Part 11 (1/2)
There!”
Another lightning flash blinded the girls and the thunder following fairly deafened them for the moment But Jessie did not leave her post in the doorway So--soe of the thick wood--had i flashed
”Come away! Come away, Jess Norwood!” shrieked Amy
”Come here,” co down there by the woods? Is it a huhost,” murmured Amy
But her curiosity overcame her fears sufficiently for her to join Jessie at the doorway Through the falling rain the chu down by the woods
”It's a dog,” said Amy, after a moment
”It's a child,” declared Jessie, with conviction ”I saw its face then”
”Perhaps it is the Carter ghost,” breathed Amy ”I never heard whether this haunt was a juvenile or an adult offender”
”I guess you are not much afraid after all,” said her chu irl from Roselawn cried ”Don't run away from me”
Whether the child heard and understood her or not, it gave evidence of being greatly frightened She covered her face with her hands and sank down on the wet sod, while the rain beat upon her unmercifully There was no shelter here, and Jessie Norwood herself was getting thoroughly wet
In a cal down her hands
”Are--are you the ha'nt?”
”What a question!” gasped Jessie, and seized the crouching figure by the shoulder ”Do I feel like a ghost? Why, it's Henrietta!”
The clawlike hands dropped froirl stared
”Goodness! I seen you before You are the nice girl You ain't a ghost”
”But you are sopping wet Come up to the house at once, child”
”Ain't--ain't there ghosts there?”
”If there are they won't hurt us,” said Jessie encouragingly ”Co wetback stubbornly ”Mrs Foley says ha'nts carry off kids Like my Bertha was carried off”
”We have soet all about the silly ghosts when you are helping us eat that”
This invitation and prospect overcaan to trot willingly by Jessie's side But already the rain had saturated the girl frotown
”Two more bedrabbled persons I never saw!” exclaimed Amy, when they arrived upon the porch ”Do come in There is wood here and we can make a fire on the hearth You can take off that skirt, Jess, and get it dry And this poor little thing--well, she looks as though she ought to be peeled to the skin if we are ever to get _her_ dry”