"Who, me?" exclaimed the Southern boy. "Nothing at all, Elmer," and his manner told plainly that he was both disappointed and disgusted.
"How about you, Arthur?" continued the acting scout master.
"What did I see?" Lil Artha replied, promptly; "four damp-looking stone walls, a hard earth floor, and a few old boxes lying around, but not another blessed thing."
Something about Elmer's manner caught his attention and aroused his suspicions.
"See here, did you discover anything?" he demanded.
"Well," replied Elmer, "I can't say that the evidence is so plain a fellow who runs may read; but from a number of things I've seen since coming here to the Munsey mill pond I've about made up my mind this place isn't quite as deserted as people seem to believe."
"Do you mean, Elmer," cried Lil Artha, excitedly, "that tramps or some more yeggmen, like those fellows we met with up at McGraw's lumber camp, have squatted here in this haunted house?"
"Something like that," replied the other, steadily, "though I don't believe they dare spend a night under this roof. There's no sign of that."
"But what would they kidnap our chum for?" demanded the excited tall scout.
"I don't know for certain, but we're going to find out pretty soon," said Elmer, with a determined look.