The Mystery Hunters at the Haunted Lodge

  CHAPTER XXI The Straw Ride

  After dinner that day Barry hunted up Kent and the twins and told themwhat he had in mind. They fell in readily with his plan and wereenthusiastic regarding the delay in the opening of school.

  "Too bad we didn't know that before we came home," Tim remarked. "Wecould have stayed on, and perhaps we would have run down the evil spiritof the lodge."

  "Yes, that's so," Barry agreed. "But this is the next best thing. As amatter of fact, it may work out better. Every time that a crowd goes tothe lodge, something happens, and we may make the spook play right intoour hands."

  "We're taking quite a chance," Kent shook his head. "I'm just wonderingif the prowler comes out on the first night or if he waits for thesecond or third. We may not be troubled in any way."

  "I know it is a long chance," Barry agreed. "But we won't lose anythingif nothing happens."

  "You say we ought to stay overnight," Mac spoke up. "Will the bunch doit? They may not want to go to Bluff Lodge in the first place."

  "I'm going to see Charlie Black and try and make him enthusiastic,"Barry smiled. "Then he'll get the others in the same frame of mind. Ithink we can work it."

  His chums having agreed to the program, Barry went to the home of thedashing Charlie, whom he found in his den. The popular high-schooldebater was practising on a cornet when Barry entered the room.

  "Hi!" greeted the cornetist, hastily lowering the shining instrument."Come in! But as the sign over the doorway to the lower regions says,'Abandon hope, all ye that enter here.'"

  "I've abandoned all hope of hearing any real music," Barry grinned."What are you trying to blow that thing for?"

  "Music," was the brisk answer.

  "You're pretty good at chin music," Barry replied. "I don't see why youwant to blow a horn. But that is neither here nor there. I came to seeyou about our straw ride."

  The cornet was tossed with unerring aim into a waste basket, where apile of crumpled paper broke its fall. Charlie spun fully around in hischair.

  "Listen! Fifteen of us are going, counting you and Kent and the Fordboys. There may be others, too. I'll see Coach and Mrs. Jordan tonightand see if they'll go along. How's that for progress?"

  "Wonderful!" Barry admitted. "You're a great organizer, Charlie. Whereare we going on this ride?"

  "I still have Potter's Mill in mind. What do you think?--Oh, that's mydog. I call him Castor Oil!"

  A large, flop-eared animal had come bounding into the den and jumped upon the leather couch where Barry was sitting. Before the boy could move,the dog had shot out a big red tongue and licked his face. Barry duckedand hastily brushed his hand over his cheek.

  "Get down, Castor!" commanded Charlie, sternly, and the dog obeyed in aclumsy manner.

  "What do you call him Castor Oil for?" Barry demanded.

  "Because he is a big nuisance, follows me around and jumps on people.He's about as welcome as Castor Oil. I don't like to take him places.One day I was thinking up a name for him, and at the same time I wasthinking that I didn't like to take him around with me. I tried to thinkof something else I don't like to take, and then the name just came byitself, somehow. Good name, eh?"

  "Well, about the kind of name I'd expect you to give," grunted Barry."But to get back to business, how about taking our party up to BluffLodge, on Lake Arrowtip? It is a dandy place, and we could stay allnight. I got permission from Mrs. Morganson to use the lodge, if we wantto."

  "Humph! That's the haunted house, isn't it?"

  "Well, the four of us camped in it a few days, and there is nothing thematter with us," Barry replied.

  "That sounds like a good place to go," Charlie nodded, gently pullingthe big ears of the dog with the questionable name. "What kind of alooking place is it?"

  Barry described the lodge to him, and Charlie was enthusiastic. "Say,that will be a dandy place. Fireplaces and stoves and bedrooms and all.But we'd have to stay overnight, wouldn't we?"

  "Yes, but we wouldn't mind that. Coach and Mrs. Jordan will be along,and there is plenty of room for us all. We can take enough for oursupper and breakfast the following morning. How are you going to go?"

  "In sleighs," Charlie returned. "It is an easy matter to get hold ofsleighs. Of course, it isn't much of a straw ride when you take it in asleigh. I've always thought of a straw or a hay ride as one where you goin a truck or a big wagon, with straw on the bottom."

  "It doesn't make any difference," said Barry. "As far as that goes, wecan put straw on the bottom of the sleighs. So you agree to the lodgeproposition?"

  "Sure thing! You ask all of them you see if they'll stay overnight, andI'll do the same. We'll make this a dandy outing. Say, want to hear alittle music on my new cornet?"

  "I don't care. My nerves are in pretty good order today!"

  "Castor Oil's aren't," replied Charlie, as he took the instrument fromthe waste basket. "He howls every time I go at it."

  After leaving Charlie Black's house Barry started home, intending tostop and see some of the boys who were going on the ride. As he came toa certain corner he heard the noise of an oncoming car, and as it wastraveling at a fast pace, he paused on the curbing and let it rush pasthim. Glancing at the driver, he saw that it was Carter Wolf and onecompanion. They looked at him, but nothing was said, and the car passedon.

  "So he is back from Rake Island," Barry reflected, as he went on.

  That night at the supper table Pearl spoke about the contemplated trip."I hear that we are going to stay overnight at Bluff Lodge, Barry. Didyou plan that?"

  "Yes," her brother nodded. "I didn't know that anyone except seniorswere going."

  "Just a few," Pearl answered. "I'm one of the lucky ones. I hope wedon't see that black shadow or anything!"

  "What is the idea of going up there, son?" Mr. Garrison asked.

  "Two reasons, Dad," his son replied. "One is that the place is ideal foran overnight trip, and another is that we hope to draw the man out andperhaps get a chance to nail him. The twins and Kent and I will be onthe lookout." He turned to his sister. "Pearl, please don't tell anyoneabout that black shadow or anything else. We want the whole thing keptabsolutely quiet so that we can do something if we get the opportunity."

  "I won't breathe a word, Barry, and I'll even try not to look scared,"his sister promised.

  "That's a big job for you boys." Mr. Garrison shook his head,doubtfully.

  "I'm afraid you'll get hurt," his mother worried.

  "I don't think so," was Barry's reply. "After all, nothing may happen.No one may come around. Besides that, Coach Jordan will be with us, andso will a number of the other fellows, so we ought not to have anydifficulty."

  Plans for the straw ride went forward in a satisfactory manner. CharlieBlack took it upon himself to see everyone who could possibly go fromthe upper class, and in the end sixteen of the young people ofCloverfield High School consented to go and spend a night at BluffLodge. Of these sixteen, nine were girls and seven of them boys. Theother two members of the sleigh party were the popular football coachand his wife, both of whom were young and in sympathy with the fun ofthe young people. It had been agreed that each one was to bring acertain item of the provisions to be used on the trip, and at lasteverything was in readiness.

  On the night before they were to start, the four chums attended amotion-picture show, and when they came out they were surprised to seethat it was snowing. They halted outside the bulk of the crowd andwaited for Charlie to join them. They had seen him wave from the stepsof the theater.

  "The little chairman wants us," Kent remarked. "Let's see what he has inmind now."

  "This snow will make our trip a pretty one, if it doesn't get too deep,"Barry said, as they waited.

  "It won't turn into a blizzard," Tim felt sure.

  "What is all that arm-waving about?" Mac asked Charlie as he joined thegroup.

  Charlie looked all around them in a mysterious way. "Have you fellowsheard
anything?" he asked.

  "I've heard a whole lot of things, but maybe not what you mean," smiledBarry. "What's up?"

  "Why, I heard that Carter Wolf and his crowd are going to try and breakinto our party, or break it up, or something. You know, there has been alot of talking about our trip, and he heard it. He says he and somefriends were shot at one night near that lodge, and that you fellowsknow very well that it is haunted."

  "Just the same, we're not afraid to go up there," Kent replied."Somebody did shoot at him near the lodge, but it wasn't us. I hope hedoesn't spoil our party by scaring any of the fellows or girls."

  "It won't scare them," Charlie cried. "They'll only want to go all themore. But we had better keep our eyes open for any monkey business fromWolf and some of his bunch."

  "We will," Barry promised.

  On the following day the straw-ride party started for Bluff Lodge. Thesleighs all came together at Kent's house, and after they were all intheir places, the procession started. In the foremost sled sat thechairman, and beside him, between Charlie and Barry, Castor Oil rearedhis big head.

  "Couldn't keep him at home," Charlie explained. "I didn't want to takehim."

  It was a fairly long journey to the lodge, and so they started atnoontime. By road it was much shorter than by going up the river. It wasa clear, cold day, and they enjoyed the swift motion of the sleighs.Talk and laughter ran high, and they called jokingly from sled to sled.It was late in the afternoon and dusk was just spreading across the lakecountry when they emerged from the timber and came in sight of the lodgebuilding.

  "Hurrah, we're here!" shouted Charlie, thumping Castor Oil, who barkedin protest.

  "So that is the haunted lodge?" a girl in the second sled cried. "Iwonder if we'll see the ghost!"