unconsciously the girls moved their chairs nearer to the glowing fire, clasped hands for reassurance of earthly presence. they looked at the boys curiously, yet fearfully.
“you found the ghosts!” repeated jessie, incredulously. “darry, what does he mean by that?”
darry chuckled.
“just what he says, i guess,” he returned, adding quickly, as excitement gripped him again: “when i told the fellows about the hut in the swamp we got to wondering if those ghostly manifestations might not possibly come from the same source——”
“oh, oh, oh, i just thought of something!” cried jessie, and the boys looked at her expectantly. her eyes were dancing with excitement. “those sheets in the house we passed the day we got lost coming home from the ranger station!”
“bright girl,” applauded fol. “once more you have hit the nail right on the head.”
“i will hit something beside a nail on the head if you don’t tell me what you are talking about,” threatened amy. “what in the world have sheets——”
“to do with ghosts?” finished nell, as excited by this time as jessie. “why, amy, i am ashamed of you. a child could answer that question.”
“then you think that the sheets we saw hanging in the room of that strange house have something to do with the ghostly figures cavorting around near the camp that night phrosy got so scared?” asked amy, incredulously, and the boys nodded, laughing at her disbelief.
“we are practically certain that the whole thing was simply a sham, a clumsy device employed by the people in the hut to prevent investigation.”
“then you think counterfeit money is actually made there?” asked jessie.
“unfortunately, i can’t be sure,” and darry shook his head ruefully. “i used that old scow of theirs to get over to the hut and i was just in the act of finding out several interesting things when a man came around the back of the hut and nabbed me.”
“that was when you gave us the slip,” said burd. “we thought for a while that you had fallen victim to the swamp.”
“go on, darry,” nell urged. “tell us what happened to you after the villain nabbed you by the neck.”
“oh, yes, how did you manage to make that trail through the woods?” questioned jessie. “we followed it for a long way, and then suddenly lost all trace of you.”
“the piece of cloth from my coat was an accident,” darry replied. “it tore on a bush and that gave me an idea. i managed to reach into my pocket and get my notebook, and i will tell you there isn’t much of that notebook left.”
“why did the trail end so suddenly?” asked nell.
“my notebook gave out. besides,” added darry, “the ruffians had become suspicious and insisted on tying my hands behind my back. we forded a stream near there and doubled back on our tracks toward the hut. i imagine the whole thing was a ruse to divert attention from headquarters.”
