“Oh, dear, I suppose I’ll never hear the last of it,” Cara sighed. “I’m willing to admit it couldn’t have been a ghost, but there was somebody in that yard!”
“I have a splendid idea!” Madge confided, watching her friend mischievously. “Let’s go to the old mansion now and see what we can discover.”
Cara shrank away.
“No, thanks. I don’t care for the place.”
“It’s broad daylight,” Madge insisted. “And remember, for a week you’re supposed to obey the commands of any member of Skull and Crossbones.”
“Oh, all right,” Cara submitted unwillingly, “but I don’t see what you expect to find there.”
Madge did not respond. In truth, she could not have told what she hoped to learn. It was pure intuition that had inspired the little adventure. Turning down Summit Street, she urged Cara to a faster pace.
“Don’t look so glum,” she protested gayly. “It will be fun! Before we’re through, I’ll warrant you’ll be glad I brought you along!”
CHAPTER III
The Swenster Mansion
The Swenster mansion was a large, rambling affair, set back some distance from the other modern dwellings on Summit Street. A high, untrimmed hedge at the front and large evergreen trees hid the grounds from view. The windows had been boarded up for years and most persons could not recall when the house had been occupied. It had fast fallen into decay. Shutters dangled loosely on rusty hinges, weeds choked the lawn, everything needed paint. Yet, with the passing years, the old mansion had retained something of its former elegance.