CHAPTER IX--ANOTHER FLIGHT
"What do you suppose that means?" demanded Fred in a whisper.
"Things are seldom what they seem," said Grant.
"What do you mean?" again demanded Fred, turning sharply upon hisfriend. "Don't you think there are lights there? Didn't you hear thesound of the automobile horn?"
"I certainly did," acknowledged Grant, "but that isn't all there is toit. There are some things we don't see in connection with these things."
"Come on," urged George, "let's all get out and go in there and see ifwe cannot see those other things that Grant is telling about."
For a moment there was silence in the little party, but at last, as noone was desirous of being looked upon as cowardly by his friends, allfour boys stepped down upon the ground.
"Come on, Uncle Sim," called George. "You aren't going to be leftbehind."
"We don' lose one car," remarked the aged negro, his teeth chattering ashe spoke.
"And we don't want to lose another, do we, Uncle Sim?" said George. "Idon't think anybody can take it without our knowing it, so you can comealong, Uncle Sim, if you want to."
"Yas, suh. Yas, suh," responded the negro. "D'rec'ly, d'rec'ly."
George laughed, as the old man slowly and with manifest reluctanceclimbed down upon the ground. His "mis'ry" plainly was unusuallytroublesome, for he walked with a great effort and very slowly. Indeed,he groaned with every step that he took, as he followed the boys ontheir way to the old house.
Silence fell upon the party when they drew near the building. No lightsnow were to be seen in any of its windows. Silence rested over thequaint old structure and apparently there was nothing to explain thestrange sights and sounds which recently had issued from the venerablebuilding.
"You boys stay here and go into the house by the front door and I'll goaround to the kitchen," said George.
"What for?" demanded Fred.
"Why, we'll be more certain," explained George, "to find out if there isanything wrong here if we come at the old house from two sides."
"I think I'll go with you," spoke up Grant quickly.
"There's no need of that," protested George sharply. Indeed the ladspoke too sharply, for the suspicions of Grant were instantly aroused bythe evident desire of his friend not to have him accompany him.Knowledge of that fact, however, was sufficient of itself to increaseGrant's determination.
"We had better divide up the party evenly," he suggested. "John and Fredcan stay here and watch this side and I'll go with you around to thekitchen door."
With manifest reluctance, though he made no further protest, Georgeaccepted the suggestion of his friend and together the two boys soondisappeared from the sight of their companions.
"Who's that?" whispered Fred as he grasped the arm of John, who wasstanding beside him, and pointing to an approaching figure of a man.
"That's Uncle Sim," replied John after a hasty glance at the approachingform.
John's words were verified when a few moments later Uncle Sim, his voicetrembling and his terror manifest in his entire bearing, approached thespot where the two boys were standing. Indeed, had it not been for thepresence of John and Fred, Uncle Sim with all his "mis'ry" would nothave been induced to approach the uncanny place.
"Come on," said John a moment later. "We're going into the house to findout about those lights."
No protest was made and together the two boys, followed by Uncle Sim,whose reluctance manifestly increased with every passing moment, pushedopen the sagging front door and entered the front room.
For a moment they were unable to distinguish any objects in thedarkness. From the small windows the faint light entered, but it was notsufficient to enable the boys to see about them. Suddenly the strangewhirring of winds was heard again. Now the sound came from the ceilingand then again it seemed to the startled boys that it was close to theplace where they were standing. Back and forth and up and down thestrange sounds continued, occasionally broken by a plaintive note as ifthe creature that was darting about the room was in terror or pain.
Uncle Sim, unable longer to control his feelings, began to pray, buteven his prayer did not prevent him from speedily fleeing from the room.
Fred glanced through the open door and saw the old negro making mostexcellent time as he ran across the field toward the waiting automobile.Under other circumstances he would have laughed heartily, but just nowthere was excitement sufficient to prevent the boys from following theretreating old negro.
In the midst of the sounds of the wings suddenly a prolonged groan washeard. It seemed to both Fred and John that it issued from some placeclose to them. Several times the startling noise was repeated and thenwas followed by a strange whistling.
For some reason, which neither of the two boys explained to the other,they had not advanced farther into the room. Both glanced behind them tomake certain that the door was still open and their way of escape wasunimpeded.
"Where are the other fellows?" whispered Fred.
"I don't know. Shall I call them?"
"Yes," said Fred eagerly,
"Hello, there is George. Where are you, Grant?" called John, striving tospeak boldly, though in spite of his efforts his voice trembled as hespoke.
Instead of a response from their companion a faint sound of an auto hornwas heard in the old building. It was mournful beyond the power ofeither boy to describe. Instead of the sharp, short "honk," it wasprolonged and weird.
"This is too much for me," said Fred sharply. "I have seen all I want tosee. The other fellows aren't here and I'm not going into this old houseany further unless I can see my way."
"What's that? What's that?" whispered John excitedly.
As he spoke the sound of some one running around the corner of the housewas heard by both boys. In a moment John and Fred were outside the oldbuilding and as they became aware that the fugitives were George andGrant they lost no time in following them.
In the distance Uncle Sim could be seen climbing into the automobile. Itwas marvelous too what excellent time all four boys were making. Swiftlyas George and Grant were running they were soon overtaken by theircompanions and together all four arrived at the place in the road wheretheir automobile had been left.
At that moment there came a sound from the old Meeker House very like awild burst of laughter. This was repeated and the terror of Uncle Simbecame still more pronounced.
"There goes that auto horn again," said George, as he grasped the wheeland looked behind to see if his friends were ready to start. "UncleSim," called George just before he started, "I wish you would see ifthat back tire on the left is all right. We don't want to start out on aflat tire."
"Yas, suh. Yas, suh," answered Uncle Sim quickly, as he obedientlyclimbed out of the car and inspected the tire. "It's all right, suh," herepeated. "It's all right."
In his eagerness to be gone George at once started, unaware that theaged negro had not yet returned to his seat.
His ignorance was speedily dispelled when from the darkness behind themcame several agonizing calls for help, "Hi dar, don't leave me! Don'tleave me! Wait! Wait dar!"
As the boys glanced behind them they saw the old man running swiftlytoward them and making even better time than when he had departed fromthe old Meeker House.
Obediently George stopped the automobile and in a moment Uncle Sim,breathless and excited, climbed into the seat.
"There's one thing I don't understand, Uncle Sim," said George, laughingas he spoke.
"Yas, suh. Yas, suh," responded the negro. "Dat's jes' de way I feel."
"What I can't understand," said George, "is why it is so hard for you towalk when you are working around the place and it's so easy for you torun when you have been left behind."
"Dat's so. Yas, suh," answered the negro. "I jes' cain't explain datmahself."
Apparently George was the only member of the party that was willing totalk and even he soon lost his desire as few responses were made to hisvarious suggestions.
Uncle Sim, however, with chattering teeth and trembling voice,frequently expressed his displeasure over the attempt of the boys tobelittle the sounds which had come from the old Meeker House.
At last Uncle Sim declared solemnly, "I jes' made up my mind how dat arautomobile was taken."
"How was that?" demanded George.
"It's de spooks back in de ole Meeker House. Dey make all de trouble."
The four boys were now far enough from the scene of their recentadventure to permit of their looking more calmly at their surroundings.Their former fear had departed as the distance between them and the oldhouse had increased. When Uncle Sim made this solemn declaration as tothe cause of the loss of the automobile they all laughed heartily,although the aged negro strongly maintained his repeated declarations.
"Yas, suh. Yas, suh," he declared, "Dar's somethin' strange 'bout alldis rumpus. Yo' hear de spirits in de ole house and you see de lightsfrom de windows, and den you hear de autermobile ho'n. Dat's de way itis, yas, suh. Yo' couldn't find that automobile if yo' was to search datold house from de cellar up to de garret and yet de ho'n kept er blowin'and er blowin' all de time."
"I think you're mistaken, Uncle Sim," laughed George.
"No, suh. No, suh. Dat's jes' de way it is. I feel shore you'll nebersee dat autermobile agin."
"You think it is in the old house?" demanded Fred.
"No, suh. No, suh. I didn't say as how it is exac'ly _in_ de ole house,but what I says is dat de persons what's in de ole house can tell yo'what become of dat ar autermobile, an' it was our autermobile ho'n whatwas er blowin' dar. Yas, suh, I'd know dat ho'n if I heard it er hundredmiles from here."
"I'll tell you what I'll do," said George suddenly.
"Tell ahead," said Fred. "What is it you'll do?"
"I'll dare the crowd to go back to the old Meeker House."
"We'll take your dare," responded Fred promptly.