it took the others a moment or two to grasp the meaning of jessie’s suggestion. the idea was too new to them.
then burd leaned over and shook her hand warmly.
“we come, brother,” he said gravely. “that idea is worthy even of my gigantic brain. when do we begin and where?”
“to-morrow at the forest ranger station,” replied jessie, her eyes dancing. “we can broadcast the description of the criminals and the location of the hut—or rather, the rangers can.”
“by george, that is one great idea!” broke in darry, admiringly. “funny i never thought of radio in that connection.”
“you certainly do take the cake, jess darling,” said amy, generously, if slangily. “i would do a lot for a mind like that!”
the party broke up soon after that, for aching muscles required their due and the monotonous dripping of the rain made them all very sleepy.
in the morning they woke refreshed to find the sun shining gloriously on leaves and branches that still dripped moisture. fatigue had miraculously disappeared and there remained only the pathetically blackened trunks of trees to remind them of the tragic happenings of the day before.
they breakfasted early, eager to enlist the help of the forest rangers as soon as possible in the matter of the mysterious hut in the swamp.
it was impossible for burd to go, as his ankle was still swollen and very painful, so amy volunteered to stay behind and read to the invalid. this suggestion was not wholly disinterested on her part, for amy was still more lame than she cared to admit from the exertions of the day before.
the four young folks started off briskly, spurred on by a recognized need of haste but vaguely saddened by the signs of ruin and destruction that had followed in the wake of the fire.
nearing the ranger station, jessie and darry found that they had gone too fast for nell and fol, and lingered to allow the other two to catch up to them.
it was while they were seated on a huge boulder idly talking over the events of the day before that jessie voiced the thought uppermost in her mind.
“darry, i have been wondering what you did about that poor girl, link mullen’s sister,” she said, a little hesitantly. “you never told us, you know.”
“probably that is because i have not been able to do anything,” returned darry. “eileen mullen is stubborn and she has enormous pride. she positively refuses to return to link. she declares that when she left home after their quarrel she intended never to go back.”
“i do wish we could help her,” said jessie, longingly, but as nell and fol reappeared at that moment, no more was said upon the subject.
“we have nearly come to the house in the woods where they hung out the wash in the living room,” nell called, and darry nodded.
“i intend to keep my eyes open,” he assured her.
but when they came to it the house appeared as dreary and deserted as though no one had lived there for years and the room in which the sheets had been hung was protected from critical inspection by tightly-drawn shades.
at the ranger station mr. halsey met them and listened with keen interest to their story of darry’s misadventure in the swamp and of the people who inhabited the hut. they told him also of the ghostlike noises from the swamp and of the white figures they had seen flitting among the trees.
when jessie explained their idea of soliciting the aid of the police by radio, he agreed to have the message sent out over the airways immediately.
“i wish we might have known of this before,” he said, gravely, as he accompanied them to the broadcasting room. “we have suspected for a long time that something illicit and mysterious was being carried on in this vicinity, but there has never been anything definite upon which to base our suspicions. we will investigate this matter thoroughly now, i can assure you.”
messages were sent out for miles in all directions and, satisfied that they had done all in their power to further the ends of justice, the girls and boys said good-bye to mr. halsey, after thanking him, and started back toward the lodge.
once more they passed the house in the woods, and this time darry saw, or thought he saw, a face at one of the upper windows.
“that is what i call exasperating!” he exclaimed, as they continued on through the woods. “another moment, and i could have sworn to that fellow’s identity.”
“if we knew what you were talking about we might follow you more intelligently,” suggested fol, and darry explained.
“that fellow at the window looked a lot like one of the men at the hut,” he said. “i am pretty positive now that my guess as to where phrosy’s ghosts came from is correct.”
upon reaching the lodge they found the three stay-at-homes looking the pictures of peace and contentment, and immediately set about trying to spoil things for them, as amy languidly complained.
having packed all their belongings the day before, it was necessary to reverse the process now that the safety of the lodge was assured. this occupied much of the afternoon, and as the shadows became longer they were oppressed by a strange uneasiness. in every rustle of a leaf, in every cracking of a twig outside the lodge, it seemed they could detect the furtive approach of some of the motley crowd who made their home in the swamp. the air seemed to be murmurous with whispers, the sighing of the wind through the trees took on a weird and wailing sound as though uneasy spirits roamed the woods.
“if radio doesn’t get in some fine work pretty soon,” grumbled amy, “i can see where our last few days here are going to be spoiled. i can see a ghost in every shadow.”
as though to bear out her assertion there came from the direction of the swamp a faint wailing, growing steadily louder in volume—rising to a shriek and dying off into a frantic sobbing sound.
again and again it came, and the girls crowded into the living room as though for mutual protection and stared at each other in growing perturbation.
at that moment darry and fol burst into the room with burd limping manfully after them. behind them came three men, who, despite the fact that they wore no uniform, bore the unmistakable stamp of police officers.
“we are just in time for the entertainment, i see,” said the tallest of the three, with a grimness of tone that fell reassuringly upon the electric tension in the room. “these hut dwellers have decided to give a special demonstration for our benefit, evidently.”
the three men, led by aunt emma, marched into the room recently occupied by phrosy, and the boys lingered behind for a word with the surprised and excited girls.
“we bumped into these officers just as we were coming in,” said burd. “they received the radio message and have men planted down by the swamp ready to close in on the hut when they give the signal. come along, if you want to be in on the big show.”
“but, burd, your foot! how can you go?” protested amy, and burd looked down at the injured member contemptuously.
“you don’t suppose i would let a little thing like that keep me at home, do you?” he queried. “just watch me.”
at that moment the three officers stalked out again, aunt emma, flushed and excited, at their heels. they seemed in a great hurry. they rushed out of the lodge, the girls and boys after them.
down toward the swamp they ran, the continued wailings of the “ghosts” drowning the sound of their footsteps. only a few feet from the swamp now, and those absurd white figures still flitting eerily among the trees.
the shrill note of a whistle sounded, followed by the answering shout of men, who came dashing from the shadows.
the shrouded white figures stood still for a moment as though frozen into immobility. then shrieks and shouts rent the air. the ghosts turned to fly—and were surrounded.
several of them, dropping the sheets that swathed them, ran for cover, away from the police. but the boys were too quick for them. darting from their hidden vantage point among the trees, they waylaid the rascals and engaged them in lusty warfare. back and forth they lunged, fighting desperately, while the girls watched with fascinated interest.
suddenly jessie clutched amy’s arm and pointed through the trees.
“over there!” she cried. “do you see what i see?”
“those are women—trying to get away! come on!” cried amy.
without stopping to think, the girls started in pursuit of the two creatures slinking off through the trees. the women, hampered by their clinging skirts, could not run swiftly, and it was comparatively easy for the three athletic girls to overtake them.
jessie and amy blocked the path in front while nell encircled them to the right, cutting off escape in that direction.
the women took a step or two backward, showing their teeth like cornered rats. then, turning to the one avenue of escape left to them, they crouched low and started to run.
“stop them! stop them!” cried jessie, and at that moment a shadow detached itself from the deeper shadows of the forest and grasped the two women roughly.
“thought you would get away, eh?” growled a voice which the girls recognized as belonging to the tallest of the three officers who had come to the lodge. “you would, too, if it had not been for these brave young ladies here. you think you’re a slick pair, but you didn’t get away with it. come along now. i guess we’ve got the whole works.”
the girls returned in triumph, bearing their prisoners in tow, the grinning officer close at hand. when the boys saw them, they were greeted with loud shouts of delighted surprise.
“we got our men, too,” burd told them boisterously, after the officer had taken the women away. “no more ghosts for ours, girls! we have laid ’em for good!”
“and in more senses than one,” added darry, with a grin.
“come on over and see this bunch of lowbrows,” said fol, pointing to the group of captors and captives. the latter were still filling the air with shrieks and giving the officers a most unpleasant time of it.
curiously, the girls and lads approached—but not too closely. an officer detached himself from the group and came toward them. it was the tall man whom they had already met twice that night. he smiled jubilantly upon them.
“one of those prisoners is pietro pebbo,” he informed them. “he is one of the slickest counterfeiters and law breakers the police have known for many a year, and he has gathered about him a choice set of scoundrels. i would like to ask one question,” he added, adjusting his pocket torch so that it illumined their faces. “who is responsible for that radio message?”
darry took jessie by the hand and drew her forward.
“the idea was the property of this young lady,” he said gravely. “allow me to introduce miss jessie norwood!”
“the service thanks you, miss norwood,” he said, bowing gallantly in acknowledgment of the introduction. “we all thank you.”
“except pietro pebbo!” murmured amy, the irrepressible.
it was the day after the sensational capture of the “ghosts” down by the swamp, and the girls and boys were enjoying a period of well-earned leisure. besides, having scarcely slept the night before, they really needed rest.
it was aunt emma who broke into their peaceful content by rising suddenly and starting toward the house.
“what troubles you, my dear aunt?” inquired burd, lazily. “i can see by the look in your eye that there is something on your mind.”
“i am going to write to phrosy,” returned aunt emma, briskly. “now that the ghosts have departed, it is high time she came back to the kitchen.”
“oh, won’t we have a lovely time with phrosy and no ghosts?” sighed nell, looking out toward the placid waters of lake towako. “lucky the fire spared our wonderful view. where are you going, jess?”
jessie, on the way to the lodge, looked over her shoulder with a smile.
“i just happened to think that we haven’t set up our radio yet. i am going to hear a radio concert before i am very much older or know the reason why.”
amy rose protestingly from the grassy couch that seemed just made for laziness.
“that child will be the death of me, yet. she is a very glutton for work.”
“just the same,” said nell, as she prepared to join them, “it will be mighty good to ‘listen in’ again.”
