Part 33 (2/2)
”No, I can't find you. Come out and show yourself, whoever you are,”
he commanded, with some impatience.
A low, mocking laugh answered Tad's irritated command, yet the owner of the voice still remained hidden.
”Who are you, anyway? I know you are a girl, but--”
”But what?” tantalized the voice.
”That's all I know about it, and all I shall at the present rate.
Come on, it's not fair to expect me to talk with you when I can't see you--”
”Aren't you afraid of ghosts, boy--”
”Ghosts!”
Tad uttered the word in a startled voice.
”Wha--what ghosts?”
”Yes.”
”No, I'm not,” he answered sharply. ”But if it were night I think I'd run. Pshaw! you're no more ghost than I am. You're just a girl and I am going to find out where you are right now.”
Acting upon his resolution, Tad began searching for the owner of the voice again. But when he had crawled to one side of the rock, the voice appeared to be on the other, where he had just been.
After a time Tad gave it up. He no longer heard the mysterious voice, so he clambered down, and after examining the rock from the ground once more, mounted his pony for return to camp.
Arriving there, his companions wanted to know where he had been, but Tad managed to evade their question without giving them a direct answer.
He was determined to return on the following day, when he would go about finding the owner of the mysterious voice in a different way.
When Tom Phipps came in from work, Tad drew him aside at the first opportunity.
”I've been over to the Ruby Mountain to-day, but please don't tell anyone.”
”Saw something, did you?” laughed the a.s.sistant superintendent.
”No, that's the trouble. I didn't.”
”What happened then?”
”I did not see, but I heard.” Tad then related all that had occurred on his visit to the strange mountain.
Phipps did not laugh. He remained silent and thoughtful for some moments.
”That's strange. A miner prospecting there came back with a similar story a few months ago. n.o.body believed him, though many strange things are said to have happened in the vicinity of that rock.”
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