“Dan, you made a bull’s-eye!”
“Dan Carter and the Haunted Castle”
(_See Page 44_)
Dan Carter and the Haunted Castle
by
Mildred A. Wirt
Illustrated
CUPPLES AND LEON COMPANY
Publishers New York
Copyright, 1951, by
CUPPLES AND LEON COMPANY
_All Rights Reserved_
DAN CARTER AND THE HAUNTED CASTLE
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
1 A Prize Contest 1
2 The Chimney Niche 13
3 Robin Hood’s Strong Box 25
4 Laughter From the Woods 35
5 Competition 47
6 Ghost of the Castle 56
7 A Mysterious Arrow 65
8 Expert Shooting 73
9 A Neglected Duty 84
10 Checking Up On Ross 94
11 Fire 102
12 A Debt To Pay 114
13 Kill-Joy Kain 123
14 Clues 135
15 A Message 142
16 Treasure 149
17 A Valuable Collection 156
18 Billy Hides Out 165
19 A New Cub 178
20 Epilogue 191
Dan Carter and the Haunted Castle
CHAPTER 1
A Prize Contest
A stir of excitement swept the room, causing the Cub Scouts to shift
restlessly in their seats.
The monthly meeting of the Pack was nearing its end. Not a Cub from
either Den 1 or Den 2 had failed to attend, for Sam Hatfield, their
leader, had promised the boys “a real surprise.”
Now, as a break came in the regular program, the Cubs sensed that the
moment for the long awaited announcement had arrived.
“Something worth while is in the wind, that’s sure,” whispered Brad
Wilber. The Den Chief spoke to a sandy-haired boy whose nose was buried
in a book. “Mr. Hatfield has kept his secret from everyone. What do you
think is up, Dan?”
“Huh?” demanded Dan Carter, coming suddenly to life. Reluctantly he
closed “The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood,” a volume obtained a few
minutes earlier from the Webster City Public Library.
“Oh, don’t bother that book worm,” laughed Midge Holloway, another Cub in
Den 2. “He never hears anything that goes on at a meeting, even if he is
the official Denner.”
“I resent that slur,” retorted Dan goodnaturedly. “I hear every word.”
“Sure he does,” declared Chips Davis, coming to the defense of his
friend. “Dan’s just smart enough never to waste any of his time.”
A loud, offensive snicker greeted this remark. Looking quickly across the
cave, the Cubs of Den 2 saw that the offender was Ross Langdon, a tall,
gangling boy in Den 1.
Now Dan and Ross always had been athletic rivals. In a recent swimming
contest the Den 2 boy had soundly defeated the older lad. Ross hadn’t
taken it too well. Whenever an opportunity afforded, he made belittling
remarks.
The Cubs of Den 2, Brad, Red Suell, Chips, Midge and Fred Hatfield, the
son of their leader, were in no mood to “take” anything from Ross. So
they pinned him with hard glares, and Midge muttered: “Quiet, you!”
“I didn’t say a word,” retorted Ross, pretending innocence. “You were the
one who remarked that Dan never hears anything.”
Midge would have uttered a sharp retort had not Dan given him a nudge in
the ribs. He was willing to overlook the snicker, because he’d made up
his mind to have no trouble with Ross.
Fortunately, the Pack meetings came only once a month unless Mr. Hatfield
called the gang together for something special.
At the regular weekly gatherings of Den 2, everything went smooth as silk
because Ross never attended. However, the Cubs of Den 1 reported that
their sessions sometimes were a bit rough as a result of the older boy’s
desire to boss everyone.
Before Ross could pass another remark, Mr. Hatfield took the floor.
Signaling for silence, he said:
“Fellows, I have an interesting announcement to make. I don’t know how
this will strike you, but a sporting goods firm—Fielding & Jones
Corp.—has offered a substantial prize to the organization putting on the
best play.”
“What sort of prize?” demanded Dan quickly.
“A complete archery set. Practice and tournament targets, bows and
arrows—everything. All first class equipment.”
“Sounds okay,” nodded Brad. Thirteen years of age, the Den Chief was also
a Boy Scout and very dependable for his years.
“How many organizations will compete?” inquired Midge.
“That’s hard to guess,” the Cub leader replied. “I know several church
clubs are entering the contest. Now, I thought if the fellows are
interested, we might make it a joint Den 1 and Den 2 project.”
“Swell!” approved Chips Davis. “That way, we’ll have a bigger field from
which to draw acting talent.”
“Let’s do it!” approved Midge, while the other boys in Den 2 nodded
vigorously.
“Suppose we hear from Den 1,” said Mr. Hatfield.
With the exception of Ross Langdon, all the other boys were in favor of
joining forces to try to win the prize. Ross remained noncommittal,
thinking it over.
“Now that it’s settled we’re to make the play a joint affair, I’m open to
suggestions,” Mr. Hatfield resumed. “Any bang-up ideas?”
“Let’s make it an Indian pow-wow!” proposed Ross. “We’ve got a lot of
costumes already sewed that we can use.”
Mr. Hatfield nodded and waited for other suggestions.
“An Indian script would be old stuff,” protested Dan. “It’s the first
idea that pops into one’s mind. Probably a dozen other organizations will
come up with the same thing.”
“Maybe you’ve got a better idea!” Ross scoffed.
“Well, no, I haven’t at the moment,” Dan admitted, and then his gaze
rested for a moment on the Robin Hood book. “Yes, I have too!” he
announced.
“Let’s hear it, Dan,” invited Mr. Hatfield. “If we’re to win first prize,
we need the best idea we can get.”
“Why not build our play around the adventures of Robin Hood?” Dan
proposed. “Remember? He was the famous archer who lived with his men in
the green glades of Sherwood Forest near Nottingham Town.”
“That was in the time of King Henry the Second, wasn’t it?” Brad asked,
taking up with the idea. “The forest setting would be dandy, and we could
have green costumes!”
“And throw in a little real archery,” added Fred. “Wasn’t Robin Hood
expert at it?”
“The very best,” Dan declared, paraphrasing the book he had just been
reading. “‘No archer ever lived that could speed a gray goose shaft with
more skill than he.’”
“Who wants to do Robin Hood?” Ross cut in. “An Indian pow-wow would be
more fun.”
“Indians are old stuff,” Chips Davis said. “Tell us more about Robin
Hood, Dan.”
“That would take some doing, because it’s a long book. I’ll tell you how
the story begins though. One day Robin Hood came upon a group of
foresters who twitted him about his ability as an archer. Robin Hood won
a wager with them by shooting a deer. The foresters were jealous and
turned upon him. One of the men shot an arrow at Robin Hood, who returned
the shot. Unfortunately, he killed the man, and became an outlaw.”
“Nothing in that idea,” broke in Ross. “I’m in favor of the Indian
pow-wow.”
“Oh, peddle your feathers somewhere else,” cut in another member of Den
1. “Dan’s idea sounds good! Tell us some more.”
“Robin Hood always befriended the poor people,” Dan explained. “The book
would provide any number of exciting scenes, including a big archery
tournament.”
“What characters could we have?” demanded Red Suell.
“The main part would go to Robin Hood. Then we could have the Sheriff of
Nottingham, Little John, foresters, the tinker, the king, Eric O’Lincoln,
the cook, Allan-a-Dale, the merry friar, and a dozen others.”
“Let’s do it!” urged Brad. “The play would be a lot of fun and give the
fellows a chance to practice with bows and arrows.”
Mr. Hatfield brought the proposal to a vote. Ross Langdon was the only
Cub who held out for the Indian pow-wow.
“I’m willing to go along on the Robin Hood idea if I can have his part,”
he said grudgingly.
“Modest, aren’t you?” Midge twitted him.
“Ross probably has a good reason for wanting the lead part,” said Mr.
Hatfield quickly. “How about it, Ross?”
The boy flushed and looked a bit ashamed. “Oh, I don’t want to be Robin
Hood just to have the lead part,” he defended himself.
“Then why not settle for one of the foresters?” demanded Red.
“I figure the one who plays Robin Hood should be the best archer in the
Pack. Well, that’s me.”
“You are a modest little guy!” Midge snorted. “I bet you can hit the
bull’s-eye every time at three paces back!”
“I’m good and you know it!” Ross insisted.
“You’re good and _you_ know it,” Midge growled. “Of all the conceit—”
“Never mind, boys,” said the Cub leader, breaking off what promised to be
a lively argument. “We’ll not quarrel about who has this or that part.
When the time comes, they’ll be assigned.”
“But don’t you think Robin Hood should be good with a bow and arrow?”
Ross demanded. “In the tournament scene, wouldn’t it be something if he
couldn’t hit the target?”
“I agree that the part of Robin Hood should be played by the Cub most
skilled with a bow and arrow,” Mr. Hatfield said. “We’ll determine that
by having a preliminary contest.”
“Suits me,” grinned Ross, pushing back his chair. “I’m the same as Robin
Hood right now!”
“Oh, one more surprise,” Mr. Hatfield said, as the boys started to leave
their places. “One of the Den Dads, Mr. Holloway, has a moving picture
camera. He will make a movie of the play as we work it out.”
“Where will we take the pictures?” Dan asked. “Here at the Cave?”
The room which the Cubs used in summer time for their meeting place was
high over the beach, reached by a long flight of stairs. Barely large
enough to hold all the boys at one time, it never would provide a
suitable background for the Robin Hood play.
“We’ll have to find ourselves a forest primeval to double for Sherwood
Forest,” Brad chuckled. “I know just the place too.”
“Where?” demanded Dan.
“Out west of the city near the Haunted Castle.”
“The Haunted Castle!” repeated Midge with keen interest. “Never heard of
such a place. How’d it get that name?”
Brad admitted that it was one he had made up. “The forest adjoins an old
place that resembles a deserted castle,” he explained. “When last I
visited the area, no one lived there.”
“Is it really haunted?” asked Chips.
“Now what do you think?” laughed Brad. “I’ve yet to meet an
honest-to-goodness ghost. But if there were any, the Castle would be an
ideal home for the old boy.”
“Suppose we investigate the Haunted Castle and the forest,” proposed Mr.
Hatfield. “The setting sounds first class to me, if we can get permission
to use the grounds. Who owns the place, Brad?”
“I don’t know sir, but I can find out.”
“I wish you would before our next meeting. If we’re aiming to win the
prize, we’ll have to get busy on the play right away.”
“I’ll look into the matter today,” Brad promised.
Enthusiastic over the prospect of acting in Robin Hood, the other Cubs
urged Mr. Hatfield to call another Pack meeting that coming Saturday.
“I’ll tell you what,” he consented. “Let’s have a hike. How would you
like to go out to the Haunted Castle and look over the place? If Ross
cares to bring along his archery set, we might get in a little practice.”
“Sure, I’ll fetch the equipment,” Ross offered willingly enough. “You’ll
see I wasn’t boasting when I said I can hit the bull’s-eye.”
“We’ll give you a thorough test,” Mr. Hatfield responded dryly.
The hour had come to close the meeting. After singing one of their songs,
the Cubs said good-bye to Mr. Hatfield and started off in little groups.
Descending the steps to the beach, Brad and Midge walked with Dan. Just
ahead, they could hear Ross complaining to a Den 1 Cub that the Robin
Hood idea wasn’t nearly as good as the one he had proposed.
“Oh, forget it,” the other boy advised. “Indians are stale.”
“I suppose the Robin Hood idea is original,” Ross retorted.
Brad, Dan and Midge knew Ross well enough to realize that he was not
likely to let the matter drop.
“I have a hunch he’ll make trouble before we’re through,” Brad said in an
undertone. “If he gets to be Robin Hood, he may go along. If not—well,
he’ll kick up a lot of dust.”
“Let him try,” replied Midge.
“Chances are Ross will win the part fair and square,” Dan said. “We all
know that despite his boasting he probably handles a bow and arrow better
than anyone in the Pack.”
“If he gets the part, the play is the same as ruined,” Midge predicted.
Brad, however, refused to take such a pessimistic view.
“Maybe Ross won’t win,” he said cheerfully. “It hasn’t been proven yet
that he’s the best shot. Wait until Saturday. Once we get to the Haunted
Castle he may whistle a different tune.”