take him long to reach the spot where the horses were -corralled and after a little hunting he found his belt. It had dropped -close to the foot of a clump of bushes and was out of the direct rays of -the moon. Buckling it around his waist Jim began his return journey to -the camp. - -But now, as he approached the place, he became very cautious. He must -trust to luck to slip past the man at the post and it would be no easy -task. - -He decided that perhaps by flitting along past the animals he could more -easily gain the corner of the nearest company street and by lying on his -stomach in the shadow of a tent he could escape the eyes of the cadet -until it was safe to move on. With this thought in mind Jim moved to the -horses and then paused. - -There was a tall white shape close to the animals, and they had sensed -the presence of the thing. It looked to be a very tall man shrouded in -white, and he was at the moment near the foremost horses. Forgetting his -unusual position Jim rushed forward to see what was going on. - -The shape before him heard his quick step, turned toward him, and then -moved with an agility that astonished the cadet captain. Slapping the -flanks of the horses right and left the man in white started them -moving. Jim jumped forward. - -“Hey, you!” he cried. “What are you doing to those horses?” - -The figure in white took to the trees swiftly and Jim was unable to stop -him. For the horses, frightened by something, perhaps the white shape -itself, moved with increasing speed out of the corral. Before Jim could -call to them it had developed into a wild stampede, and the horses were -headed like a cyclone for the nearest tents. - - - - - 6 - The Trouble Bug Bites Deep - - -After that, things happened rapidly. Just as the horses began their -rapid flight the sentry on the post rushed up to Jim. As luck would have -it, it was none other than Rowen. - -Before he could say anything the stampeding horses hit the first tents. -They had spread out fan-wise on their wild run, and those on the wings -were unable to push into the company streets. Blindly they crashed into -the tents, taking two of them down in a flash and tipping a third over. -The thunder of hoofs, the ripping of tent cords and the shouts of -bewildered cadets buried under the entangling canvas turned the peaceful -camp into a raging scene of chaos. - -Cadets at the further end of the camp ran out, only to meet the -galloping horses face to face. They were too bewildered to comprehend at -once just what was going on, but they scurried back under cover. There -was a vast uproar on all sides. A cloud of dust rose over the camp, -partially obscuring the moon. To add to the confusion the sentries on -other posts excitedly fired their guns. - -Jim stood confused, wiping the dust from his eyes impatiently. Close -beside him stood Rowen, coughing violently from the dust that the horses -had raised. When he could speak he turned to Jim sternly. - -“What are you doing here, Mercer?” he asked. - -“I went back to the corral for my belt and then I saw a white shape near -the horses,” related Jim. “Just as I challenged him he slapped them on -the flank, starting the stampede.” - -Rowen looked around the near-by woods. There was nothing to be seen. -Deliberately he faced Jim. - -“Absurd, Mercer,” he declared, his intention plain. - -“Do you mean you think I’m lying?” Jim demanded, his cheeks flushing. - -“I don’t have to mean anything. You tell me a story like that but I -don’t see the faintest evidence of it. What do you expect of me?” - -“Look here, Rowen,” said Jim. “How far away were you when these horses -started?” - -“A few yards. I was just patrolling this way when I heard them go,” -answered the sentry. - -“Then you heard me say, ‘What are you doing to those horses?’ didn’t -you?” - -“No, Mercer, I did not,” returned Rowen, steadily. - -“You did so!” retorted Jim, flatly. - -“I heard nothing,” repeated Rowen. “When I got here I found the horses -in flight and I saw you standing back of them. Under the circumstances I -must tell that to the proper officers and the colonel.” - -“Certainly you must. But I will also tell them about the white shape.” - -“I hope they will be a little more inclined to believe you than I am,” -sneered Rowen. - -Jim took a step forward. “Rowen, if you intimate that I lie, I’ll surely -thrash you worse than I did this afternoon!” - -“Mercer, in addition to reporting you for stampeding the horses, I shall -also report you for threatening the sentry while he was performing his -duty,” followed up the vengeful cadet. - -Hot words leaped to Jim’s lips, but he stopped them. More words would -lead to trouble, and he was sure that he had enough of that on his hands -right now to last him for some time. Beside that, the camp was a bedlam -and the horses were scattered all over the meadow below. Outwardly cool -he faced the sentry. - -“I am going to help round up the horses,” he told Rowen. “I’ll see you -later.” - -With this Jim turned and ran across the camp, heading down the slope to -the field below. The colonel was now on the job, with some realization -of what had occurred. A detail of cadets was busy at the fallen tents, -lifting the canvas and helping the stunned soldiers out into the open. -One boy had had his shoulder sprained but that was all the physical -damage there was. Most of the horses had halted on the plain below and -were quietly cropping the grass. - -All of the cavalrymen turned instinctively toward the horses and were -now engaged in the difficult job of trying to secure them. The -infantrymen and artillerymen stood around talking things over, -understanding that there had been a stampede but not fully realizing why -the horses had run away. - -“Guess something just scared them and they bolted,” Cadet Douglas said, -speaking to a group. - -“I’d like to know where Jim is?” murmured Terry. - -“Too bad it had to happen while he was out of the camp,” returned Don, -in a low voice. “If the colonel ever learns that he was absent at the -time he’ll have a job explaining where he was. If he doesn’t turn up and -go hunting the horses he’ll have to answer for that.” - -Drill Master Rhodes bore down on the assembled cadets. “A few fires to -be lighted, please,” he directed briskly. At this word the cadets -scattered and fell to work gathering fuel for fires. A short time later -a half-dozen fires lighted up the sky and threw the camp into bright -relief. - -“There’s Jim!” cried Don, pulling at Terry’s sleeve. “He has been right -on the job.” - -Jim was riding Squall bareback and driving other horses before him. -Lieutenant Thompson brought in others, and the main band of the animals -had been captured. But there were now at least five horses that had run -far off and some of the cadets saddled and went after them. - -This time they found real work cut out for them. The horses that had run -the farthest away were the unruly ones. They objected strongly to being -captured and led the cadets a merry chase. After an hour of hard work -all but one horse had been captured. - -“Mr. Mercer,” called the colonel. “Take Mr. Thompson and get that one -stray horse.” - -Jim and Thompson mounted and dashed across the field toward Twinkletoes, -the stubborn cavalry horse. The animal, a beautiful chestnut stallion, -tossed his head disdainfully and trotted off in a sweeping circle, -seeming to enjoy the chase keenly. He was moving away from the camp and -Jim saw that unless he could get on the far side of the horse he would -lose him. Accordingly, he abandoned the direct chase, heading Squall out -across the moonlit field until he had passed the cavorting horse. Then -Jim swung sharply in toward the camp, the animal now in front of him. -Thompson stopped and allowed Twinkletoes to retreat past him, and then -the two cavalry officers began a chase that entertained and delighted -the camp. - -Twinkletoes tried in vain to dodge out of the circle which the two young -soldiers had drawn around him, and it took all of their skill to keep -him from attaining his objective. Twinkletoes raced and plunged, first -toward one side and then toward the other, making short, mad little -dashes, but as fast as he dashed the officers dashed after him. In this -fashion, working ever in toward the slope, the two cadets drove the -frisky animal in far enough to make escape possible only by dashing up -the hill. This Twinkletoes refused to do, and Jim, staking all on a last -desperate drive, forced Squall up beside the fugitive horse and secured -him. As he led him into camp a cheer went up. - -“Very good work, men,” nodded the colonel. - -The horses were now all in and the work of securing them firmly went on. -No recall was sounded and the cadets wandered aimlessly around the camp. -When Jim and the other cavalrymen returned to the central fire they -found the colonel standing there, surrounded by the instructors and most -of the cadets. Jim was walking toward the colonel to make his report -when Rowen stepped from the group, triumph written on his face. - -“Mr. Mercer!” he called, loudly. All of the assembled soldiers, -including the colonel, turned to look at him. - -“What is it, Mr. Rowen?” Jim asked, quietly. - -“You will kindly consider yourself under arrest for starting the -stampede!” continued Rowen, still in the loud voice. - -His words produced a decided sensation. The colonel looked particularly -astonished. Terry groaned and nudged Don. - -“What do you know about that! Jim started the stampede!” - -“Mr. Mercer, did you start the stampede?” the colonel asked. - -“No, sir,” replied Jim, promptly. - -The colonel turned to Rowen. “What is your exact charge against Captain -Mercer, Mr. Rowen?” he asked. - -“I charge Captain Mercer with being absent from camp without official -leave, of stampeding the horses, and of threatening a sentry in the -performance of his duty!” cried Rowen. - -“Those are very serious charges, Captain Mercer,” the colonel told Jim. -“What have you to say to them?” - -“I admit being out of camp without leave, but refuse to acknowledge -stampeding the horses or having been in any way responsible for their -breaking loose. I did threaten to thrash Mr. Rowen because he insisted -that I was deliberately lying when I informed him that a figure clothed -entirely in white slapped the horses and started them on their -stampede,” reported Jim. There was a stir of eager interest from the -cadets. - -“A figure in white?” said the colonel, sharply. “What was that, Captain -Mercer?” - -“I do not know, sir,” replied Jim. “I challenged him sharply and at the -sound of my voice he slapped the horses on the flanks, starting them on -their break.” - -“Captain Mercer says he called out to the figure in white,” said the -colonel, turning to Rowen. “Did you hear him call, Mr. Rowen?” - -“I did not, sir,” answered the sentry. “Colonel Morrell, Captain Mercer -did not call out!” - -“Limit your statement to the fact that you did not hear him, Mr. Rowen,” -advised the colonel. Rowen flushed and trembled with rage. - -“And you really saw a white shape at the horses, Captain Mercer? This -talk of ghosts has not influenced you any, has it?” - -“Not a bit, sir,” affirmed Jim, gravely. “I distinctly heard the sharp -sounds of his slaps and as I started for him he glided into the woods -close at hand.” - -“Did you see anything, Mr. Rowen?” the colonel asked. - -“The only thing I saw was Mr. Mercer standing there, watching the horses -tear across the camp, sir,” answered Rowen. - -The colonel thought for a moment. “Very well, men,” he returned. “I will -consider the case carefully. Captain Mercer, you will consider yourself -at least temporarily under arrest, on the two charges preferred by Mr. -Rowen, namely, for being absent without official leave and for -threatening the sentry, although I realize that you threatened Mr. Rowen -not for ordering your arrest, but for doubting your word. All these -things don’t go well with an officer’s commission, Captain Mercer, and I -shall be compelled to look into the entire affair.” - -“Very good, sir,” responded Jim, saluting. - -The cadets were sent back to their cots and soon quiet settled over the -entire camp. In their tent Jim, Terry and Don discussed the situation. - -“Just your luck to run right into Rowen,” commented Terry. “I’d like to -bet my last nickel that he heard you call out, too.” - -“I think that he did, but we can’t prove it,” sighed Jim. “Well, I’m not -going to worry about it.” - -“You won’t need to,” reassured Don. “The colonel will see to it that you -have the proper justice. Your word is as good as Rowen’s and he will -find out the truth some way.” - - - - - 7 - The Old Man of the Ridge - - -Jim’s punishment did not last long. A circumstance came up that made the -colonel suspend judgment for some time. - -One morning, soon after the incidents related, a man in a battered old -car drove up to the camp. He was a minister who preached in a regular -circuit of county churches and he was known to the colonel. The -headmaster received him with great pleasure and the two men talked of -many things as they sat in the colonel’s tent. - -“By the way,” said the Reverend Mr. Powers, after a time. “Did someone -go past your camp very hurriedly a few nights ago?” - -The colonel showed signs of unusual interest. “Why, yes, a few nights -ago a wagon with two men in it tore right through the camp,” he said. -“We couldn’t stop it.” - -“There was a man and a boy in it,” corrected the pastor. “Well, then you -don’t know what sent them flying past you like that?” - -“No,” confessed the colonel. “If you had seen the way they flew by, you -wouldn’t wonder that I didn’t learn anything about them. But tell me -what you know.” - -“First, I would like to ask you a question. Have you heard anything -about a ghost of the Ridge, since you have been here?” - -The colonel snorted. “I haven’t heard much about anything else,” he -retorted. - -“The ghost scared these two off. The father is a farmer who came down -here from Pennsylvania. As it turns out, he is very superstitious, and -the very first night on his own farm, while driving into the yard with -his only son, he saw the white shape skulking along near his barn. He -was just about crazed with fear and fled to the valley, passing your -camp as he did.” - -“Of course this ghost is simply some would-be humorous person who is -having some fun,” was the colonel’s opinion. But Mr. Powers had another -opinion. - -“I doubt that very much, Morrell. The thing has been going on for years -and some very good citizens have given up their homes just on account of -it. The joke would have worn out years ago. No, I’m inclined to think -that there is something deeper in it than mere fun.” - -“Some determined effort should be made to drive the ghost from the -Ridge,” grumbled the headmaster. - -“Who is to start it?” shrugged the parson. “No one seems to want to and -the sheriff of the county simply laughs at the whole business.” - -As a result of this talk the colonel called Rowen and Jim into his tent -after drill that very afternoon. They faced him expectantly. - -“Gentlemen,” said the colonel. Then he paused, and a frown swept over -his face. “I call you gentlemen, and will continue to do so until one of -you is proved guilty of deliberate lying. Your conflicting stories show -that one of your statements, coming from one or the other of you, is a -deliberate falsehood. But to get back to the business in hand: I have -just heard some more tales concerning this ghost of the Ridge, and in -view of it I have decided to drop the suspension against Captain Mercer. -The word of one of you is as good to me as the word of the other, and -until I prove that one of you is trying to conceal anything I must -consider the case dismissed until further notice. Mr. Rowen, you say you -did not hear Mr. Mercer call out nor did you see the white shape. But on -the other hand, Captain Mercer did tell you immediately that he had seen -a white shape, and that the ghost—or whatever it was—had started the -stampede. Inasmuch as you did not see Captain Mercer start the stampede, -and you doubted his word, I shall be able to hold him only on the count -of being absent without official leave. For that Captain Mercer will -receive demerits. It that all clear, and satisfactory?” - -“Very much so, to me, sir,” approved Jim. Rowen muttered. - -“What was that, Mr. Rowen?” the colonel asked, sharply. - -Rowen lost his temper in his sudden fright. “I simply said that of -course a Mercer would get the breaks, sir!” he sneered. Then, realizing -the slip he had made, his face turned white. - -“So!” murmured the colonel. His eyes flashed but his voice was calm. “I -asked you if my decision was satisfactory, Mr. Rowen.” - -“Yes, sir,” murmured the disappointed cadet. - -“Very well. You are both dismissed,” nodded the colonel. Left alone, his -brain worked busily. He saw a good many things in a clear light now. - -“Petty jealousy, and he is trying to revenge himself on Mercer,” thought -the little colonel. “I guess I can pretty well tell which one of those -young men is lying!” - -On the following morning, when the Orders of the Day were read, Jim and -his friends were delighted to hear in the crisp voice of the battalion -orderly that the charges brought against Captain Mercer by Sentry Rowen -were to be temporarily dismissed, with the exception of the charge of -leaving camp unofficially, for which Captain Mercer was to receive -twenty-five demerits. - -A hundred demerits were sufficient to send a man home from the -encampment and two hundred at school would dismiss any cadet -permanently. - -That afternoon there was a partial holiday and the cadets set out to -enjoy themselves. It was a mild and warm afternoon, with a fleecy sky -overhead, through which the sun peeped at intervals. Don and Jim sat in -the tent, trying to decide just what to do. - -“What do you say to a hike over the Ridge, a sort of exploring trip?” -was Don’s suggestion. - -“Sounds good,” approved Jim. “Who can we get to go along with us?” - -“We’ll scout around and find out,” announced Don, getting up from his -cot. - -After looking up their most intimate friends they found that only Terry -and Raoul Vench cared to go tramping. - -“We’ll be glad to go along,” yawned the redhead. He and Raoul had been -idly watching the swimmers when Jim and Don found them. “I’m weary o’ -doing nothing!” - -“Too lazy to do anything but watch the other fellows swim around and -enjoy themselves, is that it?” inquired Jim. - -“Yes, but you see, I enjoy it that way,” returned Terry, seriously. “I -have a vivid imagination and in time, by concentrating on the swimmers, -I too feel the cool of the water and the exhilaration of the exercise. -Just requires a little imaginative concentration, Jimmie my friend.” - -“You’re a wonderful fellow,” glowed Jim. “Just you imagine me a couple -of ice-cream sodas, will you?” - -“Pay me first!” grinned Terry. “Money back if I fail to come across.” - -The four cadets set out at a brisk pace up the slope of the Ridge. It -was heavily wooded and every now and then they came across a clearing in -which a farmhouse could be seen. They were not long in reaching the very -top of the series of hills called Rustling Ridge and they paused to look -down into the opposite valley from the one above which their camp was -pitched. - -“Nice picture,” observed Terry. “Why do they call this place Rustling -Ridge?” - -“In the fall, when the wind blows hard, the leaves rustle, and from that -fact comes the name,” Don volunteered. - -“How’d you learn that?” Vench wanted to know. - -“I asked a farm boy who was watching us play baseball the other day,” -replied the infantry lieutenant. - -“Look at that old house up there,” called out Jim, pointing to a huge -square structure that showed a battered roof with leaning chimneys over -the tops of the trees. “Looks like a fitting habitation for the ghost of -this place.” - -“Just about,” agreed Vench. “But that little cabin down below looks -better to me, because I bet we can get a good drink at the place. Let’s -go down.” - -The others agreed and they tramped down the side of the slope toward a -plain little cabin, constructed of unpainted boards, with a roofed front -porch on it. At some distance below them they could see the largest town -in the county. - -“What town is that?” asked Jim. - -“I think that must be Rideway,” replied Don. - -Reaching the cabin they rounded the corner, to halt suddenly as they saw -a figure there. It was a little old man in a wheelchair, a man with -sparse gray hair, sallow cheeks, and a few good teeth remaining. His -eyes were keen and penetrating and he was puffing in evident enjoyment -on a huge pipe. - -He greeted them readily enough. “Hi, there, boys, step right up,” he -shrilled, in a rasping voice. “Soldiers, eh? You look pretty young. -Where you stationed?” - -“We aren’t soldiers of the United States Army,” Don told him. “We are -cadets from Woodcrest Military Institute, and we’re camping over on the -other side of the Ridge. We were passing by and thought we’d drop in for -a drink of water.” - -“Thought you were too young-looking for regular soldiers,” nodded the -old man, taking in every detail of their uniforms. “Want a drink of good -water, eh?” - -“Yes,” Don replied. “But we wouldn’t want to trouble you any.” - -“Oh, hush up!” was the good-natured reply. “I know that you’re thinking -I’m out of commission and I can’t help you. Just sit down on the porch -here and see how old Peter Vancouver does it.” - -With that the old man gave the right wheel of his chair a whirl and to -the astonishment of the boys shot himself around in a half circle and in -through the open door. From there they saw him roll across the room and -vanish through the door of another room. - -“My gosh!” breathed Terry. “Can’t he work that buggy of his!” - -“Probably years of practice has made him proficient,” said Don, softly. - -With the same bewildering speed and dexterity the man returned in his -chair, holding a pitcher and a tin cup in his hand. Even while in motion -he poured the water out. - -He seemed to enjoy watching the boys drink deeply, and when they had -finished he wheeled back to the kitchen and returned at lightning speed. -Noting the interested looks of the boys he chuckled. - -“Guess the old man knows how to walk well’s if he had feet, eh?” - -“You walk better than a whole lot of people who have feet,” gravely -affirmed Vench. - -“If you was spending your life in one of these all-fired things you’d -know how to ride one, too,” he told them. “Don’t you fellows go. I don’t -see a heap of folks and I like to chin once in a while.” - -“We’ll be glad to stay and talk with you, Mr. Vancouver,” smiled Jim, -leaning back against a post. “We are just out exploring and we’d just as -soon sit here and talk as wander around.” - -“Glad to hear you say it,” approved the old man. “Let’s hear something -about that there camp of yourn.” - -The boys told him several things about the camp, all of which seemed to -interest him deeply. In the course of the talk the incident of the ghost -and the stampede was mentioned. The old man bent eagerly forward. - -“Did you get a visit from the ghost?” he cried. - -“Yes, he stampeded our horses,” Jim told him. “What do you know about -him, Mr. Vancouver?” - -The man chuckled. “All a poor old invalid would know about such like he -hears,” the man replied. “I ain’t never seen the thing, but I heard -plenty. Raises old Ned in the hills here, and has been at it for years.” - -“If we get a chance we are going to nail him good,” Don promised. - -“Good idea,” Mr. Vancouver approved. “Blasted business has been driving -people off the Ridge for years. Wouldn’t be surprised if the fellow -drove you cadets home.” - -“Drive us out of camp!” ejaculated Vench, stirring. - -“He might!” the old man said. - -“He’ll have to go some to do that,” snorted Terry. “He’ll be lucky if we -don’t steal his best nightgown right off him!” - -“Getting late, fellows,” warned Don. “We had better be getting back. -Thanks a lot for your good drink of water, Mr. Vancouver, and we’ve -enjoyed being with you.” - -“Enjoyed being able to talk to you boys,” he returned heartily. “Come up -again some time.” - -“We’ll be glad to,” promised the boys, as they started off. Mr. -Vancouver called a final word after them. - -“You had better keep your eyes open for that cussed ghost! No tellin’ -when he’ll pop up and scare the life out of you!” - -The cadets laughed good-naturedly and walked at a rapid pace up the side -of the Ridge. The sun was going down in the west and they would have to -keep up a good stride in order to arrive in time for supper. - -“Interesting old fellow, that Vancouver,” Jim observed. - -“He surely is,” Vench agreed. “We’ll have to chat with him some other -time.” - -“Too bad he can’t move around—that is, walk around,” Don said. “As a -matter of fact, he does move around mighty fast, but I mean it is a -shame he can’t go walking around, same as you and me.” - -“Like everybody else around here, he believes that dog-goned ghost is -the last word in efficiency,” growled Terry. “I guess the real trouble -is that nobody dares to put on a real hunt for the ghost. Fellows, we’ll -have to make it our business to run down that ghost!” - -“If it pops up again soon, we will,” Don promised. - - - - - 8 - Moving Flame - - -For a week or more there were no unusual events. Camping life went on -calmly, the drill and fun occupying the days in regular succession. By -this time all of the boys were enjoying themselves to the utmost. -Muscles were limber and strong, bodies straight and vigorous, and the -appetites outrageous. - -“We certainly are keeping the cooks hustling,” Terry chuckled one day in -the mess tent. “I’m going for another helping of beans.” - -But when the genial redhead went to the kitchen tent he was firmly but -politely refused “Nothing doing, Mr. Mackson,” said the mess sergeant, -firmly. “You’ve already had three plates full and that is the -allotment.” - -“No more beans for a starving man?” Terry inquired, in dismay. - -“No more for you anyway. I don’t know why you should be starving, I’m -sure.” - -“All right,” returned the red-headed one, calmly. “My mother will get -even with you!” - -“What do you mean, your mother will?” cried the cook, staring. - -“When my body is shipped home, and she learns that her darling boy -starved to death in the camp, she will spend the rest of her life -calling down vengeance upon the head of the hard-headed and hard-hearted -cook that turned him away with tears in his eyes!” was the answer. The -mess tent shook with the laugh that went up. But the cook was prepared -to answer him back. - -“You’re right about the cook turning him away with tears in his eyes,” -the cook said. “It brings tears to my eyes to see the hole in the bean -pile when you get eating!” - -Terry retired thoughtfully, paying no heed to the mocking gibes which -greeted him on all sides. After a moment he looked at Vench, who was -eating across the table from him. Vench had just pushed his plate to one -side. - -“How many plates of beans did you have, Raoul?” Terry whispered. - -“Two was enough for me,” returned the little one. - -“My son, heaven’s blessings upon you! Just take my plate and hit the -trail for the cook!” - -Mr. Vench took Terry’s plate and gravely approached the cook. But as -soon as that worthy saw the particular dent in the tin plate he shook -his head wisely. - -“Nothing doing, Mr. Vench,” he said. “That is Mackson’s plate. You don’t -work that game here!” - -“Thank you, sir!” Vench murmured, while the cadets enjoyed the failure -of the move to the utmost. With that Vench turned away. But at that -moment the cook was called to the far end of the mess tent. With -swiftness that was commendable Vench reached over the stove and heaped -the plate. Then he sped back to the delighted Terry. - -“Ram that in your musket and keep still!” he said, as he took his place. - -Terry needed no second invitation. He dug into the pile of beans with -alacrity. And in a moment the sharp voice of the cook reached him. - -“Mr. Mackson, where did you get those beans?” - -Terry looked blank. “I am not at all sure, sir,” he answered, politely. -“I had just turned my back, and when I looked around there they were, -right under my nose!” - -“Did you come and take them while I was not looking?” cried the cook. - -“Haven’t been out of my seat since you broke my heart with your -refusal,” was the answer. “And you didn’t give any to Mr. Vench, so it -is up to you to figure out how I got the beans!” - -“Bring them here, Mr. Mackson!” ordered the mess sergeant. - -Terry shoveled the last forkful into his mouth. “Beg pardon?” he asked -blandly. - -“I’ll put you on report!” growled the sergeant. - -“My dear fellow, you can’t,” smiled Terry. “I didn’t take them myself -and so you have no charge to prefer. And if you did I’d pound all the -beans out of you once I got you away from the mess tent!” - -“That amounts to threatening an officer while on duty, Mr. Mackson!” -charged the sergeant. - -“That’s not a threat, that’s a promise,” grinned the redhead. The -sergeant muttered savagely but subsided. - -“Much obliged,” Terry whispered to Vench. “Some day I’ll help you out.” - -“But not in the matter of beans,” smiled Vench. “They just don’t happen -to be my weakness!” - -One of the steady visitors to the camp was the little Carson boy. He was -the son of the farmer from whom the camp supplies were purchased, and -the cadets had taken a great liking to him. He was a friendly, likable -boy and obviously deeply interested in the activities of the young -soldiers. He watched all of their maneuvers with fascinated interest and -the cadets welcomed him in their tents. - -“That youngster has the makings of a good cadet in him,” Don said. “Too -bad he isn’t one of us. How would you like to be a cadet, Jimmie?” - -The boy flushed with pleasure and looked around the tent. “I’d like it -more than anything else in the world,” he told them. “I’ll tell you a -secret. Want to hear it?” - -“Well, if it isn’t too deep for us, we would,” Jim assured him. - -“I’m saving my money to go to Woodcrest,” the little fellow confided. -“Guess how much I have saved already?” - -“I can’t imagine, but I hope it is a lot,” replied Don. - -“It is!” was the eager retort. “I have a dollar and fifty-seven cents -toward it!” - -“That’s great!” said Terry promptly. “You’ll need a little more than -that, but it is a good beginning, anyway. Just you keep on going.” - -“I’ll surely be glad when I get a uniform like you have,” the boy went -on, wistfully. “I think they’re swell.” - -There were other boys who drifted to the camp but they did not attract -the attention of the cadets as much as the Carson boy did. They came to -look around and fool a bit and in time most of them were chased away. -But Jimmie Carson was never in the way and so he was allowed to come -often to camp. - -One afternoon a group of cadets went for another hike over the Ridge and -on the way back they passed the Carson farm. Jimmie called to them to -come in and they did so. To their delight Mrs. Carson, a plain, kindly -woman of middle age, insisted that they try a huge apple pie that she -had made. - -“Don’t give any to Terry, Mrs. Carson,” begged Jim, as they sat on the -back porch. Don, Jim, Terry, Douglas and Vench were there at the time. - -“Why is that? Doesn’t he feel well?” the farmer’s wife inquired, -anxiously. - -“He has had stomach trouble for a long time,” returned Jim, gravely. -“The doctor said that of all things in the world, he mustn’t eat apple -pie!” - -“I’ll tell you what it is, Mrs. Carson,” spoke up the persecuted one, -before anything else could be said. “I have a falling stomach and I -can’t seem to locate the bottom at any time. But I’m sure that if I can -only have a slice of that apple pie I’ll surely plug up the floor of my -stomach and have no more trouble!” - -“Of all the left-handed compliments in the world!” gasped Douglas. “He -must think your pie is some kind of cement with which to secure his -stomach. Tell a lady that her pie will plug him up!” - -Mrs. Carson laughed heartily. “I guess there is nothing the matter with -any of you boys,” she said. “Try my pie and see if it is like cement!” - -“I could die of embarrassment!” murmured Terry, as he bit into his piece -of pie. “But this pie will surely revive me.” - -The farmer himself came up and talked to the boys for a time. The -unexpected arrival of the soldiers on the Ridge and the subsequent -contract to supply them with fresh food had done wonders for the poor -farmer and his family. A good many dollars were coming his way from the -camp down the slope. - -“Here is the baby of the family,” smiled Mrs. Carson, appearing a little -later with a pretty little girl of six. The cadets promptly forgot all -else in their efforts to amuse and entertain Dorothy Carson. It was late -before they headed back to camp, after thanking the farmer’s wife for -the good time they had had. - -“I’ve had pie before,” murmured Terry. “But never such pie as that!” - -“Is that so?” inquired Jim. “Well, it is a cinch that Don and I can’t -believe anything you say hereafter!” - -“Why not?” - -“Because one time at our house you said the same thing about my mother’s -pie,” said Jim. - -“But don’t forget, this pie helped his stomach!” said Vench, slyly. -“Probably your mother’s pie didn’t plug up the bottom of his stomach!” - -“If I ever speak again, it will be to myself, and in a dark room,” -sighed Terry. - -They had not been back in the tent long before the Officer of the Guard -appeared at the tent with a list in his hand. “Lieutenant Mercer, you -will report for guard duty at Post Number Three at twelve o’clock,” he -informed Don. - -“Very good, sir,” Don saluted. - -At midnight Lieutenant Don reported to the sentry at the far end of the -camp, at a point near the farm belonging to the Hyde family. After an -exchange of instructions he took the post, waiting for the call. It came -soon after. - -“Sentry, Post Two,” someone said near to him. Don faced toward the -sentry who was next to him. “Sentry, Post Three,” he called. Number Four -passed the report call on until eight sentries had reported. Then they -began their pacing up and down on their patrols. - -Don’s stretch was a long one, extending from the edge of the camp at the -company street to a point back of the horse corral. At no time did he -meet the sentry who patrolled Post Four. Just at the time Don reached -the place where Post Four joined his post the other sentry was at the -far end of his stretch, and when Don had returned to the company street -Number Four was at the beginning of his post patrol. In this way there -was no likelihood of sentries stopping to chat and no huge gaps left in -the line of patrol duty. - -The moon was a mere slice but the stars were bright pinheads in the sky. -The air was warm and heavy with the smell of the woods. Don enjoyed his -patrol thoroughly. At twelve-thirty he looked up the Ridge casually. -Toward the top he saw a tiny jet of flame, right above the Hyde place. - -“Looks like somebody striking a match,” he reflected, pacing slowly. - -Then he stopped quickly. The jet of flame sprang up rapidly. Something -was burning, flaring up into a huge ball of roaring fire. And as Don -looked, completely at a loss, this mass of flame moved with ever -increasing speed down the hill toward the Hyde house! - - - - - 9 - Sharp Work as Fire Fighters - - -Don stood spellbound while the huge ball of fire rolled down on the Hyde -place. There was a crash that he could hear plainly even at his distance -and the burning ball hit the barn. In a twinkling of an eye the wooden -structure caught fire. - -Then Don came to life. Raising his rifle he fired three swift shots, -waking the camp instantly. - -The Officer of the Guard rushed up to him. “What is the trouble, -Lieutenant?” the cadet panted. But a red glow in the sky told him the -story at once. - -“Report a large fire at that farmhouse,” said Don. The Officer of the -Guard dug for the colonel. - -By this time the cadet camp was well lighted by the glare from Hyde’s -barn. The colonel saw that hard work was needed and he directed the -bugler to sound assembly. This was done, and the half-dressed cadets -fell in formation. - -“Secure all pails and double-quick it to the farmhouse!” was the order. -The colonel knew that in this rural area there was no organized fire -department and whatever attempts were made to extinguish a fire always -came from helpful neighbors. Instantly, the ranks broke and the -commissary department was fairly turned upside down as the soldiers -rummaged for pails. When these had been secured they raced down the -company street and took the road to Hyde’s house. - -Fortunately for them—and for the Hydes—the distance was short. When the -first cadets arrived in the front yard the barn was a roaring furnace. -Hyde and his two sons were running around the yard in an aimless fashion -and as Jim and Terry arrived the three of them dashed into the blazing -barn. A moment later they came out, each of them hanging onto squealing, -thrashing horses. - -“The horses!” cried Jim, and at the word the cavalrymen and the -artillerymen formed a body around him. In a mass they rushed the door of -the barn. Fighting their way inside past the Hydes, who were coming out, -the cadets paused to look about the stable, gasping as the heavy smoke -crowded down their lungs. - -The inside of the barn was curiously lighted. A pall of heavy smoke hung -in the structure, and through this curtain the dull red flames shone and -licked. Snapping and crackling sounds reached their ears as the wood -burned, and a terrible shrieking, from the terrified horses, went right -through them. Blind with fear the animals kicked and screamed. - -No word was spoken as the cadets made a rush for the nearest horses. Jim -had not put on a shirt, but some of the others had and these they now -whipped off, throwing them over the heads of the rearing animals. Jim -scooped a blanket up from the rack as he passed and made a cast for the -head of a big dray horse in a stall. - -But now his troubles began. The horse, wild with fright, avoided the -blanket. It kicked at Jim and even snapped, tearing frantically on its -halter. The heat was cracking Jim’s skin, the smoke choked him, and the -crazy horse made his head ache trying to follow his rapid movements. -Worse than that, the halter was tied in a ring on the wall, and the -cavalryman was unable to pull it loose. As he was ready to sob with -anger his fingers closed over the catch and with a jerk that tore his -skin he loosed the rearing horse. Like a flash the animal backed from -its stall and tried to find the door. - -Now Jim succeeded in getting the blanket over his head and he felt his -way to the door. The first breath of fresh air that he got went through -him like the stab of a sword. Stumbling at every step he led the -trembling horse to a tree far away from the barn and tied him securely. -The smell of burning hair jabbed his nose and he knew that the animal -had been burned in more than one place. - -“I’ve got to go back,” he gasped, gulping the air in huge draughts. “But -I can’t, I just can’t!” - -But he started back, his feet like lead and his head ready to burst. -Before he reached the door of the barn, however, a blackened figure with -red hair stopped him. - -“They’re all out,” Terry shouted. “And I’m all in!” - -Together they sank down on the rude back steps of the farmhouse, -entirely played out. While they sat there the bucket brigade was in full -swing. - -Those cadets who had been fortunate enough to secure buckets had jumped -into action without wasting a moment’s time. The vanguard found the well -and began to pump vigorously. As soon as the first pail was filled it -was passed from hand to hand and the last cadet, running as close to the -fire as the heat would allow him to, tossed it on the blaze. By the time -he had finished a second cadet had run forward with another pail full. A -second contingent of cadets, impatient at waiting around the well, found -a small creek back of the barn and the buckets were dipped in here. Two -steady streams were now being played in splashes on the blaze. - -There was no hope of saving the barn but the work went grimly forward. A -mountain of sparks was ascending, threatening the house and the smaller -structures near by, to say nothing of the fields and woods. It required -a special corps to put out scores of small fires that jumped up in the -fields and on the other buildings. But in time the splashing buckets of -water kept the sparks down and although the barn burned to the ground -the house and smaller buildings were saved. - -It seemed to the cadets that they had been working for hours on their -task. Numerous neighbors had run over from near-by farms, armed with -buckets and blankets, and their assistance was a welcome help. A -wheezing old hand-pump on a flat truck was finally run into the yard and -the water from the creek was thrown in a more or less uncertain stream -on the smoldering embers of the ruins, but had the Hydes been compelled -to wait for it and for the neighbors they would have been burned out of -the house and home. Clouds of hissing steam rose from the blackened wood -as the water was pumped and thrown on it. - -Jim and Terry had braced up sufficiently to join the bucket brigade and -they passed the pails with the others. Some of the cadets had stormed in -the back door of Hyde’s house and had located a few pails and pans. As -for the father and his two sons they had not been of much use after the -horses had been taken. Utterly bewildered by the swift events they had -run from place to place, too shaken to do anything practical. - -“Were all of the animals taken out?” the colonel asked the farmer. He -nodded dully. - -“Wasn’t nothing but horses in that barn,” he returned. “The chickens is -in the run there.” - -The unfortunate chickens were scorched by the heat which had been so -near to them but all of them were alive. They had run around the long -inclosure squawking and screeching but the damage had not touched them. -Some pigs near by were safe enough, and the only thing which had -suffered was the barn itself and the horses, most of whom were burned in -patches. Jim, who had recovered from his experience, dispatched a man to -the camp to bring soothing salve for the animals’ burns. This was done -and under Jim and Thompson’s watchful eyes the scorches were tenderly -glossed over to heal. - -A large group had gathered around the farmer and his sons and the -cadets. One of the neighbors asked how the fire had started. Hyde -shrugged his shoulders. - -“I dunno,” he said. “All of a sudden I waked up to see the fire and we -run out in a jiffy. I didn’t see how it got afire.” - -The colonel turned to Don, who was close by. “How did you happen to see -this fire, Lieutenant Mercer?” he asked. - -Don narrated the story of the moving flame. The neighbors shot inquiring -looks at the Hydes. A dozen tongues formed the word “Maul.” - -“Maul is dead,” said one of the sons. “How could he do it?” - -“Don’t forget the ghost of the Ridge,” said a man, seriously. “That’s -Maul’s ghost.” - -The oldest son had been prowling about the ruins and now set up a cry. -“Look-a-here, Pop,” he called. There was an instant rush to the rear of -the barn. - -In the dim light of a few lanterns they made out the charred outline of -wheels and under a smoking board some whisps of straw. A murmur of -comprehension went up. - -“Loaded a wagon of hay and lighted her up,” shouted a farmer. “Then they -rolled it down the hill at the barn.” - -There was no doubt that such had been the case. And no one seemed to ask -why, a fact that puzzled the colonel and the boys. - -“Why should anyone do a thing like that? And who is this Maul?” the -colonel asked. - -None of the Hydes replied but a neighbor was willing to talk. “A few -years back there was a hill feud between the Hydes and the Mauls,” he -said. “One or the other of them was trying to drive the other family -out. But all of the Mauls disappeared or died several years ago. This -here ghost must be one of the Mauls!” - -“Evidently a very real Maul, if he can load a wagon with hay and roll it -down the hill,” replied the colonel dryly. “Captain Jordan!” - -“Sir?” the senior captain replied. - -“Take a detail of men and search the hill. If you find anyone that looks -suspicious bring him here to me.” - -“Very well, sir,” replied Jordan, and picked a detail of five men. They -departed up the slope at once. - -“You won’t find any ghost hanging around now,” grinned a toothless old -man. - -The colonel paid no attention to the old man and they hung around for an -hour longer. It was now three o’clock, but no one thought of quitting -the scene. From snatches of conversation the cadets learned more about -the bitter feud that had existed for generations between the Hydes and -the Mauls. The last Maul had been drowned in a near-by river. - -“At least he was swept down the river in a flood,” a neighbor said. -“Nobody ever saw him since.” - -“Well, these foolish feuds ought to stop,” growled the colonel. “A lot -of innocent people suffer because of them.” - -“We’ll attend to our own affairs,” the father said, sullenly. “We don’t -need any interfering.” - -“If it hadn’t been for our interfering tonight you would have been -without a dozen horses and your house, my friend,” returned the colonel, -calmly. The Hydes muttered to themselves. - -Jordan and the detail returned soon afterward to report that there was -no sign of anyone on the hill. “But we found the tracks and a lot of hay -up on top of the hill.” - -There was now nothing to keep them there any longer and they went back -to camp, tired but satisfied. There was no word of thanks from the -farmer or his sons. - -“Nice, grateful bunch,” grumbled Don, inspecting sore hands and a red -burn on his arm. - -Jim ached all over but he managed to grin. “Sure, but we should worry. -We got the horses out, and that is what counted.” - - - - - 10 - Emergency Service - - -The drill was going on merrily. It was four days after the fire at the -Hyde place and the cadets had recovered from the effects of their -strenuous experience. On the day following the fire the colonel had -ordered the suspension of the daily routine and a number of burns had -been treated. Weary muscles and sore lungs had been rested to good -advantage and now the swing of things was once more in evidence. - -All of the units were having infantry drill. Even the cavalry and -infantry divisions were compelled to drill with rifles every so often, -and today, under Major Rhodes, a graduate of the school and one of the -regular staff, they were hard at it. The sun beat down upon them from a -clear sky but by this time the cadets were well used to it. The hottest -days failed to shake them in their tasks. - -Suddenly the colonel appeared and called the major. There was a hurried -conference and then the major went back to his position. Crisply he -called: “Battalion, attention! Count off in fours!” - -The count ran along the line. At a further word the guns were dropped to -rest and the cadets faced the colonel. He spoke to them in a ringing -voice. - -“Gentlemen of the Corps, we are faced with another call to duty. A good -many serious things have happened while we have been here on the Ridge, -but this is the most serious of them all. The little daughter of the -farmer who supplies us with food has been lost or kidnapped!” - -The closely packed ranks stirred. The colonel went on: “A number of -organized groups are at present looking for this child all over the -Ridge. We have not been asked to help, but of course it is our duty and -we will form searching parties at once. There will be no more official -duties until the child has been found or until some definite word has -been received as to her whereabouts. I trust you will dutifully -prosecute the search until every inch of the Ridge and the surrounding -country has been scoured.” - -The colonel saluted the major and turned away. - -There was a total silence in the corps but eyes flashed with excitement. - -“Companies dismissed,” ordered Major Rhodes. - -The cadets broke ranks and stacked arms. From then on things moved fast. -In groups the young soldiers formed for the search. It was decided that -they would remain away from camp for the night if necessary, and -knapsacks were hastily packed. While Don, Jim and Terry were preparing, -Vench and Douglas hurried to their tent. - -“Suppose we five form a bunch of our own,” Douglas suggested. - -“Sure,” responded Don. “I think our best move would be to go to the -Carson house and find out where the little girl was last seen. Then we -can map out our campaign from that point.” - -This was agreed to and the cadets hurried off down the road. It was just -noontime and they wanted to get in every bit of work they could while -the daylight remained. - -“That was the cute little girl we were playing with the day we had the -pie,” observed Vench, as they hurried along. “I certainly hope nothing -has happened to her.” - -“I hope not,” agreed Don. “It’s possible that she just wandered off -somewhere. Wonder who told the colonel about it?” - -“Little Jimmie Carson,” said Jim promptly. “I saw him come into camp -just as we were leaving for drill.” - -It did not take them long to reach the Carson house, which they found to -be thronged with visitors. Men from the neighboring houses had come to -do their bit by searching and the strong Ridge women had come to console -the heartbroken mother. Mrs. Carson was delighted to see the boys. - -“Oh, you have come to help look for Dorothy?” she cried, seizing Don’s -hands. - -“Our colonel has ordered the whole cadet corps to keep searching until -we find the little one,” Don smiled. “We have divided up in bands to -scour the country.” - -“How very kind of your colonel—and of you!” cried the frightened woman. -“With so many looking for the child I don’t see why she shouldn’t be -found.” - -“Unless she’s past finding!” croaked an old lady with a sad air and -mournful eyes. - -“She isn’t past finding,” snapped Jim, impatiently. “I haven’t any doubt -that we’ll locate her. Now, Mrs. Carson, where was she last seen?” - -“She went out last night about nine o’clock to bring in a rag doll that -she had left out under the grape arbor,” replied the farmer’s wife. “I -held the door open for her, so that she would surely find her way in, -but she didn’t, poor little soul. Oh, I’m so sorry that I ever let her -go out. We searched the yard immediately, but we couldn’t find a trace -of her, and she didn’t answer our calls.” - -“Thank you,” said Don gently. “Then she disappeared from her own back -yard?” - -“Yes,” nodded Mrs. Carson, wiping her eyes. - -At that moment the county sheriff, a tall and disagreeable-looking man -named Blount, swaggered into the room. It was evident that he regarded -himself as the most important person there and as his eyes fell on the -cadets his brow darkened. - -“Humph!” he grunted. “So those soldier kids are looking too, eh? Well, -they won’t find anything.” - -Terry looked at the sheriff’s shoes, and then allowed his eyes to travel -slowly up the entire length of his body until he had seen all of him. -The sheriff reddened and then blustered. - -“Well, what’s the matter with you?” he cried. - -“Nothing,” returned Terry, mildly. “I’ve never really seen an important -man before and I wanted to get a good look now that I am close to one!” - -“Say, I’ll run you kids—” began the angry sheriff, as a slight snicker -went up. But Don cut him short. - -“Come on, you fellows,” he called. “We have work to do. No use standing -around wasting breath on useless subjects.” - -“Nice kindly old soul, that sheriff,” growled Vench, when the cadets -were again outside. - -“He isn’t worth thinking about,” said Don. “Now, boys, let’s get on the -job.” - -Their first job was to look under the grape arbor, but scores of feet -had churned up the ground so that nothing could be learned from it. They -left the yard and struck off into the woods. - -“Too bad we couldn’t find a clue under the arbor,” grumbled Terry. - -“I doubt if there were any clues,” advanced Jim. “Some of the men would -have seen them in the first place. After all, we aren’t detectives, and -our job is to beat up the Ridge much in the manner of going over it with -a fine-tooth comb.” - -“That is true,” nodded Vench. “Suppose we don’t run across her tonight? -Are you going back to camp?” - -“No,” decided Don. “We’d only lose time. We’ll stay here and get a fresh -start early in the morning. The colonel wants us to stay right on the -job until some trace of her is found.” - -“How are we to know if she is found?” Douglas asked. - -“A cannon will be fired three times,” replied Terry. “That’s the signal -for recall.” - -Throughout the entire afternoon and early evening the cadets tramped -over the Ridge, going to parts of the rolling hills that they had never -seen before. There was no sign of the little one, although they kept -their eyes wide open, and it was quite late before they struck camp for -the night. They made a fire and spread out their blankets and -provisions. - -While they ate darkness descended over the Ridge. The meal was a good -one and the tired cadets ate heartily. Afterward they discussed the -wisdom of keeping watch. - -“Not that anyone will come along and gobble us up,” said Terry, “but if -that child should call out in the night we’d miss her if we were all -asleep.” - -“That’s true,” Jim said. “And, anyway, I think we ought to have a fire -going all night. We’ll want one in the morning. That ghost is some human -being bent on mischief and we must keep our eyes open for him. I’m sure -he’s mixed up in this thing, somehow.” - -This was agreed to and the boys figured out watches for themselves. -During the evening, before they went to sleep, they sat around on their -blankets and talked quietly, listening for any call or unusual sound. -None came and at nine o’clock they decided to turn in. - -Throughout the night the separate watches were faithfully kept and the -cadet who sat watch listened to the night sounds. But when the morning -finally came and they rolled out at daybreak, not one of them had heard -a single sound that would lead them to hope. - -“We’ll have to put in a good hard day,” Don said, as they ate the last -of their sandwiches. - -Terry scrambled to his feet. “I’m going down to the brook and fill my -canteen,” he announced. “I don’t know where there is a spring around and -that brook looks perfectly all right.” - -“Maybe you had better boil the water and make sure before you drink it,” -Vench suggested. - -Terry went back into the bushes some fifty feet until he found a -gurgling little brook. The water looked cool and refreshing as it -bubbled around the stones, and the redhead bent down to fill his -canteen. It was then that a sound reached him, a sound that caused him -to straighten up. - -“Now, did the brook make that sound?” he wondered. - -But it came again and Terry hesitated no longer. With a single bound he -hopped across the water and parted the bushes on the other side. There, -in a tiny hollow like a cave, her feet wet and her clothing covered with -mud, sat the little Carson girl, her eyes red with weeping and her face -swollen from her contact with vines and branches. She stared in wild -terror at Terry as he broke his way through the bushes, but as he spoke -to her the look faded for one of glad recognition. - -A trembling gladness filled the boy. With a smothered cry he jumped at -the child, sweeping her in his arms and pressing her to him as though -she had been his own. - -“You blessed little mischief-maker!” he choked. “What are you doing out -here?” - -“The ghost, he chase me,” wailed the child, beginning to tremble. “I go -for my dolly and the ghost come after me. I want my mama.” - -“You’re going to have your mama,” promised Terry. “So that confounded -ghost is at the bottom of it, is he?” - -“Yes, he chase me,” sighed the child. “You’re the soldier that ate -mama’s pie.” - -“That’s right,” grinned Terry. “Come along, I’m going to take you home.” - -He gathered the little body in his arms, easily jumped the creek, and -fairly flew back to the camp. The others were rolling up their bundles -as he dashed up. - -“Took you a long time to get that water,” Jim hailed. - -“I’ll show you what kind of water I got,” whooped the happy redhead. -“Allow me to introduce Miss Dorothy Carson!” - -A medley of cries greeted the good news and the child and Terry were -nearly knocked over in the rush. Dorothy Carson was pawed by the boys -but did not seem to mind it. - -“Where’d you find her?” Don asked, squeezing Terry’s arm. - -“Heard her crying back of some bushes,” was the reply. “That darned old -ghost chased her away from the house.” - -The return journey was swiftly made to Carson’s house and the mother was -nearly frantic with joy. At the farmhouse they found the colonel with -Major Rhodes, and together they all listened to the story of the child -regarding the ghost. She had gone out to get the doll, had seen the -fearful shape near the chicken house, and too terrified to call out she -had run away into the hills, where she had wandered until Terry had -found her. - -The boys were overwhelmed with thanks and praises and Terry’s face -became as red as his hair. The boastful sheriff was away at the time -with a posse and there was no one to resent their success. After a happy -time at the house they all went back to camp. Terry had the honor of -firing the “Gossip” three times as the recall. Before two o’clock the -entire corps was back in camp, eagerly exchanging news. All of them had -searched faithfully. - -Just before taps that night Jordan, Terry, Don, Jim, Douglas and Vench -were requested to report to the colonel after drill on the following -day. Wondering what could be in the wind the cadets went to bed, to -sleep soundly after their strenuous search. - - - - - 11 - The Ghost Patrol - - -On the following day, when the General Orders were read, the cadets who -had been most active in the search for Dorothy were warmly commended. -All of the cadets were thanked by the colonel. Then the officers called -for three rousing cheers for Cadet Mackson. These were given with a -will. - -“Mackson again!” hissed Cadet Rowen, under his breath. “It was only an -accident and yet he gets a cheer for it. Wouldn’t that make you sick?” - -No one being addressed, no answer was given. But Terry himself felt that -it was simply an accident. - -“I just happened to be there at the brook at the right moment and heard -her crying,” he told his friends. “If I hadn’t been the one, someone -else would have run across her eventually. So I don’t see what the fuss -is all about.” - -“We make a fuss because you are such an old souse!” laughed Jim. “If you -hadn’t gone for a drink it might have been days before the child was -found. Lucky thing you like to drink so much.” - -“I’ll drink nothing but water all my life, in honor of the piece of -service that drink did me,” promised the redhead. - -In the mess tent that noontime the colonel rapped on the head table for -order. The rattling of spoons and plates became still and the cadets -faced him expectantly. - -“Gentlemen,” said the colonel. “Since we have been here on the Ridge we -have been quite deeply annoyed by this silly ghost that has been playing -tricks in the neighborhood. I say silly in the sense that it is silly to -play at such small things, but in another sense it may turn out to be -something serious. I think that we have all had enough of the business -and I promise you that if that ghost comes around the camp we will make -short work of him. Now, what I want you to do is this: if you, any of -you, learn anything definite about this ghost, either from hearsay or -your own observations, I want all facts reported to me at once. Although -we haven’t time to go meddling all over the Ridge I think we are -duty-bound to lay this ghost if possible, and so let me know whatever -you learn about this ghost business.” - -There was a buzz as the headmaster sat down and the ghost of the Ridge -furnished the topic for discussion during the rest of the meal. Drill -ended that, and after the afternoon work was over the cadets named on -the previous evening reported at the colonel’s big tent. He was waiting -for them. - -“Sit down anywhere you can, boys,” he told them. “On the bed or the -chairs. I guess we can find room for all of us. Will you pull the flap -closed, Captain Jordan?” - -Jordan obeyed and the colonel faced his interested boys. “Well, you -heard what I had to say today at the mess tent regarding the -responsibility of each cadet in regard to the ghost trouble on this -Ridge. That will do very nicely for the corps at large, for if I gave -some of them too much authority some grave mistakes of overzealousness -would probably follow. But to you young men I want to give a commission -that I’m sure you will handle with care and tact.” - -He paused and nothing was said. Crossing his knees the colonel went on: -“I spoke of the fact that ruining this ghost and his game was our duty -as citizens, and it is. Inquiry has revealed that the people hereabouts -are very superstitious, and they have taken this ghost on trust for -several years. Of course, in a community of sensible men and women the -thing would have been run out long ago, but there is just enough fear -and superstition in the people around here to imagine this ghost to be -the real thing and not some human being who is simply playing on their -fears and ignorance. You may have noticed that when we brought that -child back to Mrs. Carson she simply said: ‘I’ll never let you out again -where that ghost can scare you.’ No question or thought about driving -him away, but just a passive resignation to the fact that he is here and -belongs here. - -“But this ghost does not belong here, boys, and we must see to it that -he does not stay here. At school we teach you that every man has a duty -to the public, and even here, in a strange country, we have our -challenge. We must track down this ghost and expose him. We have the -right to do so because he has invaded our camp and stampeded our horses. -But I want the whole thing done quietly and steady heads must take up -the task. I have therefore picked you young men to tackle this problem.” - -“I’m sure we’ll enjoy it, sir!” smiled Jordan. - -“What I want you to do is this,” nodded the colonel. “I want you six -cadets to form yourself into a secret Ghost Patrol. You are to keep it -strictly to yourselves, and you are to make every effort to get some -trace of this ghost. I give you full liberty to leave camp at any hour, -and every hour, to pass sentries whenever it is really necessary, and to -cut drill if the necessity should arise. I am not going to tell you how -you should go about it, because I really don’t know myself, but I will -leave the working out of plans to you. Obviously, it will be out of the -question to simply rove over the Ridge in a band, for that would soon -advertise itself, but I’m sure you will make a plan that will bring -results. If at any time there is a call that the ghost has been sighted -around the camp you will dash out and make a thorough search for him. I -guess that is all clear, isn’t it?” - -“I think so, sir,” replied Jordan. “We’ll do the best that we can for -the community in this case. I have heard that in the last few years a -number of good, honest families have left the Ridge simply because of -this silly situation, and a thing like that has no business to be.” - -“You’re right, it has no business to be,” retorted the colonel. “Not -when an individual rolls a blazing hay wagon downhill and burns up a -man’s barn, and then scares a child away from her home. To say nothing -of stampeding our horses.” - -“What do you think of that theory regarding the Maul and Hyde feud, -colonel?” Don asked, from his seat on the cot. - -“I think there may be something in it,” was the answer. “I can’t find -out what the feud was all about, and probably the present families don’t -know, so stupid are such things. It is much like those you hear about in -the Kentucky mountains, where families kill each other off for -generations over causes that never touched them personally. But I gather -that the last of the Mauls was supposed to have been drowned and his -body was never found. That points to only one thing.” - -“You think that he is alive and doing all this ghost business?” Jim -asked. - -“I wouldn’t be surprised. As far as I can learn no one but the Hydes -have ever been actively molested. Numbers of persons have been scared by -the sight of the white shape, but only the Hydes have been harmed. If it -had not been for the heroic work done by you cadets the other night Hyde -would have been burned completely out of house and home.” - -“Now that every sentry has been told to promptly report any trace of the -ghost we may have an even chance of nailing him,” Douglas observed. - -“Yes, though you may have to work fast. Well, that will be all. You will -kindly keep that to yourselves and consider yourselves as a special -Ghost Patrol.” - -When they had left the colonel the cadets separated and went to their -tents. While preparing for the evening meal they talked things over. - -“If you notice, the colonel spoke about the ghost starting the -stampede,” Jim said, as he washed vigorously. “That shows that he -believes my story.” - -“I guess there is no doubt of that,” responded Don. “He simply can’t -doubt Rowen’s word on the face of it.” - -Before the evening meal was ready it began to rain. The cadets had been -fortunate in the weather during their stay in camp, and up to the -present time only showers had occurred occasionally. But tonight the -rain meant business, for it settled in for a long spell. Before long the -company streets were a mass of mud. It was necessary to make a dash for -the mess tent, and all the time they ate the steady pouring of the rain -could be heard on the canvas overhead. - -There were no campfires that night and the cadets clustered in their own -tents. The sentries looked forward to a bleak and joyless patrol, but -the colonel knew that a sample of army life under all conditions was -good for the young soldiers. As long as they were well-shod and amply -protected from the rain there was no danger of sickness, and a taste of -duty under stern circumstances was beneficial rather than harmful to the -cadets. - -Jordan, Vench and Douglas slopped their way over to the tent occupied by -the three friends. This tent was the end one on the rear company street, -backed up against the woods. The tent light made the place seem -homelike, and it was warm inside. - -“Fine night, if anyone likes it,” grinned Vench, as he took off his wet -raincoat. “We didn’t have anything else to do so we came over.” - -“Glad to have you,” smiled Don. “It looks like a particularly dull -evening. I’ll bet we’ll harp on the one subject, though.” - -“On the glories of the Ghost Patrol, eh?” laughed Jordan. - -“How did you guess?” Don retorted. - -“This is something new,” Douglas said. “Early in the year the Mercers, -Terry and I were on the beach patrol, but this is the first time I ever -heard of a Ghost Patrol.” - -“All I hope is that we get some results out of this new organization,” -Terry said. - -They talked of the task ahead of them for some time. Suddenly Jim held -up his hand, signaling for silence. - -“Did you fellows hear anything?” he asked. - -No one had. “What was it like?” Jordan asked. - -“I thought I heard someone close to the back of the tent,” said Jim, -slipping on his raincoat. “Wait’ll I take a look.” - -“Who would sneak around a tent on a night like this?” scoffed Vench, as -Jim slipped out. - -“Didn’t see anything,” Jim said, returning and shaking the rain off his -coat. - -“We hope you don’t hear anything else tonight,” grumbled Terry. “Might -as well bring a dog in here to shake himself!” - -Long before taps the visitors had gone and the friends turned in. In the -morning the rain had stopped, but a gray sky hung over the camp. Just as -assembly was breaking up the Officer on Inspection reported to the -colonel. - -“Something to show you on a tree at the end of the camp, sir,” he -reported. - -The cadets swarmed around the colonel as he took a heavy piece of -cardboard from a tree not far from the tent occupied by the Mercers and -Terry. In large, crude letters this warning was written: - - YOU DURNED TIN SOLDIERS KEEP YOURE NOSE OUTN THE GHOST BUSINESS. - - - - - 12 - A Brush with the Sheriff - - -The cardboard had been propped up in the space provided by a small -branch. The letters had been wet and faint streaks showed where they had -run. - -“The sentries who were on duty last night please step forward,” -requested the colonel. A number of cadets promptly stepped forward, -facing the colonel. - -“Did any one of you at any time during the night see or hear anyone -around the camp?” Not one sentry had noted anything amiss. - -“I can tell you of an experience that happened to us last night, -colonel,” spoke up Jim. “We were discussing the whole ghost situation on -the Ridge, and our determination to find out who this ghost was, when we -heard a noise outside our tent. I might more accurately say that I heard -it, and I went outside to see if anyone was there. I didn’t find anyone, -but it looks as though someone did sneak up to our tent, hear what we -had to say, and then printed this sign to scare us.” - -“But in order to do so the party must have gone back to some shelter and -spent some time making up the warning, if such it might be called,” -mused the headmaster. “I have no doubt, however, that your conversation -was overheard. This ghost has developed a bad habit of visiting our camp -whenever he feels like it.” - -“It wouldn’t have been hard to slip past a sentry in the pouring rain, -sir,” suggested Jordan. - -“No, not at all,” agreed the colonel. “With this reference to your -soldiering, I presume that you young men will have an added cause now to -go after this ghost person.” - -“That’s a pretty heavy insult!” smiled Major Rhodes. - -“Well, the ghost must know now that an active campaign is afoot to drive -him off the Ridge,” said the colonel. “That ought to make the game more -interesting than ever. Our foe is warned and will play his game with -skill. That gives you boys greater odds to move against, but I feel sure -that you will be successful in making an end to the affair.” - -The regular routine of that day seemed to take longer than usual, but as -soon as it was over the members of the Ghost Patrol gathered together to -look around in back of the camp for signs of the night visitor. The -ground was wet and they argued that if the prowler ever left any traces -he would surely have done so that night. Their first search took in the -soft soil back of Jim’s tent and they found encouraging signs at once. - -“More than one footprint here,” proclaimed Don, grimly, as they bent -over the depressions in the dirt. - -Someone had sneaked up close to the wall of the tent, and the prints of -large shoes were very plain. In the heels of the left shoe they found a -peculiarity that gave them something to work on. There had been some -kind of a cut down the center of the leather heel and it showed plainly -in the soft mud. - -“Maybe when the heel was cut out of block leather the knife slipped and -left that mark,” Jordan thought. “With a plain marking like that we -ought not to have much trouble. Let’s look under that tree where the -cardboard was found.” - -Under this tree they had more difficulty, because the feet of the -curious cadets had churned up the ground so that it was almost -impossible to make out anything definite. But at a distance of perhaps -three yards they found the marked heel print again. Whoever had placed -the sign in the tree had come down the slope above the camp, and the -print could be followed for a short distance up the hillside. But before -long they struck a section of rocky ground and hunt as they would they -could not find another trace of the print. - -“A whole lot of this Ridge is pretty rocky,” sighed Douglas. “From here -on I guess we’ll have to trust to luck. Somewhere we may run across the -trail again and get our bearings.” - -They explored the slope with exhausting patience, but there was no -further trace until they struck the very top of the hill. There, in a -soft spot, they once more found their marking. The print pointed down -toward the town of Rideway, which they could see in the distance. - -“He went down into town,” said Terry. “Suppose we follow down there, and -see where the print leads to?” - -Following the marked heel down into Rideway was not an easy task. In -some places they lost all traces of it and had to look around for half -an hour before finding the faint mark again. But the trail led steadily -down the opposite slope from the camp until it went into town. But here -they lost it for good. - -The main road was hard as a rock, with a glazed surface that left no -trace of any mark. They followed this road down through town for a long -way, but there was no further sign of the marked heel. Their next move -was to look along the sides of the road to see if the man had walked off -it at any point, but after a good hour had been spent in this way the -cadets gave it up as a bad job. - -“Too bad,” groaned Jim. “Right at the most important part we lose it -altogether. I guess that’s the end of an important clue.” - -“Yes, looks like we have exhausted this possibility,” agreed Jordan. -“Anyway, we have given the town people something to wonder about.” - -This was true. The natives of Rideway had been watching the boys with -curiosity. So busy had they been in their search that they had failed to -pay any attention to the citizens, but the people had not failed to note -what they were doing. - -“Say,” Don warned. “Here comes that nasty sheriff.” - -From a small, one-story shack near them the tall sheriff made his way. -His eyes were fixed on the boys and he swaggered in their direction. -They were not aware of it, but he had been watching them from his window -for the last several minutes. - -“Let’s be careful what we say to this fellow,” Terry warned in a low -voice. “We’ll tell him we just came to town for a visit.” - -The sheriff had now come within hailing distance. Hands on hips he -surveyed the cadets with vast contempt. - -“What’re you soldier boys doing here?” he boomed in a voice sufficiently -loud to attract the attention of the passersby. A small ring instantly -collected. - -“We’re just looking your town over,” smiled Jordan easily. - -“Looking my town over, eh? I guess you are pretty thorough about it. -Examining the streets to see what kind of dust we have here, I see.” - -“Yes,” nodded Terry innocently. “It is just like the dust they have -every place else!” - -“You keep your mouth closed, young fellow!” rumbled the sheriff, turning -smoldering eyes on the cheerful redhead. “If I have any funny talk from -you boys I’ll lock you up quicker’n a wink. I want to know what you boys -are doing snooping around the street here.” - -“We’re here looking for a man who has been prowling about our camp -lately,” said Jordan, seeing that nothing was to be gained by evading -the issue any longer. - -“What man is prowling around your camp?” the sheriff demanded. - -“That’s just what we would like to know,” responded the senior captain. -“Not long ago a man stampeded our horses and last night he left a -warning in our tree in our camp, telling us to keep our noses out of -this ghost business. We found a heel print in the mud under that tree -and we have followed it down into this town. That’s all.” - -“Nobody has been anywhere near your camp,” the sheriff declared loudly. -“You boys have been dreaming.” - -“Is that so?” spoke up Jim, sharply. “Listen here, Mr. Sheriff, I saw -that man stampede our horses. Whoever is hanging around the camp had -better keep away from it and stay away.” - -“What’ll you do if he doesn’t stay away?” scoffed the sheriff. - -“We’ll do what you should have done long ago,” snapped Don. “We’ll find -him and send him to a responsible officer of the law to take care of. -You are supposed to be a sheriff here, keeping law and order, and yet a -silly ghost terrifies the community for years and you aren’t able to run -him down. We’re neither too stupid nor too lazy to do it and if the -ghost or any of his friends are here in this crowd I’m telling you -plainly that we’re going to nail him and nail him hard!” - -There was an awed rustle in the crowd. The sheriff turned purple with -wrath. He shook a long and bony finger at the cadets. - -“You imitation soldiers, listen to me,” he roared. “I’m warning you to -keep your nose out of affairs on this Ridge! I’m the sheriff here and -what I say goes. If I catch you meddling around with anything again I’ll -lock you up so fast you won’t know what hit you. You mind your own -business about people and things at Rustling Ridge, do you get me?” - -“As far as people on the Ridge go, we do get you,” retorted Jordan. “But -not where it concerns this ghost who has been coming into our camp at -night. If he insists upon visiting us, then it is our business to try to -find him. That’s all there is to that.” - -Realizing that there was no use in arguing further the boys left. - -“Well, that’s an open declaration of war,” chuckled Terry, as they made -their way back to camp. “I’m afraid we’ll have to buck that sheriff all -the way along the line.” - -“Yes, because it is even possible that he has something to do with the -ghost business himself,” said Vench, seriously. “Anyway, he is mighty -touchy about the whole thing.” - -“That is because he considers himself the King of the Ridge, and it -hurts his pride to see anyone else butt in,” said Jim. “Wonder what the -colonel will say when we tell him?” - -The colonel heard them in silence. Then he spoke to them quietly. “You -did perfectly right, boys,” he said. “However, in the future steer clear -of him. I don’t think he really amounts to much, but he may make things -pretty unpleasant. In spite of him, we’ll get this ghost yet.” - -The colonel accompanied the boys to the tent entrance when they left. -Outside they found Lieutenant Thompson with a number of other cadets -staring fixedly across the Ridge. - -At the sound of the colonel’s voice Thompson turned his gaze to the -headmaster and said, “Sir, I believe that someone is sending us a wigwag -message from that hill!” - -All eyes swung toward the distant hill. Sure enough, far up at the top -two tiny white flags moved in the semaphore signal. Whoever was doing it -knew the code and they stared in fascination as the flags moved -steadily. - -“He is repeating his message, boys,” said the colonel, breaking the -silence that had settled upon them. “Be sure you get it this time.” - -The camp was completely silent as the cadets strained their eyes to read -the wigwag message. When it finished a burst of excitement and amazement -followed. The mysterious flagman had signaled unmistakably: “Be on your -guard. The Ghost walks tonight!” - - - - - 13 - The Shape in the Moonlight - - -Great was the astonishment as the cadets made out the signal from the -opposite side of the hill. At least nine-tenths of them had read the -message accurately, for a knowledge of signaling, both in the Morse code -and the semaphore, was required at the school. After the message was -received they stood staring toward the hill, looking for some further -word. When the same message had been repeated three times the colonel -awoke to the fact that the signalman was not going to say anything more. - -“Mr. Walker,” he called to the best signalman that the corps had. “Get -your flags and answer ‘All right.’” - -Cadet Walker departed on a run to his tent, to reappear shortly with two -white flags. Standing where he would surely be seen by the lone -signalman, the cadet began his message. The flags on the other side of -the Ridge disappeared at once as the man read their signal, and Walker -stopped his rapid arm movements. - -“Now, what in the world do you make of that?” Terry asked, in amazement. -His question was taken up by all of the cadets and asked without any -satisfactory answer. Supper was neglected while the mystery was -considered, and the colonel was as much puzzled as the boys were. - -When the cadets finally did sit down to supper the tables buzzed with -speculative talk. Many were for going over to that hill and finding out -who it could have been that signaled them. At the close of the meal the -colonel rapped for order and when the tent had become quiet he spoke to -them of the future plans. - -“I know as little about that signal as you do, boys,” he said, “but I -believe it to be sincere. Someone who is friendly is trying to give us a -warning that may stand us in good stead. It is also possible that it may -be a hoax, simply designed to fool us or to draw us out of camp. That -will not happen, you may be sure, but I feel that we should be ready for -duty. I shall split the battalion in half, and one-half of you will -patrol the Ridge while the other half remains in camp to guard it -against surprise.” - -There was a stirring and a ripple of genuine pleasure at the news, for -all of the young men looked forward to some exciting times ahead. Each -one was wishing that he would be lucky enough to be in the group that -would patrol the Ridge. - -“I wish to make this statement, which is also an order,” went on the -colonel. “There will be no carrying of arms tonight. Some one of you -might become excited and fire at the wrong time, so I expressly forbid -it. It is not as though you were going out alone, but you are going out -in groups and therefore a weapon, in the shape of a firearm, won’t be -necessary. I trust that five or six husky young cadets will be a match -for the best ghost this Ridge can send against us. It may be that we -will have our supreme chance to end this ugly ghost business tonight, -and if so I want no slips that will damage the prospect. I wish to see -the leaders immediately after the meal.” - -When the colonel met with the leaders he specified which cadets were to -go out and which ones were to stay at camp. To their joy all of the -friends of Don and Jim were to patrol the Ridge. The colonel had -suggested that the Ghost Patrol go in a body, so the members of that -secret organization prepared to go out alone. The leaders passed from -group to group, telling them where to go and how to act, signals were -arranged, and the stage was set. - -To the waiting cadets it seemed that evening was unusually slow in -coming. No attempt was made to slip out of camp until full darkness had -come, for if anyone was watching it would be a risky thing to do. - -“Never saw a day last so long in my life,” grumbled Vench, digging his -heel into the soft mud. - -“It is just about the usual length, I guess,” smiled Don. “One thing is -going to be for and against us tonight.” - -“What is that?” the others asked. - -“There will be just enough of a moon to make us have to be careful, and -just enough to help us spot the ghost if he gets out into the open.” - -Jordan emerged from his tent and stopped at the various groups to give -some sort of an order. When he got to the members of the Ghost Patrol he -repeated it finally. - -“When we leave the camp we are to leave by the back way, taking care to -keep out of the light of the fires,” he told them. “It is possible that -someone is watching the camp and our game would be spoiled if we walked -out in such a way that it could be seen. In about a half hour we will be -able to get going.” - -“The bunch in camp will have to keep their eyes wide open,” said -Douglas. - -“Yes, and the colonel will be helping them do it. We have to be careful -that this isn’t all some tricky plan to pull us out of camp while -somebody with kindly ideas rushes in and burns the place out. The -colonel has arranged this signal: three rifle shots for a recall. That -will mean trouble in the camp, and if you hear it, head for camp as fast -as you can go.” - -Darkness finally fell and the stars appeared faintly in the summer sky -as the slice of the moon cut the distant horizon. One group broke up and -disappeared back of the tents and another followed. Jordan got up. - -“All right, let’s go,” he announced, glancing at his watch. “Slip out of -camp without a sound. Keep to the shadows.” - -The group in the tent broke up at once, some of them walking down the -company street for a distance of three or four tents and then slipping -behind them. Once out of the glare of the several campfires they had no -trouble in gaining the shelter of the trees, and after a few seconds -they were all together. - -“Which direction now?” Jim asked. - -“Let’s go clear to the top of the Ridge,” suggested Jordan. “From there -we can get a comprehensive view of the woods and hills and spot anything -that moves.” - -They set out for the top of the Ridge, walking with care and listening -for every sound that might break the stillness. They had not gone far -before there was a noise as though someone was moving before them. -Spreading out fanwise they bore silently down on the spot from which the -noise had come only to run into another patrol which was lying low and -waiting for them to come forward. - -“Oh, it is only you guys,” grunted Jordan, as Cadets Perry, Noxan, Dodge -and Orlan confronted them. - -“Yes, sorry to disappoint you by not being the ghost!” grinned Perry. -“But we heard you coming along and we took to cover, so that you would -run into us. I’m afraid that we’ll be doing that all evening.” - -“Well, then let’s get over it by giving the school whistle every time,” -suggested Don. “If we had whistled then you would have replied and we -would have passed you in another direction.” - -“A good idea, Mercer,” approved Dodge. “If we give the whistle and fail -to receive the answer, we’ll know that the party before us is a -suspicious case. We can then go after them in earnest.” - -“Yes, that will be OK,” nodded the senior captain. “We are striking off -here, boys. See you later.” - -With that they left the party and continued their journey to the top of -the hill. From there they could look all along the Ridge, and even see -the faint gleam of their own campfires in the distance. There was no -sign of life on the Ridge, but that was inconclusive, for they knew that -directly below them several bands of cadets were moving around. - -“For the time being at least we will just stay here and sweep the hills -with our eyes,” Jordan said. - -For a full hour they sat under a tree, well-sheltered in its shadows, -and looked searchingly at the slopes below them. In that time the only -life they saw were the forms of several cadets who appeared briefly in -the open and then were lost in the darkness. Finally they became highly -impatient at the inaction. - -“I guess there is nothing to be gained by sitting here,” Jordan said. -“My suggestion is that we split up and move along the top of the Ridge -in opposite directions. Suppose Terry, Jim and Don come with me, and -Thompson, Douglas and Vench group together and go toward the east of the -Ridge? We’ll work back past the camp.” - -“Sounds as good as anything,” nodded Thompson. “Most of our cadets are -content to stay down on the slopes, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep -to the top.” - -“Yes, and here’s another thing,” put in Terry. “You three are going -toward the town. Why not keep an eye on that side of the Ridge and see -if this ghost doesn’t come up from town, if he comes at all.” - -“There may be something in that,” said Jordan. “We’ll watch this side of -the hill. By the way, have all of you fellows got your cadet whistles?” - -All of them had the regular whistles, similar to those used by traffic -policemen. “If you get into a scrape and need help, just blow like mad,” -commanded Jordan. “If we should run into anything we’ll do the same.” - -With this word they separated. They were now so high above the camp that -the fires gleamed like little fireflies below them. - -“Somebody or something moving in the bushes below!” whispered Jim, -suddenly. He pointed into a small gully below them and they looked down. -The bushes, clearly seen in the pale moonlight, were moving. - -“I’ll whistle,” said Jordan, and did so. But there was no reply. - -“Down we go, and see who it is,” decided the captain, and they crept -forward stealthily, careful to make as little noise as possible. But -when they dipped down in the gully they found four cadets, one of whom -was Rowen. These cadets were standing like statues, evidently a bit -scared and waiting to see who it was that moved toward them. - -“Didn’t you fellows hear my whistle?” Jordan demanded. - -“We thought we heard someone whistle,” replied Cadet Motley. “But we -weren’t sure.” - -“Well, I whistled,” Jordan said. “Whenever you hear that you’ll know -that friends are near by.” Jordan then repeated Don’s suggestion to use -their special whistle for recognizing cadets. - -“OK,” nodded Motley. “What time have you, Jordan? I’m not sure about my -watch.” - -Jordan drew out his watch. “I have just eleven o’clock, Motley,” he -replied. “I guess——” - -Jim gripped his arm. “Siss—s!” he hissed. “Look, on the top of the -Ridge!” - -With one accord they looked up the slope and their blood chilled. In a -patch of moonlight a weird and terrible figure walked swiftly from one -patch of darkness toward another. It looked to be the figure of a man, -clothed entirely in white. It glanced neither to the right nor to the -left, but strode swiftly along, to all intents and purposes unaware that -anyone save itself was on the Ridge. Even the head was muffled in white -and showed no trace of eyes, nose or mouth. Quiet and evil and sinister -did it look as it glided past the dark background of the sky. - - - - - 14 - Disobedience Loses the Game - - -The cadets instinctively crouched down where they stood. It seemed to be -the proper thing to do, although the ghostly figure had not looked in -their direction. - -The moment was one of indecision. While the ghost kept in plain sight on -the top of the Ridge they were content to watch it, waiting for a cue -that would send them into action. To attempt to rush up the hill and -grapple with the shape would be the wrong thing to do, for the noise of -their approach would startle the thing into a run. To trail it as -quietly as possible was their only thought. - -There was a stir on the part of one of the cadets, the one nearest Don. -He reached into his inside pocket and then brought his hand out into the -open. It was Dick Rowen who had moved and Don shifted his eyes toward -him. - -What he saw startled him. Against all orders to the contrary the sulky -cadet had brought a revolver with him. He was even now raising it and -pointing toward the white shape. - -Don’s arm described a sort of arc, his hand coming down with a thump on -the wrist of the unpopular cadet. But Rowen had a good grip on the stock -of his revolver. - -“Put that away, Rowen,” Don whispered, sternly. - -“Leave me alone, Mercer,” hissed the other. “I’m just going to scare the -thing.” - -Don’s grasp tightened and he jerked the wrist toward him. Rowen promptly -twisted his arm, pointing the revolver upward. The grasp of his fingers -on the trigger was too strong and the revolver went off with a -shattering report. - -There was a moment of utter silence from the boys themselves. The figure -in white leaped into the air and then began a swift run along the top of -the Ridge. Don had dropped Rowen’s wrist in dismay and the other cadet -was shaken by the unexpected happening. - -“Oh, you stupid guy!” cried Don, as the ghost could be heard running -along the rise. - -They were all on their feet now and Jordan pushed up to them. He grasped -the cadet by the arm. - -“Rowen, what in the world did you do that for?” he ground out. - -“I didn’t do it,” defended the other. “Mercer grabbed my arm.” - -“Never mind the excuses, we all saw what you did. It was against the -colonel’s orders to carry any kind of a gun. Why did——” - -Don cut in. “Some of you fellows get after the ghost on the double!” he -cried, and Terry, Jim, and the others ran off, leaving him alone with -Jordan and the angry one. - -“Well, I thought the colonel was foolish about not carrying arms,” said -Rowen, as the others breasted the rise. “Anyway, what right had he to -send us out to face some kind of a desperate man, maybe a criminal, -without any way to protect ourselves? I wasn’t going to shoot the man, I -was going to scare him.” - -“You succeeded in doing that without carrying out your original plan,” -Jordan returned, grimly. “Now, Rowen, I want you to march yourself back -to camp and put yourself on report. You are under arrest.” - -“Oh, sure, I could expect that from you!” retorted Rowen, bitterly. - -“Yes, you could, you or anyone else who had pulled a stunt like that,” -nodded Jordan. “It was direct and defiant disobedience, and if we lose -our chance to nab the ghost it will be entirely your fault. Return to -camp at once, Rowen.” - -“OK,” grumbled Rowen. He walked sullenly away. - -“Now, if we are going to catch up with the boys we’ll have to put all we -have into it,” announced Jordan. - -“Right!” said Don, as they started up the slope. “Feel equal to a good -stiff run?” - -“Sure,” smiled Jordan. “Let’s hit a steady pace.” - -Gaining the top of the rise they fell into a steady run along the top, -away from the camp and toward the town on the far side of the Ridge. -They were following a general direction, which was not entirely blind, -for far ahead of them they heard a faint cracking sound that seemed to -be made by someone running recklessly. Their route did not keep them -long on the top of the hill, for the ghost had taken to the deeper -shelter of the trees lower down and they plunged down the slope, -threading their way in between the trees. - -They almost fell over a figure that was before them in the woods. It was -Cadet Owens, and he was sitting on a rock, hugging his foot. His shoe -was off and he was breathing hard. - -“Hurt yourself?” Jordan called. - -“Not much,” gasped Owens. “Got my shoe caught in a piece of rock and -twisted my ankle. But I’ll be able to walk. Keep on going straight -ahead. We didn’t lose sight of him.” - -The other two plunged on, following a straight line. They did not expect -to overtake the others, for Terry and Jim in particular were fast -runners and they had had a good start. All they could hope to do was to -be in at the finish if there was a finish, and with this in mind they -ran on. - -“Rough going!” gasped Don, as they began to ascend a second rolling -hill. - -“Nothing else but!” returned Jordan, running steadily. - -On the top of the hill they found themselves in familiar country. Far -ahead of them was the tiny cabin of Peter Vancouver and above them was -the big, barnlike house that they had observed at the time they first -took the hike to the old man’s place. Now they were somewhat at a loss, -and slowed up a bit in their running. - -“We’ll have to be careful not to lose them now,” Don said. - -“There they are, right ahead of us,” announced Jordan, “They must have -lost him, because they are just standing there.” - -“They are right in front of that old house,” observed Don, as they ran -forward. - -The others turned in glad surprise when the two ran up. - -“Did you lose him?” Jordan called, as they joined them. - -“He just bolted into that house,” Terry answered. “Think we ought to go -in after him?” - -“Absolutely,” was the reply from the senior captain. “All you fellows -have your flashlights, haven’t you?” - -They all had. Jordan led the way inside the gate and they walked with -great care toward the house. - -“He was way ahead of us,” said Motley, “and just as soon as he got to -this old house he bolted right inside. He may be armed, so we had better -be careful.” - -“Yes,” replied Jordan. “But if he is in the house we are bound to get -him. Be ready to put your light out if he tries any shooting. And be -careful of holes or anything in the house.” - -They snapped on their flashlights as they went up the tottering old -porch of what had once been a fine old mansion. There were no windows in -the place which could boast of glass, and the front door had dropped -from its hinges and now lay sprawled out on the porch. Jordan swung his -light down on this prostrate door, and they could see that it was -covered with dirt and mud. Newer marks on the door showed that someone -had recently entered the place. - -“This is where he went, all right,” said Don. “On your toes, everybody.” - -Before entering the place they flashed brilliant beams of light in every -corner of the nearest room. This was a large hall, with bare walls from -which the plaster had fallen, and a large staircase running up to a -second floor. Realizing that the ghost might leave the place by some -rear door while they prowled around the front rooms, the cadets pushed -the search with all possible speed, their eyes and ears alert for any -sign of someone lurking. But a rapid search of a wide parlor, a square -dining room, and an enormous kitchen showed them that at least no one -was concealed downstairs. - -“I guess our next move will be the upstairs,” Motley suggested, and they -took the wide steps toward the top of the house. - -Here there were a number of smaller rooms and it took them some little -time to look through all of them. Nothing was to be found on the second -floor, and with more confidence they went to the third floor. This was a -big barnlike attic, and was obviously quite empty. - -“Well, if he is in the place at all, it is the cellar,” decided Jordan, -when they had satisfied themselves that there was no one in the upper -part of the house. “I don’t think he came upstairs at all, because I -don’t see any prints.” - -There were some footprints in the lower hall but they were lost on the -comparatively bare stretches of floor. The cellar, which extended only a -short distance under the house, was tenanted by spiders only, and no one -had been in there, judging by the huge webs that stretched across the -bottom of the stairway. It would have been impossible for anyone to have -gone that way without breaking the webs, and they were all intact. - -“Many thanks to the spiders,” acknowledged Terry, lifting his hat. “They -make it possible for us to keep from going any deeper into this damp -hole. The smell of it is enough for me.” - -“Just to make doubly sure,” said Jordan, “suppose we go around to the -back and see if there is an outside cellar door? The ghost may have run -out the back door of the house and down a back stairs to the cellar. I’m -not going to give up the search until I have seen every corner of the -house.” - -“While a couple of us are doing that I suggest that two or three of us -look in the closets on the first floor,” Don advanced. “We missed them -on our first round. I guess a couple of us can hold the ghost in a -tussle until the others get on the spot.” - -“All right,” said Jordan. “Jim and Motley, come with me. The rest of you -scatter. But I’m pretty sure that the ghost ran right on through the -house and escaped into the woods.” - -The others thought the same thing, but they scattered to search. Terry -and Cadet Ross began to look into the closets on the first floor. Don -wandered back into the parlor and came to the front porch. From there he -looked off over the hills, seeing below him the lights in Vancouver’s -cabin. - -“I wonder if old Mr. Vancouver is all right?” Don mused. “Maybe he heard -the noise we made and is alarmed. It isn’t far to his house, and I think -I’ll run down and see if he is all right. Won’t take a second, and I’ll -be right back.” - - - - - 15 - Dawning Light - - -With this kindly thought in mind Don jumped to the ground and started -off. But at that moment Terry appeared in the black doorway. - -“Hey, where are you going?” the redhead asked. - -“Just going to run down and see if Mr. Vancouver is OK,” called back -Don. “Tell Jordan that I’ll be right back.” - -“All right, kid,” Terry returned. “If you run into any trouble, just -sing out and we’ll come on the double.” - -Terry turned back and was lost to sight while Don resumed his journey -down the slope. The cabin was not far away and it took him but a moment -to reach it. He approached it from the back, hoping to get a look in one -of the windows, but they were too high and small in the rear and so he -passed around to the front of the cabin. Noiselessly he crossed the -porch and tapped on the door, waiting for an answer. - -Although he waited there was no response and he wondered if the old man -was asleep. Since there was a light showing he rather doubted that and -he knocked again, a trifle louder. The light came out from under the -door and showed around the windows that opened off the porch, but he was -unable to peer in because heavy black shades were pulled down to the -bottom. The front door was solid and he found no help in that direction. - -“He must be asleep, in spite of the light,” Don decided. “I’ll see if I -can see anything through the side windows.” - -He made his way around the side of the house and found that he could see -in a window there. A ragged shade had been pulled down but the torn -edges gave him a limited view of the interior of the large room. It was -lighted by a single oil lamp, and in a far corner sat the invalid in his -chair, apparently fast asleep. At least he was very quiet and Don was -undecided. - -“Don’t know as I ought to tap, but I’ll just see if he is awake,” he -decided, and tapped with his ring on the glass in the window. The old -man stirred, looked toward the window, and wheeled his chair out of the -shadow. - -“Who is it?” he cried, in a shrill voice. - -Don ran swiftly around the porch and placed his lips near the door -frame. “It is Don Mercer, one of the cadets who visited you one -afternoon,” he called. “May I come in?” - -“Sure, you may,” responded the man, instantly. There was a soft sound, -like the rolling of wheels, and the catch on the door rattled. In an -instant the door swung open to show the frail figure in the chair. Don -was bathed in a yellow light that blinded him for a moment. - -“Come right in,” invited Vancouver, spinning back from the door. “Close -the door and make yourself right at home. What brings you up here at -this hour?” - -Don entered, closing the door back of him, and looked around the room. A -fire snapped in an open hearth and the room was a bit too warm. -Vancouver was wrapped in a brown blanket, and he had wheeled himself -back into the shadows beyond the lamplight. - -“I’ll have to apologize for my late call, Mr. Vancouver,” laughed Don. -“But a bunch of us chased the ghost up this way and the rest of the boys -are looking for him. I saw your lights down here and just ran in to see -if you were all right, or if our noise had alarmed you.” - -“You were chasing the ghost!” cried Vancouver, sharply. “Go on!” - -“Yes, we saw him walking along the Ridge and we gave chase,” Don -explained. “We trailed him into that old house on the top of the hill -and we went all through the place but couldn’t find him. While the -others were looking I ran down here to see if you had heard anything. -Sorry to have bothered you.” - -“Wasn’t any bother at all, and I’m grateful to you for your thought,” -responded Vancouver promptly. “I didn’t hear anything because I’ve been -sleeping here in the chair. Your knock woke me up. So you saw the ghost, -eh? What did he look like?” - -Don described the appearance of the ghost and the old man appeared to be -deeply interested. - -“You say you fellows saw him. How’d you come to do that? You ain’t -always out of your camp so late as this, be you?” - -Feeling that he might some day help them to find the ghost, Don related -the story of the mysterious flagman, the search on the hill and the -revolver shot that Rowen had fired off. - -“Dear, too bad about that shot,” said the invalid, shaking his head. “If -it hadn’t been for that you would have nailed this ghost, eh?” - -“No doubt of it,” said Don, his attention attracted by something that -the man was doing. “Are you too hot, Mr. Vancouver?” - -The invalid had been passing a hand jerkily across his forehead several -times, and each time after the act he wiped a somewhat dampened hand on -the brown cover. Although it was quite warm in the place it did not seem -to be hot enough to make a man sweat, unless Mr. Vancouver was the kind -who perspired easily. It seemed to Don that the old man was breathing -pretty heavily for one who had sat in a wheel chair all evening, and in -the boy’s brain a faint idea stirred. He rejected it, at first, but like -a gentle knocking it persisted. - -“Oh, no, no,” hastily interposed the cripple. “Do you feel too warm?” - -“No, but I thought perhaps you might be a little hot, and I’d open a -window or the door for you,” responded Don, seating himself on the edge -of the table. - -“No, you needn’t do that,” said the man, running one thumb absently -along the edge of the nearest wheel. The glance that he fixed on the -cadet’s face was keen and almost fierce. “I’m so old I got to keep warm, -because I don’t move around enough.” - -“I see,” nodded Don. He had intended to leave immediately, but found -himself suddenly possessed with a desire to remain. “Well, as I was -telling you, we chased that ghost into the old house above you. Know -anything about the place?” - -At the same time Don began a rigid inspection of his host. Most of the -man was covered up, but his feet showed under the blanket. Only the toes -could be seen, but there was something about them that attracted his -attention. They were clothed in socks which seemed to be damp, and he -wondered if the man always went without shoes. - -Vancouver knew the place well. “They used to call that the haunted -house, around here,” he chuckled. “This Ridge is a pretty spooky place, -the more you hear of it. You don’t know who it was that sent you that -flag message, eh?” - -“Haven’t the least idea,” answered Don. “All of the cadets were in camp -at the time, and I don’t know who around here knows how to use signal -flags. And who would know that the ghost was going to walk?” - -“You beat me there,” Vancouver said, shaking his head. “That’s a hard -nut to crack. Maybe the ghost went in for a little advertising.” - -“I doubt it, Mr. Vancouver,” said Don, noting that the fire was -consuming fresh wood which couldn’t have been put there an hour ago. “If -you had seen the ghost run you’d have known that the thing was utterly -unexpected to him. It is a pretty tough problem.” - -“I guess most ghost doings are tough problems,” grinned the old man. - -“I guess so,” Don smiled. “Nice fire you have there. We don’t see many -open hearth fires any more. Have you had it going all evening?” - -“Yep, I generally have it going every evening,” responded the man, -somewhat absently. - -“Well, I’ll have to be running along, Mr. Vancouver,” he said, glancing -at his watch. “I don’t want to keep you at an hour like this. I just -wanted to run down and see if we had alarmed you, but as long as we -haven’t, why, I’ll be moving.” - -“I didn’t hear a sound, so I’m all right. It was real nice of you to -drop down to see if I was all right, and I sure appreciate that. An old -cripple like me doesn’t get much chance to see the world or talk with -anyone, so it did me good to have you stop in.” - -“That’s fine,” replied Don, his eyes busy at the task of looking around -the room in a guarded manner. “Say, Mr. Vancouver, as I told you before, -we did quite a bit of running tonight. And gee, I’m just about burning -up with thirst. I’m thinking with pleasure that you have some of the -finest water I ever tasted here.” - -“I’ll get you a drink in just a shake,” promised the man, seizing his -wheel. - -“Don’t bother. Can’t I get it myself?” asked Don, wishing to gain a look -at the kitchen. - -“Won’t take me a second,” said the other, and spun around in his chair, -aiming at the doorway that led into the back room. With the speed and -accuracy of an arrow he passed through it and was gone. - -And almost immediately Don thanked his lucky stars that he had not been -permitted to go out into the other room himself. For something that had -been hidden by the chair of the cripple was now disclosed. In the corner -rested a pair of shoes, and these shoes were covered with mud! - -Not the slightest doubt about it. Red and black mud, soft and wet, a -fact that he could determine without touching them. A band of light from -the lamp shone on them and revealed the evidence plainly. That explained -the man’s damp socks. Yet Don’s brain was unable to fully take it all -in. - -“Is it possible that this man is not an invalid after all? Or has the -real ghost been here, and maybe is hiding here right now? That may be -possible.” - -But certain things pointed an unerring hand at his host. His brow was -moist, as of one who had been running. His breath had been rapid, and -now his muddy shoes betrayed him. For not an instant longer did Don -doubt that the man could walk and run, and the crippled state was -nothing but a ruse. - -“No wonder he pumped me about who it was that sent the wigwag,” he -thought, as the sound of water was heard from the kitchen pump. “While I -have been sitting here telling him everything he has been measuring me, -wondering if I have been playing some sort of a game with him. Maybe I’m -lucky that he didn’t jump on me suddenly, but I believe that my -straightforward story has convinced him that I don’t know anything. -Nothing dumb about him, evidently! My story about running down to see if -he is all right must sound pretty flat, though.” - -The man wheeled into the room rapidly and in his hand he had a tall -glass of water. Don drank it eagerly, keeping a wary eye on the old man, -but nothing out of the way happened and he thanked him for the water. - -“Don’t mention it,” smiled the man. “Come up again and see me, won’t -you?” - -“I surely will,” promised Don, as he opened the door. “Good night, sir.” - -“Good night, boy, good night,” was the bright and cheery response, as -Don went out. - -“If he isn’t a cripple, he certainly knows how to run that chair of -his,” Don decided, as he ran up the hill. - -He found that the others were waiting for him impatiently. “Golly, we -thought that you were lost,” said Jordan, impatiently. - -“No, just talking with Mr. Vancouver,” said Don. “Didn’t have any luck, -eh?” - -“Not a bit,” returned the senior captain. “Well, I suppose we may as -well head in.” - -It did not take them long to make camp, where they found the others -awaiting them. Jordan reported to the colonel, who had heard the shot -and who knew from Rowen’s own report what had happened. Howes was -ordered to blow the bugle as a sign of recall, and before very long all -of the groups had returned. - -“Too bad we lost him,” said the colonel, shaking his head. “I believe it -was entirely due to Mr. Rowen’s disobedience. I have ordered him into -permanent arrest, until I decide what to do with him. Sound taps, Mr. -Howes.” - -Don thought deeply before falling asleep. “I guess I’ll keep things to -myself, at least for a time,” he decided. “It all sounds so farfetched -that I hate to drag out my discoveries. But that man was surely out of -his chair and out of his house this night! Now that I have something -definite to work on something tangible may come up before long. The next -thing we had better do is to find out who that mysterious flagman was.” - - - - - 16 - Listening In - - -The following day the camp was vibrant with excitement as the cadets -relived the events of the night before. Everyone, of course, lamented -the fact that Rowen had unwisely frightened the ghost away, but the boys -realized that there was nothing to do but wait for the ghost to walk -again. - -During the afternoon some of the cadets noticed a stranger enter the -colonel’s tent. The caller stayed a short time and then left, taking the -road which led to Rideway. Later Jordan, Don and Jim were ordered to the -colonel’s tent. Having seen the visitor, they wondered if their summons -was in any way connected with him. - -“Come in, come in,” invited the colonel as the boys approached his -quarters. “I have a job for you to do, that is, if you are willing.” - -“Anything you say, Colonel,” Don replied, speaking for the group. - -“Perhaps you noticed that I had a visitor this afternoon.” He looked at -the three cadets before him expectantly and they nodded to affirm this. -“That was Mr. Farnsworth, the superintendent of the local telephone -exchange in Rideway. It seems that his night operator was suddenly taken -ill this morning and will be unable to go on duty tonight. He has no -extra help at this time and thought perhaps one of the cadets knew how -to operate a switchboard.” - -“I have run our switchboard at school a few times,” said Jim, -hesitantly. “However, I imagine this one in Rideway is far more -complicated.” - -“Splendid!” said the colonel. “I thought I remembered correctly that you -had, Jim. You will have no trouble at all with this local exchange. Mr. -Farnsworth assured me that it was a simple board, else he would not have -approached me. You see, this exchange is a small one and does not -require a complicated system such as those one finds in large cities.” - -“Well, I’ll do my best, sir,” promised Jim. - -“I’m sure of that. Now, Don and Jordan, I want you to accompany Jim. You -are to be at the exchange from midnight until seven o’clock, so perhaps -three of you can keep one another awake for that period. Mr. Farnsworth -will meet you there and show you what to do. Now, I suggest that you try -to get some sleep before midnight. You will be awakened at the proper -time and when you get to Rideway go to the building on the left of the -town hall. - -“You never can tell,” the colonel continued with a wink, “but what this -job may be far from dull. Remember that you are still members of the -Ghost Patrol. Be alert!” - -The three lucky cadets went immediately to their tents to talk over the -piece of good news. They ate supper and after an hour turned in to -sleep. Terry wailed at the fate that had left him out of it. - -“Some guys have all the luck,” he whined in a voice imitating Dick -Rowen’s. “I can’t stand these Mercer boys, anyway. Besides, I’ve got the -biggest ears and the colonel should have sent me.” - -The Officer of the Guard awakened the boys at the proper hour and they -left the camp, passing the sentries safely. It did not take them long to -cross the Ridge and strike down into Rideway. They found the streets -totally deserted. Alongside the town hall they found the proper building -and at their knock they were admitted by Mr. Farnsworth. He wore a -telephone headset, consisting of one phone, a curved mouthpiece that -fastened to the soundbox which rested on his chest, and a long, -detachable plug. - -He showed them the switchboard bearing scores of small white buttons -that lighted up when the calls came in, and rows of multiple holes into -which the plugs were inserted when calls were connected. He explained -things in brief detail to them. - -“This is what they call a manual board, as against a dial board,” he -said. “We have five girls working here in the daytime, but one operator -is sufficient at night. Now, unless you have some questions, I’ll be -leaving.” - -“I think I understand this sort of system,” answered Jim promptly. “It -shouldn’t cause us any trouble.” - -Thus assured, Mr. Farnsworth left. Then the three boys got a fair -insight into the night telephone operator’s job. There was complete -silence until two-thirty when a call was received. Jim handled it -expertly. There were few calls after that and the time went by much too -slowly for the three active boys. - -“This certainly is a lonely job,” remarked Jordan, around a quarter -after three. - -“Yes, but I imagine you get used to it after a while,” answered Don. - -Just at that moment the switchboard buzzed twice. “Hmm, long distance,” -murmured Jim. “Mr. Farnsworth mentioned that two short rings was the -signal for a long-distance call.” - -He plugged in below the lighted signal. At his answer a dull voice said, -“Let me have Main 7200.” - -Jordan was about to speak when Jim sat bolt upright and signaled to the -others to be silent. His eyes grew as big as saucers as he listened -intently. Don and Jordan were mystified by his actions, but they said -not a word. It seemed an interminable length of time before Jim closed -the key and plugged into another line. - -“What is it? What’s the matter?” Don questioned his brother eagerly. - -“I’ll tell you all about it in a minute. I’ve got to do something -first!” - -The others listened impatiently while Jim held a short conversation with -someone who seemed to be another operator. At last Jim removed the -headset and turned to his companions. - -“That was a call to the drugstore and it was about the ghost!” Jim said -breathlessly. - -“What!” exclaimed Don and Jordan together. - -“I was just on the point of closing the key, after making sure that the -connection was correct, when I heard someone say, ‘Those cadets chased -the ghost into the old Furmen house and very nearly caught him.’ That’s -when I motioned to you not to talk. Then the other voice said, ‘Those -meddling cadets again, was it?’ and the person at the drugstore, who -gave his name as Rose, answered, Yes, Mr. Maul.’” - -“Maul!” shouted Don. “Why, that’s the name of the family the Hydes had a -feud with!” - -“Then there is one of them still alive,” Jordan said thoughtfully. - -“That’s the same conclusion I reached,” Jim said. “I just checked the -origin of the call with the operator and she told me it was from a pay -station in Crossland.” - -“Golly! Wait until the colonel hears about this. I’ll bet he never -dreamed we would really come up with something tonight,” Jordan said -excitedly. - -“But I haven’t told you everything,” Jim interrupted. “The man named -Maul gave the clerk instructions to relay to the ghost. He is to go to -him this afternoon and tell him to start prowling on the far side of the -Ridge. In about a week he said he would send orders referring to another -attempt to burn the Hydes out. His final word was, ‘First I will get rid -of those schoolboy soldiers.’” - -“That means another chance to catch the ghost!” exclaimed Jordan. “Say, -we ought to trail that clerk when he goes out this afternoon.” - -“And I’ll tell you just where he will go, too,” said Don calmly. He had -been unusually quiet during the conversation between his brother and -Jordan, because he had been thinking things out. - -“Where?” the others demanded. - -“To the cabin of Peter Vancouver,” returned Don. - -“Why to him?” asked Jordan. “He’s lame and can’t get about.” - -“My best uniform that he isn’t,” Don laughed. “Let me tell you what -happened the night we chased the ghost.” With that he related the story -of his visit to Vancouver’s cabin. “I’m positive that he had been out -that night, and I don’t think for a minute that he is an invalid at -all.” - -“Without arousing suspicion, let’s try to find out from Mr. Farnsworth -how long the man has been living in that cabin,” Jim suggested. - -The others agreed to the idea and waited impatiently for seven o’clock -to come. At last it did and Mr. Farnsworth was prompt. - -He thanked them earnestly and inquired whether they had had any -difficulties. Jim assured him he had not. Mr. Farnsworth was a friendly -person and was very interested in the cadets’ activities. He kept the -boys there for a few minutes, asking them questions concerning their -camp life. - -The superintendent’s interest enabled the boys to describe their hikes -through the countryside and, in passing, Jim told him of their visit to -Peter Vancouver. He then casually asked Mr. Farnsworth if Vancouver was -a native of the region. - -“Oh, no,” was the man’s reply. “He moved here only a few years ago. No -one knows much about him. He keeps to himself, though of course that’s -natural since he’s confined to a wheelchair.” - -After a few minutes of further conversation the cadets departed. - -They struck the trail for camp at a rapid pace. - -“Good golly, I am hungry,” sighed Jim, as they topped the rise. - -“I guess we all are,” replied Jordan. “But we have made splendid -progress in the last few hours. What a rare piece of luck that you -listened in on that call, Jim!” - -They arrived in camp while drill was going on and reported at once to -the colonel. He was interested and pleased beyond measure. - -“That is splendid work, boys,” he approved, heartily. “Now, some of you -must do some active trailing. I suppose you three feel equal to the -observation task, don’t you?” - -“We will after we have had some breakfast, sir,” Don smiled back. - -“Of course. Report to the mess tent at once. Pack something up to take -with you and then get your field glasses and find a post from which you -can watch the cabin of this supposed cripple. I compliment you on your -fine powers of observation regarding this Peter Vancouver, Don.” - -“Thank you, sir,” acknowledged Don. “It is a clever game all the way -through, and only lucky accidents have put us in touch with the truth.” - -“Yes, the kind of accidents that you boys always seem to have,” said the -colonel, dryly. “Well, run along to your breakfast.” - -“We’re having all the fun,” grinned Jim, as they hiked once more to the -top of the Ridge a short time later. “Won’t old redhead pull his hair -out in handfuls when he hears of this!” - -A small clump of bushes on a high hill gave them a good view of -Vancouver’s cabin when sighted through the glasses and there was no -danger that they would be seen in turn. The morning passed without any -sign of anything moving and they ate their lunch under a hot sun. - -“He surely ought to show up this afternoon,” Jordan thought. - -“If he waits until nightfall we’re licked,” said Jim. - -The afternoon dragged until four o’clock, and then Jordan uttered an -exclamation. He had his glasses pointed at the cabin. - -“Here he comes now,” he announced, and the others raised their glasses. -Sure enough, a man was wending his way up the slope, straight for -Vancouver’s cabin, and Jim called their attention to a white package -that he had in his hand. - -The clerk stayed in the cabin for an hour and departed at the end of -that time. When he had gone, Jordan closed his glass. - -“That makes the case complete,” he announced. “Now we can go back and -report to the colonel. Who wants to bet that I don’t stay up until taps -tonight?” - -“Not I,” returned Jim, promptly, “I’m so dead on my feet right now that -I won’t know whether you do or not!” - - - - - 17 - Breaking Up Hydes’ Party - - -On the following morning Colonel Morrell had an early and unexpected -visitor. He was a fairly good-looking young man, with a handsome smile -and a confident air. Without introducing himself he asked the colonel of -the cadet corps an astonishing question. - -“Well, what luck did you have with the ghost the other night?” the man -inquired with a pleasant smile. - -There was a pause before the colonel answered him. “Unfortunately we -missed him after a considerable chase. Are you the one who—?” - -“Yes, I sent you the wigwag,” replied the young man. “I am a scoutmaster -over in Rideway and that’s how I happen to know the signals. I’ve been -wanting to put this stupid ghost out of business and saw this -opportunity to do it.” - -“How did you come to find out that the ghost was going to walk, Mr.—?” -began the colonel. - -“My name is Benson,” explained the other. “Between 1:00 A.M. and 8:00 -A.M. I am employed as a telephone operator on the local switchboard. I -was suddenly taken ill the other day or I would have been up to see you -sooner.” - -“Oh, so you’re the night operator. Some of our boys filled in for you in -your absence.” - -“Mr. Farnsworth has told me about that. It was very kind of you, sir.” - -“It is good training for our boys. It makes them realize their -responsibility as citizens to help in any sort of emergency which may -arise, I believe. But tell me why you warned us of the ghost’s -activities.” - -“It was really an accident that I heard a conversation that morning -which gave me the information. There was a long-distance telephone call -made to our local drugstore. I connected the line and rang. Then, -forgetting to close my key more than anything else, I listened while the -receiver was picked up at the drugstore. I was pretty sleepy at the -time, but I was knocked wide awake by hearing the party on the far end -of the wire say: ‘What are the latest activities, Rose? I know about the -failure to burn Hyde’s farm. Has the ghost walked since?’ That staggered -me and I listened closely to what followed.” - -Colonel Morrell leaned forward in his chair. The story of the young -scout leader was of great interest to him. - -Mr. Benson continued. “The voice at the other end was a low, cold sort -of voice, and I was trying to catch a clue from it, hoping that the -clerk would use a name, but he didn’t. He just kept using the title Sir. -This voice at the other end said: ‘I know all about those cadets -interfering with the activities of the ghost, and I will attend to them -personally very soon. When I do, they won’t have so much as a tent left -to them or a single horse! But I don’t want the ghost to stay in just -because of those soldiers. Tell him to get moving again, and make it his -business not to get caught.’ It was that last statement which caused me -to get word to you.” - -“And a good thing it was, too,” replied Colonel Morrell. He then -proceeded to tell Mr. Benson the facts that the boys had uncovered. When -he had finished he said, “Rest assured that we will get to the bottom of -this unpleasant business. I will keep you informed of any further -developments, too.” - -As soon as he left, Colonel Morrell called the Mercers and Jordan -together for a conference. - -“It seems you are not the only person guilty of listening in on -telephone conversations, Jim,” he began. Then he told them of Mr. -Benson’s visit. “Now I think the next step is to engage a good private -detective and see if we can’t have this man Maul located in Crossland. -If we merely arrest the paid ghost and don’t get the big man higher up -we will accomplish nothing.” - -At the evening meal in the mess tent the colonel addressed his corps. - -“Boys, some time ago we pledged ourselves to run down this ghost -business that is troubling the inhabitants of the Ridge and to date we -have made quite a bit of progress, even more than most of you know. In -due time full details will be related to you, but at present it seems -best to keep things quiet. But this much I wish to tell you: we have -learned that this ‘ghost’ is a hired professional who is planning to -wipe out our camp. I do not know just how he proposes to do it, whether -by fire or mob violence, but it is planned, and according to the -information secured the blow will come soon. I am therefore doubling the -number of sentries beginning with tonight. Your orders are to alarm the -camp instantly if anything out of the ordinary is seen or heard. The -Officers of the Guard will exercise unwavering care and conduct rigid -inspection of posts.” - -The colonel resumed his seat and there was a buzz of excitement and -indignation. The cadets welcomed the prospect for some actual and -dangerous service, and the prospect of a mob fight was especially -alluring. But the feeling was that any move made against them would be -in the nature of a stealthy act, and all of the cadets determined to -brace themselves for the stern business at hand. - -“If any ghost tries to touch the horses I’ll shoot him on sight,” -growled Thompson, who loved the animals. - -“All I hope is that they rush the camp with a gang,” Terry said. -“Wouldn’t that be a swell scrap! Imagine the corps meeting a crowd of -roughnecks in a hand-to-hand battle. That would be something to write -about!” - -“If you were able to write, Redhead,” said a cadet near by. - -“Gee, if the battalion couldn’t lick any bunch recruited around here we -ought to go back to the school and play tennis all the rest of our -lives,” snorted Terry, who was not good at the sport and therefore did -not like it. - -“I’m afraid that the attack won’t be an open one,” Don told them. “More -likely to be something shady.” - -“You ought to know, Mercer,” said Motley. “Wish I had been on that -switchboard the other night.” - -That night the number of guards was doubled and the greatest care was -exercised. The Officers of the Guard visited posts at frequent intervals -and checked up on the sentries. But the night went by without anything -out of the ordinary happening. In the morning Benson brought news. - -“That ghost showed up in South Plains last night,” he reported. “Some -farmers saw him over that way. That is some distance from here and the -ghost is following orders to the letter. I didn’t hear a thing last -night, though I listened to every conversation. Tonight he may come back -this way. But I don’t know whether you will have to fear him or not, for -if you’ll remember Maul promised to do the job himself.” - -“We’ll be on the lookout for both of them,” promised the colonel. - -That afternoon was a warm one and the boys went swimming. Terry had -developed a slight summer cold and so he did not go. He was sitting in -front of the tent on a box whittling a piece of wood industriously. The -camp was quiet and the shouts of the cadets in the swimming hole drifted -to his ears. - -There was a voice near Terry and he looked up. The little Carson boy was -approaching down the company street from the direction of the woods and -Terry waved to him. - -“Hi, Jimmie,” greeted Terry. “How are you today?” - -“OK, Terry,” smiled the boy. “Why aren’t you in swimming?” - -“Got a little cold and the company doctor told me to stay out for a -while,” answered the whittler, gravely. “What’s on your mind today, -anything in particular?” - -“I want to tell you something,” said Jimmie Carson, sitting down on the -edge of the box as Terry made room for him. “You know that old man over -in the cabin? The man named Vancouver?” - -“Yes, I know who he is. Why?” - -“Well, what do you think, Mr. Mackson? He isn’t lame at all!” - -Terry stopped his whittling abruptly and looked keenly at Jimmie. “How -do you know that?” he demanded. - -“I heard the Hydes say so,” was the reply. “They are going over there -tonight and kill him or something!” - -The whittling ceased for good. “The Hydes!” ejaculated Terry. “How did -they know?” - -“Listen, I was over at the Hydes with my father this morning,” said the -boy, his eyes serious and grave. “While Pop was talking to old man Hyde -I heard the sons talking in the barn. They didn’t know that I was right -outside on our wagon, and I heard them plainly. They said that one of -them had seen the man sneak into his cabin late last night, and they -found out that he wasn’t any cripple. Seems that one of the Hydes was -driving home from some place and he saw the ghost sneak into the cabin. -Then he looked in under a window and saw the ghost get back into his -chair, so they knew that old man was playing ghost. Can you imagine -that, Mr. Mackson?” - -“No, I can’t,” returned Terry gravely. - -“So they said they was going to go to the cabin tonight and just about -kill that old man. I thought at first I’d tell Pa, but I was scared to, -so I come up here to tell you fellows about it. I don’t think that old -man ought to be hit by those big bully Hydes, do you?” - -“No, sir,” said Terry, with emphasis. “Jimmie boy, I’m glad you told me -this. Come along to the colonel; we must tell him.” - -The colonel was keenly interested in the news. “Thank you for telling us -this, my boy,” he smiled down at the rugged lad. “This old man is a -wicked fellow to go around scaring people out of their wits, but just as -you say he shouldn’t be hit by those Hydes. Mr. Mackson, pass the word -to the special patrol to be ready to go with me to the cabin as soon as -darkness comes tonight.” - -“Very well, Colonel,” said Terry. “I’m glad you are going along, because -I feel that this is likely to be a fairly tough situation.” - -They left the tent and Terry went to hunt up the other boys, first -swearing little Jimmie to secrecy. “Don’t breath a word of it,” he told -the boy. “We want to save this old man from a severe beating and we also -want to capture him for his part in the business that has been going on -around here. So it will be the best thing if you keep very quiet about -it.” - -“I will, Terry,” promised the lad. - -The others soon knew what was expected of them. Just before they started -out they met in the tent of the colonel. - -“Mr. Vench and Mr. Douglas, I want you to start right away for Rideway -and get the sheriff,” ordered the colonel. “We can’t arrest this man -ourselves, but he must do it. It may be that we shall have trouble with -the Hydes, and anyway, the sheriff is always saying that we interfere -with his affairs on the Ridge. You may have trouble with the sheriff, -but if you do just tell him that your colonel requests him to come to -the cabin.” - -“Very well, sir,” Douglas responded, and he and Vench went out. - -“We will take side arms with us,” said the colonel, buckling on a -revolver belt. “We won’t have to use them, I trust, but at least we’ll -be prepared.” - -When the others of the Ghost Patrol had equipped themselves they set out -with the colonel for the cabin over the hill. Those in the camp saw them -go and much speculation went around as to the purpose of the expedition. -The camp itself was in order for any emergency, with double guards -posted and the major in charge. - -Vench and Douglas had obtained a good start and they felt it would not -be long before they returned with the sheriff, if he could be persuaded -to come. The others swung on toward the little cabin at a rapid pace, -topping the rise and bearing down on it. - -“Somebody’s at home,” Don said, as they came in sight. “There are lights -in the windows.” - -“Yes, but look! There are the Hydes!” cried Terry, pointing. - -Into the patch of light from one of the small windows a burly figure -stepped and another joined it. A third figure proclaimed the father. -There was a word of planning between them and then one of the sons -raised his foot and kicked the window deliberately out. With that action -he jumped right through the opening and landed in the room. A moment of -silence followed and then the front door was opened. Promptly the father -and the other son walked in and the door was shut. - -“Just in time,” proclaimed the colonel, grimly. “Let us hustle, boys.” - -They ran down the rest of the slope, the doughty colonel in front, and -came to the cabin in a short time. The colonel threw himself against the -door, which had not been very well secured, and it opened under his -impact. Followed by Don, Terry, Jim and Jordan, the colonel shot into -the room. - -In one corner crouched the supposed invalid, his face pale and his hands -grasping a stout stick. Facing him, with brutal expressions on their -surly faces, stood the Hydes. The oldest son held a heavy horsewhip in -his hands, and it was evident that he was just going to use it when the -cadet party burst in. - -At sight of the cadets the expressions on their faces changed. Surprise -gave way to eager gladness on the face of the old man and spiteful anger -on the faces of the Hydes. As yet no blow had fallen and the relief -party was in the nick of time. - -“What do you want here?” the father said, a snarl in his voice. - -“We want that man, for playing the part of a ghost and stampeding our -horses,” said the colonel evenly. “And we want to see to it that you -don’t touch that man with your whip.” - -“You do, heh?” grunted the son with the whip. “You all can have this old -man if you want him, but you can’t stop us from whipping the daylights -out of him. This is the dog that burned our barn down.” - -“I know all about that,” nodded the colonel. “But you won’t horsewhip -him. You can turn him over to the proper authorities; in fact, I have -already sent for the sheriff and he will be here any minute now. But you -can’t take the law into your own hands, not while we are here, -certainly.” - -“Look here, you soldier captain, or whatever you are!” bellowed the -senior Hyde. “You mind your own business. Putting this fellow in jail -won’t do us any good, and we’re going to beat the hide off him. You keep -out. Josh, go ahead and wallop him.” - -The Hyde boy raised his whip but the colonel reached up, jerked it from -his hand and threw it into a far corner. The Hydes grew red and clenched -their fists. - -“Let’s give them a good beating, Pa,” said the younger son, and he -advanced. But the colonel drew his revolver and covered the three of -them. The other cadets dropped their hands to the butts of their guns. - -“Come a step nearer me and I’ll shoot you right through the leg,” -promised the colonel, simply. - -The threat stopped them in their tracks. Sullenly they fell back, hatred -showing in their faces. The old man whooped faintly. - -“That’s handling them,” he said, stirring eagerly. The colonel looked at -him. - -“You stay where you are, too, Mr. Vancouver,” he said. “We’ll have to -turn you over to the law for punishment.” - -“I ain’t the only one in this game,” blustered the old man. - -“We know all about Mr. Maul,” said the colonel. The Hydes snapped to -attention. - -“Maul!” cried the father, harshly. “Old Maul is dead!” - -“Old Maul is very much alive,” retorted the colonel. “He is the one who -is directing this whole campaign. Did you think this old man was doing -it for fun? He has been paid by Maul to keep this thing going, and he -planned to burn you out of your house pretty shortly.” - -“Then you ought to let us whip this sneaking skunk!” shouted the elder -Hyde. - -“Brutality won’t do any good,” returned the headmaster. - -“Here comes the sheriff,” announced Jordan, as a heavy step was heard -outside the door. - -The door opened to admit the sheriff, followed by Vench and Douglas. The -two cadets looked grave and a trifle angry and the sheriff was his usual -blustering self. - -“What’s going on here?” he roared, looking around. His angry eyes -fastened themselves on the colonel. “I hear that you requested me to -come up here. Requested me! Who are you, sir? I never saw you in my -life!” - -“I never saw you either,” retorted the unmoved colonel. - -“What is the trouble here, anyway?” sneered the sheriff. - -The trouble was explained by the colonel, but the sheriff shrugged his -shoulders. “I think you would have done well to have minded your own -business, sir,” said the officious man. “This man needs a sound -horsewhipping. If it had been your house he burned you would be the -first one to whip him. What am I supposed to do?” - -“You will arrest the old man and put him where he will be safe,” said -the colonel. “As for the Hydes, you can’t do anything but send them -home.” - -“Look here, colonel, are you giving me orders!” bellowed the loud -sheriff, his face a dull red. “If you are, I won’t even listen to them. -Where you get the nerve to order me around is more than I can see. I’ve -got half a mind to run you in for pointing a revolver at the Hydes.” - -“Sheriff,” said the colonel, hotly. “I’ll tell you what I’m going to do -with you. I’m going to let the world know how a ghost terrorized the -Ridge here for years, right under your nose, and you never found out who -it was. I’m going to relate how my boys discovered the whole thing, and -if you ever get another job with responsibility to it, I don’t know what -the people of this county are thinking of!” - -There was a total silence in the room while the colonel and the sheriff -glared at each other. The whole frame of the sheriff shook with -suppressed rage and his breath came fast. Calmly the colonel looked him -straight in the eye. But the sheriff was beaten and he knew it. - -Instead he vented his fury upon the Hydes. “Get out of here and get -home,” he snarled. “Don’t ever let me catch you in any trouble again as -long as I’m sheriff on this Ridge! You, Peter Vancouver, come here while -I put the handcuffs on you.” - - - - - 18 - The Last of the Ghost - - -The Hydes had slunk off and were lost in the darkness. The sheriff had -handcuffed Peter Vancouver and now they were on their way to the local -jail in Rideway. After putting the light out the colonel and the members -of the Ghost Patrol left the cabin and started over the trail to camp. - -“I’m very glad we got there in time to prevent any serious injury to -that old man,” remarked the colonel, as they walked on. “Did you boys -have any trouble with that sheriff?” - -“A little bit, sir,” Douglas replied. “He made a lot of noise when we -explained things to him. But he did come finally, though he talked so -much and made so much noise on the way up that Vench and I felt like -rolling him in the mud!” - -“I guess it was about time that somebody talked to him,” the colonel -said. “The people around here are curious. They haven’t made any effort -to run down this ghost and they take abuse from this great blustering -sheriff. But I guess this ghost angle of things is about over.” - -“All that remains now is to catch Maul,” Jordan reminded him. - -“Yes, and we’ll see to it that steps are taken to do that,” the -headmaster promised. - -The sky was pitch black, and not a star in sight. A leaden sky -threatened rain and the absence of the moon and the friendly stars made -the world below very dark indeed. Fortunately for them the cadets knew -the road fairly well, and they approached the camp through the bushes -without having altered their course enough to puzzle them. - -“We will be hailed in about a moment,” said the colonel. They were close -to the outpost where the sentry was on duty, and they advanced boldly, -waiting for the call. - -But none came. They reached the line of patrol that the sentry was -supposed to make, but they did not run across the man who should have -been patrolling. In bewilderment they stopped. - -“This is very queer,” murmured the colonel. “What can have happened?” - -Terry moved forward and struck his foot against something soft. Without -loss of time he dropped to his knees, feeling before him with his hands. -The sharp intake of his breath drew their attention. - -“What is it?” the colonel asked, quickly. - -“Here is the sentry, tied up tighter than a bundle,” was the startling -reply. “Something’s fishy around here.” - -The others clustered around and a match was struck. They found Cadet -Innes, the sentry, lying on his back, bound around with coarse but -strong cord. He seemed to be all right otherwise, but perfectly -speechless with a thick gag in his mouth. By the way his eyes snapped -they judged that he had plenty to say. When the grunts of surprise were -over they went to work and soon relieved him of the ropes and the gag. - -“Be quiet, on your lives, men!” was his first word, after he had licked -his dry lips. “The man who tied me up is in the camp, up to something.” - -“Any idea who it was, Mr. Innes?” the colonel whispered. - -“No, sir. A man all in black jumped me and did it in a hurry. Muzzled me -with one hand and took away my gun with the other. It happened before -the Officer of the Guard got around, in fact he is due here now.” - -“You say the man went toward the camp?” was the colonel’s next question. - -“Yes, sir, and he carried a can of kerosene with him,” was the startling -reply. The others wasted not another minute, but jumped to their feet. - -“Be very quiet as you approach the camp,” ordered the colonel, leading -the way through the bushes toward the camp. - -They approached silently and looked at the camp. It seemed deserted. -Three fires showed up red before the tents, but the cadets were in their -beds. On the other side of the camp the Officers of the Guard could be -heard as he spoke shortly to a sentry. Otherwise there seemed to be no -movement or life in the place. - -Don reached over and pulled the colonel’s arm. Close to the supply -wagons a darker shadow showed, and the faint sound of liquid bubbling -out of a can could be heard. All of the hidden watchers caught the -significance of it at once and crouched down to wait until the man -should have come nearer them. - -Then, something happened that changed their plans abruptly. - -A match was struck. The flare of the tiny blaze showed a set, stern -face. The man at the supply wagon bent forward with the match. - -Cadet Vench was little. He was also fast and happened to be the nearest -one to the stooping man. In three strides Vench left the shelter of the -trees, sprang into the air, and landed like a monkey on the back of the -man, who had started to straighten up at the sound of Vench’s steps. -They both went down, the match dropped on some oil-soaked cloth, and a -fierce blaze jumped up in a twinkling. - -As Jim afterward said, he staked all on the size of his feet. He landed -with both shoes on the cloth, snuffed the blaze out with a single -stroke, and saved the supply wagons and the entire camp. - -Now all was action. A sentry near by had fired the alarm. Vench and the -unknown man were staging a furious wrestling match on the ground beside -the wagons as the others dashed up and came to his help. Someone threw -more fuel on the nearest fire, Major Rhodes ran up with his revolver in -hand, and the whole camp, more or less dressed, came running after him. -In the new light which the fire showed they saw Vench and the colonel -drag the man to his feet. - -“Just got you in time,” said the colonel, holding the man in a tight -grip. “Am I right when I say your name is probably Maul?” - -“Yes, my name is Jackson Maul,” was the reply, given in a deep voice. He -gazed in haughty silence around at the gaping cadets. - -“I’ll ask you to spend the rest of the night with us in our guard tent, -Mr. Maul,” said the colonel, his revolver in his hand. “I may as well -tell you that your ghost game is up, and the ghost of the Ridge safe in -the county jail. I think you’ll find yourself in pretty heavy trouble -for attempting to fire our camp.” - -No reply was offered by the man who called himself Maul and they took -him away, where a tent could serve as his place of imprisonment. Major -Rhodes himself took the responsibility of watching him for the rest of -the night. It was some time before the excited cadets went back to their -beds. An examination showed them that the camp had been soaked in oil at -a number of points, and had fire been applied to any of these places -they would have been totally wiped out. It would have been a lucky thing -if they had all escaped with their lives had the camp been fired. - -On the following morning the man Maul was marched to Rideway and locked -in jail with the man he had paid to play ghost. The full story now -spread around the town and the Ridge people found out how they had been -terrorized for years by the last of the Maul family in his effort to -drive the Hydes away. With this capture of the two men the mystery of -the ghost of Rustling Ridge came to an end, and from that time forward -the inhabitants had nothing more to fear after dark. In time the two men -and the clerk Rose were all given prison terms for mischief with -malicious intent. The Hydes kept out of trouble from that time forward -and the loud sheriff of the Ridge became softer in his speech, at least -as long as the cadets were in the neighborhood. A number of the county -newspapers gave high praise to the cadets and to Benson, the night -telephone operator, for public-spirited duty. - -Soon after these events the colonel called Rowen into his tent. He had -been very much displeased with the conduct of the cadet, but as he -reflected that things had now settled down, it would be wise to forget -the whole thing, he felt sure. So he spoke mildly enough to the cadet, -but he was surprised when the sulky one flared back at him. - -“Never mind, Colonel Morrell, I don’t want to talk about anything!” was -the astonishing statement. “I’m going home right away. Everything has -been pushed against me during this whole encampment and I’m sick of it! -I don’t want anything more to do with the cadet corps!” - -“Very well, Mr. Rowen,” returned the colonel, still mildly. “You say -everything has been pushed against you. But you would not believe -Mercer’s word about the ghost starting the stampede. Now we have the -word of the ghost himself that he started it and that Jim called out to -him. Then, against orders, you took your revolver with you and shot it -off at an improper time. Under those circumstances, do you still feel -that you had everything against you on this camping trip?” - -“I feel that I have had enough of this school and this trip,” said -Rowen. “I guess I could have more fun with my own friends in a summer -camp where a fellow didn’t have to do so much unnecessary work. I’m -going home.” - -Mr. Rowen did go home. No one was really sorry to see him go, for his -surly temper had never made him popular in any way. - -From that time onward the summer slipped along without unusual incident. -It was a delightful and happy vacation, full of swinging action and -invigorating fun, and when the time came to break camp all of the boys -were a little bit sorry. - -“Back to school again,” said Don, as they struck tents. - -“Yes, and our time is getting limited,” said Terry, seriously. “We -haven’t a whole lot more time left to us in our school life.” - -“Right you are,” Jim agreed. “Next year Don will be senior captain of -the school.” - -Before the morning was over the cadet battalion was marching toward the -school, leaving Rustling Ridge and its many exciting memories behind -them. - - - - - _A Descriptive Catalog of_ - FALCON BOOKS FOR BOYS - - - THE MERCER BOYS’ CRUISE IN THE LASSIE - - _by Capwell Wyckoff_ - -When Don and Jim Mercer and their buddy Terry Mackson set out in their -sloop, _Lassie_, for a visit to Mystery Island, they were in search of -adventure and fun. But they quickly found they were getting more than -they bargained for—real danger, a skirmish with marine bandits, and a -fight for their lives. This is a thrilling adventure story of three -modern boys—with action and excitement on every page. - - - THE MERCER BOYS AT WOODCREST - - _by Capwell Wyckoff_ - -The mystery of Clanhammer Hall, at Woodcrest Military Academy, -interested Don and Jim Mercer and their friend Terry Mackson from the -moment of their arrival at Woodcrest. But their curiosity about the old, -empty building faded into the back of their minds as they became -involved in the mysterious disappearance of their headmaster, Colonel -Morrell, whom they had never seen. With initiative and ingenuity the -Mercer boys, aided by Cadet Vench, did a little detective work and -uncovered a fantastic story of crime. - - - THE MERCER BOYS’ MYSTERY CASE - - _by Capwell Wyckoff_ - -When Cadets Don and Jim Mercer and their friend Terry Mackson were -ordered by Colonel Morrell of Woodcrest Military Academy to gather -together all the school trophies, they were able to find all except -one—the cup awarded to the class of 1933. What had happened to the cup -was a mystery the boys were determined to solve. And little by little -Don and Jim uncovered a strange story and unraveled a mystery that had -puzzled school authorities for years. The Mercer boys uphold the honor -of Woodcrest against a conspiracy of silence and dishonor. - - - THE MERCER BOYS ON A TREASURE HUNT - - _by Capwell Wyckoff_ - -Don and Jim Mercer were prepared to spend a dull vacation at home when -Professor Scott invited them to Lower California and a search for -Spanish treasure. But their adventure was not all fun, for Don, Jim, and -their friend Terry Mackson soon found themselves involved with a band of -ruthless men determined to salvage the treasure for themselves and to -stop at nothing to do it. Don and Jim fought for their lives in a series -of startling adventures which make this story of buried treasure an -absorbing and exciting tale. - - - THE MERCER BOYS WITH THE COAST GUARD - - _by Capwell Wyckoff_ - -When floods forced Woodcrest Military Academy to close, Don and Jim -Mercer found themselves facing a dull two months at home. That was why -they eagerly accepted the chance to visit a coast guard station. - -Don and Jim were anxious to participate in the thrilling rescues off -Daggerpoint Rock and in the difficult beach patrols. But they didn’t -bargain for a mystery which led them from one thrilling adventure to -another until they finally solved it. - -_The Mercer Boys with the Coast Guard_ is a fast-paced, exciting story -every boy will enjoy. - - - CALL TO ADVENTURE - - _edited by Robert Spiers Benjamin_ - -Here is adventure of every kind! Fishing for the broad-bill swordfish in -Catalina waters, an airplane crash in the Andalusian desert, a trip -around Cape Horn, a shipwreck in the Indian Ocean, a walrus hunt, an -encounter with cannibals, an attack by a bear from the ice floes of -Greenland to the matted jungles of the South Sea Islands, these men of -adventure sail and hunt and fight with a courage and abandon that will -transport every reader to another, more exciting world. - - - THE SPIRIT OF THE BORDER—_by Zane Grey_ - -Zane Grey’s famous novel of the old West when Indian raids were an -everyday affair and the guns of the scouts smoked in a perpetual trail -of vengeance against the savages. Joe Downs went West, eager to join the -scouts in their exciting life. His brother Jim followed him, to convert -the Indians. They found themselves up against the aroused Indians, led -by the renegades Simon and Jim Girty, in a war to the death. - -A popular condensation of a thrilling story based on historic fact, by -the best of all Western writers. - - - THE LAST TRAIL—_by Zane Grey_ - -The Last Trail is the thrilling story of Helen Sheppard, beautiful -newcomer to the Wilderness, and Jonathan Zane, one of the last of the -bordermen. Bordermen did not fall in love: theirs was the job of -tracking down renegade white men and enemy Indians so that the settlers -might lead safe and peaceful lives. But when Helen was kidnapped by the -renegades, Jonathan discovered how much he loved her; and he and his -friend Wetzel set out on a trail of vengeance and destruction. - -For the adventure and thrill of frontier life, _The Last Trail_ is hard -to equal in the literature of the West. Zane Grey has told his story -with mastery and realism, and readers will love this exciting story from -the pen of a master storyteller. - - - ON THE FORTY-YARD LINE—_by Jack Wright_ - -Jim Davis, the most popular man on the Grayson campus, was determined to -make the football team. His roommates Bob Clark and Chub Garver were -already football man and cheerleader respectively. It was easy for Jim -to become Coach Kelso’s star passer, but it wasn’t so easy to stay on -the team. First, there was the secret between Professor Burke and Jim; -second, there was Weldy Gray, who was out to ruin Jim at any cost. - -_On the Forty-Yard Line_ is a story filled with the excitement of -football, and the courage and loyalty of three pals who fight with equal -abandon for their school and for each other. - - - THE STRIKE-OUT KING—_by Julian de Vries_ - -From the moment Larry Murdock is chosen as regular pitcher for the -Carson College nine, to the thrilling seconds of the big game with -Northern State when Larry battles against almost overwhelming odds, _The -Strike-Out King_ is an action-packed story of the diamond that will -appeal to the sports-loving instinct of every American boy. An absorbing -book no reader will be able to put aside until the last word of the last -page has been read. - - - THE WINNING BASKET—_by Duane Yarnell_ - -Honest, eager-eyed Ben Mason was in seventh heaven when he was admitted -to Clearview Academy. He had been there only a day when they discovered -he was not from a rich, influential family—and Ben was out. How Ben got -back into Clearview, and how he fought the antagonism of the student -body and the conspiracies of his enemy Jack Lassiter make an absorbing -story filled with drama. Every boy will root for Ben as he fights on the -basketball court for the school that didn’t want him. - - -THROUGH FOREST AND STREAM: ADVENTURE IN THE MOUNTAINS—_by Duane Yarnell_ - -When Ted and Pudge went to the All-American camp, it was for a summer of -good fun. Then they discovered that they were really entered in a -contest—a contest involving $50,000 for the college of the boy who won -it. Ted just had to win that prize, both to keep baseball at College -Tech and to insure his father’s job as baseball coach. How he engaged in -a deadly fight with wolves and was entombed in an old mine shaft with a -ferocious bear are only two of the many adventures he had. - -Ted Moran wins out in a breathless story of heroism and resourcefulness -that will thrill its readers. - - - OVER THE HURDLES—_by Emmett Maum_ - -Any boy who has thrilled to the shot of the starting gun and the crunch -of spiked shoes on cinders will enjoy the story of Larry Craven, for -whom the cinder track was the path of fame from Maywood College to the -Olympic games. But all was not smooth going for Larry, for he had many -obstacles to surmount and he had enemies who plotted against him. How he -won out over his difficulties makes an exciting and vivid sports story. - - - BOYS’ BOOK OF SEA BATTLES - - _by Chelsea Curtis Fraser_ - -Truth can be more exciting than fiction, as these fourteen stirring sea -battles from the pages of history prove. From the days of Sir Francis -Drake, when life on the sea was a constant battle between the Spanish -and the English, to the Battle of Leyte, sea fights have determined the -destiny of men and nations. In these pages you will find Commodore John -Paul Jones, Lord Nelson, Oliver Perry, Admiral David Farragut, and -Dewey, together with the dramatic stories of the _Constitution_ and the -_Guerrière_, the _Monitor_ and the _Merrimac_, and the sea battles of -World Wars I and II. - - - BOYS’ BOOK OF FAMOUS SOLDIERS - - _by J. Walker McSpadden_ - -War transforms ordinary men into the heroes of the battlefield, and the -story of their exploits and brilliant strategy is more exciting than any -tale of fiction. The _Boys’ Book of Famous Soldiers_ brings together the -stories of thirteen immortals of history: Washington, Grant, Lee, -Jackson, Napoleon, Wellington, Foch and Joffre, Pershing, Marshall, -Eisenhower, and MacArthur—and Rodger Young, the only enlisted man on -this roster of generals. These biographies reveal little-known facts -about these men, and the stories behind their courageous deeds and -difficult decisions. - - - BOYS’ BOOK OF FAMOUS FLIERS - - _by Captain J. J. Grayson_ - -From the moment Bob Martin and Hal Gregg knew that Captain Bill, flier -and storyteller extraordinary, was coming to visit the Martins, they -anticipated an exciting summer. And exciting it was—for they learned to -fly and even soloed. But even more fascinating were the tales Captain -Bill and the boys told about the men of adventure in aviation—the -Wrights, Lindbergh, Admiral Byrd, James Doolittle, and others. - -Captain Grayson has told the exciting true stories of men who made -aviation history. _Boys’ Book of Famous Fliers_ is the stirring, -dramatic story of aviation itself, as embodied in the figures of -America’s most famous fliers. - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber’s note: - ---Silently corrected obvious typographical errors. 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