“I—I wouldn’t mind,” she rather hesitatingly said. “But I must get the pail.” And out she jumped, running to the overturned bucket, scooping up most of the berries that had been spilled, then hurrying back, saying as she got in:
“I wouldn’t bother you but there’s an old tumble-down house that folks say has a ghost or something near here. It used to be a tavern ’way back years ago. Somehow I always dread to go near it alone, and I always go round it when I’m out after blueberries, but this road goes right near it.”
“Why, I don’t see any sign of a house round here,” remarked Dave. “I’ve stuck to this old road because I supposed it would lead somewhere.”
“I know,” she returned. “The woods, so plentiful about here, are thicker’n ever where the ruins be. We’re about two miles from my house. It’s more open there; fields and so on. Sam must ’a’ strayed a good bit.”
“We’ll take you home, Nan,” quoth Paul, and Billy nodded in assent. “But maybe you could tell us more about that house. When we get close, you know.”
Here Phil gave both the other boys a warning look as he inquired if they must turn round in order to go where her home lay. Nan nodded, pointing eastward as she replied:
“Just follow the road the way I’m pointing now. I’ll tell you when we get nearest to that old place. It’s about two miles to our house from there.”
Congratulating himself that they were so easily put in the way of finding what they had come so far to see, Phil passed the signal round for the others to keep still and let him do the talking.
By this time Nan was much more at her ease with the boys. She told them of the extent of the woods and how she lived on a small farm at one edge of the great second-growth timber which was the predominating feature of this half swampy section. Moreover Phil, too, noted that here and there were larger hemlock trees, though none of very great size or ancient appearance.
“Has anyone seen the ghost lately?” queried Phil. “Is it a real ghost, or merely the echo of tales that have been current around here for years?”