“But never when any of the boys were here,” interrupted Jack, again.
“Yes, once. Tom saw a light in here one night, and thought it was the girls; but it happened to be the boys. He didn’t think he could frighten the boys.”
“Was that the night of the storm?” asked Jack.
Anna thought a minute, and then said:
“Yes, I guess it was. Tom did start to go down the cellar; but he changed his mind. He was afraid of the boys.”
Jack smiled to himself as he thought of that night. He and John had been standing a good deal of kidding from the other fellows; now they could tell them a thing or two.
“Who was down there the night we girls had a party?” questioned Marjorie.
“Tom was. I overheard Alice say you were going to have one of them spirit—what d’you call ’em—persons there, and I told him. So he was on the job in the cellar until you girls started to look around. He could hear all you said; so he left in a hurry. He said he didn’t want to wait for that girl with a pistol—meanin’ you. But he thought sure you’d leave the place after that! Now will you let pa go, if we promise not to do it any more?”
“You say it’s your father down there?” said Jack, pointing to the cellar. “Where’s your brother?”
“He had to be away last night, but he was down by them bushes earlier in the evening, and saw you come in; and thought two girls was going to be here all alone; so he got pa to take his place. But he never would have risked it if he had known that one of you was a boy. I got so anxious about pa myself that I came here to bring him away—but just as I got here I heard the three whistles. Won’t you please let him go?”