CHAPTER XVII
BILLIE MEETS TRESPASSERS
It was unlike any sound the girls had ever heard back at the Cove; almost like a human being in distress and yet like some animal cry too.
"It's a fox," whispered Astrid, getting nearer to her big sister.
"No, it isn't," said Abby. "That's a deer. They always yell like that when the moon's full."
"It was right near, I think, right outside." Kit sat up eager and tense. "Shall I flash the light, Jean?"
"Not yet. Wait until it comes again. I think it was only some night bird."
So they waited breathlessly. Every tiny creaking noise in the old house was intensified by the heavy silence. Jean rose and went to the window. The moon was not up yet, and it was hard to distinguish objects, but down in the garden she thought she saw something that looked like a cow lying down.
"I can't tell just what it is. It may be only a stray cow or horse," she said softly.
"Throw something at it," suggested Kit, hopefully. "Let's all throw something."