ned white thought he knew all the roads about ferndale and the birchlands, but on this afternoon he stumbled with his party into a perfectly strange byway. it did not seem to lead to any place in particular, but was one of those wagon roads cut through private property and public places alike, without regard to direction or terminus.
this meant that the fire bird was lost—couldn't tell which way to fly, and its driver did not know which way to direct the big red machine.
"where in the world is this?" asked tom, noting ned looking from one side to the other in a puzzled sort of way.
"well, if it is only in this world we are lucky," answered ned. "i rather feared we had slipped off into another planet."
"it's cold, too," murmured joe, for as the afternoon sun slowly set the bleak winter day hastened forward in all its penetrating bitterness.
"what time is it, anyway?" asked roland of ned.
"four, and going to get dark in an hour. jingo! i wish we had found some greens. the girls want to get the wreaths made up to-morrow."
"why didn't we go to tanglewood park?" asked roger. "there were plenty of nice evergreens there."
"yes, why didn't we? that's the question. let's try this road," and ned turned into a branch of the highway he was driving on. "perhaps we may get out there yet."
"now, see here," interrupted roland. "i've got a dinner date to-night. sort of a 'return of the prodigal,' you know. i can't be late. so please don't go too far from mother earth. if necessary we can get the greens some other day."
"all right," agreed ned. "if we can't make the park in half an hour we'll turn back. but i wonder some of you smart ones did not think of it before. there certainly were plenty of green bushes out there."
the turn brought our friends out on the road they had been looking for, and it took but a short time to reach the lane to tanglewood park.
under the heavy trees it was almost like night, and it was not an easy task to distinguish one bush from another, especially as roland kept hurrying everybody, in his anxiety to be on time at the dinner party.
joe and roger secured some fine branches of the spruces that dorothy had wished for, ned got quite a supply of pine branches, which he declared, "could go up just as they were," while the other boys devoted themselves to the laurel hunt. finally a large hedge of this all-winter green shrub was discovered, and in a short time the fire bird was loaded up with a splendid supply of christmas evergreens.
"i guess that will do," announced nat, as the little boys piled in their armfuls. "we have to sit some place, you know."
"what's that?" asked ned as something rustled along the path.
"a lady!" almost whispered roland, as if fearful that they might be blamed for their pillaging.
at that instant a small woman hurried down the other branch of the path, and called lightly to some one on the roadway.
she evidently did not see the fire bird party, for she was on an opposite path, with a deep hedge between them and her.
"the ghost!" whispered roger, all eager for some new excitement.
"sure as you live!" answered nat. "that's not human—it's too flimsy and—flighty."
it did seem that the person flitted about in a strange sort of way, first calling, then whistling.
but there was some one waiting.
"there's a carriage," said joe, crawling under a bush to get a better view of the other path.
the boys held their breath. what if this might be the owner of the park, who would object to their taking the evergreens?
it was well the automobile had been left in a secluded spot. perhaps the woman would go off without discovering them.
a light carriage entered the driveway. the woman stopped to give some directions. the driver seemed to hesitate. she was urging him to go toward the castle, and he evidently wanted to go out on the main road.
"that driver's old abe," declared roger, "the fellow from the station."
"it sure is," answered ned; "but don't speak so loud."
"and he wants to go to the station, which i wish he would do promptly," observed roland, in some suspense.
"but she wants him to drive up to the house. see, she points that way," said nat.
the woman climbed into the carriage, and the driver turned toward the castle. the boys prepared to make their escape.
"they'll go out the back way," ventured nat. "now's our time!"
at that instant a shrill scream rent the air. it was the same, only much louder, that had startled the party before.
"the ghost!" gasped roger, jumping into the car.
the others followed. the carriage had made a quick turn and was now almost upon them.
ned put on full speed, and was soon out on the open road.
"what's the answer?" asked tom, who could not make out what all the fuss was about.
"did you see abe's face?" asked nat as they once more felt that it was safe to exchange remarks.
"almost went white," replied ned. "none is so frightened at ghosts as a darky."
"ghost!" repeated tom. "do you mean to say there really is a ghost up there in that old rat-trap?"
"something," replied nat. "we have heard that same scream before, and it does not sound like anything human."
"why in thunder didn't we go up and swat it?" asked tom, quite disgusted that such an opportunity should have been missed.
"because roland has a dinner date, and because we were trespassing. you don't suppose we just want to walk into trouble like that, do you?" inquired nat.
"well, i'd take chances when it came to bagging a real live ghost. i hope we get another shot at it."
"there's the carriage," exclaimed joe. "just look at old abe!"
"scared stiff!" added nat. "well, i don't blame him. he was dangerously near that scream. perhaps his passenger is a ventriloquist and threw her scream. the voice certainly came from the castle."
the carriage passed the fire bird at that moment. ned had slackened speed after his first spurt.
"that woman doesn't look as if she could throw anything—not even her voice," remarked roland, when the carriage had passed. "but i fancy the old colored fellow is about ready to 'throw a fit,' at any rate."
"wait till abe tells it," said joe, laughing. abe had a reputation for "telling things."
"it certainly is queer," mused ned. "i'm not exactly a ghost fiend, but there must be something uncanny up there in that old castle."
"tavia says there are real magazine ghosts," spoke up roger decidedly.
"what particular variety is that?" asked tom.
"oh, tavia declares that in magazines scientific fellows are materializing the immaterial," said nat quite learnedly. "that is what we call magazine ghosts."
"but that howl was never immaterial," persisted tom. "i should say it emanated from a well developed thorax."
the fire bird was spinning along at a lively rate now, for as night neared it grew colder, and the party were anxious to get within doors.
"i hope the girls like the greenstuffs," remarked roland as the home road was reached.
"let us out here," said tom as ned prepared to run into the elms. "we can get our blood in circulation before we reach the fire. whew! it is cold! well, say, we've had an awfully jolly time, fellows. hope we can make it up to you——"
"don't mention it," interrupted ned as the young men alighted.
"never had a better time," added roland. "my love to the girls——"
"norah's got a beau!" called back nat as the fire bird rolled into the cedars and the carload of evergreens was stopped at the door. dorothy, tavia and mrs. white stood in rapt surprise and admiration over the "greenstuff" that had been gathered, in spite of all the difficulties which had been encountered in the attempt.
