Part 33 (2/2)
”Determined to win the girl, the young farmer with his revolver and a few tapers secreted himself in the cellar of the house one day, just before twilight. He was resolved to solve the mystery of the girl's disappearance and the reason why the house at night was filled with a peculiar, bluish light, said to be the candle borne by the headless one in his midnight tour of the premises.
”Just before midnight the farmer hastened to the upper floor and hid in a closet, where, with quaking limbs and wildly beating heart he awaited the magic hour. Unfortunately, weary with waiting, he fell asleep, but was soon awakened by a peculiar, creeping sensation along his spine. He crouched against the door holding it ajar with one hand and the pistol in the other.
”All at once there was the swish of a garment against the door. He scratched a match, lit his taper, and glared forth into the darkness.
Again he heard that swish. It was in the hall. Stealthily he tiptoed to the hall door, opened it with trembling hand, and stepped forth into dense blackness, when-”
”Oh, Lillie, hurry!” screamed the Sport. ”Your logs will fall in a minute!”
A strange smile flitted over Lillie's face, but her voice went thrillingly on. ”When something huge and hairy spread over him like a net, benumbing every nerve and muscle. He struggled, and finally succeeded in getting free of the unknown thing and sprang for the door leading to the open. He would get out of that house. No, he would lose Kitty, he could not live without her! He turned-ah, what was that weird flash at the top of the staircase? He heard the swish again-this time very near-it was some one coming down the stairs! He crouched against the wall and peered up; the rattling of a chain sounded on his ears; again came that weird glare, and he saw-” the f.a.gots fell with a loud sputter, throwing forth a shower of fiery sparks. Lillie remained silent a moment, each girl held her breath in paralyzed terror, and then, as the last f.a.got dropped a shapeless heap on the gra.s.s, Lillie cried with tragic emphasis, ”Girls, I leave you to guess what he saw!”
A second of s.p.a.ce, Lillie's eyes shown in a mocking smile as she glanced around the circle, and then, the smile froze on her lips, her eyes dilated wildly, and she jumped to her feet crying in frenzied horror, ”What is that?” pointing as she spoke to a clump of trees on the lawn.
Another second and she had turned, and with an unearthly shriek was flying across the lawn towards the house!
The girls, whose nerves had been wrought up to the highest pitch by Lillie's weird tale, remained dumb, thinking as they saw her strange actions that it was a new thriller, and were uncertain whether to laugh or cry, as they stared at her flying figure.
Jessie, who always disliked Lillie's tragic tales, with a half laugh sprang to her feet crying, ”Well, if she isn't the limit!” Her glance had followed Lillie's to the clump of trees with a curious stare; the stare became fixed; she uttered a wild scream, and the next moment she, too, was rus.h.i.+ng in mad terror across the lawn in the wake of the story-teller!
As the girls saw her glance and heard her cry, terror struck each one like an electric shock, and the next second every girl present had broken into a wild cry, and without waiting to see what was the cause of the rush over the lawn, was speeding, helter-skelter towards the house!
Nathalie had run with the others, and then, swayed by some unknown impulse, she had halted and glanced back in the direction she had seen Lillie and Jessie look. She gave a low cry, started to flee again, and then stood suddenly still, and with panting breath gazed again at the clump of trees. She caught her breath, for under the swaying boughs stood a weird, white object pointing a long white finger at her!
What was it? Could it be a Boy Scout trying to frighten them? She bent forward with intent eyes, for as the white figure swayed slightly there was something curiously familiar in its movements. The next instant Nathalie had turned, and as if shot from a catapult was speeding towards the white figure that still stood, uncannily waving its arms to and fro in the moonlight.
[Ill.u.s.tration: With an unearthly shriek was flying across the lawn.]
”Oh, Nita!” burst from the girl, ”how did you come here?” Before the white figure could answer, Ellen was seen running swiftly towards them.
”Oh, Miss Nita,” she wailed, ”what a scare you have given me! Oh, you naughty girl, you promised that you would not leave the lower porch!”
”Well,” flashed the girl, ”I changed my mind!” Then seizing Nathalie, who was still staring at her with big, frightened eyes, she began to laugh hysterically. ”Oh, wasn't it funny, Nathalie? Did you see how she ran? What a joke, when she was trying to scare the girls-and was scared herself-O dear, it is so funny!”
But Nathalie, with a sober face was staring down at the gra.s.s. ”Oh, Nita,” she exclaimed with a sudden fear, ”the gra.s.s is wet, and, Ellen, she will take cold! Oh, how did she get here? Mrs. Van Vorst will be so displeased!”
But at that instant Mrs. Van Vorst came running down the path followed by Mrs. Morrow. ”Oh, Nita! Nita!” she wailed, ”how could you be so foolish, you will surely take your death! Ellen, how did it happen?”
”Sure, there's no harm done,” broke in Peter's voice at this critical moment. ”I have her chair and we'll soon get her in, marm. Sure, I saw her stealing across the lawn all alone by herself, and I hurried after the chair, thinking she would be tired before she had gone far.”
”Thank you, Peter,” cried Nita's mother, ”you are so good and considerate. O dear, I hope she won't take cold! It was such an imprudent thing for her to do, but Ellen, how did it happen?” There was a note of condemnation in the lady's voice.
But before Ellen could answer, Nita, whom Peter had wrapped and placed in her chair, cried, ”Now, Mamma, don't blame Ellen. It was all my fault. I sent her to get my shawl and then I stole down here. I just wanted to hear some of the stories. But when I got here that girl-the Pioneers called her Lillie-was telling a story. She was trying to scare the girls, and then-oh, Mother, it was so funny to see her run-why, I thought I would scare her, and when she looked up, just as she had worked the girls all to a fever, I waved my arm and pointed my finger at her. Oh, Mother, if you could have heard her shriek!” Nita was again in hysterical laughter.
By this time she had her audience laughing with her, especially Peter and Ellen, who thought their young mistress had been most brilliant in outwitting them, and in frightening the young lady who had been trying so hard to frighten her companions.
”O dear,” exclaimed Mrs. Morrow, who proved to be the lady who was visiting with Mrs. Van Vorst when Nita stole down to the lower porch, ”I am ashamed of my Pioneers; they are supposed to be very brave, but to-night's performance does not appear as if they were. Nathalie, how was it you did not run with the others?”
”I did,” confessed Nathalie frankly, ”but something brought me to a halt and I turned and looked back. O dear, but Nita did look terrible waving her white arms to and fro! And then it came to me that there was something familiar about the figure, I stared a moment, and then I knew!
But, Mrs. Morrow, hadn't I better look for the girls? Please do not blame them, I am sure you would have run, too, if you could have seen Nita in that sheet, pointing her finger at you.”
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