Ignoring the jibe, Penny resumed: "Did you notice how Mrs. Lear acted
just as if the Burmasters were her friends."
"Perhaps she did that to throw us off the track. She asked us plenty of
questions but she didn't tell us one thing!"
"Yet she knows plenty. I'm convinced of that."
"Oh, come on to bed," Louise pleaded, yawning. "Can't you do your
speculating in the morning?"
With a laugh, Penny leaped into the very center of the feather bed,
missing her chum's anatomy by inches.
Soon Mrs. Lear came upstairs. She tapped softly on the door and inquired
if the girls had plenty of covers. Assured that they were comfortable,
she went on down the hall to her own room.
Worn from the long horseback ride, Louise fell asleep almost at once.
Penny felt too excited to be drowsy. She lay staring up at the ceiling,
reflecting upon the day's events. So far, the journey to the Valley had
netted little more than sore muscles.
"Yet there's mystery and intrigue here--I know it!" Penny thought. "If
only I could get a little tangible information!"
An hour elapsed and still the girl could not sleep. As she stirred
restlessly, she heard Mrs. Lear's bedroom door softly creak. In the
hallway boards began to tremble. Penny stiffened, listening. Distinctly,
she could hear someone tiptoeing past her door to the stairway.
"That must be Mrs. Lear," she thought. "But what can she be doing up at
this time of night?"
The question did not long remain unanswered. Boards squeaked steadily as
the old lady descended the stairs. A little silence. Then Penny heard two
long rings and a short one.
"Mrs. Lear is calling someone on the old-fashioned party-line telephone!"
she identified the sound.
Mrs. Lear's squeaky voice carried clearly up the stairway through the
half open bedroom door.
"That you, Silas?" Penny heard her say. "Well, those gals got here, just
as you said they would! First off they asked me about the Headless
Horseman."
A slight pause followed before Mrs. Lear added: "Don't you worry none,
Silas. Just count on me! They'll handle soft as kittens!"
And as she ended the telephone conversation, the old lady broke into
cackling laughter.
CHAPTER
8
_A RICH MAN'S TROUBLES_
Rain was drumming on the roof when Penny awakened the next morning.
Yawning sleepily, she sat up in bed. Beside her, Louise, curled into a
tight ball, slumbered undisturbed. But not for long. Penny tickled an
exposed foot until she opened her eyes.
"Get up, Lou!" she ordered pleasantly. "We've overslept."
"Oh, it's still night," Louise grumbled, trying to snuggle beneath the
covers again.
Penny stripped off all the blankets and pulled her chum from the bed.
"It's only so dark because it's raining," she explained. "Anyway, I have
something important to tell you."
As the girls dressed in the cold bedroom, Penny told Louise of the
telephone conversation she had heard the previous night.
"Mrs. Lear was talking to Silas Malcom I'm sure," she concluded. "And
about us too! She said we'd handle very easily."
Louise's eyes opened a trifle wider. "Then you figure Silas Malcom
intended to get us here on purpose!"
"I'm beginning to think so."
"But why?"
"Don't ask me," Penny said with a shrug. "These Valley folk aren't simple
by any means! Unless we watch our step they may take us for a merry
ride."
"Not with the Headless Horseman, I hope," Louise chuckled. "Why don't we
go home this morning and forget the whole silly affair?"
Penny shook her head. "I'm sticking until I find out what's going on
here," she announced. "It might mean a story for Dad's paper!"
"Oh, that's only your excuse," Louise teased. "You know you never could
resist a mystery, and this one certainly has baffling angles."
The girls washed in a basin of cold water and then went downstairs. Mrs.
Lear was baking pancakes in the warm kitchen. She flipped one neatly as
she reached with the other hand to remove the coffee pot from the stove.
"Good morning," she chirped. "Did you sleep right last night?"
Penny and Louise agreed that they had and edged close to the stove for
warmth. An old-fashioned clock on the mantel showed that it was only
eight o'clock. But eight o'clock for Mrs. Lear was a late hour, judging
by the amount of work she had done. A row of glass jars stood on the
table, filled with canned plums and peaches.
"You haven't put up all that fruit this morning?" gasped Louise.
Mrs. Lear admitted that she had. "But that ain't much," she added
modestly. "Only a bushel and a half. Won't hardly last no time at all."
Mrs. Lear cleared off the kitchen table, set it in a twinkling, and
placed before the girls a huge mound of stacked cakes.
"Now eat hearty," she advised. "I had mine hours ago."
As Penny ate, she sought to draw a little information from the eccentric
old woman. Deliberately, she brought up the subject of the Burmaster
family.
"What is it you want to know?" Mrs. Lear asked, smiling wisely.
"Why is Mrs. Burmaster so disliked in the community?"
"Because she's a scheming, trouble maker if there ever was one!" the old
lady replied promptly. "Mr. Burmaster ain't so bad, only he's pulled
around by the nose by that weepin', whinin' wife of his."
"Mrs. Burmaster seems to think that the valley folk treat her cruelly."
"She should talk about being cruel!" Mrs. Lear's dark eyes flashed. "You
know what them Burmasters done?"
"Only in a general way."
"Well, they come here, and forced folks to git off the land."
"Didn't Mr. Burmaster pay for what he bought?"
"Oh, it was done legal," Mrs. Lear admitted grudgingly. "You see, most o'
this valley was owned by a man in the East. He rented it out in parcels,
an' never bothered anyone even if they was behind in their payments."
"Then Mr. Burmaster bought the entire track of land from the Eastern
owner?" inquired Penny.
"That's right. All except these here four acres where my house sets. They
ain't nothin' in this world that will git me in a mood to sell to that
old skinflint. He's tried every trick in the bag already."
Penny thoughtfully reached for another pancake. As an impartial judge she
could see that there was something to be said on both sides of the
question. Mr. Burmaster had purchased his land legally, and so could not
be blamed for asking the former renters to move. Yet she sympathized with
the farmers who for so many years had considered the valley their own.
"This house o' mine ain't much to look at," Mrs. Lear commented
reflectively, "but it's been home fer a long time. Ain't nobody going to
get me out o' here."
"You own your own land?" inquired Louise.
"That I do," nodded Mrs. Lear proudly. "I got the deed hid under my bed
mattress."
"Won't you tell us about Mr. Burmaster's difficulty with the Headless
Horseman," Penny urged, feeling that the old lady was in a talkative
mood.
"What do you want to know?" Mrs. Lear asked cautiously.
"Is there really such a thing or is it just a story?"
"If you girls stay in this valley long enough you'll learn fer
yourselves," Mrs. Lear chuckled. "I'll warrant you'll see that Horseman."
"And you know who the prankster is!" Penny ventured daringly.
"Maybe I do," Mrs. Lear admitted with a chuckle. "But a ten-mule team
couldn't pry it out o' me, and neither can you!"
Before Penny could resume the subject, chickens began to squawk and
scatter in the barn yard. A large, expensive looking car pulled up near
the side door. Mrs. Lear peeped out of a window and her jaw set in a
firm, hard line.
"That's Mr. Burmaster now," she announced in a stage whisper. "Well, he
ain't goin' to pressure me. No sir! I'll give him as good as he sends!"
After Mr. Burmaster pounded on the kitchen door, the old lady took her
time before she let him in.
"Good morning," he said brightly.
"Humph! What's good about it?" Mrs. Lear shot back. "It's rainin', ain't
it? And if we git much more o' it this fall, the dam up Huntley way's
goin' to let go shore as I'm a standin' here."
"Nonsense!" replied the estate owner impatiently. He stepped into the
kitchen. Seeing Penny and Louise, he looked rather surprised and a trifle
embarrassed.
"Go on and say what you come to say," Mrs. Lear encouraged. "Don't stand
on no ceremony jus' cause I got city visitors."
Obviously Mr. Burmaster did not like to speak before strangers, but there
was no other way.
"You know why I am here, Mrs. Lear," he began. "I've already made several
offers for your property--"
"And I've turned 'em all down."
"Yes, but this time I hope you'll listen to reason. Last night my wife
had a near collapse after a boy rode a horse across the bridge by our
house. All this stupid talk about Headless Horsemen has inspired the
community to do mischief. Now every boy in the Valley is trying pranks."
"Then why not ketch the Horseman and put an end to it?" Mrs. Lear asked
impudently.
"Nothing would please me better. But we've had no success. My wife can't
endure the strain much longer. It's driving her to a frenzy."
"I'm sorry about that," replied Mrs. Lear stonily. "There ain't nothin' I
can do."
"I want you to sell this property," Mr. Burmaster pleaded. "At least that
will remove one irritation. You see, my wife considers the place an
eyesore. She can see your house from our living room window. It ruins an
otherwise perfect view of the valley."
"Now ain't that too bad!" Mrs. Lear's tone was sarcastic. "Well, let me
tell you somethin'. That place o' yorn spoils my view too!"
"I'm afraid I haven't made myself clear," Mr. Burmaster said hastily.
"It's a matter of my wife's health."
"Your wife ain't no more ailin' than I be," Mrs. Lear retorted. "If she
didn't have my house to bother her it would be somethin' else. I ain't
goin' to sell and that's all there is to it!"
"You've not heard my offer. I'll give you two thousand dollars for this
place--cash."
Mrs. Lear looked a trifle stunned.
"At best the place isn't worth five hundred," Mr. Burmaster resumed. "But
I aim to be generous."
"I won't sell," Mrs. Lear said firmly. "Not at any price. Them's my final
words."
Mr. Burmaster had kept his voice carefully controlled but the old lady's
decision angered him.
"You'll regret this!" he said in a harsh tone. "I've been very patient
but I warn you! From now on I shall act in my own interests."
"Have you ever acted in any other?" drawled a voice from behind the
estate owner.
Everyone turned quickly. Joe Quigley, the young station agent, stood
framed in the open doorway. Smiling at Burmaster in a grim way, he came
slowly into the kitchen.
CHAPTER
9
_STRAIGHT FROM THE SHOULDER_
A silence had fallen upon those in the room. Joe Quigley shook rain drops
from his overcoat. Deliberately he took his time hanging the coat over a
chair in front of the cook stove. Then, still smiling in an ironic way,
he faced Burmaster.
"I repeat," he challenged, "did you ever act in any manner except for
your own interest?"
"You are insulting! Insolent!" Mr. Burmaster snapped. "But I'll not be
drawn into an argument with you. Good morning!"
Quigley blocked the door. "Not so fast," he drawled. "Matter of fact, I
was on my way to your house. Saw your car standing in Mrs. Lear's yard,
so I figured you were here."
"If you have a telegram for me I'll take it."
"The only message I have is a verbal one," answered Quigley. "Our mayor
from Delta, Bradley Mason, asked me to talk to you about the Huntley
Dam."
"The subject doesn't interest me."
"It should interest every man, woman and child in this valley!" Quigley
retorted. "If the dam gives way flood waters will sweep straight down the
valley. Your house would be destroyed before you knew there was any
danger!"
"Really?" Mr. Burmaster's smile was a sneer. "Let me worry about my own
property."
"As a matter of record, I don't lose any sleep over you," Quigley
responded heatedly. "But I am thinking about Mrs. Lear and the people
living in Delta. Not to mention the towns on down the line which would be
in the direct path of the flood."
"If the good people of Delta are endangered why don't they repair the dam
themselves?"
"For the reason that we can't raise the money. We've tried."
"Then the State should act in the matter. I'm willing to write my
senator--"
"Repairs are needed now, not three months later. Mr. Burmaster, you have
the money and you'd be doing the community a great service to lend help.
We're not asking for a donation. It's as much to your interest as ours to
protect the valley."
"There's no danger," Burmaster said angrily. "Not a particle. It's only a
scheme to shake me down for money."
Brushing past the station agent, the man went out into the rain. In
driving out of the yard he turned the car so sharply that it skidded on
its wheels.
"Well, that's that," Quigley remarked with a shrug. "I should have saved
my breath."
"I'm glad _he's_ gone," Mrs. Lear announced tartly. "Will you have a bite
o' breakfast, Joe?"
"No, thanks," the young station agent replied. "I'm due for my trick at
the Depot in twenty minutes. Have to run along."
The girls were sorry to see Joe Quigley go so soon for they had hoped to
have a long talk with him. After he had disappeared into the rain they
tried without much success to draw more information from Mrs. Lear. The
old lady was in no mood to discuss the Burmasters, but she did have a
great deal to say about flood danger to the valley.
"'Tain't usual that we have so much rain," she declared. "Not at this
time o' year. Old Red River's floodin' to the brim, an keeps pourin' more
and more into the Huntley Lake basin. The dam there was built years ago
and it wasn't much to brag on from the start."
"Haven't authorities inspected the dam recently?" Penny inquired
thoughtfully.
"Oh, some young whippersnapper come here a month ago and took a quick
look and said the dam would hold," Mrs. Lear replied, tossing her head.
"But he ain't livin' in the Valley. We want repairs made and we want 'em
quick--not next year."
"Since Mr. Burmaster refuses to help is there nothing that can be done?"
"There's some as thinks a little piece in the city papers might help,"
Mrs. Lear said, giving Penny a quick, shrewd glance. "Your pa's a
newspaper owner, ain't he?"
"Yes, he owns the _Riverview Star_."
Penny gazed across the table at Louise. It struck both girls that Mrs.
Lear was very well informed about their affairs. How had the old lady
learned that Mr. Parker was a newspaper man if not from Silas Malcom?
More than ever Penny was convinced that she had been lured to Red Valley,
perhaps for the purpose of interesting her famous father in the Huntley
Dam project.
"You've been very kind, Mrs. Lear," she said, abruptly arising from the
table. "Louise and I appreciate your hospitality. However, we want to pay
for our room and meals before we go."
"You don't owe me a penny," the old lady laughed. "Furthermore, you ain't
leavin' yet."
"We must. There's an afternoon train--"
"And there'll be another along tomorrow. Why, you'd catch your death o'
cold ridin' hoss back all the way to Hobostein."
"The rain should let up soon."
"It should, but it won't," Mrs. Lear declared. "Why don't you stay until
tomorror anyhow? Then you could go to the barn dance tonight at Silas'
place."
At the moment, the girls were not greatly intrigued at the prospect of
attending a barn dance. The steady rain had depressed them. Though the
long journey to Red Valley had proven interesting, it scarcely seemed
worth the exhausting effort. They had learned very little about the
so-called Headless Horseman and doubted that any truly valuable
information would come their way.
"If you stay over maybe you'll git a chance to see that hoss-ridin'
ghost," Mrs. Lear said slyly. "Seems like it's mostly on bad nights that
he does his prowlin'."
The girls helped with the dishes. They made the bed and watched Mrs. Lear
sew on a rag rug. At intervals they wandered to the windows. Rain fell
steadily, showing not the slightest sign of a let up.
"Didn't I tell you," Mrs. Lear said gleefully. "It's settlin' for a good
healthy pour. You might jest as well calculate on stayin' another night."
"But our parents will be expecting us home," Louise protested.
"Send 'em a wire from Delta," Mrs. Lear urged. "Reckon this rain'll maybe
slacken a bit come afternoon."
Throughout the long morning Louise and Penny wandered restlessly about
the house. Now and then they sought without success to draw information
from Mrs. Lear about the mysterious prankster. From the merry twinkle in
her eyes they were convinced she knew a great deal. Pry it from her they
could not.
"Maybe that Headless Horseman ain't nobody human," she chuckled. "Maybe
it's a real haunt. I mind the time somebody witched my cow. The stubborn
critter didn't give no milk for eight days steady."
Penny and Louise weren't sure whether the old lady was serious or trying
to tease them. After awhile they gave up attempting to solve such an
enigma. By noon they had reconciled themselves to staying another night
at Red Valley. However, scarcely had they made their decision to remain,
than the sky cleared.
"We're stuck here anyway," Penny sighed. "We couldn't possibly ride our
horses back to Hobostein in time to catch the afternoon train."
After luncheon the girls hiked across-fields to the picturesque little
town of Delta. There they dropped in at the depot to chat with Joe
Quigley and send a telegram to their parents.
"If time's heavy on your hands why not take a little jaunt to the Huntley
Dam?" the station agent suggested. "It should be well worth your time."
Penny and Louise decided to do just that. At Mrs. Lear's once more, they
saddled their horses and took the pike road to a well-marked trail which
led up into the hills. Ditches were brimming with fast running water, yet
there was no other evidence of flood.
"Do you suppose all this talk about the dam being weak is just talk?"
Penny speculated as they rode along. "In case of real danger one would
think State authorities would step into the picture."
Soon the girls came to the winding Red River. Swollen by the fall rains,
the current raced madly over rocks and stones. The roar of rushing water
warned them that they were close to the dam. In another moment they
glimpsed a mighty torrent of water pouring in a silvery white ribbon over
the high barrier.
Men could be seen working doggedly as they piled sandbag upon sandbag to
strengthen the weakened structure.
Suddenly Penny noticed a man and woman who wore raincoats, watching the
workmen.
"Lou, there's Mr. and Mrs. Burmaster!" she exclaimed.
They drove closer to the dam. Mr. and Mrs. Burmaster were talking so
earnestly together that they did not observe the newcomers. The roar of
water drowned the sound of hoofbeats. But the wind blew directly toward
the girls. Mrs. Burmaster's voice, shrill and angrily, came to them
clearly:
"You can't do it, John! I won't allow it!" she admonished her husband.
"You're not to give the people of this valley one penny! The dam is
perfectly safe."
"I'm not so sure," he said, pointing to the far side of the structure.
As he spoke a tiny portion of the dam seemed to melt away. The girls,
watching tensely, saw several sandbags swept over the brink. Workmen
raced to repair the damage. Mrs. Burmaster seemed stunned by the sight,
but only for an instant.
"I don't care!" she cried. "Not a penny of our money goes into this dam!
It will hold. Anyway, I'd rather drown than be bested by that hateful old
lady Lear!"
"But Matilda--"
"Don't speak to me of it again! Get her out of this Valley--tear down her
shack! If you don't, I warn you, I'll take matters into my own hands!"
Turning abruptly, Mrs. Burmaster walked angrily down the trail.
CHAPTER
10
_BARN DANCE_
Mr. Burmaster was too distracted to pay heed to Penny and Louise.
Brushing past them, he hastened after his wife.
Neither of the girls commented upon the conversation they had overheard.
For a long while they sat on their horses, gazing in awe at the tumbling
water.
"If ever that dam should let go--" Penny shuddered, "why, the valley
would be flooded in just a few minutes. I doubt folks could be warned in
time."
"It looks as if it could give way any second too," Louise added uneasily.
"Why don't we get out of this valley and stay away?"
"And forget the mystery?"
"A lot of good a mystery would do us if that dam lets go! Penny, we were
crazy to come here in the first place!"
"But I want to get a big story for Dad's paper. There's one here."
"I know not what course others may take," Louise quoted grandly. "As for
myself, I'm going home on tomorrow's train--rain or shine."
"We'll both have to go," Penny agreed in a discouraged tone. "I had my
chance here, but somehow I've muffed it."
For a half hour longer the girls remained at the dam watching the
workmen. Presently returning to the Lear cottage they found Mrs. Lear in
the warm kitchen, cooking supper.
"I'm settin' the victuals on early tonight," she announced. "We ain't got
any too much time to git to the frolic at Silas' place."
Penny and Louise were not sure that they cared to attend the barn dance.
Mrs. Lear, however, was deaf to all excuses. She whisked supper onto the
table and the instant dishes were done, said that she would hitch
Trinidad to the buggy.
"It won't take us long to git there," she encouraged the girls as they
reluctantly followed her to the barn. "Trinidad's a fast steppin'
critter. Best horse in the county fer that matter."
Soon the ancient buggy was rattling at a brisk clip along the winding
woodland road. Mrs. Lear allowed Trinidad to slacken pace as they neared
the Burmaster estate.
"Look at that house!" she chortled, waving her buggy whip. "Every light
in the place lit up! Know why? Mrs. Burmaster's afeared o' her shadder.
Come dark and she's skeared to stick her nose out the door."
"You don't seem to be afraid of anything," Penny remarked in admiration.
"Me afeared?" the old lady laughed gleefully. "What's there to be skeared
of?"
"Well--perhaps a certain Headless Horseman."
Mrs. Lear hooted. "If I was to see that critter a-comin' right now and he
had twenty heads, I wouldn't even bat an eye!"
Horse and buggy approached the giant tulip tree whose gnarled branches
were twisted into fantastic shapes. "See that tree?" Mrs. Lear demanded.
"In Revolutionary days a traitor was hanged from that lower limb.
Sometimes you kin still hear his spirit sighin' and moanin'."
"You mean the wind whistling through the tree limbs," Penny supplied.
"Didn't sound like wind to me," Mrs. Lear corrected with a grin. "There's
some that's afeared to pass under this tree come night--but not me!"
The buggy rattled on, its top brushing against the overhanging branches
of the giant tulip. It had grown very dark and the shadows of the woods
had a depressing effect upon the girls. They were glad to see the lights
of the Malcom place on the hill and even more pleased to drive into the
yard.
"You gals go right on in," Mrs. Lear advised, leaping lightly from the
buggy. "I'll look after Trinidad."
The barn dance already was in progress. Crossing the yard, the girls
could hear gay laughter above the lively squeak of fiddles. Through the
open barn door they glimpsed a throng of young people whirling in the
intricate steps of a square dance.
"We're certain to be wall flowers at a party such as this," Louise
remarked sadly.
The girls found themselves a quiet corner from which to watch the
merrymakers. However, they were not permitted to remain there. At the end
of the first dance, Joe Quigley came to ask Penny for a dance. To
Louise's secret joy he brought along a young man who promptly invited her
to be his partner.
"But we don't know how to square dance," Penny protested.
"Won't take you long to learn," Joe chuckled, pulling her to her feet.
The fiddler broke into a lively tune. Silas Malcom, acting as caller,
shouted boisterous directions to the dancers: "Balance all, balance
eight, swing 'em like a-swingin' on a gate."
Joe Quigley, expert dancer that he was, fairly swept Penny through the
intricate formations. Before she hardly was aware of it, the dance was
over and Silas called out: "Meet your partner and promenade home."
After that the girls did not lack for partners. The night sped on magic
wings. Penny danced many times with Joe and ate supper with him. Then,
noticing that the party was starting to break up, she looked about for
Mrs. Lear. The old lady was nowhere to be seen. Nor could Louise recall
having seen her for the past half hour. Somewhat disturbed, they crossed
the room to talk to old Silas Malcom.
"Mrs. Lear went home a good hour ago," he told them. "She said she had to
git some sleep, but you gals was havin' so much fun she didn't have the
heart to take you away."
Penny and Louise could not hide their consternation. With Mrs. Lear gone
they would have no way of getting back to the cottage.
"Don't you worry none," Old Silas chuckled. "Joe Quigley will take you
home. An' if he don't there's plenty o' young bucks waitin' fer the
chanst."
The arrangement was not in the least to the girls' liking. The party,
they could see, rapidly was breaking up. Joe Quigley seemed to have
disappeared. Nearly all of the girls except themselves were supplied with
escorts.
"I don't like this--not by a little bit!" Penny muttered. "Let's get out
of here, Lou."
"How will we get back to Mrs. Lear's place?"
"Walk."
"Without an escort?"
"It's not far."
"We'll have to pass the Burmaster place and that horrid tulip tree."
"Who's afraid of a tulip tree?" Penny laughed. "Come on, if we don't get
away quickly Old Silas will ask some young man to take us home. That
would be humiliating."
Louise reluctantly followed her chum. The girls obtained their wraps and
without attracting attention, slipped out a side door.
"Why do you suppose Mrs. Lear slipped off without saying a word?" Louise
complained as she and Penny walked rapidly along the dark, muddy road.
"Our shoes will be ruined!"
"So is my ego!" Penny added irritably. "Joe Quigley certainly let us down
too. He was attentive enough until after supper. Then he simply
vanished."
The night was very dark for driving clouds had blotted out the stars.
Overhanging trees cast a cavernous gloom upon the twisting hillside road.
Louise caught herself shivering. Sternly she told herself that it came
from the cold air rather than nervousness.
Presently the girls approached the Burmaster estate. No lights were
burning, but the rambling building loomed up white and ghost-like through
the trees.
"I'll breathe natural when we're across the bridge," Penny admitted with
a laugh. "If Mr. Burmaster keeps a guard hidden in the bushes, the fellow
might heave a rock at us on general principles."
There was no sign of anyone near the estate. Yet both Penny and Louise
sensed that they were being watched. The unpleasant sensation of
uneasiness increased as they drew nearer the foot bridge.
"Penny, I'm scared," Louise suddenly admitted.
"Of what?" Penny asked with forced cheerfulness.
"It's too quiet."
The half-whispered words died on Louise's lips. Unexpectedly, the
stillness of the night was broken by the clatter of hoofbeats.
Startled, the girls whirled around. A horse with a rider had plunged
through the dense bushes only a short distance behind them. At a hard run
he came straight toward the foot bridge.
"The ghost rider!" Louise whispered in terror.
She and Penny stood frozen in their tracks. Plainly they could see the
white-robed figure. His lumpy, misshapen hulk, seemed rigidly fastened to
the horse. Where his head should have been there was only a stub.
CHAPTER
11
_THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN_
Swift as the wind, the headless horseman approached the narrow bridge.
Penny seized Louise's hand, jerking her off the road. The ghost rider
thundered past them onto the bridge planks which resounded beneath the
steel-shod hoofs.
"Jeepers creepers!" Penny whispered. "That's no boy prankster this time!
It's the real thing!"
The thunder of hoofbeats had not gone unheard by those within the walls
of Sleepy Hollow. Lights flashed on in the house. Two men with lanterns
came running from the mill shack.
"Get him! Get him!" screamed a woman's voice from an upstairs window of
the house.
The clamor did not seem to disturb the goblin rider. At unchanged pace he
clattered across the bridge to its far side. As the two men ran toward
him, he suddenly swerved, plunging his horse across a ditch and up a
steep bank. There he drew rein for an instant. Rising in his stirrups, he
hurled a small, hard object at the two guards. It missed them by inches
and fell with a thud on the bridge. Then with a laugh that resembled no
earthly sound, the Headless Horseman rode through a gap in the bushes and
was gone.
Louise and Penny ran to the bridge. Half way across they found the object
that had been hurled. It was a small, round stone to which had been
fastened a piece of paper.
Penny picked up the missile. Before she could examine it, Mr. Burmaster
came running from the house. He had not taken time to dress, but had
thrown a bathrobe over his pajamas.
"You let that fellow get away again!" he shouted angrily to the two
workmen. "Can't you ever stay on the job?"
"See here, Mr. Burmaster," one of the men replied. "We work eight hours a
day and then do guard duty at night. You can't expect us to stay awake
twenty-four hours a day!"
"All right, all right," Mr. Burmaster retorted irritably. Turning toward
the bridge he saw Louise and Penny. "Well, so you're here again?" he
observed, though not in an unfriendly tone.
Penny explained that she and Louise had attended the barn dance and were
on their way to the Lear cabin.
"What's that you have in your hand?" he interrupted.
"A stone that the Headless Horseman threw at your workmen. There's a
paper tied to it."
"Let's have it," Mr. Burmaster commanded.
Penny handed over the stone though she would have preferred to have
examined it herself. Mr. Burmaster cut the string which kept the paper in
place. He held it beneath one of the lanterns.
Large capital letters cut from newspaper headlines had been pasted in an
uneven row across the page. The words spelled a message which read:
"KICK IN HANDSOMELY ON THE HUNTLEY DAM FUND. IF YOU OBLIGE, THE GALLOPING
GHOST WILL BOTHER YOU NO MORE."
Mr. Burmaster read the message aloud and crumpling the paper, stuffed it
into the pocket of his robe.
"There, you see!" he cried angrily. "It's all a plot to force me to put
up money for the Huntley Dam!"
"Who do you think the prankster is?" Penny asked.
"How should I know!" Mr. Burmaster stormed. "The townspeople of Delta may
be behind the scheme. Or those hill rats like Silas Malcom! Then it could
be Old Lady Lear."
"Can she ride a horse?" Louise interposed.
"Can that old witch ride?" Mr. Burmaster snorted. "She was born in a
saddle. Has one of the best horses in the valley too. A jumper."
Penny and Louise thought of Trinidad with new respect. Not without
misgiving they recalled that Mrs. Lear had slipped away from the barn
dance ahead of them. Wisely they kept the knowledge to themselves.
"I'll give a thousand dollars for the capture of that rascal!" Mr.
Burmaster went on. "And if it proves to be Mrs. Lear I'll add another
five hundred."
"Why, not be rid of the Ghost in an easier way?" Penny suggested. "Give
the money to the Huntley Dam Fund."
"Never! I'll not be blackmailed! Besides, the rains are letting up.
There's no danger."
Penny and Louise did not attempt to argue the matter. The Huntley Dam
feud was none of their concern. By the following day they expected to be
far from the valley.
"There's another person who might be behind this," Mr. Burmaster
continued. "A newspaper editor at Hobostein. He always hated me and he's
been using his paper to write ugly editorials. I ought to sue him for
slander."
Though the Headless Horseman episode had excited the girls, they were
tired and eager to get to Mrs. Lear's. Accordingly, they cut the
conversation short and started on down the road. Mr. Burmaster fell into
step walking with them as far as the house.
"Come to see us sometime," he invited with a cordiality that astonished
the girls. "Mrs. Burmaster gets very lonesome. She's nervous but she
means well."
"I'm sure she does," Penny responded kindly. She hesitated, then added:
"I do hope you catch the prankster. Have you considered putting a
barricade at the end of the bridge?"
"Can't do it. When we built this place we had to agree to keep the
footbridge open to pedestrians."
"Suppose one had a moveable barrier," Penny suggested. "Couldn't your
workmen keep watch and swing it into place after the Horseman started
across the bridge? With one at each end he'd be trapped."
"It's an idea to be considered," Mr. Burmaster admitted. "The only
trouble is that my workmen aren't worth their salt as guards. But we'll
see."
Penny and Louise soon bade the estate owner goodnight and went on down
the road. Once beyond hearing they discussed the possibility that Mrs.
Lear might have masqueraded as the Headless Horseman.
"It was queer the way she disappeared from the dance," Penny speculated.
"Granting that she's a spry old lady, I doubt she'd have it in her to
pull off the trick."
"I'm not so sure," Louise argued. "Mr. Burmaster said she was a wonderful
rider. Didn't you think that horse tonight looked like Trinidad?"
"Goodness, it was too dark to see! In any case, what about the buggy?"
"Mrs. Lear could have unhitched it somewhere in the woods."
Penny shook her head. "It doesn't add up somehow. For that matter,
nothing about this affair does."
Rounding a curve, the girls came within view of the Lear cabin. No light
burned, but they took it for granted Mrs. Lear had gone to bed.
"Let's give a look-see in the barn," Penny proposed. "I want to make sure
that our horses are all right."
"And to see that the buggy is there too," laughed Louise.
They went past the dripping water trough to the barn and opened the
doors. White Foot nickered. Bones kicked at the stall boards. Penny
tossed both horses a few ears of corn and then walked on to Trinidad's
stall. It was empty. Nor was there any evidence of a buggy.
"Well, what do you think of that!" Penny commented. "Mrs. Lear's not been
home!"
"Then maybe Mr. Burmaster's theory is right!" Louise exclaimed, staring
at the empty stall. "Mrs. Lear could have been the one!"
"Listen!" commanded Penny.
Plainly the girls could hear a horse and vehicle coming down the road. It
was Mrs. Lear, and a moment later she turned into the yard. Penny swung
open the barn doors. Trinidad rattled in and pulled up short. His sleek
body was covered with sweat as if he had been driven hard.
Mrs. Lear leaped lightly to the barn floor and began to unhitch the
horse.
"Well, I'm mighty glad to find you here," she chirped. "Joe brought you
home, didn't he?"
Penny replied that she and Louise had walked.
"You don't say!" the old woman exclaimed. "I went down the road a piece
to see a friend o' mine. By the time I got back the frolic was over. I
calculated Joe must have brought you home."
Penny and Louise offered little comment as they helped Mrs. Lear unhitch
Trinidad. However, they could see that the old lady was fairly
brimming-over with suppressed excitement.
"It's late, but I ain't one bit tired," Mrs. Lear declared as they all
entered the house. "There's somethin' mighty stimulatin' about a barn
dance."
Penny was tempted to remark that her hostess had spent very little time
at Silas Malcom's place. Instead she remained silent.
The girls went at once to bed. Mrs. Lear did not follow them upstairs
immediately, but puttered about the kitchen preparing herself a midnight
snack. Finally her step was heard on the stairs.
"Good night, girls," she called cheerfully as she passed their door.
"Sleep tight."
Mrs. Lear entered her own bedroom. Her door squeaked shut. A shoe was
heard to thud on the floor, then another.
"I wish I knew what to think," Penny confided to Louise in a whisper.
"She's the queerest old lady--"
Louise had no opportunity to reply. For both girls were startled to hear
a shrill cry from the far end of the hall.
The next instant their bedroom door burst open. Mrs. Lear, grotesque in
old fashioned flannel nightgown, staggered into the room.
"Why, what's wrong?" Penny asked in astonishment.
"I've been robbed!" Mrs. Lear proclaimed wildly. "I've been robbed!"
CHAPTER
12
_PREMONITIONS_
Penny leaped out of bed and touched a match to the wick of an oil lamp.
In its flickering yellow glow Mrs. Lear looked as pale as a ghost.
"While we were at the barn dance someone broke into the house," the old
lady explained in an agitated voice. "The deed's gone! Now I'll be put
off my land like the others. Oh, lawseeme, I wisht I was dead!"
"What deed do you mean?" Penny asked, perplexed.
"Why, the deed to this house and my land! I've always kept it under the
mattress o' my bed. Now it's gone!"
"Isn't the deed recorded?"
"No, it ain't. I always calculated on havin' it done, but I wanted to
save the fee long as I could. Figured to have the property put in my
son's name jes' before I up and died. He's married and livin' in Omaha.
Now see what a mess I'm in."
"If the deed is lost and not recorded, you are in difficulties," Penny
agreed.
"Perhaps it isn't lost," said Louise, encouragingly. "Did you search
everywhere, Mrs. Lear?"
"I pulled the bed half to pieces."
"We'll help you look for it," Penny offered. "It must be here somewhere."
"This is the fust time in twenty years that anyone ever stole anything
off me," the old lady wailed as she led the way down the dark hall. "But
I kinda knowed somethin' like this was goin' to happen."
Mrs. Lear's bedroom was in great disorder. Blankets had been strewn over
the floor and the limp mattress lay doubled up on the springs.
"You see!" the old lady cried. "The deed's gone! I've looked everywhere."
Penny and Louise carefully folded all the blankets. They straightened the
mattress and searched carefully along the springs. They looked beneath
the bed. The missing paper was not to be found.
"Are you sure you didn't hide it somewhere else?" Penny asked.
"Fer ten years I've kept that deed under the bed mattress!" the old lady
snapped. "Oh, it's been stole all right. An' there's the tracks o' the
thievin' rascal that did it too!"
Mrs. Lear lowered the oil lamp closer to the floor. Plainly visible were
the muddy heelprints of a woman's shoe. The marks had left smudges on the
rag rugs which dotted the room; they crisscrossed the bare floor to the
door, the window and the bed. Penny and Louise followed the trail down
the hallway to the stairs. They picked it up again in the kitchen and
there lost it.
"You don't need to follow them tracks no further," Mrs. Lear advised
grimly. "I know who it was that stole the deed. There ain't nobody could
o' done it but Mrs. Burmaster!"
"Mrs. Burmaster!" Louise echoed, rather stunned by the accusation.
"She'd move Heaven and Earth to git me off this here bit o' land. She
hates me, and I hate her."
"But how could Mrs. Burmaster know you had the deed?" Penny asked. "You
never told her, did you?"
"Seems to me like onest in an argument I did say somethin' about having
it here in the house," Mrs. Lear admitted. "We was goin' it hot and heavy
one day, an' I don't remember jest what I did tell her. Too much, I
reckon."
The old lady sat down heavily in a chair by the stove. She looked sick
and beaten.
"Don't take it so hard," Penny advised kindly. "You can't be sure that
Mrs. Burmaster stole the deed."
"Who else would want it?"
"Some other person might have done it for spite."
Mrs. Lear shook her head. "So far's I know, I ain't got another enemy in
the whole world. Oh, Mrs. Burmaster done it all right."
"But what can she hope to gain?" asked Penny.
"She aims to put me off this land."
"Mr. Burmaster seems like a fairly reasonable man. I doubt he'd make any
use of the deed even if his wife turned it over to him."
"Maybe not," Mrs. Lear agreed, "but Mrs. Burmaster ain't likely to give
it to her husband. She'll find some other way to git at me. You see!"
Nothing Penny or Louise could say cheered the old lady.
"Don't you worry none about me," she told them. "I'll brew a cup o' tea
and take some aspirin. Then maybe I kin think up a way to git that deed
back. I ain't through yet--not by a long shot!"
Long after Penny and Louise had gone back to bed the old lady remained in
the kitchen. It was nearly three o'clock before they heard her tiptoe
upstairs to her room. But at seven the next morning she was abroad as
usual and had breakfast waiting for them.
"I've thought things through," she told Penny as she poured coffee from a
blackened pot. "It won't do no good to go to Mrs. Burmaster and try to
make her give up that deed. I'll jes wait and see what she does fust."
"And in the meantime, the deed may show up," Penny replied. "Even though
you think Mrs. Burmaster took it, there's always a chance that it was
only misplaced."
"Foot tracks don't lie," the old lady retorted. "I was out lookin' around
early this morning. Them prints lead from my door straight toward the
Burmasters!"
Deeply as were the girls interested in Mrs. Lear's problem, they knew
that they could be of no help to her. Already they had lingered in Red
Valley far longer than their original plan. They shuddered to think what
their parents would say if and when they returned to Riverview.
"Lou, we have to start for Hobostein right away!" Penny announced. "We'll
be lucky if we get there in time to catch a train home."
Mrs. Lear urged her young guests to remain another day, but to her kind
invitation they turned deaf ears. In vain they pressed money upon her.
She refused to accept anything so Penny was compelled to hide a bill in
the teapot where it would be found later.
"You'll come again?" the old lady asked almost plaintively as she bade
them goodbye.
"We'll try to," Penny promised, mounting Bones. "But if we do it will be
by train."
"I got a feeling I ain't goin' to be here much longer," Mrs. Lear said
sadly.
"Don't worry about the deed," Penny tried to cheer her. "Even if Mrs.
Burmaster should have it, she may be afraid to try to make trouble for
you."
"It ain't just that biddy I'm worried about. It's somethin' deeper." Mrs.
Lear's clear gaze swept toward the blue-rimmed hills.
Penny and Louise waited for her to go on. After a moment she did.
"Seen a rain crow a settin' on the fence this morning. There'll be rain
an' a lot of it. Maybe the dam will hold, an' again, maybe it won't."
"Shouldn't you move to the hills?" Penny asked anxiously.
Mrs. Lear's answer was a tight smile, hard as granite.
"Nothin' on Earth kin move me off this land. Nothin'. If the flood takes
my house it'll take me with it!"
The old lady extended a bony hand and gravely bade each of the girls
goodbye.
Penny and Louise rode their horses to the curve of the road and then
looked back. Mrs. Lear stood by the gate for all the world like a statue
of bronze. They waved a fast farewell but she did not appear to see. Her
eyes were raised to the misty hills and she stood thus until the trees
blotted her from view.
CHAPTER
13
_RAIN_
"Somehow I can't get Old Mrs. Lear out of my mind, Lou. I keep wondering
what happened at Red Valley after we left."
Penny sprawled on the davenport of the Parker home, one blue wedge draped
over its rolling upholstered arm. Her chum, Louise, had curled herself
kitten fashion in a chair across the room.
A full week now had elapsed since the two girls had returned to Riverview
from Red Valley. During that time it had rained nearly every day. Even
now, a misty drizzle kept the girls indoors.
"Wonder if it's raining at Red Valley?" Penny mused.
"Why don't you tear that place out of your mind?" Louise demanded a bit
impatiently. "We tried to solve the mystery and we couldn't, so let's
forget it."
"I do try, but I can't," Penny sighed. "I keep telling myself Mrs. Lear
must be the person who masquerades as the Headless Horseman. Yet I can't
completely accept such a theory."
"You'll go batty if you keep on!"
"The worst of it is that everyone laughs at me," Penny complained. "If I
so much as mention the Headless Horseman Dad starts to crack jokes."
A step sounded on the porch. "Speaking of your father, here he comes
now," Louise observed, and straightened in her chair.
Penny did not bother to undrape herself from the davenport. "'Lo, Dad,"
she greeted her father as he came in. "Aren't you home early for lunch?"
"I am about half an hour ahead of schedule," Mr. Parker agreed. He spoke
to Louise as he casually dropped an edition of the _Riverview Star_ into
his daughter's hands. "That town of yours has smashed into print, Penny."
"What town?" Penny's feet came down from the arm of the davenport and she
seized the paper. "Not Red Valley?"
"Red Valley is very much in the news," Mr. Parker replied. "These rains
are weakening the dam and some of the experts are becoming alarmed. They
are sending someone up to look it over."
"Oh, Dad! I tried to tell you!" Penny cried excitedly. With Louise
peering over her shoulder, she spread out the front page of the paper and
read the story.
"Oh, it hardly tells a thing!" she complained after she had scanned it.
"So far there's not been much to report," Mr. Parker replied. "But if the
dam should let go--wow! Would that be a story! I'm sending my best staff
photographer there to get pictures."
Penny pricked up her ears. "Salt Sommers?" she demanded.
"Yes, the _Star_ can't take a chance on being scooped by another paper."
"Speaking of chances, Lou, this is ours!" Penny cried. "Why don't we go
to Red Valley with Salt?"
"Now just a minute," interrupted Mr. Parker. "Salt's going there on
business and he'll have no time for any hocus-pocus. You'll be a bother
to him!"
"A bother to Salt!" Penny protested indignantly. "Why, the very idea!"
"Another thing," Mr. Parker resumed, "Red Valley isn't considered the
safest place in the world just now. While it's unlikely the dam will give
way, still the possibility exists. If it should, the break will come
without warning and there's apt to be a heavy loss of life."
"But not mine," said Penny with great confidence. "Don't forget that I
won three ribbons and a medal this year. Not for being a poor swimmer
either."
"All the same, I shouldn't be too boastful," her father advised dryly.
"When is Salt leaving?" Penny demanded.
"Any time now. But I'm sure he won't let you tag along."
"We'll see if we can change his mind," Penny grinned, reaching for the
telephone. Disregarding her father's frown, she called the photographer
at the _Star_ office. Salt was leaving for Red Valley in twenty minutes,
and he willingly agreed to take two passengers.
"There, you see!" Penny cried triumphantly, slamming the receiver into
its hook.
"I don't like the idea," Mr. Parker grumbled. "Let's hear what Mrs. Weems
has to say."
The housekeeper, it developed, had a great deal to say. Penny, however,
was equal to all arguments. So eloquently did she plead her case that
Mrs. Weems weakened.
"You've wanted an old spinning wheel for months," Penny reminded her.
"While I'm at Red Valley I'll get one for you."
"It seems to me I've heard that argument before," Mrs. Weems said dryly.
"I didn't get a chance to see about it when I was there last time," Penny
hastened on. "This time I'll make it a point, I promise. I'm pretty sure
I can get the one Silas Malcom has."
"If you must go, please don't distract Salt with spinning wheels," Mr.
Parker said crossly. "Or Headless Horseman rot. Remember, he has a job to
do."
"Lou and I will help him," Penny laughed. "Just wait and see!"
In the end, Mr. Parker and Mrs. Weems reluctantly said that Penny might
go. Louise obtained permission from her mother to make the trip, and
fifteen minutes later the girls were at the _Star_ office. As they
entered the wire photo room, a loudspeaker blared forth: "All right,
Riverview, go ahead with your fire picture!"
"Goodness, what was that?" Louise exclaimed, startled.
"Only the wire photo dispatcher talking over the loudspeaker from New
York," Penny, chuckled. "We're about to send a picture out over the
network."
"But how?"
"Watch and see," Penny advised.
In the center of the room stood two machines with cylinders, one for
transmitting pictures to distant stations, the other for receiving them.
On the sending cylinder was wrapped a glossy 8 by 10 photograph of a
fire. As Penny spoke, an attendant pressed a starter switch on the
sending machine. There was a high pitched rasp as the clutch threw in,
and the cylinder bearing the picture began to turn at a steady measured
pace.
"It's a complicated process," Penny said glibly. "A photo electric cell
scans the picture and transmits it to all the points on the network. Salt
here could tell you more about it."
"Too busy just now," grinned the young photographer. He stood beside a
cabinet stuffing flashbulbs into his coat pocket. "It's time we're
traveling."
Salt grinned in a harassed but friendly way at the girls. He was tall and
freckled and not very good looking. Nevertheless, he was the best
photographer on the _Star_.
"I'm afraid we took advantage of you in asking for a ride to Red Valley,"
Penny apologized.
"Tickled to have you ride along," Salt cut in. He picked up his Speed
Graphic camera and slung a supply case over his shoulder. "Well, let's
shove off for the wet country."
The ride by press car to Delta was far from pleasant. Salt drove too
fast. The road was slippery once the auto left the pavement and ditches
brimmed with brown muddy water.
At one point they were forced to detour five miles to avoid a bridge that
had washed out. Instead of reaching Delta early in the day as they had
planned, it was well into the afternoon before they arrived.
"Where shall I drop you girls?" Salt inquired wearily. "I'll have to work
fast if I get any pictures this afternoon."
"Drop us anywhere," Penny said. "We'll spend the night with Mrs. Lear and
go home by train tomorrow."
"Wonder which way it is to the Huntley Dam?"
"We'll show you the road," Penny offered. "It's directly on your way to
let us off at the Malcom place. I want to stop there to see about a
spinning wheel."
Guided by the two girls, Salt drove up the winding hillside road to Silas
Malcom's little farm. There Penny and Louise said goodbye to him and
sought to renew acquaintances with the elderly hillman. The old man got
up from a porch rocker to greet them cordially.
"Well! Well! I knowed you'd come back one o' these days," he chuckled.
"Thank ye mightily fer puttin' them write-ups about Red Valley in the
paper."
"I'm afraid I didn't have much to do with it," Penny said modestly. "Red
Valley really is a news center these days."
"We're sittin' on a stick o' dynamite here," the old man agreed. "I'm
worried about Mrs. Lear. Me and the wife want her to move up here on the
hill where she'd be safe, but not that ole gal. She's as stubborn as a
mule."
"And what of the Burmasters?"
"I ain't worryin' none about them. They kin look after themselves.
They're so cock sure there ain't no danger."
"Then you feel the situation really is serious?"
Old Silas spat into the grass. "When that dam lets go," he said, "there
ain't goin' to be no written notice sent ahead. The Burmaster place will
be taken, and then Mrs. Lear's. After that the water'll sweep down on
Delta faster'n an express train. From there it'll spread out over the
whole valley."
"But why don't people move to safety?"
"Down at Delta plenty of 'em are pullin' up stakes," Old Silas admitted.
"The Burmasters are sittin' tight though and so is Mrs. Lear."
"We were planning on staying with her tonight," Louise contributed
uneasily.
"Reckon you'll be safe enough," Old Silas assured her. "Water level ain't
been risin' none in the last ten hours. But if we have another rain above
us--look out."
After chatting a bit longer, Penny broached the matter of the spinning
wheel. To her delight, Mr. Malcom not only offered to sell it for a small
sum, but he volunteered to haul it to the railroad station for shipment.
The slow, tedious wagon ride down to Delta gave the girls added
opportunity to seek information from the old man. Penny deliberately
spoke of the Headless Horseman. Had the mysterious rider been seen or
heard of in the Valley in recent days?
"You can't prove it by me," the old man chuckled. "I been so busy gettin'
in my crops I ain't had no time fer such goins on."
Arriving at Delta, Mr. Malcom drove directly to the railroad station.
"Joe Quigley ought to be around here somewhere," he remarked. "See if you
can run him down while I unload this spinnin' wheel."
Penny and Louise entered the deserted waiting room of the depot. The door
of the little station office was closed and at first glance they thought
no one was there. Then they saw Joe Quigley standing with his back toward
them. He was engrossed in examining something on the floor, an object
that was below their field of vision.
"Hello, Mr. Quigley!" Penny sang out.
The station agent straightened so suddenly that he bumped his head
against the ticket counter. He stared at the girls. Then as they moved
toward the little window, he hastily gathered up whatever he had been
examining. As if fearful that they would see the object, he crammed it
into an open office closet and slammed the door.
CHAPTER
14
_A MOVING LIGHT_
"Well, well," Joe Quigley greeted the girls cordially. "It's good to see
you again. When did you blow into town?"
Louise and Penny came close to the ticket window. They were curious as to
what the young station agent had hidden in the closet. However, they did
not disclose by look or action that they suspected anything was wrong.
"We drove in about an hour ago," Penny replied carelessly. "We want to
ship a spinning wheel by freight to Riverview."
"I'd advise you to send it by express," Quigley said briskly. "That way
you'll have it delivered to your door and the difference will be
trifling."
"Any way you say," Penny agreed.
Joe went outside with the girls. Silas already had unloaded the spinning
wheel. He turned it over to the station agent and after a bit of
goodnatured joshing, drove away.
"I can get this out for you on No. 73," Joe promised the girls. "Come on
back to the office while I bill it out."
Penny and Louise followed the station agent into the little ticket room.
Their ears were assailed by the chatter of several telegraph instruments
mounted around the edge of a circular work desk.
"How many wires come in here?" Penny asked curiously.
"Three. The Dispatcher's wire, Western Union and the Message wire."
Penny listened attentively to the staccato chatter of one of the wires.
"D-A, D-A," she said aloud. "Would that be the Delta station call?"
"It is," Quigley agreed, giving her a quick look of surprise.
He sat down at the circular desk and reached for the telegraph key. After
tapping out a swift, brief message, he closed the circuit.
"Get that?" he grinned at Penny.
She shook her head ruefully. "I learned the Morse code and that's about
all," she confessed. "I used to practice on a homemade outfit Dad fixed
up for me."
"Quite a gal!" Quigley said admiringly. "What can't you do?"
This was Penny's opportunity and she seized it. "Quite a number of
things," she answered. "For one, I can't solve a certain mystery that
plagues me."
Joe Quigley finished making out the way bill. His eyes danced as he
handed Penny her receipt.
"So you admit that you've met your Waterloo in our Galloping Ghost?"
"I admit nothing," Penny retorted. "You could help me if you would!"
"How?"
"I'm sure you know the person who has been causing the Burmasters so much
trouble."
"Trouble?" Quigley's eyebrows jerked. "The way I look at it, that
Headless Horseman may do 'em a good turn. He may actually save their
worthless necks by driving them out of the valley."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that Burmaster can't keep on in his bull headed fashion without
bringing tragedy upon himself as well as the valley. Even now it's
probably too late to reinforce the dam."
"Then what does your prankster hope to gain?"
"You'll have to ask him," Joe Quigley shrugged. "This is the way I look
at it. Mrs. Lear and the Burmasters are deep in a feud. The old lady lost
the deed to her place and she figures if she moves off, the Burmasters
somehow will take advantage of her."
"They've made no attempt to do so?"
"Not yet. But old Mrs. Lear is convinced Mrs. Burmaster is biding her
time."
"It all sounds rather silly."
"Maybe it does to an outsider. But this is the serious part. If the dam
should let go there'd be no chance to warn either the Burmasters or Mrs.
Lear. Both places should be evacuated."
"Then why isn't it done?"
"Because two stubborn women refuse to listen to reason. Mrs. Burmaster
won't budge because she says there's no danger--that it's a scheme to get
her out of the valley. Mrs. Lear won't leave her home while the
Burmasters stay."
"What's to be done?"
"Ask me something easy." The telegraph instrument was chattering the
Delta station call again so Quigley turned to answer it. "If you see Mrs.
Lear before you leave here, try to reason with her," he tossed over his
shoulder. "I've given up."
The girls nodded goodbye and went outside. Silas Malcom's wagon was
nowhere to be seen, and after a brief debate they decided to walk to Mrs.
Lear's place.
"Maybe we still can catch a ride home with Salt," Louise remarked
dubiously. "With all this talk about the dam, I certainly don't relish
spending a night in the valley."
"Oh, Silas said there was no immediate danger unless it rains again,"
Penny reminded her chum. "What Joe Quigley said about Mrs. Lear worries
me. We must try to get her to leave the valley."
"Why not move a mountain?" Louise countered. "It would be a lot easier."
When the girls reached Mrs. Lear's cabin they discovered that word of
their arrival in Delta had traveled ahead of them.
"Your room's all ready fer you," the old lady beamed as she greeted them
at the door. "This time I hope you're stayin' fer a week."
Nothing seemed changed at the Lear cabin. Mrs. Lear had spent the morning
canning fruit, and the kitchen table was loaded with containers. A
washing flapped lazily on the line. While waiting for the clothes to dry,
the old lady filled in her time by sewing on a rag rug of elaborate
pattern.
"I'm a mite behind in my work," she confessed to her young visitors.
"These infernal rains set a body back. Fer three days I couldn't get my
washin' hung, an' I never will git my corn dried less I do it in the
oven."
"Speaking of rain," Penny began hesitantly, "Don't you think it's
dangerous to remain here much longer?"
"Maybe it is, maybe it ain't," the old lady retorted. "Either way I'm not
worryin'. There ain't nothin' going to put me off my place--not even a
flood."
"Joe Quigley thinks that you and the Burmasters both should move to a
safer place."
"Then let 'em go fust," Mrs. Lear declared. "Didn't Mrs. Burmaster steal
the deed to my land jest fer meanness and spite? If I was dumb enough to
leave this place fer an hour she'd find some way to git it away from me."
"That couldn't be done so easily," smiled Penny. "After all, Mr.
Burmaster has more sense than his wife. Did you never talk to him about
the missing deed?"
"We had words," Mrs. Lear said with emphasis. "'Course he stood up fer
his wife--said she'd never do such a thing. But I know better!"
"Yet since the deed disappeared no one has tried to put you off your
land."
"That's cause the Burmasters are waitin' their chance. Oh, they're sly
and cunning. But I'm jest as smart as they are, and they'll never git me
off this place!"
The discussion, Penny felt, was traveling in the same familiar circle.
One could not influence Mrs. Lear. Her mind had been made up. Nothing
would move her.
Thinking that they might at least talk matters over with Mr. Burmaster,
the girls presently walked down the road to Sleepy Hollow estate. A
workman who was busy with hammer and saw told them that Mr. and Mrs.
Burmaster had motored to Delta for the afternoon.
"What are you building?" Penny inquired curiously. "A gate?"
"You might call it that," he grinned. "Mr. Burmaster ordered me to knock
together a couple of 'em, one for each end of the bridge."
"Oh! I see!" Light dawned upon Penny. "Moveable barriers to trap the
Headless Horseman prankster!"
"It's a lot o' nonsense if you ask me," the workman grumbled. "That
fellow ain't been around here in a week. Reckon he may never show up
again."
"Yet Mr. Burmaster keeps watch of the bridge?"
"Every night. That wife of his wouldn't give him no peace if he didn't."
The workman hammered a nail into place and added: "The Burmasters have
got something to worry about if they only had sense enough to realize
it."
"You mean the Huntley Dam?"
The workman nodded. "I'm quittin' here tonight," he confessed. "Maybe
that dam will hold, but I'm takin' no chances!"
Penny and Louise were even more troubled as they walked back to Mrs.
Lear's home. A fine supper awaited them. They scarcely did justice to it
and found it difficult to respond to the old lady's cheerful
conversation.
"She just doesn't seem to realize that she's in any danger," Louise
whispered despairingly to her chum as they did the dishes together.
"Oh, she knows," Penny replied. "But Mrs. Lear is set in her ways. I
doubt anyone can induce her to take to the hills."
After the dishes had been put away, the girls played card games with the
old lady. Promptly at nine o'clock Mrs. Lear announced that it was bed
time. As she locked up the doors for the night she stood for a time on
the back porch, staring thoughtfully at the clouds.
"It looks like rain again," Penny remarked.
Mrs. Lear said nothing. She closed the door firmly and turned the key.
Once in their bedroom, the girls undressed quickly and blew out the
light. For awhile they could hear Mrs. Lear moving about on the bare
floor of her own room. Then the house became quiet.
"I'll be glad when we're home again," Louise whispered, snuggling down
under the quilts. "Think how wet we'd get if that dam should break
tonight!"
"Stop talking about it or you'll give me nightmares!" Penny chided.
"Let's go to sleep."
Try as they would, the girls could not settle down. First Penny would
twist and turn and then Louise would do her share of squirming. Finally
just as they were beginning to feel drowsy, they were startled to hear a
drumming sound on the tin roof above their heads.
"What was that?" Louise muttered, sitting up.
The sounds were coming faster and faster now.
"Rain!" Penny exclaimed.
Jumping out of bed, she went to the window. Already the panes were
splashed and rivulets were chasing one another to the sill.
"If this isn't the worst luck yet!" she muttered. "It looks like a hard
rain too."
Louise joined her chum at the window. Disheartened, they gazed toward the
woods and the hills. Ominous warnings arose in their minds to plague
them. With an added burden of water could the dam hold? Sleep seemed out
of the question. Wrapping blankets about them, the girls drew chairs to
the window and watched.
Then as suddenly as the rain had started, it ceased. A moon struggled
through a jagged gap of the clouds. The woods and the barn became
discernible once more.
"Rain's over," Louise said, covering a yawn. "Let's go to bed, Penny."
Penny gathered up the quilts from the floor. But as she turned away from
the window, an object outside the house captured her attention. For an
instant she thought that she was mistaken. Then she gripped Louise's
hand, pulling her back to the sill.
"What is it?" Louise asked in bewilderment.
"Look over there!" Penny commanded.
From the woods across the road the girls could see a moving light.
"Someone with a lantern," Louise said indifferently.
"Watch!" Penny commanded again.
Even as she spoke, the lantern was waved in a half circle from side to
side. The strange movement was repeated several times.
"What do you make of it?" Louise whispered in awe.
"I suspect someone is trying to signal this house," Penny replied
soberly. "Let's keep quiet and see what we can learn."
CHAPTER
15
_INTO THE WOODS_
For several minutes nothing very spectacular happened. At intervals the
strange lantern signals were repeated.
"It looks to me as if that person over in the woods is trying to signal
someone here!" Penny said, peering from behind the window curtain.
"Mrs. Lear?" asked Louise.
"Who else? Certainly no one would have reason to try to attract our
attention."
"But why should anyone come here tonight?"
As the girls speculated upon the meaning of the mysterious signals, they
heard a door at the end of the hall softly open. Footsteps padded
noiselessly past their door.
"Are you asleep, girls?" Mrs. Lear's voice chirped.
Louise would have answered had not Penny clapped a hand firmly over her
mouth.
After a moment the footsteps pattered on down the stairway.
"Where can Mrs. Lear be going?" Penny speculated in a whisper. "She
wanted to make certain that we were asleep."
The girls did not have long to wait. Soon they heard an outside door
close. A moment later they saw the spry old lady crossing the yard to the
barn. She was fully dressed and wore a grotesque tight-waisted jacket as
protection against the biting night wind.
Penny turned her gaze toward the woods once more. The lantern signals had
ceased.
"What do you think is going on?" Louise asked in bewilderment.
Penny reached for her clothing which had been left in an untidy heap on
the floor. "I don't know," she replied grimly. "With luck we'll find
out."