CHAPTER 15 _INTO THE WOODS_
For several minutes nothing very spectacular happened. At intervals thestrange lantern signals were repeated.
"It looks to me as if that person over in the woods is trying to signalsomeone 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 ourattention."
"But why should anyone come here tonight?"
As the girls speculated upon the meaning of the mysterious signals, theyheard a door at the end of the hall softly open. Footsteps paddednoiselessly past their door.
"Are you asleep, girls?" Mrs. Lear's voice chirped.
Louise would have answered had not Penny clapped a hand firmly over hermouth.
After a moment the footsteps pattered on down the stairway.
"Where can Mrs. Lear be going?" Penny speculated in a whisper. "Shewanted to make certain that we were asleep."
The girls did not have long to wait. Soon they heard an outside doorclose. A moment later they saw the spry old lady crossing the yard to thebarn. She was fully dressed and wore a grotesque tight-waisted jacket asprotection against the biting night wind.
Penny turned her gaze toward the woods once more. The lantern signals hadceased.
"What do you think is going on?" Louise asked in bewilderment.
Penny reached for her clothing which had been left in an untidy heap onthe floor. "I don't know," she replied grimly. "With luck we'll findout."
They dressed as quickly as they could. As Penny was pulling on her shoesshe heard the barn door close. She rushed to the window. Old Lady Lear,riding with an easy grace that belied her years, was walking Trinidadtoward the road.
"Now where's she going?" Penny demanded, seizing Louise by the hand."Come on, or we'll never learn!"
Clattering down the stairs, they reached the yard in time to see Mrs.Lear riding into the woods.
"Know what I think?" Louise asked breathlessly. "She's the one who's beenpulling off these Headless Horseman stunts!"
"Someone signaled to her from the woods," Penny reminded her chum. "She'sstarting off to meet whoever flashed the lantern!"
To attempt to follow the old lady afoot seemed a foolish thing to do.Nevertheless, Penny was convinced that Mrs. Lear would not ride far intothe woods. She argued that a golden opportunity would be lost forever ifthey did not try to learn where she went.
"Then come on if we must do it!" Louise consented. "It won't be easy tokeep her in sight though."
In their haste the girls had provided themselves with no light. Nor hadthey imagined that a night could be so dark. Once among the trees theyhad difficulty in keeping to the trail that old Mrs. Lear had chosen.
"Let's turn back," Louise pleaded. "We're apt to get lost."
Penny, however, was stubbornly determined to learn the old lady'sdestination. Though she could not see Trinidad she could hear thecrashing of underbrush only a short distance ahead.
"Penny, I can't keep on!" Louise gasped a moment later. "I'm winded."
"You're scared," Penny amended. "Well, so am I. But it's just as easy togo on now as it is to turn back."
The trail Mrs. Lear had taken led at a steep angle uphill. The old ladyallowed her horse to take his time. Even so, the girls were hard pressedto keep fairly close.
"Listen!" Penny presently commanded in a whisper.
No longer could they hear the sound of Trinidad's hoofbeats.
"We've lost her," Louise said anxiously.
"I think Mrs. Lear has stopped," Penny replied, keeping her voice low."Perhaps she heard us and suspects that we followed her."
More cautiously than before, the girls moved forward. It was well thatthey did, for unexpectedly they came to a brook and a clearing. Mrs. Learhad dismounted and tied Trinidad to an elm tree close to the water'sedge.
Huddling behind a clump of bushes, the girls waited and watched. Mrs.Lear did not appear to be expecting anyone. She gave Trinidad a friendlypat. Then making certain that he was securely fastened to the tree,walked briskly toward the girls.
Penny and Louise cringed closer to the ground. The old lady passed themand went on down the trail.
"You stay here and keep watch of Trinidad!" Penny instructed. "I'llfollow Mrs. Lear."
Louise did not want to remain alone. She started to say so, but Penny wasgone.
The moment her chum had vanished from sight, sheer panic took possessionof Louise. An owl hooted. The cry sent icy chills racing down the girl'sspine.
Tensely she listened. She was certain she could hear footstepsapproaching the brook. Suddenly she lost all interest in solving themystery. Her one desire was to get safely out of the woods. Shamelessly,she turned and fled.
Penny, doggedly following Mrs. Lear, was startled to hear a crashing ofthe bushes behind her. As she paused, Louise came running up.
"What is it?" Penny demanded. "Did someone come for Trinidad?"
"I don't know, and I don't care!" Louise answered grimly. "Call me acoward if you like--I'll not stay by myself!"
Penny did not chide her chum, though she was disappointed. A moment'sthought convinced her that since Louise was unwilling to remain by thebrook, it now would be better for them both to trail Mrs. Lear. If theywere not to lose her, they must hasten along.
"Where do you think the old lady is going?" Louise presently asked asthey stumbled over a vine-clogged trail. "Not back home."
"No," Penny agreed in a whisper, "we're going in the wrong direction forthat."
Unexpectedly, the girls emerged into a clearing, Not daring to cross theopen space lest Mrs. Lear see them, they huddled at the fringe of trees.Overhead, dark clouds scudded and boiled; a strengthening wind whippedtheir clothing about them.
Mrs. Lear moved spryly across the open space. Pausing near the edge of acliff, she crouched beside a huge boulder. Grasping a bush for support,she peered down into the valley.
"We may be directly above Sleepy Hollow estate!" Penny whisperedexcitedly. "Let's try to get closer and see!"
Treading cautiously over the sodden leaves, the girls made a wide circlealong the edge of trees. Keeping a safe distance from Mrs. Lear, theypeered down over the rim of the valley. As Penny had guessed, SleepyHollow was to be seen below. A light, dimly visible, burned on the lowerfloor of the dwelling. They barely were able to discern the long, narrowbridge spanning the mill pond.
"Now why do you suppose Mrs. Lear came here at this time of night?"Louise speculated. "Do you think--"
Penny gave her chum a quick little jab. From far away she had caught thesound of approaching hoofbeats.
"The Headless Horseman!" Louise whispered in awe.
"We'll soon see. Mrs. Lear is waiting for something!"
Minutes elapsed. Penny began to doubt that she had heard an approachinghorseman. Then suddenly he emerged from a thicket that edged the valleyroad. The rider was garbed in white which plainly silhouetted his huge,misshapen body. Where his head should have been there was nothing.
The sight of such an apparition did not seem to dismay old Mrs. Lear. Theold lady leaned farther over the cliff, fairly hugging herself withdelight.
Having gained the road leading to Sleepy Hollow, the horseman came on ata swift pace. Sparks flew from the steel shod hoofs as they clippedsmartly on the stones.
Penny's gaze swept ahead of the ghost rider to the bridge. Her heartleaped. Even as the horseman rode onto the structure, workmen sprang fromthe thickets at either side of the road. High wooden barriers were jerkedinto place at both ends of the bridge. The Headless Horseman's retreatwas cut off.
"They've got him!" Penny whispered tensely. "He's trapped on the bridge!"
The horse faltered for an instant and slackened speed. Then as themysterious rider apparently urged him on, he bore down on the barrierblocking the bridge's exit.
"He's going to try
to jump!" Louise murmured. "But no one could take sucha high barrier!"
Nervously the girls watched. By this time they were certain that thehorse was Trinidad. Magnificent though he was, age had crept upon him,and the wooden gate could prove a difficult test for a trained jumper.
If Penny and Louise were tense, Mrs. Lear was even more so. "Take it,Trinidad!" they heard her mutter. "Over!"
Trinidad did not falter. Approaching the barrier at full tilt, hegathered his strength, and cleared the structure in a beautiful, cleanleap. The startled workmen, amazed at the feat, fell back out of the way.Only one made any attempt to stop the rider. The Headless Horsemanplunged his gallant steed through a gap in the trees and was gone.
"You did it Trinidad!" cackled Mrs. Lear. "You showed 'em!"
Stooping to pick up a pebble, the old lady hurled it contemptuouslytoward the bridge. Her aim though carelessly taken was surprisingly good.The stone fell with a loud, resounding thud on the bridge planks.
"Let 'em wonder where that came from!" the old lady chuckled gleefully."Let 'em wonder."
Wrapping her black coat about her, she quickly retreated into the woods.