A FRIENDLY GHOST
Hugh led the way straight into the fissure. As they proceeded they
could see the light ahead growing stronger. Low sounds, as of voices,
also led them onward; and then, upon turning a bend, they came upon
a sight that had them all staring with wonder.
It was indeed a cave, and of considerable dimensions. A wild beast
would have delighted in such a den in which to hide from the rigors
of winter, but to boys accustomed to the luxuries of home life it
would doubtless have few attractions, especially after the novelty of
camping-out had worn off in a week's time.
It was a fire that burned which gave the light at a pile of dry wood,
mostly broken branches of dead trees, showed that the occupant
of the cave had laid in a supply against a rainy day. There, sitting
with his back against the wall, was their missing comrade K.K. His
face looked unusually white, and bore an expression of acute pain,
which, however, he manfully tried from time to time to dismiss by a
ghastly grin, altogether assumed, since he certainly was in no mood
for laughing.
They could see that his left leg was bandaged in some manner, as
though he might have broken the bones, and someone had tried to bind
up the limb. Even with that superficial glance Hugh marked the fact
that this had been done in a fashion indicating considerable previous
experience along such lines.
And then they turned their attention upon the other party, the mysterious
one who doubtless had found poor K.K. helpless on the ground and borne
him to this cavern in the quarry. He was indeed a wild-looking party,
with long, unkempt hair and a sunburnt face in which his glowing eyes
were deep-seated. There was that about him to convince Hugh instantly
he must be deranged, although just then the man bent over poor K.K.
solicitously, and seemed to be tenderly doing something calculated to
ease his pain.
Hugh coughed, meaning to draw attention to the fact of their arrival.
The man immediately stood up and bent a searching look upon the five
lads. Perhaps he had been hearing K.K. tell how some of his chums
would certainly be coming to search for him, and, therefore, even
though he might wish to remain in his hidden retreat undisturbed,
he manifested no hostility toward them, simply folded his arms and,
stepping back, watched their approach.
Hugh made gestures to indicate that they were peacefully disposed.
In doing so he purposely used the signal code and spelled out the
one word, "friend." He saw the wildman's thin face take on a sudden
gleam of awakened interest, and he nodded his head in the affirmative,
as if to reassure Hugh that they were not unwelcome. From this the
boy knew the stranger must at some time have been in the army, and
that even while his brain was resting under a cloud he could till
send and receive messages such as had been one time his daily avocation.
They reached the side of their unfortunate companion. He held out a
hand to welcome Hugh. "Oh! I'm mighty glad you've come, fellows, I
tell you," he told them, with a tremor in his voice. "I've had a
rotten time of it all around, and suffered terribly. You see, I made
a fool of myself, and tripped over a vine, so that I was thrown into
a gully, with my left leg under me. Snapped both bones, he says,
just above the ankle, and a fine time I've got ahead of me this
winter, with no skating, hockey, or anything worth living for. But
then it might have been worse, because my neck is worth more to me
than my ankle. But now I do hope you can get me home. I never wanted
to see home and mother one-half as much as now."
"Yes, we've come in the big car, K.K.," Hugh assured him. "And we'll
fetch you home right away. You ought to be looked after by Doctor
Wambold; broken bones are not things to be trifled with, and while
this party seems to have done the best he could it can only be a
make shift."
"Don't you believe it, Hugh," said the injured boy warmly; "why, he's
a regular jim-dandy about such jobs. I bet you he used to be an
army surgeon in his younger days, from hints he's let drop. And then
he knows the Signal Corps work right off the handle to boot, even
if---well, I won't say what I meant to. He's been so kind and
considerate to me; my own father couldn't have been more tender.
I've guessed the secret of the old haunted quarry, Hugh!" which last
he almost whispered in the other's ear.
"Yes, I can say the same," muttered Hugh, "because, as soon as I saw
that he was using the regular army code of signals, I remembered
about hearing how a certain family over near Hackensack had an uncle
who used to be in the Signal Corps and was also later on an army
surgeon, but who had suffered a sunstroke, and, well, was said to be
a bit queer."
"Yes," whispered K.K., "this is the same party. His name, I remember,
was Dr. Coursens, and there was some talk last summer about his having
got loose from the house and being drowned, they believed, in the
river, though his body was never found. Just to think of it, he's
been hiding here ever since, picking up his living almost like a wild
animal. Why, right now his clothes are nearly falling off his back,
and if he tries to hang out here much longer he'll be frozen to death.
But, Hugh, we must let his folks know where he is so they can come
after him. I believe his mind is beginning to get a little clear
again, for at times he talks quite reasonably."
This was all mighty interesting to Hugh, and he determined that he
would let no grass grow under his feet until he had seen to it that
the an with the deranged mind was once more re stored to his family.
But the first thing to be done was to get poor K.K. safely back home.
So he turned to the man and spoke to him, telling him that they
wished to get their comrade to the car, and at the same time thanking
him warmly for all he had done. Not a single word in reply did Hugh
receive. The man listened and nodded his head, as though he could
dimly understand what the boy was saying. Evidently he was in
something of a dazed condition, if, as K.K. affirmed, his senses
were beginning to assume a normal condition after years of darkness.
It was a terrible job getting K.K. down from that elevated place.
The man showed them how best to manage. He seemed really solicitous,
and it could be seen that he had taken quite a liking to K.K. during
their brief intercourse, since the latter had been found groaning on
the ground. Eventually the level below the cliff was attained. Poor
K.K. had groaned many times, hard though he fought to repress the
sounds, for it was unavoidable that he should receive many jostlings
while being transferred to the lower level.
Then they made their way across the open space, and finally arrived
at the waiting car, in which the injured youth was deposited and
made as comfortable as the conditions allowed. The deranged man
watched all this with a wistful gleam in his eye. He had fled from
his kind while still gripped in the darkness of madness, but with the
first glimmer of reason being seated once more on its throne he
commenced to yearn after human fellowship again.
Since the boys had all taken such a deep-seated interest in the matter
it may be proper before the "ghost" of the haunted quarry is dropped
altogether from the story to state that the very next morning Hugh
went over to Hackensack and electrified the Coursen family with
certain remarkable news he brought. It ended in their all starting
forth and arriving at the quarry. They found the demented man
awaiting their coming as though he had guessed what Hugh had in his
mind. More than that he greeted them soberly, and called each member
of the family by name, something he had not been able to do since
that dark cloud descended upon his mind years back.
There seemed reason to believe that in due time Doctor Coursen might
regain his full senses again and spend a few years more with his
delighted relatives before the end came.
Hugh, of course, learned all about him and how he had served years in
the army, first as a sergeant in the Signal Corps, and later on
becoming a surgeon of considerable reputation before the accident in
the tropics deprived him of his reason.
Perhaps it had been the utterly helpless condition of poor K.K.,
when he came accidentally upon the injured boy, that had strongly
appealed to the surgical spirit that still lay dormant in the brain
and fingers of the insane man and which had been the main cause of the
light of reason returning---surgery had been his passion, and the
familiar work took him back to other days, apparently.
And that very night, when Doctor Cadmus, hastily summoned to the home
of Mrs. Kinkaid, examined the work of the deranged dweller of the
quarry cave, he had pronounced it simply marvelous the clever way in
which the other had set those bones and put a splint on the leg,
with such clumsy means for working at hand. He declared he meant
to interest himself deeply in the case and see if such a skillful
surgeon might not be restored to the world so much in need of his
kind, I with the terrible war raging on the other side of the Atlantic.
To conclude with this subject, at last accounts Dr. Coursen had so
far recovered as to send in his application for a berth in some
hospital over in France, where his wonderful knowledge of surgery
might prove useful to the countless wounded men at the front. And
doubtless ere this reaches the eye of the reader he may be across
the Atlantic, serving humanity in the great cause.
Long would those five lads remember that strange expedition up to the
haunted quarry, and what a remarkable discovery they made after
arriving on the ground. It may be that Horatio, yes, and Julius
also, would be less apt to clothe anything along a mysterious nature
with ghostly attributes, after learning how common-sense and investigation
will, in nearly all cases, turn suspicion into ridicule. But while
the country folks, of course, also learned how the phantom of the
quarry had turned out to be just a crazy man who had escaped from
his confinement at home and gone back to primeval ways of living, few
of them would ever muster up the courage to visit the deserted quarry
after nightfall. It had too many thrilling associations to please
them; and besides, what was the use of going out of their way just
to feel the "goose-flesh" creep over their bodies when an owl hooted,
or some little forest animal gave a grunt?
K.K., being young and healthy, and attended carefully by good old
Doctor Cadmus, was not confined to the house for many weeks. The
bones did not require resetting, and rapidly knitted, so that after
a while he could walk to and from school with the aid of a crutch;
and later this, in turn, gave way to a cane. When February came he
even threw this aid aside, and by March was seen taking his part in
school rushes, as though he had never been injured at all. But his
skates were never once used all winter, nor could he indulge in any
sledding, both of which were favorite pleasures with K.K.
On the whole, however, he felt that he had much to be thankful for;
and tried not to be too greatly disappointed. But his chums would
miss him when the Marathon race was on; because he had been accounted
one of the best long-distance runners without exception that Scranton
High could boast.