The Scranton High Chums on the Cinder Path | Page 6

comrades.
CHAPTER III
TALKING OF GHOSTS

"That was no crow cawing, boys, believe me!" ejaculated K.K.
"Crow! Well, I should say not!" added Horatio instantly. "If you asked
me right to my face I'd mention a donkey braying. Gee! but it was
fierce!"
"But what would a donkey be doing away up here at the old quarry,
where there hasn't been a stroke of work done these many years; tell me
that?" demanded Julius defiantly.
"I don't believe it was a donkey," said Hugh, shaking his head, as
though he, too, found himself exceedingly puzzled; "but I'm not in a
position to explain the thing. That was certainly a queer noise, for a
fact."
"Extraordinary!" assented Thad Stevens.
"Well, I should call it perfectly awful!" Horatio clipped in.
"Horrible would be a better word to describe it," eagerly followed
Julius, who, it must be confessed, was trembling all over; of course, not
with fear, or anything like that, but just because of excitement, he
assured himself.
"And," continued the sensible Hugh, "if that's the sort of noises these
farmer folks have been bearing right along, I don't wonder some of
them have been nearly scared out of their wits. It was bad enough in
broad daylight, with the sun shining; so what must it have seemed like
in the moonlight, or when it was pitch dark?"
"Wow! excuse me from coming up here after dusk," muttered Julius.
"I'm no ghost-hunter, let me tell you. I know my weak points, and
seeing things in the night-time used to be one of the same. They had a
great time breaking me of it, too. Even now I sometimes dream of
queer things when I've got the nightmare, after eating too big a
Thanksgiving dinner; and when I wake up suddenly I'm all in a sweat,
and a poor old moth fluttering at the window will give me a start,
thinking it's the tiger getting in my East Indian bungalow."

"Well, what's the program, Hugh?" asked K. "Shall I start up again, so
we can continue our journey along this tough old road; or do you want
to get out, and take a hunt around the quarry for the thing that gave
those yawps?"
"Get out?" repeated Julius, in a sudden panic; "not for Joseph. Don't
count on me for any such silly business. I came up here to get walnuts
and such; and I'm meaning to stick close to my engagement. Side issues
can't tempt me to change my mind. Guess I know when I'm well off."
"It's been several minutes since we heard that sound," Hugh went on to
remark; "and, so far, it hasn't been repeated."
"Oh! it came three times, you remember, Hugh," suggested K.K.; "and,
like in baseball, I reckon it's three times and out. Whatever it was let
out those screeches it's certainly quieted down. How about going on
now, Hugh?"
"If I was alone," mused the other, "I really believe I'd be half tempted
to take a prowl around, and find out if I could what all the row meant. I
never like to pass anything up, when my curiosity is excited."
"Oh, come back again some other time, Hugh, when you're not booked
for getting home!" sang out Horatio. "If you put it to a vote I don't
believe anybody in this bunch would seem wild to back you up right
now. Fact is, I can hear our supper-bell calling me ever so loud. Hey!
boys, how about that?"
"Let's get a move on!" Julius hastened to reply, so that there could be
no mistaking his sentiments, at least.
Julius was followed by K.K., although the latter shrugged his shoulders
as he added:
"Perhaps it looks timid in us doing what we mean to, but really this is
none of our business, and we might get in some trouble bothering
around here. I read about a house that was said to be haunted, which
story a daring reporter said he'd investigate. He spent a night there, and

actually captured the ghost, who turned out to be just an ordinary man,
living on a place adjoining the haunted estate. He owned up to being
the pallid specter that had been giving the house such a bad name; and
said he wanted to buy the property in for a song, as it would find no
other purchaser if it had such an evil reputation. Now, maybe
somebody wants this quarry for thirty cents, and this is his way of
scaring other would-be purchasers away. We don't want to butt in on
any such game, you see."
Hugh and the others laughed at such a clever explanation.
"Whatever the truth may be," said Hugh, "I hardly believe it'll turn out
anything like that, K.K. But you might as well start on.