Penny fairly trod on clouds as she raced toward the home of her chum, Louise Sidell. Her dark-haired chum sat listlessly on the porch reading a book, but she jumped to her feet as she saw her friend. From the way Penny took the steps at one leap she knew there was important news to divulge.
“What’s up?” she demanded alertly.
“Hop, skip and count three!” laughed Penny. “We’re about to launch forth into a grand and glorious adventure. How would you like to go in search of a Headless Horseman?”
“Any kind of a creature suits me,” chuckled Louise. “When do we start and where?”
“Lead me to a map and I’ll try to answer your questions. Our first problem is to find a place called Red Valley.”
For a half hour the two girls poured over a state map. Hobostein County was an area close by, while Red Valley proved to be an isolated little locality less than a day’s journey from Riverview. Penny was further encouraged to learn that the valley she proposed to visit had been settled by Dutch pioneers and that many of the original families still had descendants living there.
“It will be an interesting trip even if we don’t run into any mystery,” Louise said philosophically. “Are you sure you can go, Penny?”
“Well, pretty sure. Dad said it was up to Mrs. Weems to decide.”
Louise gave her chum a sideways glance. “That seems like a mighty big ‘if’ to me.”
“Oh, I’ll bring her around somehow. Pack your suitcase, Lou. We’ll start tomorrow morning bright and early.”