CHAPTER XVI--WHERE IS LAURA?
Launcelot Darby was rather impatient with Jess Morse. He would haveshaken her had not Chet interfered.
"Hold on! hold on!" said Laura's brother, yet quite as anxious as hischum. "You tell us your own way, Jess. But _do_ hurry. We're dreadfullyanxious."
"I--I mean to tell you," sobbed Jess. "Something dreadful hashappened--and I ran away and left her."
"Ran away and left who--Laura?" gasped Lance.
"Yes."
"Where?"
"Up in Robinson's Woods."
"At the picnic place?"
"No."
"Back in the woods, then?" demanded Chet.
"Up on the side of the mountain. You--you know that--that old house----"
"The haunted house!" exclaimed Lance.
"The old Robinson house?" cried Chet.
"Yes."
"What under the sun were you doing there?"
"I--I can't tell you. It--it was something about the initiation----"
"Those blessed Mary O'Rourkes!" cried Lance, smiting his hands together.
"The M. O. R.'s," said Chet. "You girls were all up there?"
"Ye--es."
"In the dark?"
"We had a campfire."
"And what happened?"
"Well, Laura and two other girls and I had to go into the house."
"That old wreck!" ejaculated Lance again.
"Ye--es."
"Weren't you afraid?" demanded Chet.
"That--that's the trouble. We were frightened."
"Somebody played a trick on you," declared Chet.
"No, they didn't!" gasped Jess. "It was a real ghost."
At that both boys chuckled, and Chet said:
"Aw, say, now, Jess. How could there be a _real_ ghost?"
"Never mind. That's not the point," Lance interposed, eagerly. "We wantto know what's become of Laura."
"So we do," admitted Chet.
"Was she scared, too?" asked Lance.
"Of course she was. _You'd_ have been----"
"Wouldn't either!" snapped Lance. "No ghost would ever scare me. Some ofthe other girls played a trick on you."
"Of course, that's it," said Chet. "But that don't explain why Laura----"
"That's it!" interrupted Lance. "Tell us where she is."
"She must be there," declared Jess, in an awestruck voice.
"Where?"
"In the house."
"In Robinson's old house?" gasped Chet.
"That's where we left her. I thought she got out ahead of us. But shedidn't."
"And none of you were brave enough to go back and look for her?"demanded Lance, with scorn.
"We thought she was ahead. All the girls ran----"
"What made you run?" asked Chet, trying to soothe her.
"The light."
"You saw a ghost light, eh?" demanded Chet. "I bet you'd been hearingthat old story they tell about the Robinsons."
Jess nodded.
"And the ghost lantern appeared?"
"Yes. It _did_. It was really there, Chetwood."
"All right. I didn't think Laura would fall for a thing like that,"scoffed the absent girl's brother.
"Say!" demanded Lance, who admired Laura greatly and would not let evenher brother laugh at her. "All those other girls ran, didn't they? Jessran. Why should Laura be any braver than the rest of the bunch?"
"Well! she ought to be," grunted her brother. Then he turned again toJess, who was fast recovering her composure now. "And you didn't seeLaura leave the house after your scare?"
"No."
"How many of you girls were in the house?"
"Only four of us."
"And three got away?"
"Yes."
"Supposedly, then, the ghost got Laura?"
"She didn't come out, Chet. You needn't laugh. Something bad hashappened to her."
"Of course, if you are sure she didn't come out of the house----?"
"Just as sure as I stand here!" declared the girl, emphatically. "Ididn't think so until just now. It seemed as though she must have runahead and taken one of the regular cars to town. But now I know thatwouldn't have been Laura's way, whether she was scared or not."
"I should say not," said Lance, in disgust. "You girls are all alike--allbut Laura! She wouldn't have left you in such a mess."
"Now, stop that!" commanded Chet. "Such talk won't lead to anything butangry feelings. Jess thought Laura was ahead. Now we'll go back and findher."
"Oh, Chet! if you only would," begged Jess, too miserable to even beoffended at Lance.
"We'll get out the car. Father won't mind. And I got my license to runit only last month."
"Bully!" ejaculated Lance.
"I'm going, too," said Jess, wiping her eyes vigorously.
"Had you better?" returned Chet, doubtfully. "You're all strung upyourself over this, you know."
"I won't cry any more, Chet--don't you fear," declared the girl. "Let mego."
"Just as you say, only I thought you wouldn't go back to that houseagain."
"I'll go with you boys."
"Ghosts and all?"
"If it's a ghost it's gone by now."
"All right," said Chet. "But it's half after nine already. What willyour mother say?"
"She's at the Academic Club, and won't be home for ever so long,"declared Jess. "Let me go with you to the garage."
She followed the two boys to the rear of the Belding premises. Chetunlocked and slid back the garage doors. The touring car which hisfather owned was ready at a moment's notice to be taken out. They keptno chauffeur, for both Mr. Belding and Chet could manage the machine,and had she been old enough to take out a license Laura could herselfhave spun the car over the roads about Centerport.
"Hop in, Jess," said Chet, kindly. "That is, if you are sure you won'tbe frightened. I'm going to drive her some."
"I'm never scared when you are driving, Chet," returned the girl.
"I guess I'll get you to the inn at the picnic grounds in safety, atleast," and the boy laughed. "You can wait there for us."
"No!" cried Jess.
"No?"
"I'm not going to be left there to watch the car while you boys hunt forLaura."
"But we may have to get a party of neighbors there and beat up thewoods."
"But I believe now she was left behind in the old house," declared Jess.
"Not likely," said Lance. "She ran out some other door. Got turnedaround in those woods. That's what happened."
"You may be right," Jess admitted. "But I have a feeling that it isn'tso. Something happened to Laura right there in the haunted house."
"You feel that way because you were so frightened there yourself," saidChet.
"I don't know why I feel so; but it is a fact," said Jess, confidently.
"Come on!" cried Lance, who was already in the front seat.
Chet helped Jess into the tonneau and closed the door. Then he hopped inbeside Lance, tried his various levers, and started the car. It slidquietly out of the garage and they left the door open. The big car beganto purr almost at once, and running smoothly, soon left the hill sectionand raced out along Market Street, now quiet save for the electric carsand other automobiles at this hour of the evening.
It was not long after ten when the car turned into the quiet road, withits few electric lights, leading to Robinson's Woods. There were a fewother cars at the inn, and some people on the porch. Chet went at onceto the manager and told him of the absence of his sister.
"I saw those girls all going to the car; but they never said anythingabout one of their number being lost," said the gentleman.
"They didn't know it then. They don't all know it now, in fact. But whenLaura didn't come home her chum was sure that she was left behind. Andshe thinks she is in the old house up yonder," explained Chet.
"In the haunted house?"
"Yes."
"Nice place for girls to go!" exclaimed the man. "What did they want
togo into that old ruin for?"
"Well, that isn't just the point," said Chet. "I'd like to get all themen you can raise to help us beat up the woods. She _may_ have wanderedinto the wood at the back of the house----"
"But she'd know she was going the wrong way then, wouldn't she?"returned the manager of the hotel. "For it's uphill, you know."
"I suppose that's so," said Chet. "But something has happened to her andwe're worried."
"Don't blame you. I'll go with you myself. And there are some other menhere who will accompany us," said the manager, and he bustled away.
In five minutes the party was ready, with lanterns and clubs--though whythe clubs, Chet could not imagine. Ghosts were not to be laid with suchcarnal weapons!
Jess insisted upon going along. "I left her alone, and I am ashamed,"she told Chet. "I want to hunt for Laura, too."
She and Chet walked straight up the path to the plateau, Chet carryingone of the car lanterns. The others, including Lance, beat up throughthe wood, halloaing to each other, and shouting Laura's name. The lostgirl's brother and her chum came first to the haunted house, however.
"If you're afraid to go in you stay here," advised Chet, when they cameto the place.
"I'm not afraid to go anywhere with you, Chet," declared the girl,warmly.
That made Chet feel even more bold than before. He started right up thesteps, with Jess clinging slily to his coat-tail.
They entered the house. The lamp light was flashed into the east room.It was empty!
Not quite empty, after all. On the floor was a three-cornered bit ofcloth--a piece of Laura's skirt--nailed to the boards.