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 tumblingwater.
"If ever that dam should let go--" Penny shuddered, "why, the valleywould be flooded in just a few minutes. I doubt folks could be warned intime."
"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 werecrazy 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 formyself, 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 mychance here, but somehow I've muffed it."
For a half hour longer the girls remained at the dam watching theworkmen. Presently returning to the Lear cottage they found Mrs. Lear inthe warm kitchen, cooking supper.
"I'm settin' the victuals on early tonight," she announced. "We ain't gotany 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 thetable and the instant dishes were done, said that she would hitchTrinidad to the buggy.
"It won't take us long to git there," she encouraged the girls as theyreluctantly 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 windingwoodland road. Mrs. Lear allowed Trinidad to slacken pace as they nearedthe Burmaster estate.
"Look at that house!" she chortled, waving her buggy whip. "Every lightin 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 skearedof?"
"Well--perhaps a certain Headless Horseman."
Mrs. Lear hooted. "If I was to see that critter a-comin' right now and hehad twenty heads, I wouldn't even bat an eye!"
Horse and buggy approached the giant tulip tree whose gnarled brancheswere 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'ssome that's afeared to pass under this tree come night--but not me!"
The buggy rattled on, its top brushing against the overhanging branchesof the giant tulip. It had grown very dark and the shadows of the woodshad a depressing effect upon the girls. They were glad to see the lightsof the Malcom place on the hill and even more pleased to drive into theyard.
"You gals go right on in," Mrs. Lear advised, leaping lightly from thebuggy. "I'll look after Trinidad."
The barn dance already was in progress. Crossing the yard, the girlscould hear gay laughter above the lively squeak of fiddles. Through theopen barn door they glimpsed a throng of young people whirling in theintricate steps of a square dance.
"We're certain to be wall flowers at a party such as this," Louiseremarked sadly.
The girls found themselves a quiet corner from which to watch themerrymakers. However, they were not permitted to remain there. At the endof the first dance, Joe Quigley came to ask Penny for a dance. ToLouise's secret joy he brought along a young man who promptly invited herto 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, balanceeight, swing 'em like a-swingin' on a gate."
Joe Quigley, expert dancer that he was, fairly swept Penny through theintricate formations. Before she hardly was aware of it, the dance wasover and Silas called out: "Meet your partner and promenade home."
After that the girls did not lack for partners. The night sped on magicwings. Penny danced many times with Joe and ate supper with him. Then,noticing that the party was starting to break up, she looked about forMrs. Lear. The old lady was nowhere to be seen. Nor could Louise recallhaving seen her for the past half hour. Somewhat disturbed, they crossedthe room to talk to old Silas Malcom.
"Mrs. Lear went home a good hour ago," he told them. "She said she had togit some sleep, but you gals was havin' so much fun she didn't have theheart to take you away."
Penny and Louise could not hide their consternation. With Mrs. Lear gonethey would have no way of getting back to the cottage.
"Don't you worry none," Old Silas chuckled. "Joe Quigley will take youhome. An' if he don't there's plenty o' young bucks waitin' fer thechanst."
The arrangement was not in the least to the girls' liking. The party,they could see, rapidly was breaking up. Joe Quigley seemed to havedisappeared. Nearly all of the girls except themselves were supplied withescorts.
"I don't like this--not by a little bit!" Penny muttered. "Let's get outof 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 getaway quickly Old Silas will ask some young man to take us home. Thatwould be humiliating."
Louise reluctantly followed her chum. The girls obtained their wraps andwithout attracting attention, slipped out a side door.
"Why do you suppose Mrs. Lear slipped off without saying a word?" Louisecomplained 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 downtoo. He was attentive enough until after supper. Then he simplyvanished."
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 camefrom the cold air rather than nervousness.
Presently the girls approached the Burmaster estate. No lights wereburning, but the rambling building loomed up white and ghost-like throughthe trees.
"I'll breathe natural when we're across the bridge," Penny admitted witha laugh. "If Mr. Burmaster keeps a guard hidden in the bushes, the fellowmight heave a rock at us on general principles."
There was no sign of anyone near the estate. Yet both Penny and Louisesensed that they were being watched. The unpleasant sensation ofuneasiness 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, thestillness of the night was broken by the clatter of hoofbeats.
Startled, the girls whirled around. A horse with a rider had plungedthrough the dense bushes only a short distance behind them. At a hard runhe 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 thewhite-robed figure. His lumpy, misshapen hulk, seemed rigidly fastened tothe horse. Where his head should have been there was only a stub.