At first she thought the house must be on fire, but a second look showed her that the glare came from a lantern, and in a moment she was alert for what might be discovered.
Concealing her own light behind her, instead of crying out or beating a hasty retreat, she descended the stairs more stealthily than before until she could command a full view of the cellar.
What she now saw was a sight calculated to have sent a thrill of terror to the heart of a less brave girl.
Three men were near the farthest corner, one of them holding the lantern, while another was digging hurriedly into the earth, the third seeming to have no other occupation than to watch the work of his laboring companion.
“Hark!” he exclaimed, suddenly. “I thought I heard some one move.”
“Bosh!” said the one with the lantern. “I never see you so nervous, Jed, as you are to-night. It was only one of the trees scraping against the roof of the old house.”
“I guess you’d be nervous if you were in my place. A man’s mind plays the devil with him sometimes. I ain’t forgot——”
“So does his tongue,” interrupted the other. “The—ha! you have reached it, Bill!”
Joe could hear the spade strike something which gave back a hollow, metallic sound that sent a shiver through her body, but she bravely stood her ground.
The man with the spade resumed his work, throwing up the earth faster than before, until suddenly he stopped. He peered closer into the pit he had dug.