“Dog-gone!” cried Scoop, sweating, when we [[188]]came to the room where he and Peg were at work, “We’ve ripped up the whole floor and haven’t found a thing.”
Peg was smashing the brick hearth of the fireplace.
“Get busy, fellows,” he panted. “We haven’t a minute to spare.”
Tom and I gave a cheerful hand to the work. Suddenly the awfulest groan fell on our ears that you can imagine. A sort of shivering, rattling groan.
“The miser’s ghost!” I screeched, dropping my pick. “It’s coming up the stairs!”
There was a rippling laugh from below. And who should come into sight but the grinning Matson girl.
“Don’t ever tell me,” she laughed, “how brave boys are. For I certainly had the four of you scared to death.”
Scoop scowled.
“What’s the idea?” he growled.
“Oh, I just did it for fun.”