The others were entirely agreeable, and they set to with a will. There was an abundance of work for everyone, and so the afternoon hours sped away. Just before dark they united their efforts and cut enough wood for the winter evening. It was dark when they had gathered enough, and then they turned their attention to supper. There was a rusty iron stove in the lean-to, and between that and the open fireplace they managed without any trouble. Supper was a happy affair, and when the wind rose a little later, they congratulated themselves that they had a warm cabin to camp in.
“And it looks a heap cleaner than it did when we came here,” Mac remarked, looking around with satisfaction.
They spent the long evening chatting around the fireplace and at last sought their sleeping bags on the log floor before the fire. Barry opened the door to throw out some wash water and stood for a moment, his eyes fixed on the darker mass of the lodge building.
“Tomorrow we’ll look into that place,” he reflected. “I wonder what the secret of it is, anyway? Well, I hope we’ll be lucky enough to find out. Maybe the haunt will be around tonight to look us over!”
CHAPTER VIII
The Upstairs Window
The boys slept soundly throughout the night, and it was seven o’clock before Tim opened his eyes and looked around the unfamiliar interior of the Bronson cabin. For a moment he was unable to place himself, and then the events of the previous evening came to him. A glance at his companions showed that they were still asleep. The fire had long since gone out, and the place was cold. He struggled up into a sitting position.
“It certainly is cold in here,” he decided, slipping out of the warm bag. “I’ll get our fire going at once. And believe me, I want a more comfortable bed than that one was!”
He shivered while pulling on his clothes, and it was with satisfaction that he drew his heavy sweater down over his head. Then he looked around for water in which to wash, but the little that they had was frozen.
“No bath until after I get the fire under way and melt some snow,” he thought. “I’ll probably need a wash worse after building the fire than I do now, anyway.”
Kent woke up and looked at him sleepily. “Hello, half-size! You’re an early bird, I see!”