Part 17 (2/2)
”I--I didn't mean any harm,” muttered Hen, almost whimpering.
”See here,” demanded d.i.c.k, another idea coming to him, ”how much did Fred Ripley pay you to help work against us.”
”He didn't pay me nothing,” young Dutcher protested ungrammatically.
”How much did he agree to pay you, then? Come--out with it!” insisted d.i.c.k.
Hen saw the other chums pressing about him threateningly, so he almost blubbered:
”Said he'd give me a dollar if I did the trick right.”
”So there was a trick?” cried d.i.c.k quickly; then added ironically: ”Hen, you ought never to tell lies. You don't do it skilfully. You let out the truth, despite yourself. You've admitted that you've been hired to work against us--to help spoil our peace and comfort. Now, you've got to tell us all the rest of it, or you'll have to take the consequences!”
”Say, don't be mean with a feller!” pleaded Dutcher, ready to snivel.
”We're not mean with you,” d.i.c.k insisted. ”We've a right to protect ourselves, and we're going to do it. Besides, you joined us, and now you've got to be one of us and tell us the whole scheme against us.”
”I didn't join you!”
”Do you belong to Fred Ripley's crowd, then? If so, you'd better join that choice gang! Grab hold of him, fellows!”
Dave Darrin and Tom Reade gripped Hen, on either side, with great heartiness. Dan Dalzell ran to unbar the door, after accomplis.h.i.+ng which he turned to view what might follow.
”Are you going to tell us, Hen, what Ripley and his crew are plotting against us?” d.i.c.k insisted once more.
”They were going to come down here to-night,” confessed Hen.
”What were they going to do here?”
”Scare you fellers.”
”How?”
”Oh, they've got a lot of sheets, and a frame to rig up on Bert Dodge's shoulders. With the frame above him, and covered with sheets, Bert will make a 'ghost' about ten feet high.”
”What else?” pressed d.i.c.k.
”Well, they've got a queer kind of whistle they can blow on, and it makes a long, loud moan, or a wail,” explained Hen. ”Whee! It gave me the creepy s.h.i.+vers the first time I heard it.”
”Has Ripley's ghost party got anything else to make the night merry with?” questioned d.i.c.k.
”Some kinder colored fire, that they were going to light at quite a distance from here, to give an 'unearthly' glow through the woods.”
”What else?”
”Oh, some other things,” confessed Hen vaguely. ”I can't tell you all that crowd has, for I didn't see it and they wouldn't tell me about it.”
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