A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE
It seemed to the tired girls as though they had hardly closed their eyes when they heard Jane call out: "Seven o'clock. All hands on deck."
"I'm tho thleepy," murmured Tommy as she struggled into her clothes.
"I'm pretty near dead," growled Hazel. "I think I'll never get rested."
"Do let's hurry and have breakfast," pleaded Margery, "I'm so hungry."
"Chronic thtate," murmured Tommy.
"I don't have nightmares and wake every one up in the middle of the night," retorted Margery, "even if I do get hungry sometimes."
"My nightmare wath utheful, Buthter," returned Tommy calmly. "It helped uth to dithcover that our boat wath gone. But your appetite ithn't the leatht bit utheful, not even to yourthelf."
"I'll never speak to you again, Tommy Thompson," declared Buster wrathfully.
"That maketh me feel very thad, Buthter," replied Tommy sarcastically.
Breakfast was prepared and eaten in record time that morning. Then the dishes were speedily washed and put away. The Tramp Club's camp showed no activity until after eight o'clock, when the smoke from their cook fire was observed curling up through the foliage on the shore of the Island of Delight. A long-drawn "Hoo-oo-oo" from the camp told the girls that they had been observed by some of the boys.
Before nine o'clock the launch put out and sailed rapidly over to the "Red Rover."
"We didn't come to call. We just ran over to see what time you wished to go for a sail?" asked Billy Gordon.
"Come right on board, boys. We finished our work shortly after daylight this morning. You see we are early risers," replied Miss Elting.
The lads needed no urging. They hopped to the after deck of the houseboat. But no sooner had they come aboard than they perceived that something was amiss. George glanced at Harriet inquiringly.
"What's the matter with you girls, this morning?" he asked lamely.
"We had considerable excitement here last night. We were visited by pirates," said the guardian.
The boys flushed guiltily.
"But that is not all," added Jane McCarthy. "We were visited later in the night by a real thief."
"Wha—at!" gasped George, somehow feeling that they were involved.
"We will tell you all about it. Come upstairs, where we can sit down in comfort and talk. Perhaps we may ask you to assist us in finding the thief," said Miss Elting.
The boys followed the girls to the upper deck, and after they had seated themselves Miss Elting related what had happened. "Now, boys," she concluded, "have you the remotest idea as to who could have taken the boat?"
For a moment George stared at the guardian in silence, then he said gravely, "Perhaps you think, Miss Elting, that one of us sneaked over here last night. I'll admit that we did play pirates, and got the worst of it, but none of our fellows left camp after we got back from that pirate trip. There is something strange about this, and it looks to me as though you had a really malicious enemy."
"That is what I think," replied Harriet. "You know, of course, of our previous experiences. Some one is seeking to drive us away. To me it is the work of a man who for some reason is our enemy. I thought we had given him the slip, but he has found us again."
"I will tell you what to do, ladies," spoke up George after pondering the subject briefly. "You had better run your boat right up on the shore at one end of our camp, where we can keep our eyes on you. When you wish to move we will move with you. In that way you will have no further trouble."
"You boys wouldn't be of any help to us," interrupted Jane.
"Why not?" demanded Larry Goheen, bristling.
"Because you sleep too well."
"I don't believe I should dare to spend a night on that island," said Harriet Burrell, regarding the shores of the Island of Delight with troubled eyes.
"Why not?" repeated Larry.
"There are strange things there," said Harriet, pointing. "Haven't you seen them?"
"Good gracious, no," answered Billy. "What do you mean, Miss Burrell?"
"Ghosts!" answered Harriet, leaning toward their guests. The boys fairly jumped at the words, then laughed heartily.
"There aren't any such things," scoffed George. "Besides, if there were, do you think we men would be afraid of them? I guess not. I'd like to see the ghost that I would be afraid of. You bring out your ghosts! We'll show you how quickly we will lay them."
"Oh, I can't bring them out," murmured Harriet. "I thought perhaps you had seen them."
"Have you?" demanded Sam, turning on her sharply.
"Oh, don't ask me," begged Harriet, in such apparent distress that Sam did not question her further.
"What's this that Harriet is telling you?" asked Miss Elting.
"She's been seeing things, and thinks it queer that we have not, too," answered George. "I wish we might. Then you don't think you would like to run the boat ashore at the camp, so as to be where we can look after you?"
"I should not mind. But the girls think they are able to take care of themselves, and I must say that I agree with them, George. Don't you think they are?" asked the guardian.
"They beat any boys I've ever seen. But then, you see, there are a lot of us fellows, and then again, your enemies won't be so bold when they know there are men around the premises," declared George pompously.
Harriet turned her head away that they might not see her laughter.
"Any way, let us tow you in closer to shore," urged George.
Harriet shook her head.
"Thank you, but we will fight our own battles. If we find we are getting the worst of it we will scream for you. That is, if you are able to see us. You gentlemen are short-sighted at times. The very idea of your hunting all over the lake for us when we were here fairly before your eyes! Look out that you're not so careless as to lose us again. Remember it will be the winning stroke for us."
Harriet's manner was so superbly disdainful, yet there was so much pity in her tone, that the boys flushed painfully.
"You won't lose us again the same way—don't worry about that," George Baker retorted, with some heat. "But when are you going for a ride in the launch with us?"
"Why, I think we are ready now," smiled Miss Elting. "For one, I would like very much to go to Wantagh, if you will be kind enough to take me there. Harriet, I have changed my mind about remaining with the 'Red Rover' and I shall accept your suggestion to leave you as watchman on the 'Red Rover.'"
"By all means, Miss Elting," replied Harriet.
"I don't like to see you remaining alone," protested Hazel, as she stepped, half-reluctantly, into the launch. "I know you'll be dreadfully lonesome."
Harriet, however, was far from lonesome. It was really pleasant to be all by herself for a little while.
When the launch reached Wantagh the girls promptly went shopping, with the exception of Jane, who went to engage a rowboat, and Miss Elting, to hunt up Dee Dickinson. It was an uncomfortable half hour for Dee, for Miss Elting reported the loss of the rowboat and said very plainly to him that she believed he understood the cause of the persecutions the girls were undergoing. Still, Dee could not be made to talk freely. Miss Elting left him, dissatisfied.
"That man knows the cause of our troubles, and he simply won't tell me," said the guardian indignantly to herself, as she walked away. "And just a hint or two might enable us to save ourselves a good deal of annoyance, and even protect us from real dangers. I wonder what it all means."
She said nothing to the girls about having seen Dickinson, when finally she joined them at the pier. The girls had filled every available space in the boat with their purchases and the new dingy was fastened to the stern. The run back in the late afternoon was a delightful one. When they came in sight of the "Red Rover" they uttered cries of delight. The "Red Rover" looked like a huge flame in the sunlight.
"It doesn't seem possible that such a boat could be lost sight of anywhere, does it?" questioned Jane brightly, turning to Captain Baker.
"No," he answered gloomily. "And it won't be again."
"You can't tell, you know. It may disappear from the face of the waters this very night."
George looked at Billy. Jane had given them a hint that they were not slow to catch. They did not know that she was teasing them for the very purpose of making their surprise greater when it did come.
The boys left their passengers at the "Red Rover" and then sailed over to their own camp. The girls were glad to be back. The houseboat had come to be a real home to them, one that they would be sorry to leave when their vacation came to an end.
Jane had purchased a dozen colored lanterns in town. As soon as darkness fell, these were lighted and strung above the upper deck. The interior was brightly lighted, so that the "Red Rover," that evening, stood out more prominently than anything else on that part of the lake. Later in the evening, after having disposed of their work, the girls took out the new rowboat and rowed slowly round and round the "Red Rover" singing. The boys came out at that and joined them. Together, the two boats drifted about until the hour grew late and Miss Elting called to the girls that it was time to come in. They responded promptly. The boys rowed up alongside and holding to the gunwale of the "Red Rover," chatted for a few moments.
"So long! We will see you in the morning," called George as they pushed the rowboat off.
"Yes. In the morning—maybe," answered Harriet laughingly.
"It's my opinion that those girls are going to try to play more tricks to-night," declared Billy, after they had gotten a short distance from the "Red Rover." He was speaking in a tone louder than he imagined. Harriet heard every word he said.
"Yes," agreed George. "I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll put a boy on watch to-night. Then, if they try to run away from us, we will just follow and give them a surprise. We can't let those girls get the better of us this time."
That was the last that Harriet heard. They had rowed so far away that their words were inaudible. But what she had heard was quite sufficient.
"And about those ghosts?" questioned Larry.
"A bluff," scoffed George. "You don't believe in ghosts, do you?"
"Well, I don't know. I have heard of such things," admitted Larry solemnly.
"Nonsense. I guess we will elect you to watch the houseboat to-night. How about it?" demanded George.
"I don't care."
"But don't you dare go to sleep."
"What if I do?"
"You will get a ducking," interjected Sam. "You will get your distinguished head held under water until you're wide awake."
The plan, however, was put into operation soon after their arrival at the camp. They watched the "Red Rover" together until all the lights except the anchor light, had been put out. They knew, by this sign, that the Meadow-Brook Girls had retired for the night. The Tramp Club then went to bed, leaving Larry on guard. All he could see of the "Red Rover" was the anchor light, the night being very dark and a little hazy. But he never lost sight of this anchor light for more than a few moments at a time. Were the girls to get away without his discovering it he knew what to expect at the hands of his companions. Then again, Larry Goheen prided himself on his keenness. It would be very humiliating to be outwitted by the girls. He, with the rest of the boys fully believed that the girls were planning some trick for that night.
Larry watched that anchor light until just before the break of day, when he called Sam to come out and take the watch until breakfast time. The daylight had not yet become pronounced enough to make out objects distinctly, but shortly after Sam took the watch the day broke bright and clear. The anchor light seemed to fade away and merge into thin air before his very eyes. He did not stop to reason that this was because the morning light had become stronger than that of the lantern.
Sam blinked and rubbed his eyes. He could hardly believe what they told him. He uttered a yell that brought his companions out on the run.
"What's up?" shouted Billy.
"Everything. They've tricked us! They've gone!" cried Sam.
"They have, I do declare," added George in a hushed tone. "When did they go?"
"Just now. I saw them."
"You were asleep," rebuked Billy.
"I wasn't! They disappeared! They went up in thin air."
Just then they were interrupted by a long, piercing wail that seemed to come from the air above and around them. The boys gazed into each others faces.
"It's a banshee's wail," whispered Larry. "Somebody's going to die."