Part 14 (2/2)

No one laughed, so George did not attempt any more witticisms. Truth to tell, he was not feeling as perfectly indifferent as he tried to make out; and when one of the others slipped a little, George it was who exclaimed hastily:

”Oh! what in thunder was that?”

When the six scouts had gained the second floor they pa.s.sed along the wide hall to the place that had been chosen for the vigil. While in the gloom themselves it was easily possible for them to look along the moonlit hall, diversified with shadows, and see any moving thing that might attempt to pa.s.s that way. At the same time by turning their heads they could see out of the nearest window, and have a fair view of the open s.p.a.ce between the wall of the house and the dense bushes close by.

Beyond arose the thickly interlaced trees, a wild scramble along the line of the survival of the fittest.

Elmer stationed them all as he thought would be best. They were told that they could sit down cross-legged, Turkish fas.h.i.+on, if they chose; but under no circ.u.mstances was any one to allow himself to be overpowered by sleep. If a scout had reason to believe the one next to him were nodding suspiciously he must whisper words of warning in his ear; and should that fail to effect a radical cure he was empowered to try other tactics, if by chance he possessed a pin.

Having been fully awake at the time of their arrival, something like half an hour went by with all the scouts apparently on the watch. Then George had to be admonished by Lil Artha several times, until finally a low gasp, and muttering, as well as quick rubbing of his thigh on the part of George announced that the radical means had been employed in order to keep him awake.

There is nothing more reliable as a sleep preventative than the jab of a pin; it seems to send an electric shock through the whole system, and eyes that were just about to close fly wide-open again.

Twenty minutes later another low gurgling cry arose; this time it came from the elongated scout, and George was heard to whisper savagely:

”t.i.t for tat, Lil Artha; you gave me a stab, and now we're even.”

”'s.h.!.+ I thought I heard something moving down there in the bushes!” the scout master told them, cautiously.

Of course every one was immediately quivering with intense anxiety and eagerness. It was very close on the mystic hour of midnight, too, which added to the interest of the matter. Could it be that they were about to witness some strange manifestation such as Chatz professed to believe was possible? No wonder that the boys wriggled erect, stiff in their joints after sitting there tailor-fas.h.i.+on so long, and pressing toward the open window stared down toward the bushes to which Elmer had referred when he spoke.

So bright was the moon, now fairly high in the sky, that even small objects could readily be distinguished. There was nothing in sight that they could notice where the rank gra.s.s grew, and the trees and bushes were absent; but looking further they could actually see something white moving along through the brush.

No one said a single word, but there might have been heard several quick gasps; and a hand that fell on the sleeve of Elmer's khaki coat trembled fiercely. If ever some of those boys were willing to confess to the truth they would admit that their hearts began to beat furiously about that time, as with staring eyes they watched that mysterious white object pus.h.i.+ng through the matted bushes that grew just beyond the open s.p.a.ce near the walls of the haunted house.

CHAPTER XIII

A STRANGE FIGURE IN WHITE

”OH!”

After all it was George, boasting George, who gasped this one word in Elmer's ear; and the scout master knew then whose trembling hand had clutched his sleeve.

But if several of the others refrained from giving vent to their agitated feelings about that time, it was only because they had lost their breath completely.

All of them were staring as hard as they could at the strange white object that kept creeping, creeping along through the brush. Not the slightest sound did it appear to make, and that added to the weirdness of it all. They must just then have had flash into their brains all they had ever read or heard about the wonderful manner in which ghosts and hobgoblins are able to advance or retreat, without betraying their presence by even the least rustling.

Then all at once there broke out the sharp, furious barking of a dog.

Every scout reeled back as though struck a blow. At the same moment they saw the white object whirl around, and rush away through the brush; and now they could plainly detect the rapid patter of canine feet.

”It was only a stray farmer's dog after all!” exclaimed Lil Artha, with a sigh of absolute relief.

”Yes,” added Toby, ”and when he barked up at us he was scared at the sound he made himself, so that he lit out as though he had a tin pan tied to his tail. But I own up I was s.h.i.+vering to beat the band, for I sure thought it must be that Cartaret _thing_ they say hangs out here.

Whew!”

George, as usual, having recovered from his own fright wanted to make it appear that he considered any one foolish who would actually allow himself to be alarmed by such a silly thing as a white object.

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