CHAPTER XII
WHO WAS THE TALL PHANTOM?
"What _is_ a phantom party?" asked Dolly.
"Oh, it's lots of fun," Dotty replied; "everybody is rigged up insheets, with a head-thing made of a pillow-case, and a little white maskover your face, so nobody knows you."
"Can I go?" asked Genie, her black eyes dancing.
"No," said her mother, "you're too young, dearie, this party of EdithHolmes' is an evening party; it begins at seven o'clock and only the biggirls can go to it."
"Oh, dear, will I ever get grown up!" and Genie sighed with envy of hersister and Dolly.
"But how do you know who anybody is?" went on Dolly, who had never heardof this game before.
"You don't! that's the fun of it. You can't tell the girls from theboys, and you must try to make your voice different, so nobody will knowwho you are. Have you plenty of sheets, Mother, to fix us up?"
"Yes, indeed; one apiece will do you I think, if they are wide ones."
"We'll make our own masks," said Dotty, who had attended parties of thissort before.
So they cut masks from white muslin, with a little frill across thebottom and holes to fit their eyes.
"Now we must put a piece of gauze or net behind these eye-holes," saidDotty, out of her full experience, "for if we don't, they'd know youreyes and mine in a minute, Dollyrinda."
"Then how can we see where we're going?"
"Oh, we can see through the thin stuff easily enough, but our eyes don'tshow plainly to other people."
So insets of fine white net were put in the eye-holes and the daintywhite masks were really pretty affairs.
They had made them not exactly alike, lest duplicates should lead tosuspicion of their identity.
When it was time to get ready for the party Mrs. Rose pinned the girlsinto their sheet draperies.
"Make us as different as possible, Mother," advised Dotty, "so they'llnever think we're us."
Mrs. Rose pinned Dolly's sheet into the semblance of a Japanese kimono,while she arranged Dotty's in full folds round the neck and let it hangin a Mother Hubbard effect.
Dolly's pillow-case headdress was bunched on either side of her head,like rosettes over her ears, and Dotty's hung in a plain flat fold downher back like an Italian girl's.
The masks were adjusted and the girls were ready to start. They worewhite gloves and white shoes and looked like a pair of very livelyghosts.
Mr. Rose escorted them over to the Holmes Camp, or nearly there,--for itwas the plan that each phantom must sneak in as stealthily as possible,in order to remain unknown.
So sometime before they reached their destination, Dotty ran on ahead,and with great manoeuvring, managed to slip in unseen and saunteramong the crowd already gathered.
Silently, among the trees, Mr. Rose led Dolly until he saw a goodopportunity and then with a whispered "Scoot in there!" he indicated achance for her to make her entrance, and he himself went back home.
It was dusk, not dark, but the light of the big camp fire madeconvenient shadows to screen the entrance of the guests.
It seemed a weird sight to Dolly as she somewhat timidly made her wayin. Twenty or thirty white-robed figures were bowing and scraping ordancing wildly about or talking to each other in high squeaky voices andshort sentences.
"Know me?" somebody said, stopping in front of Dolly.
The voice seemed a little familiar, and yet Dolly couldn't quite placeit. It might be Jack Norris, or it might be one of the Holmes boys. Butin a spirit of fun she nodded her head affirmatively, with great vigour,as if to declare that she knew the speaker perfectly well, but she wouldnot speak herself.
"Who?" squeaked the high voice, hoping Dolly would speak and thus revealher own identity.
But Dolly was too canny for this. Instead she joined together her thumband forefinger of each hand and held them up to her eyes, making circleslike eye-glass rims. Now, in sunny weather, Guy Holmes wore big glasseswith shell rims, and as this described him fairly well, it was a strokeof triumph on Dolly's part. For it was Guy Holmes himself, and hedoubled up with laughter at the clever identification.
But he shook his head as if Dolly were greatly mistaken in her guess,and so she didn't know whether she had been right or not.
When all had arrived, they danced in a circle round the fire, chantingwild sounds that had no meaning or rhythm but were supposed to beghostlike wails and groans.
Then a game was played, under the direction of Mr. Holmes, by which itwas endeavoured to learn who the different phantoms were.
Their host led them to what was really the drying-ground for the familylaundry. A clothesline stretched on four posts formed a square, and fromthe clothesline depended brown paper bags of varying sizes, from largeto tiny, each held by a slender string.
"One at a time," Mr. Holmes explained, "our ghostly friends will go intothe square, and being blindfolded, will endeavour to hit a bag with astick. If the attempt is successful the ghost may return unchallenged,but if he fail to hit a bag the others may guess from his gestures whoit is."
The bags were not very near together, there being only three or four oneach side of the clothesline square.
Mr. Holmes selected one of the phantoms and escorted it to the middle ofthe square, placed a stick in the outstretched hand, blindfolded themotionless figure, turned it round with a whirl and said, "Stepforward, and hit where you choose, and see if you can bring down a bag."
The ghost was very evidently a boy, for two vigorous arms grasped thestick and with a couple of long strides the white figure stalkedforward.
A vigorous blow ensued, but the stick came down between two of the bagsand made no hit.
"Now you may guess who it is," said Mr. Holmes, "as our friend ghost didnot strike anything. If you guess right, he must take off his mask, butif not he may retain it. Only one guess allowed."
Somebody sung out the name of Jack Norris, as the ghost was about hisheight, but the white figure shook its head vigorously and glided backamong the crowd.
The game went on. Sometimes a ghost would hit a bag and the flimsy paperwould burst and a quantity of peanuts or popcorn would scatter on thegrass, to be scrabbled for by the rollicking phantoms.
One bag held confetti which scattered through the air in a gay shower ofcolour.
When it was Dolly's turn, she was determined that she would act asdifferently as possible from her usual manner and so fool everybody.After she was blindfolded and turned round, she took the stick and withlittle mincing steps, imitated exactly the gait of Josie Holmes. Shemade a wild dash with the stick, but failed to hit a bag and MaisieNorris called out at once, "You're Josie Holmes! I know that walk!"
Dolly shook her head vigorously and ran back to the crowd. She chancedto stand next to a very tall ghost who gravely patted her cheek as shestood beside him. Dolly looked up quickly, for she did not like thisfamiliarity from a stranger, and she was sure the phantom was too tallto be any of the boys she knew. Of course, as the party was large, therewere many of the guests whom Dolly had never met, and she resented theact of the stranger and drawing herself up with great dignity turned herback upon him.
But the tall ghost jumped around in front of her and patted her othercheek, the while he gave a cackling, rattling, ghostly chuckle.
To be sure Dolly's cheek was covered by her mask and the ghost worewhite cotton gloves, but she did not at all like his familiar manner andshe walked quickly away from him.
A few moments later the tall ghost himself went to take his turn withthe stick.
Blindfolded and whirled about, he went with short, steady stepsstraight forward, and with a big whack he chanced to bring down a goodsized bag. It was filled with the feathers of a whole pillow, and greatlaughter ensued as, like snowflakes, the feathers flew through the air.His heavy stroke had sent the bag flying upward and as it burst thefeathers descended in a shower.
Since he had broken a bag, the identity of the tall ghost was not evenguessed at, so Dolly had no chanc
e to learn his name.
However, everybody was laughing and sneezing, as the feathers drifteddown and flew into their mouths or tickled their ears.
Only a few of the ghosts' names were guessed correctly, as many of themhad carefully disguised their shapes and sizes. Thin people had put onsweaters or bulky coats to make themselves appear stout, and shortpeople had built up high headdresses in an effort to seem taller.
By the time the game was over every one was in most hilarious mood, andthe few who had been guessed and so had removed their masks, wereteasing the others in efforts to make them talk.
"I know you," said Elmer Holmes, pausing in front of Dolly. "You'reDotty Rose!"
"How do you know?" And Dolly spoke in low, guttural tones, way down inher throat.
"Oh, you needn't growl like a little bear cub! I know you, becauseyou're so careful of that left wing of yours. You thought nobody wouldnotice it, did you? But I spied it, and I _know_ you're Dot! You've goton a couple of coats or something to make you look fatter, but you'reDotty, all right."
Dolly shook with laughter, for she had pretended to shield her left armwith a gesture that was purposely copied from Dotty.
Just then the tall ghost appeared again at Dolly's side. He laid hishand on her shoulder and bent down a little to look in her eyes.
Dolly drew away from him and turned to Elmer Holmes.
"Who?" she said, in a hoarse whisper, pointing to the tall phantom.
"That's telling," said Elmer, laughing. "Ask him yourself who he is."
"Who?" grunted Dolly again, addressing herself to the tall one.
"Peter, Peter, Pumpkin-Eater!" and the tall ghost grunted out the wordsfrom one corner of his mouth and Dolly could not recognise the voice.As the ghost spoke he patted Dolly on the head.
Dolly disliked his manner, for none of the other boys were other thancorrectly formal and polite, so she turned away from him, making agesture of dismissal with her hand.
Apparently "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin-Eater" was desolated, for he put hishands to his eyes and rocked himself back and forth with wailing groansof despair. He was funny, and Dolly had a great desire to know who hemight be, but she did not like the familiarity of his manner, and sheturned away to speak to some one else.
"Take partners for a Virginia reel," called out Mr. Holmes, "and afterthat, we will unmask for supper."
The next moment Dolly found the tall ghost bowing before her andevidently asking her to dance with him.
But instinctively she felt that she preferred not to dance with apartner who was what she called "fresh" in his manner and she shook herhead in refusal.
"Peter" urged and begged her, in dumb show, to consent. Dolly wastempted to do so, for his gestures were pleasantly wheedlesome, but asshe held out her hand in half consent, Peter grasped it and falling onone knee kissed it with his hand on his heart with all the effect of amost devoted cavalier.
"He's too silly!" Dolly thought to herself; "I won't dance with him, forI don't know how he would carry on. But I wonder who he is."
So Dolly turned decidedly away from the tall suitor and found two otherghosts bowing before her and evidently requesting her to dance.
She looked at the two figures and having no idea who they might be, shehesitated which to choose.
Finally, with a white-gloved finger, she touched each in turn, "countingout."
"My--mother--told--me--to--take--this--one!" She mumbled, in amonotonous singsong tone.
And then as her final choice rested on one of the ghosts, she went awaywith him to take her place in the lines that were forming for the dance.
Dolly was at the end of the line of girls and opposite her, of course,was her partner. Next to Dolly's partner stood the tall ghost and asDolly looked at him, he waved his hand at her and then lightly blew hera kiss from the tips of his white-gloved fingers.
"Freshy!" said Dolly to herself. "I think he's horrid! to act likethat, when he doesn't know me at all, for I know I've not met any boy uphere as tall as he is."
The dance began and there was much gay laughter as the phantoms advancedand retreated in their respective turns. The boys pranced awkwardly intheir unaccustomed draperies, while the girls minced around prettily andflung their sheets in graceful whirls.
When it came Dolly's turn, she suddenly realised that as the tall ghoststood next to her own partner it was the obnoxious Peter with whom shewould have to go through the figures of the old-fashioned dance.
With a very stately air she went forward as the tall ghost came to meether half-way. They bowed with great dignity and turned to their placeswhile the other couple did their part.
Next they must join right hands and swing around and this time the tallghost whirled Dolly around so vigorously that he almost swung her offher feet.
Dolly began to be really annoyed, but she determined not to show it andstepped gracefully up for the next figure. This was the left hand twirl,and Peter turned her around more gently this time, but the next, whenthey joined both hands, Peter swung her swiftly round twice instead ofonce, his own feet clumping as if in a clog dance.
The next time the pair merely walked round each other back to back, andDolly was very careful to keep as far distant as possible from theobnoxious Peter.
The dance would soon be over, she knew, and then he would have to unmaskand she could see who this unpleasantly forward youth might be.
It was during the last of the grand march when it came Dolly's turn todance gaily down the line with her own partner, whom she did not yetknow by name, that Peter unceremoniously pushed Dolly's partner aside,and himself taking Dolly's hand, whirled her down the long aisle betweenthe two lines of ghosts who clapped their hands and chanted or whistledin time to the music.
So rapidly did Peter whirl Dolly around that she had no choice but tofollow, and she realised suddenly that the tall ghost was a most awkwarddancer, and that unless she was very nimble herself he would tread onher toes.
Too angry now to think of disguising her voice, Dolly whispered to Peteras they danced along. "You are most rude and unmannerly! I have nevermet a boy so fresh and horrid! As soon as we reach the other end of theline I command you to let me go and I wish you never to speak to meagain!"
Dolly was thoroughly angry, but as she preferred not to let the othersknow of her annoyance, she danced on with Peter toward the end of theline, though she suddenly realised that he was guiding her so as to maketheir progress as slow as possible.
"Oh, now,--oh, now, don't get mad!" and the squeaky voiced, choked withlaughter, was almost inaudible.
"I _am_ mad! I _hate_ you! you're not a nice boy at all, and I wonderEdith Holmes invited you!"
"She didn't!" was squeaked into Dolly's ear, and then, as they reachedthe end of the line the audacious Peter lifted the frill of Dolly's maskand kissed her cheek. Then with a bow, he released her and turned awayto his place in the line.
But as Peter had taken the place of Dolly's partner, and as her partnerhad apparently not resented this act, Dolly had no choice but to joinhands with Peter and march back under an arch-way formed by the claspedhands of the other ghosts. Rather than make an unpleasant scene byrefusing, Dolly thought better to do this, as it would end the dance. Sogiving her finger-tips to the horrid Peter she bent to go under theraised hands.
Tall Peter had to bend a great deal, and as for some reason or other hewas decidedly clumsy with his feet and forever tripping on his trailingrobe, the pair could think of nothing but their progress along the line,and as they reached the end, the dance was over and the music stopped.
"Now," thought Dolly to herself, "I'll see who that horrid boy is,though of course it's no one I know, and as he said Edith didn't invitehim, he must be some intruder who hasn't any business here. But I can'tsee why he picked _me_ out to annoy with his bad manners. I hope nobodysaw him."
"Masks off!" sang out Mr. Holmes, and each ghost began to untie thestrings of his concealing disguise. It was not always easy and many hadto ask help from their
neighbours before they could release themselves.
Dolly untied her mask quickly and stood with angry eyes awaiting arevelation of Peter's identity.
With one hand behind his head, as he loosened his mask, the tall ghoststepped to Dolly's side and said in a squeaky whisper, "Won't youforgive me?"
"No," said Dolly sternly, as she frowned at him. "You have beenunpardonable, and I have no wish to know you."
"Aw, now, Dollydoodle," and the mask was whisked off and smiling down ather stood--Dolly's brother, Bert!
Dolly stared at him in utter amazement and then burst into laughter asshe realised what it all meant.
"You goose!" she exclaimed, as the brother and sister stood choking withlaughter at the situation.
"But how _could_ I know you?" said Dolly, "What makes you so tall?"
"I have big blocks of wood fastened to my shoe soles," explained Bert,"and, my, but it makes me clumsy-footed!"
"I should think so! I don't see how you danced at all! Where _did_ youcome from? How did you get here? Oh, Bert, I'm so glad it was _you_, forI was so mad when I thought some stranger was acting up like that."
"It was a shame, Dollypops, to tease you, but I just couldn't help it. Ihad no intention of acting up like that, but when I just patted yourhand you got so mad, that I thought it would be fun to go on. I'm gladyou _are_ such a little touch-me-not."
"Well, I should hope I _wouldn't_ want strange boys patting me likethat! And when you kissed me, Bert, I thought I should scream, I was somad, but honestly I was ashamed to make a scene and let people know whatyou had done."
"You'll forgive me, sister, won't you?" and Bert's big blue eyes lookedinto Dolly's, as for a moment he did feel ashamed of himself for teasingher so. But his love of a joke was so great, that he had thoroughlyenjoyed fooling Dolly and his affectionate sister willingly forgave him.
"Don't know yet who was your partner, do you, Dolly?" said a voice nearher, and turning, Dolly saw Bob Rose.
"Oh, were _you_?" and Dolly turned to him, laughing.
"I sure was! I resigned in favour of Bert at the last, because hecommanded me to."
"When did you come up here?" and the amazed Dolly began to realise howmatters stood.
"To-night," said Bert. "We were at Crosstrees before you girls left, butMrs. Rose kept us hidden and after you were gone, she togged us up insheets, and here we are."
"But why did you make yourself tall, Bert? Nobody up here would know youanyhow, except Dot and me."
"Oh, just did it for fun. Thought I'd make an impression as the tallestghost in captivity. Where's Dotty? And I want to meet a few of theseother ghost girls. I'll shake you now, Dollikins, and you can have yourown partner back." Bert went away leaving Bob with Dolly, who escortedher to supper.
The supper was served in true camp-fire fashion. There was no table, theghosts, all unmasked now, sat round the big fire on camp stools orcushions, and the boys waited on the girls in true picnic style. Therewere substantial viands, as the evening air caused hearty appetites, andDolly settled herself comfortably on a divan improvised of evergreenboughs and gratefully accepted a cup of hot bouillon and some sandwichesthat Bob brought.
Edith Holmes was sitting by Dolly, and she was chuckling with laughteras Bert told her the joke he had played on his sister.
After supper the merry young people sang songs and glees round the fireuntil it was time to go home.
"Daddy said he'd come for us," said Dotty laughingly to Dolly, "but ofcourse he didn't mean it for he knew the boys would be here to take ushome."
"I'll just remove these blocks of wood before I start," said Bert, ashe quickly tore off the clumsy and cumbersome things.
"Now I can walk better," and he stood on his own shoe soles and at hisown height.
"I'm awfully glad you're here again, Bob," said Edith Holmes, as theysaid good-night, "and I'm glad you're here too," she added to BertFayre. "Our camps are so near that we must play together a lot."
"Nice girl," commented Bert, as the quartette walked away. "Lots of nicepeople at that party."
"Yes," agreed Bob, "girls are nice at parties, but sometimes we don'twant them around. Be sure to be up, old man, by sunrise to-morrowmorning, for we're going fishing early."
"Can't we go?" asked Dotty.
"No, ma'am! No girls need apply. A real fishing trip is a serious matterand we can't be bothered with girls. When we come home to-morrow night,if Mother says you've been good children all day, you can have some ofour fish."