Without a word having been spoken, Fred and John instantly departed from
the old house. They did not even glance at each other as they did so,
but moved by a common impulse both were apparently ready to seek a place
of safety with all haste.
Fred's bold declaration that now he had found an explanation for the
strange occurrences in the Meeker House apparently had not held good. He
was maintaining his place by the side of his tall friend when both were
fleeing from the house.
The sun already had disappeared from sight and the shadows of the
evening were lengthening.
Perhaps the hour increased their feeling of uncertainty. At all events
the confidence they had possessed, when in broad daylight they had
boldly entered the kitchen, manifestly now was gone. Each boy frequently
glanced behind him in his flight, but neither spoke to the other until
fifty yards intervened between them and the dwelling.
"What are we doing out here?" demanded Fred blankly.
"I don't think you need very much of an explanation," retorted John.
"That's the way it seems to me, too," responded Fred, striving to laugh
lightly as he spoke.
"At all events we are making pretty good time."
Indeed the smaller boy was able to maintain the pace at which his friend
with the longer legs was moving over the field. Half the distance
between the house and the road had been covered when John stopped and
said, "Look ahead there, Fred. Isn't that George and Grant waiting over
yonder in the road?"
In response to the suggestion of his friend, Fred glanced quickly at the
huge spreading oak tree that grew close to the fence. It was a
magnificent tree, the pride of the country around about and the delight
of many visitors. Beneath it an automobile was seen and then Fred
exclaimed quickly, "You're right, String, that's George and Grant. Let's
slow up a little. We don't want them to think we are in too much of a
hurry."
Accordingly the speed at which they were moving decreased and as they
glanced behind them and saw that the conditions about the old Meeker
House apparently were unchanged the boys ceased to run and began to
walk.
"Don't let them think we have been scared out," again suggested Fred.
"We'll never hear the last of it if we don't."
Without replying John nodded his head and more slowly the boys walked
across the intervening field and then climbed the fence and leaped
lightly into the roadside when they drew near the place where the two
boys were awaiting their coming.
"What's your hurry?" demanded George, laughing as he spoke.
"We're in no hurry," responded Fred glibly.
"We're hungry, that's all," said John. "We were afraid you would be
keeping dinner for us."
"That's a mighty good excuse," laughed Grant. "You didn't act when we
first saw you as if you were thinking of your dinner. I didn't believe
that either one of you could make such good time."
"That's all right," said Fred sharply. "That's all right, but it's just
exactly as I said."
"What is?" inquired George.
"Why the tricks you have been trying to play on us in the old Meeker
House."
"Tricks? What tricks have I been trying to play?" replied George.
"Did you ever hear of chimney-swallows?" inquired Fred.
"Indeed I have," said George, "and I have seen them lots of times."
"Ever see any in the old Meeker House?"
"Yes," replied George, laughing again as he spoke.
"Well, why didn't you tell us that they were there? You let us go on and
I think you helped us too to believe that the room was full of flying
spooks."
"I didn't know that I was to blame," laughed George, "if you didn't know
the difference between a spook and chimney-swallow."
"You must have put in a lot of work in that old house, George," broke in
John.
"Work?" inquired George, staring blankly at his friend. "What do you
mean? I never worked there in my life."
"Who put in that speaking tube that runs from the kitchen to the front
room?" demanded John.
"I didn't," George said quietly.
"You mean you didn't do the work. I guess you knew it was put in and I
guess too that you know who put it in."
George laughed, but did not directly reply to the implied question.
"We have found out about your old speaking tube," continued John. "That
was a great trick for you to play on your old friends."
Grant, who was listening intently to the conversation, in which up to
this time he had taken no part, now said, "Then you two fellows think
you have found out all about the strange things in the old Meeker House,
do you?"
"We didn't say that," replied Fred. "All we say is that we have found
out about the wings that we heard and the chattering in the chimney and
the speaking tube that ran from the kitchen into the front room. My, but
I was scared when I heard my name called there," he added.
George laughed loudly as he said, "You don't need to tell me that, Pyg.
I wouldn't have believed that any living creature could have made its
legs fly as fast as yours did that night."
"I was trying to keep up with the rest of the fellows," retorted Fred.
"I had to go some to do that."
"Now that you have found out all these things you're not afraid to go
back there any time, are you?" inquired George.
"Yes, sir, I am," said Fred.
"What?"
"Because we haven't found out everything. There's something strange
about that place that I don't understand yet."
"Why, what happened?" inquired George quickly.
"We heard voices upstairs."
"Was that the reason why you were moving so fast across the yard?"
laughed George.
"Laugh all you want to," said Fred, "but that's what we heard."
"Probably your tramp was talking to himself," suggested Grant.
"No, sir," spoke up John promptly. "That wasn't it at all. Besides there
was more than one voice."
"You didn't hear the automobile-horn, did you?" inquired George.
"No, we didn't. We heard all I wanted to without hearing that. It just
made my flesh creep to hear those voices upstairs and coming down the
stairway."
"Was there anything strange about the voices?" asked George.
"Yes, sir, there was."
"Well, I tell you what I'll do," said Grant promptly. "I'll dare both of
you to come back here to the old Meeker House after dinner to-night."
"I'll do it," said Fred promptly.
"I'll give you another dare better than that," said John. "I'll dare you
and George to go back there right now."
"Will you come too?" demanded George.
"We have just come from there," said John. "We know what there is there
and you don't. Now we dare you both to go back right now."
George glanced a moment questioningly at Grant and then without a word
being spoken promptly turned the car and started back toward the
mysterious old house.
Apparently all thoughts of dinner had been forgotten or ignored. Fred
and John looked at each other and laughed derisively, but neither spoke
until at last the car was halted under the old oak tree.
Quickly George and Grant leaped out and started across the intervening
field.
Fred and John left to themselves waited until their friends had gone to
the rear of the building and then the former said quickly, "Let's take
the car and go back home. It will serve those fellows just right to
leave them there."
John laughed as he agreed to the suggestion.
Avoiding all possible noise they turned the car about and started down
the road. They had gone only a short distance, however, before Fred
suddenly clutched the arm of his companion who was driving and said,
"Listen, String! Wasn't that a call or a shout?"
As he spoke, Fred in great excitement looked behind him in the direction
of the mysterious old dwelling house. Without a word, John turned the
car about and started swiftly on his way back to the old tree.