Chapter VI
GHOST CABIN
“Ah, me, the joys of camping in the open!” Carol said to the world at large.
Rain had been steadily pouring down on the file of riders since early morning. Clad in shining slickers they were riding on through the downpour. It was decidedly uncomfortable and to make it worse, they had had to have a cold lunch because everything was soaked and neither Tom nor Jim could make a fire. Such conditions had led to Carol’s declaration.
The others smiled but Janet was the only one who grumbled in reply.
“When do we get to this cabin, Jim?” she called over the heads of Gale, Valerie and Virginia.
Jim knew of a cabin where he promised them they could spend the night in comparative dryness and warmth. It was an old miner’s shack, long since deserted by its owner, but no matter how ramshackle and tumbledown, it beckoned as a heavenly haven to the wet, weary riders because it promised shelter from the rain.
“In ’bout an hour, I reckon,” Jim replied. “Mebbe less.”
“I hope it’s less,” Gale murmured to Virginia.
Her cousin smiled at her. “Feeling disgusted with camping in the open? I wouldn’t blame you. This isn’t a nice experience for newcomers to our state.”
“It isn’t me,” Gale said with a surprised glance, as though the mere thought of her own comfort had never entered her head. “It’s Val. She’s looking rather--peaked.”