Part 38 (1/2)

”Can't be,” declared Jack. ”Else how could those spirits or boys get through and up into the bungalow to play tricks with the furniture?”

”If they were spirits a stone wall wouldn't stop them,” Paul said. ”But we can't do anything more to-night.”

”Can we at any time?” asked Walter.

”Sure!” cried Jack. ”We'll get crowbars to-morrow and tear down this cement wall. Then we'll find what's at the other end of the pa.s.sage. Now come on back and tell the girls.”

They found their friends eagerly waiting, though there was some disappointment when the boys reported finding nothing.

”Not a thing in that pa.s.sage except the solid wall at the end,” Jack said. ”But we'll tear that down to-morrow and see what's beyond.”

”Now hold on a minute,” said Mr. Floyd. ”Of course I'm as anxious as you folks are to get at the bottom of this. But I don't own this property, and before I let you go to work tearing down stone walls and so on, I'll have to get permission from the owners.”

”Well, that's right,” a.s.sented Jack. ”Who are they?”

Mr. Floyd gave the name, and added the information that they, or rather the one man who owned this particular bungalow, could be reached by the long-distance telephone.

”Then we'll call him up in the morning,” decided Jack. ”I don't know how far the pa.s.sage extends, or whether it's all under the property that goes with this bungalow, but we'll get permission before we go ahead.”

This was agreed to, and when the girls learned that there was nothing to be alarmed at they went down into the pa.s.sage also, as did Mr. and Mrs.

Floyd.

”Well, there's nothing more we can do,” said Cora. ”Let's get what little sleep there is left, and then prepare for work in the morning.”

”It's almost morning now,” said Belle, pointing to the windows through which they could see a faint glow in the east, presaging the rising sun.

They were all too highly excited to sleep much, and they were up early.

Boards were laid over the opening in the floor, it being feared if the sliding section was closed there might be trouble in opening it again.

The strange happenings of the night formed the only topic at breakfast, and then the boys set off for town to get in communication on the telephone with the bungalow owner.

”I can't see why he would object,” said Jack.

”Unless he made that pa.s.sage for his own use, and doesn't want any one to meddle with it,” Paul remarked.

”What could he use it for?” asked Walter.

”Well, that may be part of the mystery. Let's take a short cut to the village,” and he indicated a path that led toward the cave in the mountainside.

They emerged into a country road, thick with dust, and were trudging along this, talking on all the aspects of the queer discovery, when Jack suddenly stopped and stared intently at something in the dirt of the highway.

”What is it?” asked Walter. ”A snake?”

”No, marks of an automobile tire,” Jack answered.

”Nothing very remarkable in that,” laughed Paul.

”There is in this one,” Jack declared excitedly. ”See the big Z mark where the tire has been patched-vulcanized. Boys, that's the same mark as was on the tire of Cora's car! I believe her machine has been along here this morning!”